t have
been very late at night. It was a fairly cold night, but the moon was
shining, and the Square where I was sitting all looked like polished
silver, and the clock of a big church at the side of the Square boomed
out one.

"I looked about me, and raised myself up painfully upon one elbow and
tried to think.

"Here I was outside everything--no shelter, no home, alone in London
with a vengeance. True the other place had been a hateful home, yet at
the very worst it had been a shelter, and, moreover, the rough-haired
dog Sam and I had somehow squeezed together to keep ourselves warm, and
Sam was the only thing that was in any way fond of me, and Sam was
really good company.

"As the thought of him came across my mind, and how I had lost him for
good now, I think I was about to start crying again, when a rather
gruff but quite kindly voice just over my head called out--

"'Now then, stop that.'

"Of course I was only a very common Cockney little street boy at that
time, and I couldn't either speak the Queen's English properly or spell
it correctly, so when the voice said 'Stop that,' I said 'Wot?' 'Going
to cry,' said the voice."

Here Ridgwell was so overcome with excitement by reason of a strange
coincidence that he interrupted. "Why, that is exactly what Lal first
said to me, and I can guess what the next thing was that he said to
you--wasn't it 'Here, jump up'?"

The Writer smiled. "Yes," he said, "it is really very wonderful how
history repeats itself. That is exactly what he said, but what I said
is perhaps even more singular.

"I raised myself slowly and looked up gradually, for my head still
ached and throbbed horribly, and when I saw it was a big bronze lion
that was speaking to me and looking quite pleasant, all I said was--

"'Lor lummy, if it ain't a bloomin' lion a-talking to me. 'Alf a
jiffey, cocky,' I said, 'an' I'll 'ave a climb up atween them paws of
yours.'

"'You mustn't call me cocky,' remarked the Lion, reprovingly, when I
had once landed up safe and sound; 'you must call me Lal.'

"'Right oh!' ses I. 'Can I sleep 'ere safe without a bloomin' copper
a-coming and diggin' of me art 'alf-way through my nap?'

"'Yes, of course,' said Lal. 'Sleep here comfortably, and cover
yourself over with the policemen's capes. You'll find three of them
beside you. Hitherto they have always annoyed me by placing them
there, but upon this occasion I am really grateful to them, as they
will