Diary of a Drug Fiend

The Voice of Virtue 293 -Satanistic idea of working evil for its own sake; for another, the schoolboy delight in doing things on the sly; then there was the simple and straightforward money lust. Again, my hatred of hypocrisy had turned into a fascination. I wanted to enjoy a taste of so subtle and refined a vice. On the top of this there was a motive which really encroached on the category of insanity. On the one side I was exuberantly delighted to find myself in possession of boundless supplies of cocaine; on the other I was enraged with mankind for having invented the substance that had ruined my life, and I wanted to take my revenge on it by poisoning as many people as I could. These ideas were tossed about in my mind like pieces of meat in boiling soup. The fumes intoxicated me. I shook Platt’s hand and promised to go down to my bank at once and make the necessary arrangements. I swelled with the delirious pride of the great man of _ affairs who sees the golden opportunity and grasps it. More crazily still, I enjoyed the sensation of being the generous benefactor to a brother man in misfortune. Platt pulled out his watch. ‘ We could drive down at once and have our lunch in the city. Bless my soul,” he interrupted himself, ‘I shall never forgive myself for being so rude. I had quite forgotten Lady Pen- dragon and Mrs. Webster.” ““Oh, they'll be delighted,” I tittered. ‘“ They'll have a horrible lunch on cream buns and watercress and mince pies and champagne and go shopping after- wards like good little millionairesses.”’ “ Yes, indeed,” said Platt heartily and quite genuinely, “they’re that all right. As for us, we'll lunch at Sweeting’s on oysters and stout and drink to the prosperity of Parliamentary Institutions.”’ I laughed at the little. joke, like a madman, and shouted wildly :— “ Comein, girls, and hear the news. We're all going to be elected to the Diamond Dog-collar Club.”