e their silly singing.
The place was hot, infernally hot. It glowed with light, it crackled
with noise, it was possessed with a glaring unreality. It occurred to
him that to make a leap upon the railing at the back of the circle, to
stand for one instant balanced there before the frightened people, then
to plunge, down, down, into the stalls--that would be a striking finish!
How they would all scream, and run and scatter! ... yes ...

Against the clinking and chatter of the bar he would hear the voice of
the funny man: "And so I says to 'er, 'Maria, if you're tryin' to prove
to me that it's two in the mornin', then I says what I want to know is
oo's been 'elpin' yer to stay awake all this time? That's what....'"

It was then that, in spite of himself, he was drawn from his moody
thoughts by the eyes of the girl standing near the bar against the wall.
She was a small, timid, rather pale girl in a huge black hat. She wore a
long trailing purple dress and soiled white gloves, and was looking,
just now, unhappy and frightened.

He had noticed her because of the contrast that her white face and small
body made with her grand untidy clothes, but, looking at her more
closely, he saw something about her that stirred all his sympathy and
protection.

Like most Englishmen he was at heart an eager sentimentalist and he was,
just now, in a mood that responded instantly to anyone in distress.

He forgot for the moment his desperate plans of self-destruction. A fat
red-faced man came from the bar towards her, with two drinks; he was
himself very unsteady and uncertain in his movements and his smile was
both vacuous and full of purpose. He lurched towards her, put his hand
upon her shoulder to steady himself, then, as one of the glasses
spilled, cursed.

She refused the drink, but he continued to press it upon her. His fat
hand wandered about her neck, stroked her chin, and he was leaning now
so that his face almost touched hers.

Breton heard him say--

"Well, if you won't drink--damme--come along, my dear--let's be goin'."
She shook her head, her eyes growing larger and larger.

"Nonshensh," he said. "Darn nonshensh." She glanced about her
desperately, but no one, save Breton, was watching them. She caught his
eyes, pitifully, eagerly.

The man put his arm about her and tried to draw her from the wall.

"Come," he said. "We'll go home."

She drew away. He pulled at her hand. "Damn the O----Place. Wash the
matter? You