Harlequin, and Colombine, and Humpty-Dumpty; shapes which came out of nowhere and instantly vanished into nothing, for all the world like the absurd pantomimes of his boyhood days.

He kept close to the curb, scrutinizing the numbers as he went along.

Never had he seen such a fog.

Two paces away from the curb a headlight became an effulgence.

Indeed, there were a thousand lights jammed in the street, and the fog above absorbed the radiance, giving the scene a touch of Brocken.