midday
The little man , excitable and often tipsy , was terrified of her , and the stranger soon heard of domestic quarrels in which she used her fist and her foot in order to keep him in subjection . She had been known after a night of drunkenness to confine him for twenty-four hours to his own room , and then he could be seen , afraid to leave his prison , talking somewhat pathetically from his verandah to people in the street below . He was a character , and his reminiscences of a varied life , whether true or not , made him worth listening to , so that when Lawson strolled in I was inclined to resent the interruption . Although not midday , it was clear that he had had enough to drink , and it was without enthusiasm that I yielded to his persistence and accepted his offer of another cocktail . I knew already that Chaplin 's head was weak . The next round which in common politeness I should be forced to order would be enough to make him lively , and then Mrs Chaplin would give me black looks . Nor was there anything attractive in Lawson 's appearance .