Diary of a Drug Fiend

First Aid 263 that a few minutes before our arrival, a lady and gentle- man had called and were very anxious to see me. They would come back in half an hour. I couldn’t imagine who on earth it could be, and the matter slipped from my mind. I was hot and eager to get out of the dis- gusting atmosphere of those rooms. I wouldn't let Lala come in; but I found that I wasn’t strong enough to pack my stuff. The smell of the den was foul beyond all belief. Lou has not described a hundredth part of the dark abominations which had become habitual. In fact, I was overcome by the feetor. I had no strength left. I sunk helplessly into a chair, and began to look feebly about me for the heroin to buck me up. I must have gone off into a sort of swoon; for I don’t know how it happened, but the fresh, cold air was blowing on my face. Our things had been packed as if by magic, and had been taken out to the motor. The bill had been paid. As I set foot in the car, I heard the landlady asking what she should do if the lady and gentleman came back. I gave the address of my new rooms. As I stumbled into the seat the clear incisive tones of Lala rang across. , “ You'd better tell them that Sir Peter’s far from well. He will probably not be able to see any one this week.” I sat limply, shaken by the vibrations of the car. I was an empty vessel; but I felt that, as we got out of the twisted network of streets, and the automobile bounded forward, I was escaping from some infernal labyrinth. I found Lou at the new rooms. She was sitting in a big lounge chair holding tight to the arms. Her face told the same tale as my own. We felt that we had come through a great illness by a miracle.. It struck me as dreadfully unfair that instead of being gently nursed back to health, a demand was to be made upon us for the exercise. of the utmost moral and physical strength and courage. D.D.F. S