Still in the same
sneering manner, laying particular stress on the "business," he brought
my case before the commanding 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? Furthermore, 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 myself 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.
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