bottle,”
Rinaldi
said. He
went off
up the
stairs. I
sat at the
table and
he came
back with
the bottle
and poured
us each a
half
tumbler of
cognac.
“Too
much,” I
said and
held up
the glass
and
sighted at
the lamp
on the
table.
“Not for
an empty
stomach.
It is a
wonderful
thing. It
burns out
the
stomach
completely.
Nothing is
worse for
you.” “All
right.”
“Self-destruction
day by
day,”
Rinaldi
said. “It
ruins the
stomach
and makes
the hand
shake.
