All his exertion was used in washing other persons' clothes.

He did not have any left for private affairs.
He resolved that when Sunday came he would pull himself together and answer Ruth's letter.

But Saturday afternoon, after work was finished and he had taken a bath, the desire to forget overpowered him.

"I guess I'll go down and see how Joe's getting on," was the way he put it to himself; and in the same moment he knew that he lied.

But he did not have the energy to consider the lie.