And his drowsiness and stupefaction were followed by an extraordinary, feverish, as it were distracted haste.

But the preparations to be made were few.

He concentrated all his energies on thinking of everything and forgetting nothing; and his heart kept beating and thumping so that he could hardly breathe.

First he had to make a noose and sew it into his overcoat--a work of a moment.

He rummaged under his pillow and picked out amongst the linen stuffed away under it, a worn out, old unwashed shirt.