Hawbury encountered his glance without any expression.

He merely sat and smoked and passed his fingers through his pendent whiskers.
"Excuse me," said Dacres, abruptly.
"Certainly, my dear boy, a thousand times; only I hope you will allow me to remark that your style is altogether a new one, and during the whole course of our acquaintance I do not remember seeing it before.
You have a melodramatic way that is overpowering.

Still I don't see why you should swear at yourself in a place like Naples, where there are so many other things to swear at.

It's a waste of human energy, and I don't understand it.

We usedn't to indulge in soliloquies in South America, used we ?" [Illustration: "HAWBURY SANK BACK IN HIS SEAT, OVERWHELMED."] "No, by Jove! And look here, old chap, you'll overlook this little outburst, won't you?
In South America I was always cool, and you did the hard swearing, my boy.