I've got to keep on talking until this particular spasm's over, or else I shall scream and disturb the flow of Soane's leader.

Well, and now you've come, you'll stop and help me to put the _Hour_ to bed, won't you?
And then you can come and put me to bed." He went on talking at high pressure, exaggerating his expressions, heightening his humorous touches with punctuations of rather wild laughter.

At last he came to a stop with a half suppressed "Ah!" and a long indrawing of the breath.
"That's over," he said.

"Give me a drop of brandy--there's a good fellow." I gave him his nip.

Then I explained to him that I couldn't work for the _Hour_; that I wasn't on terms with de Mersch.
"Been dropping money over him ?" he asked, cheerfully.