henceforward I made scrupulous use of every minute. I slept less; my toilet was no more than ‘a lick and a promise’; there was no longer any question of looking at myself in mirrors: I hardly ever brushed my teeth, and never cleaned my nails. I abjured all frivolous reading matter, idle gossip, and all forms of amusement; if my mother had not objected I should have given up my Saturday morning games of tennis. I always brought a book to meals; I would be learning Greek verbs or trying to find the solution to a problem.
