Edgar felt quite excited at the thought of his first swim of the summer. With the sun shining down so strongly, the sea was certain to be warm enough. He walked quickly along the sea-front towards the steps that led on to the sands. He smiled cheerfully at the passersby. He had just smiled and raised his hat to an elderly lady when a man with a camera caught his arm and stopped him. Edgar heard a little buzzing noise from the camera. "Your photograph, sir, in glorious colour in just one moment if you please," said the man in one breath. Then the buzzing stopped, and he held the photograph in his hand and was waving it to and fro. In a moment he handed it over, and Edgar saw the bright blue splash of his shirt half filling the picture. "Seventy pence, sir," the man said. "It's the bargain of your holiday." "Seventy pence," Edgar repeated, mildly. "For this?" He stared at the photographer. "They're normally eighty-five, sir, but for a single subject I make a cut-price offer. It's the best value you'll get in Chadwell." "You'll have to make a better offer," Edgar said. It was a good photo though, he thought, so bright and clear. His hat was held high, and he was smiling broadly at the old lady, whose arm and handbag came into a lower corner. He had had no idea that he was being snapped. He thought he was really quite a good-looking chap. "That's as good as any studio job that would cost you pounds," said the cameraman. "It's better in a way because it's so natural. Only seventy pence, sir." "I've never paid so much for a snap in my life. It simply isn't worth that kind of money. It's not as if I need the thing. Look, I'll give you twenty-five." "No, I can't do that. Each of these instant colour shots costs me 50p -- that's the price of the blank frame, so you see..." "Criminal, criminal," Edgar broke in. "You want a profit of forty per cent. Well, not at my expense, I'm afraid. I'll give you your 50p and that's that." "Let me see, then." The man suddenly took the photograph out of Edgar's hand. "I can't waste any more time with you. It's 70p or I keep it." "Keep it," Edgar said. He turned, looked out to the sea, and then walked quickly away. Why do you suppose Edgar was in Chadwell?
It was his hometown. He was there on holiday. He was in the making of a film. He was there to have his photograph taken.