At last he got out of his chair, a little unsteadily.
"Well, I'll be getting along home," he said. "See you before dinner."
He went out. There was a peculiar note in the monosyllable of his answer which made me look up.
"Good chap," said Chaplin flatly, as Lawson went out of the door into the sunshine. "One of the best. Pity he drinks."
This from Chaplin was an observation not without humour.
"And when he's drunk he wants to fight people."
"Dead drunk, three or four days a week. It's the island done it, and Ethel."
"Ethel's his wife. Married a half-caste. Old Brevald's daughter. Took her away from here. Only thing to do. But she couldn't stand it, and now they're back again. He'll hang himself one of these days, if he don't drink himself to death before. Good chap. Nasty when he's drunk."
"I'll go and put my head under the shower. I oughtn't to have had that last cocktail. It's always the last one that does you in."
He looked uncertainly at the staircase as he made up his mind to go to the cubby hole in which was the shower, and then with unnatural seriousness got up.
"Pay you to cultivate Lawson," he said. "A well read chap. You'd be surprised when he's sober. Clever too. Worth talking to."
Chaplin had told me the whole story in these few speeches.
When I came in towards evening from a ride along the seashore Lawson was again in the hotel. He was heavily sunk in one of the cane chairs in the lounge and he looked at me with glassy eyes. It was plain that he had been drinking all the afternoon. He was torpid, and the look on his face was sullen and vindictive. His glance rested on me for a moment, but I could see that he did not recognise me. Two or three other men were sitting there, shaking dice, and they took no notice of him. His condition was evidently too usual to attract attention. I sat down and began to play.
"You're a damned sociable lot," said Lawson suddenly.
He got out of his chair and waddled with bent knees towards the door. I do not know whether the spectacle was more ridiculous than revolting. When he had gone one of the men sniggered.
"Lawson's fairly soused to-day," he said.
"If I couldn't carry my liquor better than that," said another, "I'd climb on the waggon and stay there."