"Indeed, I am Arthur Hastings."
Ordinary Britons typically despise the act of chumming up uninvited, but as an atypical British gentleman and a detective at Scotland Yard, Arthur never spurned such encounters.
It was due to this peculiarity that he often gleaned unexpected information from many a street encounter, and today's exchange proved to deliver equally unusual tidings.
The middle-aged gentleman, upon hearing this, excitedly grasped Arthur's hand.
"God save us! It really is you! Truly, God must have sent you to rescue those poor children!"
"Poor children? Sir, may I be so bold as to ask who you might be?"
"Oh, my apologies! I have forgotten to introduce myself."