Podb. She treats me a devilish deal too seriously, my boy. But there, never mind—things will go better now!
Scene—A double-bedded room in the Grand Hotel Dandolo, which Podbury and Culchard have to share for the night.
Podb. (from his bed, suspiciously, to Culchard, who is setting fire to a small pastille in a soap-dish). I say, old chappie, bar fireworks, you know! What the deuce are you up to over there?
Culch. Lighting a "fidibus." Splendid thing to drive out mosquitoes. (The pastille fizzes, and begins to emit a dense white smoke, and a suffocating odour.)
Podb. (bounding). Mosquitoes! It would drive a dragon out. Phew—ah! (Culchard closes the window.) You don't mean to say you're going to shut me up in this infernal reek on a stifling night like this?
Culch. If I didn't, the mosquitoes would come in again.
Podb. Come in? With that pastille doing the young Vesuvius! Do you think a mosquito's a born fool? (He jumps out and opens the window.) I'm not going to be smoked like a wasp's nest, I can tell you!
Culch. (calmly shutting it again, as Podbury returns to bed). You'll be grateful to me by-and-by.
[Slips between his mosquito curtains in a gingerly manner, and switches off the electric light. A silence.
Podb. I say, you ain't asleep, are you? Think we shall see anything of them to-morrow, eh?