precisely how he had managed to return to his lodging the night before , he was unable to relate : not for the first time in his life , martin offered up a silent prayer to the guardian saint of drunks , the nameless* individual who always seems to look after the well-being of the overly inebriated and guide them back to a place of sanctuary when their own physical body and mental faculties are not working sufficiently co-operatively such that they are capable of helping themselves .