mind and sat down again. He was a tall man with black
hair threaded with white. His face was large featured but clear cut,
high cheekbones, a Roman nose, a straight, firm mouth and Wellingtonian
side whiskers, his age forty or a little more. His companion at the
table put a question but the man shook his head.

"I fancy I made a mistake," he said.

Richard tipped the porter with the last coins in his pocket, a shilling
and five coppers, turned slowly down Berkeley Street and crossed
Piccadilly. He passed the Ritz, of pleasant memory, and entered into
the sleeping apartment of London's destitute--the single bench on the
slope that faces Green Park, gratuitously provided by the generosity of
the City of Westminster.

There was a constable by the cabman's shelter and him Richard addressed.

"A fine night, Bobbie," he said.

The constable agreed that this was so. He did not resent having been
addressed as 'Bobbie.' There was no offence in it and Richard belonged
to that class of individuals with whom familiarity is a cloak for
courtesy.

"Taking a stroll, sir?" he asked.

Richard produced his hundred Gold Flake and bade the officer fill his
helmet.

"Better help me out with a few or I shall be smoking all night," he
said.

"In trouble, sir?"

"Broke," said Richard, "and I want your advice. I've had the devil of
a good dinner with the last of my fortune and I'm looking for words of
wisdom. In the first place, how about that bench?"

"The Rowton is better."

"Won't run to it."

"Not to be recommended, p'raps, but it's free to all," said the
constable, nodding at the green seat which was already filling up for
the night, with bundles of rags, voluminous overcoats and thin, shiny
blue serges buttoned at the neck.

"I don't want to steal a march on the regular custom," observed Richard.

"It's first come hereabouts, but you'd better not leave it too late.
Anyway you'll get a shake-up when the four o'clock patrol comes on."

"How's that?"

"Always give 'em a shake-up at four o'clock. Don't make many odds.
You just get up and sit down again. Takes the cold out of your bones
if it does nothing else."

"I suppose," said Richard, "I couldn't doss down on that board that's
perched on the two iron standards up towards Hyde Park Comer. It has a
single room touch that I rather fancy."

The constable shook his head.

"I couldn't let you," he said, "though there's no particular harm in
it."

"Then