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CHAPTER I

On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man came

out of the garret in which he lodged in S. Place and walked

slowly, as though in hesitation, towards K. bridge.

He had successfully avoided meeting his landlady on the

staircase. His garret was under the roof of a high, five-storied

house and was more like a cupboard than a room. The landlady who

provided him with garret, dinners, and attendance, lived on the

floor below, and every time he went out he was obliged to pass

her kitchen, the door of which invariably stood open. And each

time he passed, the young man had a sick, frightened feeling,

which made him scowl and feel ashamed. He was hopelessly in debt

to his landlady, and was afraid of meeting her.