The story begins on a cynical note with the thoughts of a man in a very pessimistic mindset by the name of Norman Gortsby who is seated on a bench just as dusk had set. The cause behind Gortsby’s current mindset is because he is a man who has been unsuccessful in love. It is with this motive that he came out only in the dusk, the time which he regarded as the time of defeatists and disheartened men. This is why he preferred to be among the defeated, impecunious and the heartbroken instead of with the successful society which explains why he avoids the light and Hyde Park corner, which is where the successful dwell.
Beside Gortsby sat an impoverished elderly gentleman who looked dejected and despondent. As the gentleman rose to go, the seat was immediately shared with a moderately well dressed youth. He seemed disgruntled and did not bother to hide his discontent as he hurled himself into the seat with a loud invective. Gortsby, knowing that he was expected to acknowledge the youth’s discontent, inquired on his bad temper. The appealing bluntness of the youth as he turned aroused to Gortsby’s mind, the suspicion that the man was a trickster. In response, the youth told him the reason for his frustration. Being that he was an outsider, coming to stay in a hotel in Berkshire Square till he received the nasty surprise that the hotel had been pulled down recently and was replaced by a theatre. On being recommended to another hotel, he went there and sent a letter which enclosed his address to his folks. On realizing that he had completely forgotten to pack any soap, saying that he despised hotel soap, he had gone to buy some soap. He then had a drink and strolled around a bit when he realized that he had completely forgotten the address of his hotel. He proceeded by saying that he would be forced to spend the night on the streets unless a supportive person would lend him some money.
Gortsby responds that he had once done the same thing, only in a foreign country, to which the man rejoins that in a foreign land, one could go to the Consul for help, but here at home, there is no help to be had, unless "some decent chap" would believe his story and lend him some money. Gortsby says he will lend the man some money if he can produce the soap as proof that his story is true, but the man cannot, and walks away.
The youth, sensed defeat and briskly strode away. No sooner did the youth leave than Gortsby noticed a cake of soap under the bench. Seeing reality, he ran after the youth and not only returned the soap but also lent him money for the night. After retracing a few steps, Gortsby saw an elderly gentleman scrounging for something under the bench. On asking him what he had lost, he replied that he had lost a cake of soap.
This experience on the already heartbroken Gortsby would have disabled his capability to trust anyone. It would have shaped him into a distrustful and suspicious individual for the rest of his life.
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