Then he remembered what had brought him.

His overpowering desire to see this woman had surprised him like the first symptoms of an illness.

He had not seen her for three weeks, and in the increased flow of business at the Silver Shoe had half forgotten his amazing emotions as one forgets a powerful dream.

Women, he repeated, were worse than drink for taking a man's mind off his work.
In his experience he had observed with some curiosity that drink and women were alike in throwing men off their balance.

Drink, fortunately, had no power over him.