I put myself. And then I sat down and moralized
upon the fair years and fat, which had made my
skin soft and brought the nerves close to the sur
face; for the singlet was rough and raspy as a hair
shirt, and I am confident that the most rigorous of
ascetics suffer no more than did I in the ensuing
twenty-four hours.

The remainder of my costume was fairly easy to
put on, though the brogans, or brogues, were quite
a problem. As stiff and hard as if made of wood,
it was only after a prolonged pounding of the up
pers with my fists that I was able to get my feet
into them at all. Then, with a few shillings, a
knife, a handkerchief, and some brown papers and
flake tobacco stowed away in my pockets, I thumped
down the stairs and said good-by to my foreboding
friends. As I passed out the door, the help, a
comely, middle-aged w r oman, could not conquer a
grin that twisted her lips and separated them till the
throat, out of involuntary sympathy, made the uncouth
animal noises we are wont to designate as laughter.

No sooner was I out on the streets than I was
impressed by the difference in status effected by
my clothes. All servility vanished from the de
meanor of the common people with whom I came
in contact. Presto ! in the twinkling of an eye, so
to say, I had become one of them. My frayed and
knit-at-elbows jacket was the badge and advertise-

[[13]]

p012 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p013w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p014

v?