After a while a policeman came and took in the situation at a glance. "All right, all right," he bawled. "Step back and givemair, givemair, will you?"
The crowd dispersed slowly, and the policeman talked for a while with the taxi-driver, then with the stricken man.
"My name?" the stricken man said in answer to a question. "Bram Forest. Yes, Bram Forest. But I don't have the bracelet. The bracelet is gone, forever. Without the bracelet I can't...." his voice trailed off.
"He drunk?" the policeman asked the cab driver.
"Search me."
"'A prison without bars,'" the man recited. "Earth is my prison, forever. Ylia. Ylia!"
The driver made a circular motion with his forefinger, in the general vicinity of his temple.
"You both better come down the station house with me," the policeman said.
"Aw, officer, I'll lose some fares."
"Anyhow. The guy talks batty, but he don't look drunk. We got to figure this here out."