manding officer. The major was of a different
stamp of man. I liked him as soon as I saw him,
and to him I stated my case in the same fashion as
before.

"Didn t you know you had to stay for services?"
he asked.

"Certainly not," I answered, " or I should have
gone without my breakfast. You have no placards
posted to that effect, nor was I so informed when I
entered the place."

He meditated a moment. " You can go," he said.

It was twelve o clock when I gained the street,
and I couldn t quite make up my mind whether I
had been in the army or in prison. The day was
half gone, and it was a far fetch to Stepney. And
besides, it was Sunday, and why should even a
starving man look for work on Sunday ? Further
more, it was my judgment that I had done a hard
night s work walking the streets, and a hard day s
work getting my breakfast; so I disconnected my
self from my working hypothesis of a starving young
man in search of employment, hailed a bus, and
climbed aboard.

After a shave and a bath, with my clothes all off,
I got in between clean white sheets and went to
sleep. It was six in the evening when I closed my
eyes. When they opened again, the clocks were
striking nine next morning. I had slept fifteen

[[136]]

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v?