McCann said: "I was getting worried, Doc. Just about to break in on you."

I said: "Come on, McCann. I want to get home as quickly as possible."

He looked at my face, and whistled.

"You look like you been through a battle, Doc."

I answered: "I have. And the honors are all with Madame Mandilip-so far."

"You came out quiet enough. Not like the boss, with the hag spitting hell in your face. What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. Just let me be quiet for awhile. I want to think."

What I actually wanted was to get back my self-possession. My mind seemed half-blind, groping for the

tangible. It was as if it had been enmeshed in cobwebs of a peculiarly unpleasant character, and although

I had torn loose, fragments of the web were still clinging to it. We got into the car and rolled on for some