He had hunted everywhere for work, descending gradually the scale of quality, until apparently he had sued for all the various kinds of work a man without a special calling might hope to be able to do, except ditching and the other coarse manual sorts--and had got neither work nor the promise of it.
He was mechanically turning over the leaves of his diary, meanwhile, and now his eye fell upon the first record made after he was burnt out: "I myself did not doubt my stamina before, nobody could doubt it now, if they could see how I am housed, and realise that I feel absolutely no disgust with these quarters, but am as serenely content with them as any dog would be in a similar kennel.

Terms, twenty-five dollars a week.
I said I would start at the bottom.

I have kept my word." A shudder went quaking through him, and he exclaimed: "What have I been thinking of! This the bottom! Mooning along a whole week, and these terrific expenses climbing and climbing all the time! I must end this folly straightway." He settled up at once and went forth to find less sumptuous lodgings.

He had to wander far and seek with diligence, but he succeeded.

They made him pay in advance--four dollars and a half; this secured both bed and food for a week.