On the pavement outside Fortnum & Mason during the early 1960’s, journalist Nancy Spain, in order to facilitate her own journey briskly helped a doddery little old lady descending from a taxi, rapidly paid her fare for her and commandeered the cab to take her to an appointment.

       Recounting the story later and describing the old lady she was shown a newspaper account of the same little old lady dying in a fire - three days earlier.