Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-10-27

sibility of retreat. All about him in the darkness was confusion of voices cheerful, dubious, alarmed or angry Now and then sleeve brushed his or hand touched him tentatively. Il was strange moment, moment of possibilities, to which the crunching wheels, the oaths and laughter from the blocked traffic of the roadway made continuous accompaniment. Keeping well to the left Chilcote still beat on. There was persistence in his movements that almost amounted to fear-a fear born of solitude filled with innumerable sounds. For space he groped about him without result then his fingers touched the cold sur face of a shuttered shop front and a thrill of reassurance passed through 1 him. With renewed haste and clinging to his landmark as blind man might | he started forward with fresh impetus For q dozen paces he moved rapidly and unevenly, then the natural result occurred. He collided with a man com, ing in the opposite direction.
 The shock was abrupt Both men swore simultaneously then both laugh cd. The whole thing was casual, but Chilcote was in that state of mind when even the commonplace becomes abnormal. The other mans exclama- ton, the. other mans laugh, struck on his nerves. Coming out of the dark ness, they sounded like repetition of his own.
 Nine out of every ten men in London, given the same social position and the same education, might reasonably be expected to express annoyance or amusement in the same manner, possi- bly, in the same tone of voice, and Chil- cote remembered this almost at the moment of his nervous jar.
 "Beastly fog" he said aloud. I'm trying to find GroSvenor square, but the chances seem rather small"
 The other laughed again, and again the laugh upset Chilcote. He wonder ed uncomfortably if he was becoming a prey to illusions. But the stranger spoke before the question had solved itself.
 I'm afraid they are small." he said. Tt would be almost hard to find ones way to the devil on night like this"
 Chilcote made a murmur of amusc- ment and drew back against the shop.
 "Yes. We can see now where the blind man scores in the matter of sal vation. This is almost repetition of the fog of six years ago. Were you out in that?" It was habit of his to jump from one sentence to another, habit that had grown of late.
 "No." The stranger had also groped his way to the shop front. No, I was out of England six years ago"
 You were lucky" Chilcote turned up the collar of bis coat. Tt was an atrocious fog. as black as this. but more universal. I remember it well. It was the night Lexington made his great sugar speech. Some of us were found on Lambeth bridge at in the morning, having left the house at 12."
 Chilcote seldom indulged in reminis- cences, but this conversation with an unseen companion was more like a soliloGuy than dialogue. He was almost surprised into an exclamation when the other caught up his words.
 'Ah! The sugar speech.' he said. Odd that I should have been looking it up only yesterday. What a mag nificent dressing up of a dry subject 1t was! What a career Lexington prom. ised In those daysv'
 Chilcote changed his position.
 You are interested in the muddle down at Westminster he asked sar. castically.
 IF" It was the turn of the stranger to draw back step. "oh. I read my newspaper with the other 5.o0O,Oc0. that is all. I am an outsider" His voice sounded curt. The warmth that admiration had brought into it a mo- ment before had frozen abruptly.
 An outafderr" Chilcote repeated. "what an enviable word.'
 Possibly, to those who are well in- side the ring. But let us go back to Lexington. What a pinnacle the man reached, and what drop be had! It has always seemed to me an extraor- dinary instance of the human leaven running through us all. What was the real cause of bis collapsei" he asked suddenly. Was it drugs or drink? have often wished to get at the truth
 Again Chilcote changed his attitude.
 ''Ts truth ever worth getting atT' he asked Irrelevantly.
 "In the case of a public man-yes. He exchanges his privacy for the inter- est of the masses. If he gives the masses the details of his success. why not the details of his failurel But was it drink that sucked him undery
 "No." Chilcote's response came after c pause.
 "Drugsg-
 Again ChiIcote hesitated. And at the moment of his indecision a woman brushed past nsHi I-.e-.ng boisterous- ly. The sound jsrTel him
 Was 1t drugs7' the stranger went on easily. T have always had a fheory that it vas.-
 "Yes. It was morphia-" The answer came before Chilcote had realized it. The woman-s laugh at the strangers quiet persistence had contrived 10 draw it from him Instantly be had spoken he looked about him quickly. Ike one who has for q moment for gotten a necessary vigilance
 There was silence while the stranger