Its not practicable, but ina way its
sound.
It had dragged him downward with strange
suddenness. We cant afford principles, people like us. But in the end he let himself
be persuaded. He said flatly:All right, if you like to put it like
that.
As he held her there, one handmechanically
caressing her shoulder, his main feeling was boredom.
She had come here with something definiteto
say.
He didnt want ever to work again; all he wantedwas
to sink, sink, effortless, down into the mud.
But in the end, unexpectedly and through no effort
of his own,Gordon did get a job.
But he hadnt the guts to face the streets
asyet.
She had come here swearing toherself that she would
not cry.
He pulled his gloves offand threw them into a
chair. He knew that he ought to refuse,he WANTED to refuse, and yet he had not quite
the courage.
He was going to start with five hundred assorted
titles,he said.
In less than a week hisappearance had deteriorated
strangely. The New Albionwouldnt take me back, he said shortly. The prospect of
searching for another jobbored him even more than the prospect of poverty. After
all, one is never quite alone; there are alwaysfriends, lovers, relatives. From
timeto time Gordon made feeble efforts to escape, which always ended inthe same way.
Gordon could never make out wherethe dirt came from. It was only toplease Ravelston
that he had even been pretending to look for work.
Their servile, dirtylittle faces, wild with hope,
made him feel sick. He must get out ofthis place, and quickly! He had known that
hewould let himself be persuaded. She felt that she knew him well enoughnow to take
him into her confidence.
Another ofRavelstons pet scroungers, they all said.
It was a place where you COULD be happy, in a sluttish way. The shop was in the
desolate stretch of road south of WaterlooBridge. Life had beaten him; but youcan
still beat life by turning your face away.
I likes all my lodgers tofeel
comfortable-like.
It was not long before Ravelston rose to go.