On the previous Friday, two gentlemen--occupying widely-different positions in society--had been the victims of an outrage which had startled all London.

One of the gentlemen was Mr.
Septimus Luker, of Lambeth.

The other was Mr.Godfrey Ablewhite.
Living in my present isolation, I have no means of introducing the newspaper-account of the outrage into my narrative.

I was also deprived, at the time, of the inestimable advantage of hearing the events related by the fervid eloquence of Mr.Godfrey Ablewhite.

All I can do is to state the facts as they were stated, on that Monday evening, to me; proceeding on the plan which I have been taught from infancy to adopt in folding up my clothes.