A hand shook his elbow gently. He started.
"Don't stare like that, please. What is the matter?"
Molly, seated at his side, was looking at him wide-eyed. Jimmy smiled with an effort. Every nerve in his body seemed to be writhing.
"Sorry," he said. "I'm only hungry. I always look like that at the beginning of a meal."
"Well, here comes Keggs with some soup for you. You'd better not waste another moment. You looked perfectly awful."
"No!"
"Like a starved wolf."
"You must look after me," said Jimmy, "see that the wolf's properly fed."
* * * * *
The conversation, becoming general with the fish, was not of a kind to remove from Jimmy's mind the impression made by the sight of the pearls. It turned on crime in general and burglary in particular.