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"O-o-oh," said Berry, wincing. "Someone explain to that siren that if he wants to play trains he must go and do it outside."

But Casca was not to be hushed.

"It is true," he raved. "It was Plaza has shown us the quick way to cool the wine. Oh, mon Dieu, we 'ave walk straight into his mouth."

This was a fact.

We had come in to supper, to find the wine in waiting, but not upon ice. In some annoyance we had thrust it into the pails. Count Plaza had said he would cool it in double-quick time and, calling for salt, had added this to the water and started to twirl a bottle with all his might. In a word, he had made himself useful, and we had let him be.

"That's right," said Jonah. "Casca's got it in one. Plaza laced the liquor, and because it was Madame's birthday we all of us drank her health."

A bitter silence succeeded this simple statement of how the trick had been done.

At length--

"But we must do something," said Adèle. "We can't sit here and----"

"I do wish you wouldn't talk," said Berry weakly. "Every word you say is like being trepanned."