isitor instead of having lodgings in the house, as he had led
Dino to believe.

The waiter glanced once or twice at the figure on the chair. "Gentleman
had a leetle moche to drink," he said, nodding towards poor Dino.

"A little too much," said Hugo, carelessly. "He'll be better soon." Then
he went and shook the young man by the arm. "Come," he said, "it's time
for us to go. Wake up; I'll see you home. That wine was a little too
strong for you, was it not?"

Dino opened his eyes, half-rose, muttered something, and then sank back
in his chair.

"Gentleman want a cab, perhaps?" said the waiter.

"Well, really, I don't know," said Hugo, looking quite puzzled and
distressed. "If he can't walk we must have a cab; but if he can, I'd
rather not; his lodgings are not far from here. Come, Jack, can't you
try?"

Dino, addressed as Jack for the edification of the waiter, rose, and
with Hugo's help staggered a few steps. Hugo was somewhat disconcerted.
He had not counted upon Dino's small experience of intoxicating liquors
when he prepared that beverage for him beforehand. He had meant Dino to
be wild and noisy: and, behold, he presented all the appearance of a man
who was dead drunk, and could hardly walk or stand.

They managed to get him downstairs, and there, revived by the fresh air,
he seemed able to walk to the lodgings which, as Hugo said, were close
at hand. The landlord and the waiters laughed to each other when the two
gentlemen were out of sight. "He must have taken a good deal to make him
like that," said one of them. "The other was sober enough. Who were
they?" The landlord shook his head. "Never saw either of them before
yesterday," he said. "They paid, at any rate: I wish all my customers
did as much." And he went back to the little parlour which he had
quitted for a few moments in order to observe the departure of the
gentleman who had got so drunk upon a flask of heady Italian wine.

Meanwhile, Hugo was leading his victim through a labyrinth of dark
streets and lanes. Dino was hard to conduct in this manner; he leaned
heavily upon his guide, he staggered at times, and nearly fell. The
night was dark and foggy; more than once Hugo almost lost his bearings
and turned in a wrong direction. But he had a reason for all the devious
windings and turnings which he took; he was afraid of being spied upon,
followed, tracked. It was not until he came at last to a dark lane,
between rows of warehouses, where not a li