In a minute his host reappeared with two tall glasses on a tray. They exchanged Anglo-Saxon drinking salutations. ‘Cheers!’ said the one, and ‘Here’s mud in your eye!’ the other. Dene drank deeply: his club tumbler was half-drained when he set it down.
Out of a darkly humorous eye his host considered him. ‘Oh, boy, oh, boy,’ he murmured, ‘what have they been doing to you in this Prohibition country of mine? Finish that up and I’ll fix you another peg...’
‘That’s all right, Bill...’
‘Down with it! You look all washed up!’
On that, the Englishman complied and his host replenished the glass. Then, drawing up an armchair, he began to cram his pipe from the jar at his elbow.
‘Business or pleasure, Trevor?’ he questioned casually during this operation.
‘Business,’ said Dene. ‘Bill, who’s N
