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The lighter
The last time I went to Exham I lost my lighter. The lighter was old but it had been a present from my mother. I tried hard to remember where and how I could have lost it. I wondered when I had last used it. At first I could not remember. Then I knew. It had been on that bus I had taken on my way back from the National Gallery to the boarding-house. An old man had asked me to give him a light and I had. I well remembered how he handed the lighter back to me, so it must have disappeared either while I was on the bus or later, in the street, between the bus stop and my boarding-house because it was there that I discovered my loss.
So I decided to get in touch with the police. Off I went. The moment I stepped outside the door I realized it was raining hard, so I returned to my room to take my umbrella.
I reported my loss to the officer on duty at the enquiry desk saying that the lighter had my initials engraved on it: N. S. «Very well. Let's see the lost-and-found book». The police officer lifted a heavy black book on to his desk, opened it, and ran his finger down the page. «Quite a few things have been brought in from all over the district today. Keys, wallet, glasses, handbag, bottle of whisky, right glove, umbrella, pocket transistor, two books, camera.» The officer continued his list of objects for a little longer and then suddenly he raised his voice: «Lighter! What did you say your initials are, sir?» «N. S., sergeant». «And N. S. they are».
The rest was a simple formality. The officer gave me my lighter and filled out a form for me to sign. I left a tenshilling note as a reward for the finder, and left the police-tation. I took a taxi home, and only after I had got home did I realize that I had left my umbrella at the police-tation.
