Judge of my great pleasure when who should arrive one morning to put his signature to policies but my old friend, Mr. Pepys! I carried in a hundred policies for his attention, and beamed upon him with the utmost heartiness; but only to be met by a look of polite, but complete, unrecognition! It was, as it were, a further illustration of the great gulf between capital and labour—Mr. Pepys, of course, standing for the former commodity. But, though he did not associate me with his past, Mr. Pepys was exceedingly polite. He adopted the genial manner of a man who falls in with a strange but friendly dog, and encourages it. After signing twenty policies, he tired and sighed and had to rest. Then, being the kindliest of men, he addressed a few words to me on an official subject. “Had any fires lately?” he asked. But I didn’t know in the least, as fires, of course, belonged to one of the highest branches of the subject. I chanced it, however, and said: “Nothing of much consequence, sir.” “Good!” he answered. Then he was seized with a sudden fit of caution. “But you keep an account of them, don’t you?” he asked, almost anxiously. This afforded me the extraordinary experience of finding a man who knew less about fire insurance than I did; and I remembered how, in the far past, months ago, Mr. Pepys had spoken slightingly of his knowledge of the business. I felt quite an old, trusty official after this—one of the faithful, dogged sort of men who are actuated solely by enthusiasm for their masters’ interests. I slightly patronised Mr. Pepys, but not intentionally. I said: “Oh yes, sir; we don’t allow them to pass.” “That’s right!” he replied, and showed a satisfaction which may or may not have been genuine. “They are all embalmed in the archives of the Society, sir,” I added. He looked at me doubtfully after this, and didn’t seem to be sure of his ground. At any rate, it silenced him; to my disappointment he made no further remarks about fire insurance or anything else, but took up his pen again, sighed, and signed a few more policies. At this moment another director entered, and Mr. Pepys wished him good morning, and he said, “Morning!”