One always does look a fool when one rings the bell of an empty house.
 George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936). copy citation

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Author George Orwell
Source Keep the Aspidistra Flying
Topic house ring
Date 1936
Language English
Reference
Note
Weblink http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200021.txt

Context

“At this moment he became aware of a lace cap, some dark hair and a pair of youthful eyes regarding him furtively from the basement of the house next door. It was a servant-girl who had come out to see what all the noise was about. She caught his eye and gazed into the middle distance. He looked a fool and knew it. One always does look a fool when one rings the bell of an empty house. And suddenly it came to him that that girl knew all about him—knew that the party had been put off and that everyone except Gordon had been told of it—knew that it was because he had no money that he wasn’t worth the trouble of telling.” source