mind the shop."
He called Mrs. Heise down from the floor above and took McTeague into
Joe Frenna's saloon, which was two doors above his harness shop.

"Whiskey and gum twice, Joe," said he to the barkeeper as he and the
dentist approached the bar.

"Huh? What?" said McTeague. "Whiskey? No, I can't drink whiskey. It kind
of disagrees with me."

"Oh, the hell!" returned Heise, easily. "Take it as medicine. You'll get
your death-a-cold if you stand round soaked like that. Two whiskey and
gum, Joe."

McTeague emptied the pony glass at a single enormous gulp.

"That's the way," said Heise, approvingly. "Do you good." He drank his
off slowly.

"I'd--I'd ask you to have a drink with me, Heise," said the dentist, who
had an indistinct idea of the amenities of the barroom, "only," he added
shamefacedly, "only--you see, I don't believe I got any change." His
anger against Trina, heated by the whiskey he had drank, flamed up
afresh. What a humiliating position for Trina to place him in, not to
leave him the price of a drink with a friend, she who had five thousand
dollars!

"Sha! That's all right, Doc," returned Heise, nibbling on a grain of
coffee. "Want another? Hey? This my treat. Two more of the same, Joe."

McTeague hesitated. It was lamentably true that whiskey did not agree
with him; he knew it well enough. However, by this time he felt very
comfortably warm at the pit of his stomach. The blood was beginning to
circulate in his chilled finger-tips and in his soggy, wet feet. He had
had a hard day of it; in fact, the last week, the last month, the last
three or four months, had been hard. He deserved a little consolation.
Nor could Trina object to this. It wasn't costing a cent. He drank again
with Heise.

"Get up here to the stove and warm yourself," urged Heise, drawing up
a couple of chairs and cocking his feet upon the guard. The two fell to
talking while McTeague's draggled coat and trousers smoked.

"What a dirty turn that was that Marcus Schouler did you!" said Heise,
wagging his head. "You ought to have fought that, Doc, sure. You'd been
practising too long." They discussed this question some ten or fifteen
minutes and then Heise rose.

"Well, this ain't earning any money. I got to get back to the shop."
McTeague got up as well, and the pair started for the door. Just as they
were going out Ryer met them.

"Hello, hello," he cried. "Lord, what a wet day! You two are going the
wrong way. You're going