u crooked one finger over your nose and that meant
'sea-urchins.'' 'Why?' I asked. 'That was the code,' Farrell
explained. 'They used to have a speciality in sea-urchins, straight
from the Mediterranean. You rubbed a soupsong of garlic into them
with three drops of paprika. . . . Now what do you say to
sea-urchins?'

"'Nothing, as a rule,' said I. 'Safer with oysters, isn't it?
They don't explode.' I dropped this out just to try its effect on the
waiter, and he blanched. One or two of our _convives_ began to
clear.

"Farrell ordered two dozen of oysters, to start with, and sent a
runner out for--no, Otty, I won't say it again--for two bottles of
Perrier-Jouet; _two_ bottles and '96, mark you. On hearing this
command about a dozen _habitues_ of the 'Catalafina' arose hastily,
drained their glasses and vanished.

"Farrell perceived it not. He had picked up the card again and was
ordering some infernal broth made of mussels and I-don't-know-what.
'What do you say to follow?' he asked me.

"'Something light,' I suggested. 'Liver of blaspheming Jew, for
choice: it sounds like another speciality of this kitchen.'

"In the interval before the wine was brought Farrell gave me a short
account of the meeting he had just left: and he didn't lighten the
atmosphere of suspicion around us by suddenly sinking his voice to a
kind of conspirator's whisper. The meeting (it appeared) had been
lively, and more than lively. Our small incursion--or the
Professor's, rather--had been a fool to it. For the Professor's
loyal pupils, stung by that letter in the _Times_, had organised a
counter-demonstration. 'Their behaviour,' Farrell reported, 'was
unbridled.' They would hardly allow me a hearing. I give you my
word--and I wish Sir Roderick to know it--I was prepared to tell them
that information had come to me which put a different complexion on
the whole case. I was even prepared to tell them that, while I
should ever insist on the South London University College and all
similar institutions being subject to a more public control with an
increased representation of local rate-payers on their governing
bodies, I was confident that in this particular case the charge had
been too hasty. . . . I have the notes of my speech in my great-coat
pocket; I'll give them to you later and beg you as a favour to show
them to Sir Roderick. But what was the use, when they started booing
me because I wore evening dress?'

"'Why did you