le impression on
the upholder of law and order. "Why 'aven't I 'ad my breakfast? All
because of these two blokes. I tell you, you ought to cop them."

"When I was a boy," said the policeman, "I used to collect stamps."

"Did yer," exclaimed the taxi-man sarcastically. "You do interest me,
reely you do."

"Yes, I used to collect stamps." The policeman settled himself more
comfortably. "And afore that I was in the 'abit of collecting bits o'
string."

"You surprise me," said the taxi-man. "And what did you collect afore
you collected bits of string?"

"So far as I recollect, I didn't collect nothing. I was trying to
remember while I was walking across the Heath." He turned to us. "Did
you collect anything?"

"Yes," I said. "I used to collect beetles."

"Beetles?" The policeman nodded thoughtfully. "I never had an eye for
beetles. But, as I said, I collected stamps. I remember I would walk for
miles to get a new stamp, and of an evening I would sit and count the
stamps in my album over and over again till my head was fair giddy." He
paused and stroked his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully. "I recollect as
if it was yesterday how giddy my head used to get."

The taxi-man seemed about to say something, but he changed his mind.

"Why did you collect beetles?" the policeman asked me.

"I was interested in them."

"But that ain't a suitable answer," he replied. "It ain't suitable.
That's what I've been seeing for the first time this morning. The point
is--why was you interested in beetles, and why was I interested in bits
o' string and stamps?"

"Yes, he's quite right," said Sarakoff; "that certainly is the point."

"To say that we are interested in a thing is no suitable explanation,"
continued the policeman. "After I'd done collecting stamps----"

"Why don't you arrest these two blokes?" shouted the taxi-man suddenly.
"Why can't you do yer duty, you blue fathead?"

"I'm coming to that," said the policeman imperturbably. "As I was
saying, after I collected stamps, I collected knives--any sort of old
rusty knife--and then I joined the force and began to collect men, I
collected all sorts o' men--tall and short, fat and thin. Now why did I
do that?"

"It seems to me," observed the taxi-man, suddenly calm, "that somebody
will be collecting you soon, and there won't be no need to arsk the
reason why."

"That's where you and me don't agree," said the policeman. "I came to
the conclusion this morning that we don't