Besides, he was getting desperate.

It was over a month now since he had finished up for his last employer.

It had been a very slow summer altogether.
Sometimes a fortnight for one firm; then perhaps a week doing nothing; then three weeks or a month for another firm, then out again, and so on.

And now it was November.

Last winter they had got into debt; that was nothing unusual, but owing to the bad summer they had not been able, as in other years, to pay off the debts accumulated in winter.
It was doubtful, too, whether they would be able to get credit again this winter.