Page:The Father Confessor, Stories of Danger and Death.djvu/124

114 where it will lead me. Oh, Graham! I could laugh, 'tis so absurd!"

"I'll see fair play," I said again; "besides, you could not break yourself of the habit so easily and abruptly—I will wean you from it by degrees."

I took his arm, and we passed inside. No one took any notice of me when we entered, but they all gathered around my companion.

"Why, Varen, we thought you were going to leave us?"

"Did you hear of the discovery in Harrington Street last night? Poor Bulger! You remember Bulger, don't you? You lost a cool hundred to him one night here over the cards, eh? Got a cataleptic fit, they say; most interesting case. Went home in a most distressing state of mind the other night, commenced shouting like the devil, frightened the servant out of her wits and out of the house—says she hid in a doorway till dawn, afraid to go back; then she screwed up her courage and stole to the house; finding no answer to her knocks, and being unable to open the door, became alarmed, started for the police-station, and returned with some of the