ide
wall to set off, he towards Alayor, and I by the way I had come, and,
so far as I know, never set eyes upon one another again.

I strolled heavily on, musing sourly enough to myself, and feeling
utterly dispirited. There had been moments when life had appeared to me
to be of a very dusky gray, but never before had I seen it all black,
with no single tinge of lighter colour. I looked back over my vagabond
existence, and thought what a hopeless muddle it had been. Even Weems
was to be envied, although his trade was the one trade on earth which I
most thoroughly loathed.

In fact, till I opened the main road to Mahon the blue devils were in
full possession, and made the most of their time. But there a flash of
memory pulled me up all-standing, and caused me to give hoots of joy
and delight, and sent me to the right-about whence I had come, at a
very different pace.

* * * * *

It was late that night when I dragged my feet up the hotel stairs to
our quarters; and as I had fed on nothing that day save prickly pears
(which have but a transient effect on the stomach) and oranges (which
are not much more filling), I told Haigh to order a big dinner, at the
same time mentioning that I hadn't got the Recipe.

"The feeding-hour's past, dear boy," said he, blinking at me anxiously,
"and the regular meal's over. I'm afraid I've strained our credit a bit
to-day. Don't you think the best thing we can do is to stroll down to
the cutter, fill your tummy on corned horse there, and help me slip
moorings unostentatiously after dark? I'm afraid our spec. has rather
missed fire here, and I don't want to expiate the offence by a spell of
_carcel_. You see I've kept out of that so far during these vagrom
years, and I don't want to break record before it's necessary."

I laughed boisterously. "Prison be damned! Look there!" And I pulled
out of my jacket pocket a little two-lugged red earthenware pot, and
poured out a chinking heap of something that glinted with many colours
in the lamplight. "Look there! Essence of rainbows, a good half-pint.
Who says half a loaf isn't better than no bread?"

"Good Lord!" said Haigh. And after a pause, "Who have you been
robbing?"

"Grub first, and then yarn. I've borne the burden and heat of the day,
and I'm very nearly cooked."

"But are you sure they ain't duffers?"

"Duffers, your grandmother! Look at 'em."

"Can't see very clearly to-night, dear boy.