"Why do you go to sleep on the Embankment at this time of night?
Lost any money?"

Yes, his money too had flown; luckily, only a small sum. It was for
the loss of his watch and chain that he grieved; they had been worn
for years by his father, and on that account had a far higher value
for him than was represented by their mere cost.

As a matter of form, he supplied the police with information
concerning the theft. Of recovery there could be little hope.

Thoroughly awakened and sober, he walked across London to Gower
Place arriving in the light of dawn. Too spiritless to take off his
clothing, he lay upon the bed, and through the open window watched a
great cloud that grew rosy above the opposite houses.

Would Eve be at the place of meeting today? It seemed to him totally
indifferent whether she came or not; nay, he all but hoped that she
would not. He had been guilty of prodigious folly. The girl belonged
to another man; and even had it not been so, what was the use of
flinging away his money at this rate? Did he look for any reward
correspondent to the sacrifice? She would never love him, and it was
not in his power to complete the work he had begun, by freeing her
completely from harsh circumstances, setting her in a path of secure
and pleasant life.

But she would not come, and so much the better. With only himself to
provide for he had still money enough to travel far. He would see
something of the great world, and leave his future to destiny.