A man, slouching along under the trees, paused as I overtook him.
"You couldn't oblige me with a light, could you, guv'nor ?" he said.

The voice sounded strange, coming from the figure that it did.
I struck a match, and held it out to him, shaded by my hands.

As the faint light illumined his face, I started back, and let the match fall:-- "Harry!" He answered with a short dry laugh.

"I didn't know it was you," he said, "or I shouldn't have stopped you." "How has it come to this, old fellow ?" I asked, laying my hand upon his shoulder.

His coat was unpleasantly greasy, and I drew my hand away again as quickly as I could, and tried to wipe it covertly upon my handkerchief.
"Oh, it's a long, story," he answered carelessly, "and too conventional to be worth telling.