"Leaving?" Marc asked pleasantly. "I'm going over to Imported Liquors," the blonde said. She departed, and Marc extracted the cork from the bottle with a fruity pop and handed it back to Toffee. "A pause for refreshment," he said, "and then we've got to do something about my eyesight. Did you say the cops have gone?" "The last I saw of them," Toffee said, "they were lumpering through ladies' lingerie, headed for silverware and china." She paused for a deep drink from the bottle. "With the head of steam they had worked up they should be far beyond the horizon by now." "Good," Marc said. He received the bottle from Toffee and drank thirstily. "Cops have a positive talent for being disagreeable." "A bad lot," Toffee nodded. "They tend to weigh on the spirit. And speaking of spirits don't keep sucking at that bottle all day. Save some for me." * * * * * Twenty minutes later, one bottle depleted, the other tucked protectively beneath Toffee's arm, the two emerged unsteadily from behind the counter and started on an uneven course down the aisle. "You'll have to lead me," Marc said thickly. "I can't see a thing." Toffee took his hand. "Blind as a drunken bat," she giggled. "You will probably lead me astray," Marc said happily. "I shall do my best," Toffee said. "Luckily, I'm familiar with the route." Marc held back for a moment. "I've just figured it out," he said. "It was that burp medicine that affected my eyes. We've got to go look up that druggist." "All right," Toffee said. "But if I had X-ray eyes I would be content to stand on street corners and whistle." This concluded, they tottered on to the end of the aisle and down the stairs. "Going astray!" Marc sang vaporishly. "Going astray! I'm jus' going astray!" With a wild lurch the two fugitives precariously left the stairs and emerged onto the first floor. As they started unsteadily down the aisle a veiled and voluminous lady in black turned from her examination of a silk blouse and observed their progress with smiling approval. She turned benignly to the sales girl who was serving her. "Isn't that sweet?" she murmured. "Imagine a stunning girl like that sacrificing a day to take her poor old blind father shopping." Toffee and Marc proceeded in a more or less orderly fashion to the doorway, leaving the good Sergeant to ransack a store now empty of its quarry. * * * * * Five minutes later and three blocks removed from the department store, the two law-evaders paused to reconnoitre. Or at least Toffee reconnoitred while Marc, still sightless behind his glasses, awaited directions. He held out his hand in readiness, waiting to be led. At his side, Toffee momentarily broke her mood of concentration. "As I see it," she said, "our next move is to flee the city." "But what about the druggist?" Marc said. "I've got to find out about my eyes." He stopped as he became aware of a nervous tugging at his sleeve.