ably a secularist, had fallen back
upon "The Men of Harlech."

A crowd was already gathering.

Mr. Hearty looked about him like a hunted rat, he rushed to the shop
door, desperation in his eyes, violence in his mind. Before he had an
opportunity of coming to a decision as to his course of action, a new
situation arose, that distracted his thoughts from the unspeakable
"alibis."

CHAPTER V

THE GATHERING OF THE BANDS

From the direction of Putney Bridge a large crowd was approaching.
People were leaning over the sides of omnibuses, staring out of the
windows of trams, boys were whistling and exchanging comments, the
purport of which Mr. Hearty could not quite catch. In this new
excitement he forgot the "alibis," who gradually became absorbed in
the growing throng that collected outside the shop.

Mr. Hearty gazed at the approaching multitude, misgiving in his soul.
He caught a glimpse of what looked like a pineapple walking in the
midst of the crowd, next he saw a carrot, then an orange. He turned
away, blinked his eyes and looked again. This time he saw, moving in
his direction, an enormous bean, followed by a potato. Yes, there was
no doubt about it, fruit and vegetables were walking up Putney High
Street!

As they came nearer he saw that each vegetable was leading a donkey,
on whose back were two boards, meeting at the top, thus forming a
triangle, the base of which was strapped to the animal's back. People
were pointing to the boards and laughing. Mr. Hearty could not see
what was written on them.

The sensation was terrific. A group of small boys who had run on ahead
took up a position near the door of Mr. Hearty's shop.

"That's 'im," cried one, "that's Napoleon."

"No, it ain't," said another, "that's Caesar."

Mechanically Mr. Hearty waved the boys away. They repeated words that
to him were meaningless, and then pointed to the approaching crowd.
Mr. Hearty was puzzled and alarmed.

"Look! guv'nor, there they are," shouted one of the boys.

Instinctively Mr. Hearty looked. At first he beheld only the donkeys,
the animated fruit and the approaching crowd, then he suddenly saw his
own name. A motor omnibus intervened. A moment later the donkeys and
their boards came into full view. Mr. Hearty gasped.

On their boards were ingenious exhortations to the public to support
the enterprise of Alfred Hearty, greengrocer, of Putney, Fulham and
Wandsworth. Mr. Hearty read as one in a dream:

AL