A Damsel in Distress

e quickest-witted of men off his balance, he acted with promptitude, intelligence and despatch. The fact is, George had for years

cle of the wrist, at the same time keeping his head still and his eye on the ball. It is estimated that there are twenty-three important points to be borne in mind simultaneously while making a drive at golf; and to the man who has mastered the art of remembering them all the tas

ed a voice behind him. It s

p-shot out of the corner of his mouth, designed to li

ot having had a bath since the days of the Tudors. The east wind still blew. But, though superficially the same, in reality Piccadilly had altered completely. Before it had been just Piccadilly. Now it was a golden street in the City of Romance, a main thoroughfare of Bagdad, one of the principal arteries of the capital of Fairyland. A rose-coloured mist swam before George's eyes. His spirits, so low but a few moments back, soared l

nty-one, who during George's preparations for ensuring privacy in his cab had been galloping in pursuit in a resolute manner that suggested a well-dressed blood

ilk hat, mopping a pink forehead, and replacing the lu

was this gurgling excrescence underneath the silk hat. He comprised in his single person practically all the qualities which George disliked most. He was, for a young man, extraordinarily obese. Already a second edition of his chin had been published, and the perfectly-cut morning coat which e

lege of mixing socially with many of New York's most prominent theatrical managers; so he

leaning a little further out of

n't matter if she was any later; the messenger boy had nothing on hand except a message marked "Important: Rush"; and as for the two shabby men, their only immediate plans consisted of a vague intention of getting

t into your cab," sai

not?" sa

il do you mea

all the time, and I sh

ying, the stout young man behaved exactly as a bloodhound in similar circumstances would have conducted itself. He broke into a jerky gallop, attended by his self-appointed associates; and, considering that the young man was so stout, that the messenger boy considered it unprofession

essenger boy, removing a bead of

" said the non-smokin

eorge affably. "And w

s of gin and too many policemen, a world in which the poor were oppressed and could seldom even enjoy a quiet cigar without having their fingers trodden upon, he found hi

provingly. "Now

d an acquaintance in th

tyre. They are not impatient. They do not call for rapid and continuous action. A mere hole in the ground, which of all sights is perhaps the least vivid and dramatic, is enough to grip their attention for hours at a time. They stared at George and

ons becam

it? 'Nac

'ad 'is poc

fs 'ad a

ilked the

de a cynical

' of it for t

ined instan

t? It's a

', Cha

r's 'idden

hey be up

rnessed to his stomach started another school of tho

n's bin 'avin' one or two around the corn

usly unaware that there was any sort of disturbance amo

" he asked, swinging

ge's

llar-stud merchant. "The gentleman over there with the portable

nd who appeared considerably ruffled by the publicity, had been puffing noisily during the foregoing convers

ll you let me look

id George, "I

get in, and I have been watching ever since,

pproval of this

then? We applaud the Man of Logic, but what of the

ut of

won

l force m

all infallibly bust

ung man drew

that sort of t

guish between the unusual and the impossible. It would be unusual for a comparative stranger to lean out of a cab window and so

you what

lity of somebody some day busting you on the jaw when you tried to get into a cab, you might have thought out dozens of crafty schemes for dealing with the matter. As it is, you

ther diagnosis. He was seeing clearer

's orf 'is bloomin' onion. That's why 'e 's standin' up instead of settin'. 'E won'

upon the intel

ning is adm

te a Berserk frame of mind, made a sudden spring at the cab door and clutched the handle, which he was about t

e young man on the jaw, as promised, on the other hand, was not in George's eyes a practical policy. Excellent a deterrent as the threat of such a proceeding might be, its actual accomplishment was not to be thought of. Gaols y

with a sweep and knocked the s

a silk hat, and freshly ironed by loving hands but a brief hour before at the only shaving-parlour in London where ironing is ironing and not a brutal attack, it was his pride and joy. To lose it was like losing his trousers.

over it and stroking it with soothing fingers. It was too far off for anything to be audible, but he seemed to George to be murmuring words of endearment to it. Then, placing it on his head, he darted out int

any of them might be glancing in his direc

if she had ever been there, and was now seat