Out of Harm's Way 301
My remarks were received with complete indifference.
Even Lou merely shrugged her shoulders, and looked
at Lamus as much as to say, ‘‘ You see I was right.”
Lamus slowly shook his head. As a matter of fact,
I could hardly see. My eyesight was disturbed in some
peculiar way which frightened me, and my heart began
to protest. I took out the cocaine once more. To my
astonishment, Lamus bounded from his chair and
took the bottle from my hands. I wanted to get up
and kill him ; but a deathly faintness seized me. The
room swam. Lamus returned to his chair, and once
again silence fell on the studio.
I think I must have lost consciousness for a while;
for I do not remember who put an ice-cold towel round
my head or how it came about that the freezing moisture
dripped down my spine.
I came to myself with a heavily heaved sigh. Every
one was in the same position as before, except that Lou
had taken off her furs and curled herself up on the
settee.
“If you feel well enough, Sir Peter,” said Lamus,
“you may as well hear the end of the story.”
Lou suddenly choked with sobs and buried her head
in the cushions. Lamus gave a gesture which Lala
apparently understood. She came forward and stood
in front of me with her hands behind her back like a
child repeating a lesson.
“* Sir Peter,’’ she said in a gentle voice, ‘‘ Basil ex-
plained to Lady Pendragon that she was taking a very
wrong view of the matter. He told her that when
people are getting over drug-habits they were liable
to say and do things entirely foreign to their characters.
We all know how abundantly you have shown your
courage and your sense of honour. We know your
race, and we know your exploits. What happened at
the interview with Mr. Platt didn’t count. You were
a sick man. That was all. Maisie suggested that she
should go round and fetch you ;; and thank heaven
she got there in time!”