Summary

The mother and daughter lost sight of the man for a moment, but they soon found him entering a pub. He sat at the bar and ordered an expensive glass of whiskey, for which he paid using the mother’s pound. The man drank the whiskey in one sip, and he began to smile. The mother was incredulous, so she and her daughter continued to watch the man.

The man soon got up, went to the coatrack, put on his coat, and stole an umbrella “in a manner so superbly cool and casual” (666). He then left the pub, wandered to another street, and he mimicked his and the mother’s exchange with another bystander, successfully receiving another pound in exchange for the stolen umbrella. The old man then disappeared into the crowd, and the mother and daughter were sure he was going to...