Diary of a Drug Fiend

The Bubble Bursts 131 in my soul with his eyes. As for myself, I was absolutely stupefied by the pointless falsehood of the paragraph. “But, good God!” I exclaimed. ‘This is all absolute tosh.” “Excuse me,” said the consul, a little grimly, “T have not finished the paragraph. “I beg your pardon, sir,’’ I answered curtly. “Taking advantage of these facts,” he continued to read, “and of a slight facial resemblance to Sir Peter and Lady Pendragon, two well-known inter- national crooks have assumed their personalities, and are wandering around Naples and its vicinity, where several tradesmen have already been victimised.” He dropped the paper, put his hands behind his back, and stared me square in the eyes. I could not meet his glance. The accusation was so absurd, so horrible, so unexpected! I felt that guilt was written on every line of my face. I stammered out some weakly, violent objurgation. Lou kept her head better than I. “ But please, this is absurd,” she protested. “‘ Send for our courier. He has known Sir Peter since he was a boy at school. The whole thing is shameful and abominable. I don’t see why such things are allowed. The consul seemed in doubt as to what to do. He played with his watch-chain nervously. I had sunk into a chair—I noticed they hadn't offered us chairs when we came in—and the whole scene vanished from my mind. I was aware of nothing but a passionate craving for drugs. I wanted them physically as I had never wanted anything in my life before. I wanted them mentally, too. They, and they only, would clear my mind of its confusion, and show me a way out of this rotten mess. I wanted them most of all morally. I lacked the spirit to stand up under this sudden burst of drum fire. But Lou stuck to it gamely. She was on her mettle, though I could see that she was almost fainting from the stress of the various circumstances,