James's Park on Thursday evening, my sphere
extending from the Mall to the northern shore of the ornamental
water east of the suspension bridge. At five-and-twenty to seven I
took up a position between the peninsula and the bridge to await my
colleague. He ought to have relieved me at half-past six, but did
not arrive until a few minutes before seven, owing, so he explained,
to the breaking down of his motor-'bus--which may have been true or
may not, as the saying is.
I had just come to a halt, when my attention was arrested by a lady.
I am unable to explain why the presence of a lady in St. James's
Park should have seemed in any way worthy of notice except that, for
certain reasons, she reminded me of my first wife. I observed that
she hesitated between one of the public seats and two vacant chairs
standing by themselves a little farther to the east. Eventually she
selected one of the chairs, and, having cleaned it with an evening
paper--the birds in this portion of the Park being extremely
prolific--sat down upon it. There was plenty of room upon the
public seat close to it, except for some children who were playing
touch; and in consequence of this I judged her to be a person of
means.
I walked to a point from where I could command the southern
approaches to the bridge, my colleague arriving sometimes by way of
Birdcage Walk and sometimes by way of the Horse Guards Parade.
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