Summary

The story is set in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century. A nameless policeman diligently walks his beat and notices that although it is not yet ten o’clock, the neighborhood streets are already mostly deserted for the night. He attributes this to the chilly, windy weather threatening rain, and as the cop goes about his routine patrol, the narrator suggests that the exemplifies a through commitment to his duties. The narrator again mentions the neighborhood’s early hours, despite the occasional open all-night cigar store or diner, just as the policeman notices a strange figure standing in a darkened doorway.

Seeing the police officer approaching, the man speaks up to assure the lawman that he means no harm and is simply waiting for a friend to arrive. Without being prompted, the man blurts out the detailed backstory behind...