Diary of a Drug Fiend

Vedere Napoli e poi—pro patrid—mori 109 imagine that I’d let an old pal down. Any time you find yourself with a little loose cash, just weigh in. You can have it out of my bit.” “ Well, that’s really too good of you,” I said, “ and I won’t forget it. It’ll be all right, I suppose, now you’ve got the thing through, to wait till I get back to England.” “Why, of course,” he replied. ‘“ Don’t think about business at all. It was really rotten of me to talk shop to a man on his honeymoon.” Lou took up the conversation. ‘“ But do tell us,” she began, ‘‘ why this thusness. It suits you splendidly, you know. But after all, I’m a woman.” Feccles suddenly became very solemn. He went to the door of the coupé and looked up and down the corridor; then he slid the door to and began to speak in a whisper. “‘ Thisis a very serious business,” he said, and paused. He took out his keys and played with them, as if uncertain how far to go. He thrust them back into his . pocket with a decisive gesture. “‘ Look here, old chap,” he said, “ I’ll take a chance on you. We all know what you did for England during the war—and take one thing with another, you're about my first pick.” He stopped short. We looked at him blankly, though we were seething with some blind suppressed excite- ment whose nature we could hardly describe. He took out a pipe, and began to nibble the vulcanite rather nervously. He drew a deep breath, and looked Lou straight in the face. “Does it suggest anything to you,” he murmured, _ almost inaudibly, ‘‘ a man’s leaving Paris at a moment's notice in the middle of a vast financial scheme, and turning up in Italy, heavily camouflaged? ” “The police on your track!” giggled Lou. He broke into hearty, good-natured laughter. ‘Getting warm,” he said. ‘ But try again.” The explanation flashed into my mind at once. He saw what I was thinking, and smiled and nodded.