There were already three people sitting on the bench, two men and a woman. When he sat down, they all started fearfully and peered at him through the darkness, only to sink back immediately into their slumbers, each one with his head resting on the shoulder of his neighbour. Gurdweill could not see their faces in the dark, only that the woman sitting next to him was bare-headed. Nor was he in the least interested. All he knew was that he had to be on his guard for the policeman who could pass by at any moment. The place was swarming with them; they popped up in front of you as if springing right out of the ground. ‘The main thing is not to close your eyes!’ he said to himself, making a strenuous effort to open them as wide as he could. But his eyelids dropped of their own accord. Ah, the poor woman — there was something of Thea herself about her — how cold she must be! Without a hat, poor thing. He would offer her his; it was sure to fit her. But his hat — he suddenly remembered — was lost, what a shame. When you had to push such a heavy carriage with a baby, what was the wonder that your hat got lost? If only the shops were open he would have gone to buy a new one straight away. There should be a law to keep them open all the time, at night too, because it was winter now and the present state of affairs was quite intolerable! But she could lean on him and that would warm her up a little. No, it would be better to invite her to go to his room with him, it was nice and warm there now with the stove on. But he immediately dismissed this idea. Of course, he hadn’t paid the rent yet, and Thea wouldn’t let him in without paying the rent! She might even call a policeman to put him in prison! Because not paying the rent was just like stealing … Horrified by this possibility, he opened his eyes.

The woman next to him said in a hoarse, masculine voice, ‘Have you got a cigarette for a neighbour, sir?’

‘Ah, I must have fallen asleep!’ thought Gurdweill. He was not sure if the woman had been addressing him, but in any case he took out a cigarette and offered it to her. At that moment a policeman appeared right next to the bench, gave them a piercing look, and, apparently having concluded that everything was in order and in compliance with the ‘law’, disappeared again into the dark.

‘Those pigs!’ muttered the woman hoarsely to herself. ‘They don’t give you a moment’s rest!’ And to Gurdweill: ‘Can you tell me what the time is?’