The devil looked at his watch. 🔊 "Ten past two," he said. 🔊 "Closing-time in summer same then as now—seven o'clock. 🔊 That will give you almost five hours. 🔊 At seven o'clock—pouf!—you find yourself again here, sitting at this table. 🔊 I am dining to-night dans le monde—dans le highlife. 🔊 That concludes my present visit to your great city. 🔊 I come and fetch you here, Mr. Soames, on my way home." 🔊
"Be it never so humble!" said the devil, lightly. 🔊
"Soames!" I entreated. 🔊 But my friend moved not a muscle. 🔊
The devil had made as though to stretch forth his hand across the table, but he paused in his gesture. 🔊
"A hundred years hence, as now," he smiled, "no smoking allowed in the reading-room. You would better therefore—" 🔊
Soames removed the cigarette from his mouth and dropped it into his glass of Sauterne. 🔊
"Soames!" again I cried. 🔊 "Can't you"—but the devil had now stretched forth his hand across the table. 🔊 He brought it slowly down on the table-cloth. 🔊 Soames's chair was empty. 🔊 His cigarette floated sodden in his wine-glass. 🔊 There was no other trace of him. 🔊