In a drab grey London building, a headmistress meets a sharply dressed man in a grey suit who seems strangely out of place. He gives his name, but it slips from her memory, and even his signature later proves unreadable and soon lost.

The man explains unusual criteria for what he wants, prompting the headmistress to bring him three children—two boys and a girl—and allow private interviews. The first boy is dismissed within minutes, offering the others no clue as to what happened. The girl stays longer but leaves confused as well.

The final boy, quiet and observant despite his ragged clothes, answers questions about how long he has been there (“Always”), his age (nearly nine), and confirms he can read, admitting he has exhausted the institution’s limited library.

Without warning, the man throws his cane at the boy; the boy catches it effortlessly, which appears to satisfy the man’s unspoken test. The man decides to take the boy to study with him, promising abundant books. When the boy asks if he has a choice, the man counters by asking whether the boy wishes to remain, and the boy chooses to leave.

The boy asks if the man wants to know his name, but the man dismisses names as unimportant and tells the boy he may choose one for himself if needed. After paperwork and opaque explanations the headmistress does not fully grasp, the boy packs his few belongings and departs with the man in the grey suit, never returning.