"Odd!" he said. "Very odd. However, go on."

Officer Garroway went once more through the motions of swallowing something large and sharp, and shut his eyes again.

"Streets!

Grim, relentless, sordid streets!

Miles of poignant streets,

East, West, North,

And stretching starkly South;

Sad, hopeless, dismal, cheerless, chilling

Streets!"

Hamilton Beamish raised his eyebrows.