thing."

Barstow laid his hand on Donaldson's shoulder.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked.

"Drinking? No, but I've a thirst a mile long. Any water around here?"

Barstow went to the closet and came back with a graduating glass full
of lukewarm water. Donaldson swallowed it in a couple of gulps.

"Lord, that's good!"

Barstow again bent a perplexed gaze upon him.

"You have n't been fooling with any sort of dope, Peter?"

"No."

"This is straight?"

"Yes, that's straight," answered Donaldson impatiently. "I tell you
that there is n't anything wrong with me except that I 'm fagged out."

"You did n't take my advice. You ought to have gone away. Why did n't
you?"

"I 've been too busy. There's your dog."

Barstow hung down his hand, that the pup might lick the ends of his
fingers.

"Peter," he burst out, "you ought to have been with me. If I 'd known
about the trip I 'd have taken you. It was just what you needed--a
week of lolling around a deck in the hot sun with the sea winds blowing
over your face. That's what you want to do--get out under the blue sky
and soak it in. If you don't believe it, look at me. Fit as a fiddle;
strong as a moose. You said you wanted to sprawl in the sunshine,--why
the devil don't you take a week off and do it?"

"Perhaps I will."

"That's the stuff. You must do it. You were in bad shape when I left,
but, man dear, you 're on the verge of a serious breakdown now. Do you
realize it?"

"Yes, I realize it. That 's a good dog of yours, Barstow."

"What's the matter with the pup? Seems to me you 're taking a deuce of
a lot of interest in him," he returned suspiciously.

"Dogs seem sort of human when you 're alone with them."

"This one looks more human than you do. See here, Don, Lindsey said
that he might start off again to-morrow on a short cruise to Newport.
I think I can get you a berth with him. Will you go?"

"It's good of you, Barstow," answered Donaldson uneasily, "but I don't
like to promise."

Would Barstow never call the dog by name? He could n't ask him
directly; it would throw too much suspicion upon himself. If Barstow
had left his laboratory that night for his trip, the chances were that
the bottle was not yet missed. He must be cautious. It would be
taking an unfair advantage of Barstow's friendship to allow him to feel
that indirectly he had been responsible for the death of a human being.
Donaldson glanced at his watch.

It