Bert began to light matches from a borrowed boxful, and search for a half-crown that still eluded him among the charred remains. His face was grave and melancholy. “I WISH that 'adn't 'appened,” said Flossie, riding on with Grubb.... And at last Bert was left almost alone, a sad, blackened Promethean figure, cursed by the gift of fire. He had entertained vague ideas of hiring a cart, of achieving miraculous repairs, of still snatching some residual value from his one chief possession. Now, in the darkening night, he perceived the vanity of such intentions. Truth came to him bleakly, and laid her chill conviction upon him. He took hold of the handle-bar, stood the thing up, tried to push it forward. The tyreless hind-wheel was jammed hopelessly, even as he feared. For a minute or so he stood upholding his machine, a motionless despair. Then with a great effort he thrust the ruins from him into the ditch, kicked at it once, regarded it for a moment, and turned his face resolutely Londonward. He did not once look back. “That's the end of THAT game!” said Bert. “No more teuf-teuf-teuf for Bert Smallways for a year or two. Good-bye 'olidays!... Oh! I ought to 'ave sold the blasted thing when I had a chance three years ago.” 3 The next morning found the firm of Grubb & Smallways in a state of profound despondency. It seemed a small matter to them that the newspaper and cigarette shop opposite displayed such placards as this:-- --------------------------------------- REPORTED AMERICAN ULTIMATUM. BRITAIN MUST FIGHT. OUR INFATUATED WAR OFFICE STILL REFUSES TO LISTEN TO MR. BUTTERIDGE. GREAT MONO-RAIL DISASTER AT TIMBUCTOO.--------------------------------------- or this:-- --------------------------------------- WAR A QUESTION OF HOURS. NEW YORK CALM. EXCITEMENT IN BERLIN.--------------------------------------- or again:-- --------------------------------------- WASHINGTON STILL SILENT. WHAT WILL PARIS DO? THE PANIC ON THE BOURSE. THE KING'S GARDEN PARTY TO THE MASKED TWAREGS. MR. BUTTERIDGE TAKES AN OFFER. LATEST BETTING FROM TEHERAN.--------------------------------------- or this:-- --------------------------------------- WILL AMERICA FIGHT? ANTI-GERMAN RIOT IN BAGDAD. THE MUNICIPAL SCANDALS AT DAMASCUS. MR. BUTTERIDGE'S INVENTION FOR AMERICA.--------------------------------------- Bert stared at these over the card of pump-clips in the pane in the door with unseeing eyes. He wore a blackened flannel shirt, and the jacketless ruins of the holiday suit of yesterday. The boarded-up shop was dark and depressing beyond words, the few scandalous hiring machines had never looked so hopelessly disreputable. He thought of their fellows who were “out,” and of the approaching disputations of the afternoon. He thought of their new landlord, and of their old landlord, and of bills and claims. Life presented itself for the first time as a hopeless fight against fate....