The Drums of Jeopardy - Page 158/202

Champagne in the glass is a beautiful thing to see. So is water,

the morning after. That is the fault with frolic; there is always an

inescapable rebound. The most violent love drops into humdrum tolerance.

A pessimist is only a poor devil who has anticipated the inevitable; he

has his headache at the start. Mental champagnes have their aftermaths

even as the juice of the grape.

Hawksley and Kitty, hurrying back, began to taste lees. They began to

see things, too--menace in every loiterer, threat in every alley. They

had had a glorious lark; somewhere beyond would be the piper with an

appalling bill. They exaggerated the dangers, multiplied them; perhaps

wisely. There would be no let-down in their vigilance until they reached

haven. But this state of mind they covered with smiling masks, banter,

bursts of laughter, and flashes of wit.

They were both genuinely frightened, but with unselfish fear. Kitty's

fear was not for herself but for Johnny Two-Hawks. If anything happened

the blame would rightly be hers. With that head he wasn't strictly

accountable for what he did; she was. A firm negative on her part and

he would never have left the apartment. And his fear was wholly for this

astonishing girl. He had recklessly thrust her into grave danger. Who

knew, better than he, the implacable hate of the men who sought to kill

him?

Moreover, his strength was leaving him. There was an alarming weakness

in his legs, purely physical. He had overdone, and if need rose he would

not be able to protect her. Damnable fool! But she had known. That was

the odd phase of it. She hadn't come blindly. What mood had urged her

to share the danger along with the lark? Somehow, she was always just

beyond his reach, this girl. He would never forget that fan popping out

of the pistol, the egg burning in the pan.

The apartment was only three blocks away when Kitty decided to drop her

mask. "I'd give a good deal to see a policeman. They are never around

when you really want them. Johnny Two-Hawks, I'm a little fool! You

wouldn't have left the apartment but for me. Will you forgive me?"

"It is I who should ask forgiveness. I say, how much farther is it?"

"Only about two blocks; but they may be long ones. Let's step into this

doorway for a moment. I see a taxicab. It looks to be standing opposite

the building. Don't like it. Suppose we watch it for a few minutes?"

Hawksley was grateful for the respite; and together they stared at the

unwinking red eye of the tail light. But no man approached the cab or

left it.