The million pound banknote

Those brothers are safe. Even if I lose their bill, or burn it, they are still safe, because they can stop payment, and the Bank will refund them. But meantime I've got to do a month's suffering without wages or profit - unless I help win that bet, whatever it may be, and get that situation that I am promised. I should like to get that; men of their sort have situations in their gift that are worth having.

I got to thinking a good deal about that situation. My hopes began to rise high. Without doubt the salary would be large. It would begin in a month; after that I should be all right. Pretty soon I was feeling first-rate. By this time I was tramping the streets again. The sight of a tailor-shop gave me a sharp longing to shed my rags, and to clothe myself decently once more. Could I afford it? No; I had nothing in the world but a million pounds.

So I forced myself to go on by. But soon I was drifting back again. The temptation persecuted me cruelly. I must have passed that shop back and forth six times during that manful struggle. At last I gave in; I had to. I asked if they had a misfit suit that had been thrown on their hands. The fellow I spoke to nodded his head towards another fellow, and gave me no answer. I went to the indicated fellow, and he indicated another fellow with his head, and still I received no words.

I waited till this fellow was done with what he was at, then he took me into a back room, and went through a pile of rejected suits, and selected the rattiest one for me. I put it on. It didn't fit, and wasn't in any way attractive, but it was new, and I was anxious to have it; so I didn't find any fault.

Vocabulary:

Refund: Pay back any money that has been spent
Situation: Here it means 'a job'
Shed: Allow to drop or slide off
Persecute: Deliberately cause constant worry or pain
Manful: Done in a decent and masculine style (here the use is sarcastic)
Misfit: Something poorly designed that does not fit properly
Ratty: Of bad quality, or in poor condition or both