"I don't know, Brain."
"Do you suppose Vechi thinks we've caught on?"
"No. He's a Superior Type; to him we're just alcoholic writer chaps."
"I'm glad you're a student of human nature, Charley, old pal. But how do we act effectively without a weapon of some sort?"
"Now, it's real hilarious," Charley said with a broad smile, "but say I had a vision, or planned a stick-up on the First National Bank of Ul. I have a popgun in my gear."
Well. Old Charley. You never could tell.
"Where is it?"
"It has taken the bottle down two inches but I've managed to get it out of the gear-bag and into my workalls."
"A real efficient type, Charley, old pal." I looked about me wondering if we weren't just imagining everything. And if the Ul disaster weren't enough reason for this trip. "How about Deborah?"
"If we had a game of stud king," Charley said, fishing out a token, "and Debby joined us, we could have a lot of conversation between hands."