Diary of a Drug Fiend

176 The Diary of a Drug Fiend of the things that attracted me most about him was his being so spruce and well-groomed and alert. He has changed altogether, since we came to London. I feel there is some bad influence at work on him... . This place is full of vermin. I found what had been annoying me. I think I shall bob my hair. I’m awfully proud of its length, but one must be practical. . . I am lying down for a bit. It was a frightful nuisance getting ready to go out. Cockie nagged and bullied all the time. I’m stiff all over, and it seems such waste of time to wash and dress, besides, the irritation of the interruption, and my clothes are impossible. I’ve been sleeping in them. I wish we'd brought some trunks from the Savoy. No, I don’t, it would have been a lot of trouble, and interfered with our heroin honeymoon. It’s best the way it is. I wish I had Jacqueline here all the same. I need a maid, and she could have gone out and got things. But we both felt that any one at all would be a pill. The old woman doesn’t bother us, thank goodness. I’m sure she still thinks we're spies. Bother, what’s this? ... Damn! It’s a letter from Basil! (Note. The original of this letter was destroyed. It is now printed from the carbon copy in the files of Mr. King Lamus. Ed.) “DEAR UNLIMITED Lov,—Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. You will, I am sure, forgive me for boring you with a letter; but you know what a crank I am, and it is my mania just now to collect infor- mation about the psychology of people who are trying to advance spiritually in the way we spoke about when you so charmingly dawned on my studio the other morning. “ Do you find, in particular, that there is any difficulty in calling a halt ? If so, is it not perhaps because you hear on all sides—especially from people quite ignorant of the subject, such as journalists, doctors and parrots