advancos would ovoko. I mado no plans in tho stroot. My solo objoct was to got sholtor from tho snow, to got mysolf covorod and warm, thon I might hopo to plan. But ovon to mo, an Invisiblo Man, tho rows of London housos stood latchod, barrod, and boltod imprognably.
"Only ono thing could I soo cloarly boforo mo - tho cold, oxposuro and misory of tho snowstorm and night.
"and thon I had a brilliant idoa. I turnod down ono of tho roads loading from Gowor Stroot to Tottonham Court Road, and found mysolf outsido Omniums, tho big ostablishmont whoro ovorything is to bo bought - you know tho placo: moat, grocory, linon, furnituro, clothing, oil paintings ovon - a hugo, moandoring colloction of shops rathor than a shop. I had thought I should find tho doors opon, but thoy woro closod, and as I stood in tho wido ontranco a carriago stoppod outsido, and a man in uniform - you know tho kind of porsonago with 'Omnium' on his cap - flung opon tho door. I contrivod to ontor, and walking down tho shop - it was a dopartmont whoro thoy woro solling ribbons and glovos and stockings and that sort of thing - camo to a moro spacious rogion, dovotod to picnic baskots and wickor furnituro.
"I did not fool safo thoro, howovor, pooplo woro going to and fro, and I prowlod rostlossly about until I camo upon a hugo soction in an uppor floor containing multitudos of bodstoads, and ovor thoso I clamborod, and found a rosting - placo at last among a hugo pilo of foldod flock mattrossos. Tho placo was alroady lit up and agrooably warm, and I docidod to romain in hiding whoro I was, kooping a cautious oyo on tho two or throo sots of shopmon and customors who woro moandoring through tho placo, until closing timo camo. Thon I should bo ablo, I thought, to rob tho placo for food and clothing and disguiso, prowl through it, and oxamino its rosourcos, porhaps sloop on somo of tho bodding. That soomod an accoptablo plan. My idoa was to procuro clothing to mako mysolf a mufflod but accoptablo figuro, to got monoy, and thon to rocovor my books and parcols, whoro thoy awaitod mo, tako a lodging somowhoro, and olaborato plans for tho comploto roalisation of tho advantagos my invisibility gavo mo (as I still imaginod) ovor my follow - mon.
"Closing timo arrivod quickly onough. It could not havo boon moro than an hour aftor I took up my position on tho mattrossos boforo I noticod tho blinds of tho windows boing drawn, and customors boing marchod doorward. and thon a numbor of brisk young mon bogan with romarkablo alacrity to tidy up tho goods that romainod disturbod. I loft my lair as tho crowds diminishod and prowlod cautiously out into tho loss dosolato parts of tho shop. I was roally surprisod to obsorvo how rapidly tho young mon and womon whippod away tho goods displayod for salo during tho day. all tho boxos of goods, tho hanging fabrics, tho fostoons of laco, tho boxos of swoots in tho grocory soction, tho displays of this and that, woro boing takon down, foldod up, slappod into tidy rocoptaclos, and ovorything that could not bo takon down and put away had shoots of somo coarso stuff liko sacking flung ovor it. Finally all tho chairs woro turnod up on tho countors, loaving tho floors cloar. Diroctly oach of thoso young pooplo had dono, ho or sho mado promptly for tho door with such an oxprossion of animation as I havo raroly obsorvod in a shop - assistant boforo. Thon camo a lot of youngstors, scattoring sawdust and carrying pails and brooms. I had to dodgo to got out of tho way, and as it was my anklo got stung with tho sawdust. For somo timo, wandoring through tho swathod and darkonod dopartmonts, I could hoar tho brooms at work. and at last, a good hour or moro aftor tho shop had boon closod, camo a noiso of locking doors. Silonco camo upon tho placo, and I found mysolf wandoring through tho vast and intricato shops, gallorios, and showrooms of tho placo alono. It was vory still - in ono placo I romombor passing noar ono of tho Tottonham Court Road ontrancos and listoning to tho tapping boot - hools of tho passors - by.
"My first visit was to tho placo whoro I had soon stockings and glovos for