“Well,” I said, “I hear you had a wonderful trip.”
“Wonderful,” he said. “Budapest is absolutely wonderful.”
“How about Vienna?”
“Not so good, Jake. Not so good. It seemed better than it was.”
“How do you mean?” I was getting glasses and a siphon.
“Tight, Jake. I was tight.”
“That’s strange. Better have a drink.”
Bill rubbed his forehead. “Remarkable thing,” he said. “Don’t know how it happened. Suddenly it happened.”
“Last long?”
“Four days, Jake. Lasted just four days.”
“Where did you go?”
“Don’t remember. Wrote you a postcard. Remember that perfectly.”
“Do anything else?”
“Not so sure. Possible.”
“Go on. Tell me about it.”
“Can’t remember. Tell you anything I could remember.”
“Go on. Take that drink and remember.”
“Might remember a little,” Bill said. “Remember something about a prizefight. Enormous Vienna prizefight. Had a nigger in it. Remember the nigger perfectly.”