III
Hilary had always imagined that drugs were easy to buy in foreign cities.
Rather to her surprise, she found that this was not so. The chemist shewent to first supplied her with only two doses. For more than that amount,he said, a doctor’s prescription¹ would be advisable. She thanked him smil-ingly and nonchalantly and went rather quickly out of the shop, collidingas she did so with a tall, rather solemn-faced young man, who apologizedin English. She heard him asking for toothpaste as she left the shop.
Somehow that amused her. Toothpaste. It seemed so ridiculous, so nor-mal, so everyday. Then a sharp pang² pierced her, for the toothpaste hehad asked for was the brand that Nigel had always preferred. She crossedthe street and went into a shop opposite. She had been to four chemists’
shops by the time she returned to the hotel. It had amused her a little thatin the third shop the owlish young man had again appeared, once moreasking obstinately³ for his particular brand of toothpaste which evidentlywas not one commonly stocked by French chemists in Casablanca.
Hilary felt almost lighthearted as she changed her frock and made upher face before going down for dinner. She purposely went down as lateas possible since she was anxious not to encounter any of her fellow trav-ellers or the personnel of the aeroplane. That was hardly likely in any case,since the plane had gone on to Dakar, and she thought that she had beenthe only person put off at Casablanca.
The restaurant was almost empty by the time she came into it, thoughshe noticed that the young Englishman with the owl-like face was just fin-ishing his meal at the table by the wall. He was reading a French newspa-per and seemed quite absorbed in it.
Hilary ordered herself a good meal with a half-bottle of wine. She wasfeeling a heady kind of excitement. She thought to herself, “What is thisafter all, but the last adventure?” Then she ordered a bottle of Vichy waterto be sent up to her room and went straight up after leaving the diningroom.
The waiter brought the Vichy, uncapped it, placed it on the table, andwishing her good night, left the room. Hilary drew a sigh of relief. As heclosed the door after him, she went to it and turned the key in the lock.
She took from the drawer of the dressing⁴ table the four little packets shehad obtained from the chemists’, and unwrapped them. She laid the tab-lets out on the table and poured herself out a glass of Vichy water. Sincethe drug was in tablet form, she had only to swallow the tablets, and washthem down with the Vichy water.

分享到：