le of
enjoyment. You are an abnormality, and you have made yourself so.
You need treatment; I am going to administer it forthwith."

He disappeared into his tent, leaving Kalman in a fury of rage,
and French with an amused smile upon his face. After a few moments'
rummaging Brown appeared with a package in his hand.

"In cases like yours," he said gravely, "I prescribe _vapores
nicotinenses_. I hope you have forgotten your Latin. Here is a brand,
a very special brand, which I keep for decoy purposes. Having once
used this, you will be sure to come back again. Try that," he cried
in a threatening tone, "and look me in the eye."

The anger fled from Kalman's face, and he began to understand that
their new friend had been simply jollying them, and he sincerely
hoped that neither he nor French had noticed his recent rage.

French filled his pipe with the mixture, lit it, and took one or
two experimental draws, then with a great sigh he threw himself
back upon the rug, his arms under his head, and puffed away with
every symptom of delight.

"See here, Brown," he said, sitting up again after a few moments
of blissful silence, "this is 'Old London,' isn't it?"

"See here, French, don't you get off any of your high British nonsense.
'Old London,' indeed! No, sir, that is 'Young Canada'; that is, I have
a friend in Cuba who sends me the Prince of Wales brand."

French smoked on for some moments.

"Without being rude, how much of this have you in stock?"

"How much? Enough to fill your pipe whenever you come round."

"My word!" exclaimed French. "You don't dispense this to the
general public, do you?"

"Not much, I don't," said Brown. "I select my patients."

"Thank you," said French. "I take this as a mark of extreme
hospitality. By the way, where is your own pipe?"

"I have abjured."

"What?"

"Abjured."

"And yet you have many of the marks of sanity."

"Sanity! You just note it, and the most striking is that I don't
have a pipe."

"Expound me the riddle, please."

"The exposition is simple enough. I am constitutionally lazy
and self-indulgent, and almost destitute of self-control--"

"And permit me to interject without offence, an awful liar,"
said French pleasantly. "Go on."

"I came out here to work. With a pipe and a few pounds of
that mixture--"

"Pounds! Ah!" ejaculated French.

"I would find myself immersed in dreamy seas of vaporous and idle
bliss--do you catch that combination?--and fanc