The cabman had taken a man and a woman to one of the West End theatres, and had been engaged to wait during the evening and pick them up when the performance was through.

After setting down his fares, he had gone to a small eating-house for a bit of supper.

When he came out the cab had disappeared.
"I know who done it," he said vehemently, "and if I had him here, I'd...." "How do you know ?" "He looked in at the coffee-shop while I was eating my bit of food." "What did he look like ?" asked the station inspector.
"He was a man with a white face," said the victim, "I could pick him out of a thousand.

And what's more, he had a brand-new pair of boots on." Tarling had strolled away from the officer's desk whilst this conversation was in progress, but now he returned.
"Did he speak at all ?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," said the cabman.

"I happened to ask him if he was looking for anybody, and he said no, and then went on to talk a lot of rubbish about a man who had been the best friend any poor chap could have had.