His idea was to begin business immediately, and it did much for him the rest of his day that the beginning of business awaited him.

He did little else till night but ask himself what he should do if he hadn't fortunately had so much to do; but he put himself the question in many different situations and connexions.

What carried him hither and yon was an admirable theory that nothing he could do wouldn't be in some manner related to what he fundamentally had on hand, or WOULD be--should he happen to have a scruple--wasted for it.

He did happen to have a scruple--a scruple about taking no definite step till he should get letters; but this reasoning carried it off.

A single day to feel his feet--he had felt them as yet only at Chester and in London--was he could consider, none too much; and having, as he had often privately expressed it, Paris to reckon with, he threw these hours of freshness consciously into the reckoning.