On Saturday afternoon the contents of Gilbert's own room were to be removed; on that and the following night he would sleep under the new roof, and by Monday morning would have things in sufficient order to allow of Mrs.Grail and Lydia coming, for these two were to keep each other company whilst he and his wife were away.

By this scheme he might work on to the end of the week, and suffer no loss of wages.
But Gilbert was not a machine, unhappily for himself.

Even had nothing external occurred to trouble the order he had planned, his own mood would probably have rendered steady work impossible now that he could positively count on his fingers the days before his marriage day--before the day which would make him a free man.

It was hard to believe that two such blessings could descend upon a mortal at once.

It seemed to him that the very hours, as they went by, looked on him with faces of mysterious menace, foretelling a dread successor.