The rich man who went out for a smoke

A talented young man inherits the family building firm and doubles its annual gross profit within five years. He has always been comfortably off; now he can live in unqualified luxury. He buys a penthouse flat in Knightsbridge and a mansion in Cornwall; instead of battling through the London Underground he hires a chauffeur to drive him to business meetings and wait outside until he is finished. He buys his suits in Savile Row and takes his girlfriends shopping in Harvey Nichols.

The 100^th anniversary of the founding of the family firm arrives and a lavish party is planned at a London hotel. After a five-course meal, champagne and dancing, the young owner steps outside to get some fresh air and enjoy a cigar. Comfortably full and pleasantly tired, he goes for a short walk around the block. His stroll takes him under a bridge, where he sees piles of cardboard and bundles of cloth. The cardboard moves and he realises there are men sleeping under the bridge this chilly night. Their clothes are badly fitting and not very warm; their bedding insufficient; their dinner the leftovers from a nearby bin.

The next day he signs the firm over to his brother, gives away his personal fortune and joins the men sleeping under the bridge his grandfather built.

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