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THE CASE OF KENELM DIGBY
79

neatly lettered placard in a window which had caught my eye. It said:

Notice to Artists and Authors
We Sew Buttons on Soft Collars
Free of Charge

"By Jove," I said, "there's a laundry that has the right idea. I think I'll bring my———"

I broke off when I saw my companion's face. He was leaning forward toward the pane, and his eyes were bright but curiously empty, as though in some way the mechanism of sight had been reversed, and he was looking inward rather than out.

"That's very odd," he said, presently. "I've been up and down this street many times, but I never noticed that sign before."

He turned and marched into the shop, and I followed. In the soft steamy air several girls were ironing shirts, and a plump, pink-cheeked Hebrew stood behind a counter wrapping up bundles.

"I noticed your sign in the window," said Dulcet. "What do you charge for laundering soft collars?"

"Five cents each, but we mend them, too, and sew on the buttons."

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