She glanced aside at Kilfane.
"Chinese way, eh?" she said.
She began to twirl the prepared opium above the flame of the lamp.
From it a slight, sickly smelling vapor arose. No one spoke, but all
watched her closely; and Rita was conscious of a growing, pleasurable
excitement. When by evaporation the chandu had become reduced to the
size of a small pea, and a vague spirituous blue flame began to dance
round the end of the spatula, Mrs. Sin pressed it adroitly into the
tiny bowl of one of the ivory pipes, having first held the bowl
inverted for a moment over the lamp. She turned to Rita.
"The guest of the evening," she said. "Do not be afraid. Inhale--oh,
so gentle--and blow the smoke from the nostrils. You know how to
smoke?"
"The same as a cigarette?" asked Rita excitedly, as Mrs. Sin bent over
her.
"The same, but very, very gentle."
Rita took the pipe and raised the mouthpiece to the lips.
CHAPTER XIV
IN THE SHADE OF THE LONELY PALM
Persian opium of good quality contains from ten to fifteen percent
morphine, and chandu made from opium of Yezd would contain perhaps
twenty-five per cent of this potent drug; but because in the act of
smoking distillation occurs, nothing like this quantity of morphine
reaches the smoker.
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