"What did you do with it then?"
"I took it out of his bedroom closet to give to a poor boy."
"Why did you do that?"
"I thought it was a kindness to Mr. Hampstead to take that very dreadful waistcoat away from him. I took this and a number of other garments to give to the boy."
"You were quite generous that night! Did Mr. Hampstead object?"
"Object? Oh, no! I should have said that he took them from me and gave them to the boy himself."
"Now, why were you so generous with Mr. Hampstead's clothes, and why should he consent to give them to the boy?"
This was getting painful for Sappy. His manager was standing, as he said, plumb in front of him.
"Well, if I must tell unpleasant things," said Sappy, "the boy was sent out that evening to get us a little wine, and I thought giving him that waistcoat would be a satisfaction to all parties."
"You were perfectly right. You have given a great deal of satisfaction to a great many people. So Mr. Hampstead was entertaining his friends that night?"