Ernest Brown

The main character in this short story is Ernest, an upholsterer and a veteran of World War I. He thinks he should have died in France with his friends and fellow soldiers. He looks as if he hasn’t washed for weeks. Ernest is a timid character and is very lonely. Although he has become accustomed to his loneliness, he is never comfortable with it. One day, Ernest meets two girls at a café. The girls are hungry, and so Ernest, out of kindness (but also to alleviate his own loneliness), begins to buy them drinks and pastries every day.

Alma and Joan

The two girls Ernest meets in the café are sisters. The older one is called Alma, and the younger one is called Joan. They seem cheerful and laugh a lot, but there is also some sadness about them. They are poor and hungry, and their father is dead. The girls habitually sit opposite Ernest in the café, at the same table, and their chatting makes him feel, at first, even more lonely. When the girls get used to Ernest buying food and drink for them every day, they start to take advantage of his kindness, asking for more and more.

The Police Officers

Toward the end of the story, two police officers appear in the café. They approach Ernest and question him about his relationship with the two girls. They take Ernest out of the café and tell him that they never want to see him with the girls again.