a shower and then it's me for Grant Park tonight!"

It was after four o'clock now, and as he sauntered along, he edged away from the crowds in the centre of the sidewalk, stopping to look at the wares in a few of the windows. He'd only gone about two blocks when the sidewalk gave an awful lurch. He stopped and leaned against the cool steel corner of a window. And as he stood there reading the letters S. U. ZUKI, he thought "Oh, Lord, I'm going to get sick."

Charles straightened up from a pair of sand-coloured earrings he'd been fingering and addressed the pale, dark-eyed young man standing before him. "Good afternoon."

"Pardon me, I have an unusual request." "I'll be glad to help you if I can."

"I'm about to do a very un-gentlemanly thing, and I-Do you have a place I can get sick?"

"Let me help you. Here, come this way"-And he led him through the shop to the rear.

The jade merchant held the sick student against him; one arm around his waist, the other hand against his forehead, held him bent over the plumbing as he gagged and retched and wept to himself, "There goes a lovely lunch and my last two bucks-down the drain."

The merchant thought to himself, "He's probably weeping over the un-dignity of it." Then aloud asked, "All over? Good."

"Here's a cold towel for your forehead. Come lie down on the couch in here. It's only a few minutes 'till closing time. Then you can go."

As he lay in the dark on the couch, Glenn closed his eyes, and, listening to the sounds from up front as Charles went about the business of closing up shop for the day, he could only think of the disgraceful thing he had just done. And then rather than think about that he tried to recall where he had seen or heard the name S. U. Zuki before.

Soon the merchant slipped into the room. He sat on the edge of the couch where the student was lying, and leaning over him, rested his hand on his chest and asked, "Feeling better now?"

"Yes."

"Good." And the hand slid down to the student's waist.

"Please don't."

"Why not?"

"What if Mr. Zuki should come in?"

"He's right here. At your service."

"I see. Then you are Eurasian?" "No." Charles smiled, "Ohioan."

"But the name..."

"People just wouldn't buy good jade from a shop named Corcoran's. The other name I plagiarised from Puccini and people think I just run the place." "Glenn laughed. "That's why it seemed familiar."

"Well, now, I see you're feeling better. How about a drink and then on to my place?"

"All right."

So the merchant and the student went out and had a drink. Then they had two drinks. And then they had a sumptuous feast on such delicacies as-subtle hints, delicate questioning, and delightful diversion.

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