BELLA. I don’t know, sir. He says he has a letter for you, sir. HORACE. Why didn’t he give it to you? BELLA. He wouldn’t trust it out of his hand, sir. He says he must give it to you himself. HORACE. What sort of a man? BELLA. Well, sir, he seems to think he is a respectable sort of a man, but he’s what I should call a tramp. HORACE. A tramp? Well, I can’t see him, then. I can’t see him. Tell him to come again in the morning. BELLA. I told him that, sir. HORACE. Well, what did he say? BELLA. Well, sir, he said he was a persevering kind of man, but he’s what I should call obstinate. HORACE. What do you mean? BELLA. He said he wouldn’t go away till he had seen you—and I don’t think he will. HORACE. It is too maddening. I can’t have one moment to myself. Very well, show him in. Show him in. (_Exit BELLA._) First of all Aunt Martha, then that fool Dicey, then Minnie and now a tramp. (_Enter BELLA with TRAMP. Exit BELLA R._) HORACE. Well, what is it? What is it? What do you want? TRAMP. Mr. Brampton told me to give you this. (_Hands letter._) HORACE. Mr. Brampton—of Coventry? TRAMP. Yes, sir. HORACE. (_Reading_) “—might be able to give him some work.” I haven’t any work to give you. “Clever workman—seen better days.” TRAMP. That’s true enough. I never see any worse than what I’m getting now. HORACE. I’m afraid I cannot help you. TRAMP. Don’t be hard, Guv’ner. I’m cold and tired. I’ve walked all the way from Coventry. HORACE. Walked? Why, Mr. Brampton says here he has given you the money for your railway fare. TRAMP. So he did, sir. I had a bit of bad luck with that. HORACE. What? Lost it, I suppose. (_Half laughing._) TRAMP. Not exactly, sir. HORACE. What then? TRAMP. Spent it. HORACE. How? Drink? TRAMP. Yes, drink and meat. There’s no crime in that, is there? Even a tramp must eat. HORACE. Yes, and drink. Well, and when the money was gone—— TRAMP. I had to walk. That’s all. HORACE. Well, that’s what you will have to do now. I can’t help you. TRAMP. Just my luck! (_Going._) Beg pardon, Guv’ner, do you feel like standing me a drink before I go, just to keep out the cold? HORACE. (_Shrugs his shoulders_) Help yourself. TRAMP. (_Drinks glass of whiskey MINNIE had poured out_) Ah, that’s good! That brings back old times. You wouldn’t think, Guv’ner, that I was a prosperous man once. (_HORACE indicates that whiskey is responsible._) No, it wasn’t drink that ruined me. Drink may have kept me down, but it didn’t throw me. I’m an engineer by trade—leastways, I was, but I ain’t worked at it now these five years. Thank you kindly for the whiskey. Good night, sir. HORACE. Care to take another? TRAMP. Thank you, sir, I would. (_Helps himself._) Your health, Guv’ner! You wouldn’t think there was much of the inventor about me? Would you? But I’ve got some ideas, good uns too, only I ain’t got the capital, see? HORACE. I see. TRAMP. I’ll let you into one of my ideas, Guv’ner, if you’ll take it up. It’ll make your fortune.