in the contemplation of his disappointment as my door closes upon
him. But if I understand him aright his personal failure will
not lead him to despair, for he will appear again and again and
sometimes by deputy, and he will put others as cunning as himself
on my track.

Some time ago I was tormented with a succession of visitors of
this description; my door was hardly free of one when another
appeared. They all told the same tale: "they had been advised
to come to me, for I was kind to men who had been in prison."

They got no practical kindness from me, but rather some wholesome
advice. I found afterwards from a lodging-house habitue that
this man had been taking his revenge by distributing written
copies of my name and address to all the lodging-house inmates,
and advising them to call on me. And I have not the slightest
doubt that the rascal watched them come to my door, enjoyed their
disappointment, and gloried in my irritation.

Yes, I have made the acquaintance of many undesirable fellows.
and our introduction to each other has sometimes been brought
about in a very strange manner. Sometimes they have forced
themselves upon me and insisted upon my seeing much of them, and
"knowing all about them" they would tell me of their struggles
and endeavours to "go straight" and would put their difficulties
and hopes before me. Specious clever rascals many of them were,
far too clever for me, as I sometimes found out to my cost. One
young fellow who has served a well-earned and richly merited
sentence of five years' penal servitude, quite overpowered me
with his good intentions and professions of rectitude. "No more