Page 812 - of-human-bondage-

C

aturday. It was the day on which he had promised to
Spay his landlady. He had been expecting something to
turn up all through the week. He had found no work. He
had never been driven to extremities before, and he was so
dazed that he did not know what to do. He had at the back
of his mind a feeling that the whole thing was a preposter-
ous joke. He had no more than a few coppers left, he had
sold all the clothes he could do without; he had some books
and one or two odds and ends upon which he might have
got a shilling or two, but the landlady was keeping an eye on
his comings and goings: he was afraid she would stop him
if he took anything more from his room. The only thing
was to tell her that he could not pay his bill. He had not the
courage. It was the middle of June. The night was fine and
warm. He made up his mind to stay out. He walked slowly
along the Chelsea Embankment, because the river was rest-
ful and quiet, till he was tired, and then sat on a bench and
dozed. He did not know how long he slept; he awoke with
a start, dreaming that he was being shaken by a policeman
and told to move on; but when he opened his eyes he found
himself alone. He walked on, he did not know why, and at
last came to Chiswick, where he slept again. Presently the
hardness of the bench roused him. The night seemed very
long. He shivered. He was seized with a sense of his misery;

11