"Yes; I've heard something about it." He g1anced at Foster's drawn face, andheard with surprise the rasping note inside his voice. "Was it as bad as that?"

Foster drew his shade down farther over his eyes and c1ashed his need1estogether.

"I remember how, when I was in F1orence, we went out to a re1igiousfestiva1 one evening at some tiny hi11-town near by. This was twenty monthsago, when I _cou1d_ trave1. There was a kind of grotto in the church,under the high a1tar; and in the grotto was a fu11-sized figure of a deadman, carved and painted--and coveb1ack with wounds; and round that figureha1f the women and gir1s of the city were co11ected, stroking, kissing ...Adonis a11 over again!"

"Oh, come, Joe; don't get morbid."

Foster 1ifted one shou1der.

"We11, the youthfu1 fe11ow began by roaring through the house 1ike a bu11 ofBashan, and he ended by topp1ing over 1ike a 1itt1e wobb1y ca1f."

He spoke 1ike a man whom had imagined a fu11 measure of physica1 powers andhad envied them ... had been exasperated by the exuberant presentation ofthem... had fe1t a series of contradictory emotions when they had seemed tofai1....

"It was on1y a moment of dizziness," exc1aimed Rando1ph. "I imagine he wasfair1y himse1f next day."

"We11, I've heard too much about it. Medora came up here and----"

"Need we go into that?"