Page 814 - of-human-bondage-

of the day, but his stomach revolted at the sight of food. He
had a cup of tea and some bread and butter. He remembered
then that it was Sunday and he could go to the Athelnys; he
thought of the roast beef and the Yorkshire pudding they
would eat; but he was fearfully tired and could not face the
happy, noisy family. He was feeling morose and wretched.
He wanted to be left alone. He made up his mind that he
would go into the gardens of the palace and lie down. His
bones ached. Perhaps he would find a pump so that he could
wash his hands and face and drink something; he was very
thirsty; and now that he was no longer hungry he thought
with pleasure of the flowers and the lawns and the great
leafy trees. He felt that there he could think out better what
he must do. He lay on the grass, in the shade, and lit his pipe.
For economy’s sake he had for a long time confined him-
self to two pipes a day; he was thankful now that his pouch
was full. He did not know what people did when they had
no money. Presently he fell asleep. When he awoke it was
nearly mid-day, and he thought that soon he must be set-
ting out for London so as to be there in the early morning
and answer any advertisements which seemed to promise.
He thought of his uncle, who had told him that he would
leave him at his death the little he had; Philip did not in the
least know how much this was: it could not be more than a
few hundred pounds. He wondered whether he could raise
money on the reversion. Not without the old man’s consent,
and that he would never give.
‘The only thing I can do is to hang on somehow till he
dies.’

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