"I callated the interest down to how much a minute. I allers liked
cipherin, ye know, Perez, and I have a great deal of time here. Ye
see, every day, the interest is a penny and twenty-six twenty-sevenths
of a farthin. The wall round me gits that much higher and thicker
every day." He stepped closer up to the wall, and pointed to a
particular set of figures.
"Here's my weight, ye see, ten stone and a fraction," and then
observing Perez' pitiful glance at his emaciated form, he added, "I
mean when I come to jail. Dividin nineteen pound, seven and six, by
that, it makes me come to thrippence happenny a pound, 'cording to
the laws o' Massachusetts, countin bones and waste. Mutton ain't wuth
but tuppence, and there's lots o' fellers here for sech small debts,
that they don't come to mor'n a farthin a pound, and ye see I'm gittin
dearer, Perez. There's the interest one way, and I'm a gittin thinner
the other way," he added with a piteous smile.
"Perez," interrupted Fennell, in a feeble, whimpering voice, as he
weakly endeavored to raise himself from the floor, "I wish you'd jess
give me a boost on your shoulders, so I kin see out the winder. Reub
uster to do it, but he ain't stout enough now.
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