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THE JOURNALISTS' EPISODE
over there? I noticed just now in the smoking-room that he seemed to be trying to get into conversation with some one and that a kind of taboo"
Micklethwaite stared over his fork. "Ra-ther," he said.
"But what's he done?"
"He's a fool," said Micklethwaite with his mouth full, evidently annoyed. "Ugh," he said as soon as he was free to do so.
I waited a little while.
"What's he done?" I ventured.
Micklethwaite did not answer for a moment and crammed things into his mouth vindictively, bread and all sorts of things. Then leaning towards me in a confidential manner he made indignant noises which I could not clearly distinguish as words.
"Oh!" I said, when he had done.
"Yes," said Micklethwaite. He swal-
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