beach and the faint scrunching of the pebbles drawn back by the ebb.
He looked along the row of windows, all dark and silent now. A rush of
pleasant fancies suddenly chased away the grim depression of the last
few minutes. Out of all this sordidness and mystery there remained at
least something in life for him to do. A certain aimlessness of purpose
which had troubled him during the last few months had disappeared. He
had found an object in life.

CHAPTER XXI

"To-day," Hamel declared, as he stood at the sideboard the following
morning at breakfast-time and helped himself to bacon and eggs, "I am
positively going to begin reading. I have a case full of books down at
the Tower which I haven't unpacked yet."

Esther made a little grimace.

"Look at the sunshine," she said. "There isn't a breath of wind, either.
I think to-day that I could play from the men's tees."

Hamel sighed as he returned to his place.

"My good intentions are already half dissipated," he admitted.

She laughed.

"How can we attack the other half?" she asked.

Gerald, who was also on his way to the sideboard, suddenly stopped.

"Hullo!" he exclaimed, looking out of the window. "Who's going away this
morning, I wonder? There's the Rolls-Royce at the door."

Hamel, too, rose once more to his feet. The two exchanged swift glances.
Moved by a common thought, they both started for the door, only to find
it suddenly opened before them. Mr. Fentolin glided into the room.

"Uncle!" Gerald exclaimed.

Mr. Fentolin glanced keenly around the room.

"Good morning, everybody," he said. "My appearance at this hour of the
morning naturally surprises you. As a matter of fact, I have been up for
quite a long time. Esther dear, give me some coffee, will you, and be
sure that it is hot. If any of you want to say good-by to Mr. John P.
Dunster, you'd better hurry out."

"You mean that he is going?" Hamel asked incredulously.

"He is going," Mr. Fentolin admitted. "I wash my hands of the man.
He has given us an infinite amount of trouble, has monopolised Doctor
Sarson when he ought to have been attending upon me--a little more hot
milk, if you please, Esther--and now, although he really is not fit
to leave his room, he insists upon hurrying off to keep an appointment
somewhere on the Continent. The little operation we spoke of last night
was successful, as Doctor Sarson prophesied, and Mr. Dunster was quite
conscious and able to sit up early this