self, he was able to subsist
on bread and water, and the meagre fare was scarcely a privation to his
hardy constitution. If he chanced to have no money to spare for fuel, he
bore the cold and buttoned up his old pea-jacket to the throat while he
sat at work at his table. His self-respect made him wise and careful in
regard to his dress, but in other matters many a handicraftsman was
accustomed to more luxury than he. At the present juncture he had been
taken unawares, and he found himself in great difficulty. He had left
himself barely enough for subsistence until the arrival of the next
remittance, and that meant but a very few scudi; and yet he knew that
certain expenses must be met immediately, almost within the twenty-four
hours. The very first thing was to get a lodging suitable for Gloria. It
would be necessary to pay at least one month's rent in advance. Even if
he were able to do that, he would be left without a penny for daily
expenses. He had no bank account; for he cashed the drafts he received
and kept the money in his room. He had never borrowed of an
acquaintance, and the idea was repulsive to him and most humiliating.
Had he possessed any bit of jewelry, or anything of value, he would have
sold the object, but he had nothing of the kind. His books were
practically valueless, consisting of such volumes as he absolutely
needed for his daily use, chiefly cheap editions, poorly bound and well
worn. He needed at least fifty scudi, and he did not possess quite ten.
Three weeks earlier he had sent a hundred, anonymously, to free a
starving artist from debt.

His position was only very partially enviable just then, but the bright
north wind seemed to blow his troubles back from him as he faced it,
walking home from his ineffectual attempt to meet Reanda. It was very
unlike the man to return to his lodging without having accomplished
anything, but he was hardly conscious of the fact. The face of the
ancient city was suddenly changed, and it seemed as though nothing could
go wrong if he would only allow fortune to play her own game without
interference. He walked lightly, and there was a little colour in his
face. He tried to think of what he should do to meet his present
difficulties, but when he thought of them they were whirled away,
shapeless and unrecognizable, and he felt a sense of irresistible power
with each breath of the crisp dry air.

As he went along he glanced at the houses he passed, and on some of