way that he, Cowperwood, did not know.  He put his hand to his chin, thinking—­his business, his house, his friends, his family, Aileen.  He felt for his watch, but remembered that they had taken that.  There was no way of telling the time.  Neither had he any notebook, pen, or pencil with which to amuse or interest himself.  Besides he had had nothing to eat since morning.  Still, that mattered little.  What did matter was that he was shut up here away from the world, quite alone, quite lonely, without knowing what time it was, and that he could not attend to any of the things he ought to be attending to—­his business affairs, his future.  True, Steger would probably come to see him after a while.  That would help a little.  But even so—­think of his position, his prospects up to the day of the fire and his state now.  He sat looking at his shoes; his suit.  God!  He got up and walked to and fro, to and fro, but his own steps and movements sounded so loud.  He walked to the cell door and looked out through the thick bars, but there was nothing to see—­nothing save a portion of two cell doors opposite, something like his own.  He came back and sat in his single chair, meditating, but, getting weary of that finally, stretched himself on the dirty prison bed to try it.  It was not uncomfortable entirely.  He got up after a while, however, and sat, then walked, then sat.  What a narrow place to walk, he thought.  This was horrible—­something like a living tomb.  And to think he should be here now, day after day and day after day, until—­until what?  Until the Governor pardoned him or his time was up, or his fortune eaten away—­or—­

So he cogitated while the hours slipped by.  It was nearly five o’clock before Steger was able to return, and then only for a little while.  He had been arranging for Cowperwood’s appearance on the following Thursday, Friday, and Monday in his several court proceedings.  When he was gone, however, and the night fell and Cowperwood had to trim his little, shabby oil-lamp and to drink the strong tea and eat the rough, poor bread made of bran and white flour, which was shoved to him through the small aperture in the door by the trencher trusty, who was accompanied by the overseer to see that it was done properly, he really felt very badly.  And after that the center wooden door of his cell was presently closed and locked by a trusty who slammed it rudely and said no word.  Nine o’clock would be sounded somewhere by a great bell, he understood, when his smoky oil-lamp would have to be put out promptly and he would have to undress and go to bed.  There were punishments, no doubt, for infractions of these rules—­reduced rations, the strait-jacket, perhaps stripes—­he scarcely knew what.  He felt disconsolate, grim, weary.  He had put up such a long, unsatisfactory fight.  After washing his heavy stone cup and tin plate at the hydrant, he took off the sickening uniform and shoes and even the drawers of the scratching underwear, and stretched himself wearily on the bed.  The place was not any too warm, and he tried to make himself comfortable between the blankets—­but it was of little use.  His soul was cold.