On one of these rain-drenched nights, some ten years or more ago, when the streets were flooded with jewels, and the sky-line aflame, a man in a slouch hat, a wet mackintosh clinging to his broad shoulders, stood close to the entrance of one of the principal playhouses along this Great White Way.  He had kept his place since the doors were opened, his hat-brim, pulled over his brow, his keen eye searching every face that passed.  To all appearances he was but an idle looker-on, attracted by the beauty of the women, and yet during all that time he had not moved, nor had he been in the way, nor had he been observed even by the door man, the flap of the awning casting its shadow about him.  Only once had he strained forward, gazing intently, then again relaxed, settling into his old position.

Not until the last couple had hurried by, breathless at being late, did he refasten the top button of his mackintosh, move clear of the nook which had sheltered him, and step out into the open.

For an instant he glanced about him, seemed to hesitate, as does a bit of driftwood blocked in the current; then, with a sudden straightening of his shoulders, he wheeled and threaded his way down-town.

At Herald Square, he mounted with an aimless air a flight of low steps, peered though the windows, and listened to the crunch of the presses chewing the cud of the day’s news.  When others crowded close he stepped back to the sidewalk, raising his hat once in apology to an elderly dame who, with head down, had brushed him with her umbrella.

By the time he reached 30th Street his steps had become slower.  Again he hesitated, and again with an aimless air turned to the left, the rain still pelting his broad shoulders, his hat pulled closer to protect his face.  No lights or color pursued him here.  The fronts of the houses were shrouded in gloom; only a hall lantern now and then and the flare of the lamps at the crossings, he alone and buffeting the storm—­all others behind closed doors.  When Fourth Avenue was reached he lifted his head for the first time.  A lighted window had attracted his attention—­a wide, corner window filled with battered furniture, ill-assorted china, and dented brass—­one of those popular morgues that house the remains of decayed respectability.

Pausing automatically, he glanced carelessly at the contents, and was about to resume his way when he caught sight of a small card propped against a broken pitcher.  “Choice Articles Bought and Sold—­Advances Made.”

Suddenly he stopped.  Something seemed to interest him.  To make sure that he had read the card aright, he bent closer.  Evidently satisfied by his scrutiny, he drew himself erect and moved toward the shop door as if to enter.  Through the glass he saw a man in shirt-sleeves, packing.  The sight of the man brought another change of mind, for he stepped back and raised his head to a big sign over the front.  His face now came into view, with its well-modelled nose and square chin—­ the features of a gentleman of both refinement and intelligence.  A man of forty—­perhaps of forty-five—­ clean-shaven, a touch of gray about his temples, his eyes shadowed by heavy brows from beneath which now and then came a flash as brief and brilliant as an electric spark.  He might have been a civil engineer, or some scientist, or yet an officer on half pay.