e evening!

A couple that Lavis knew for bride and groom turned out to lean over the
rail. He was pointing down by the ship's side. "Hardly a ripple on
it--see!" he exclaimed. "Only for the bubbling up from underneath, none
at all. Like an endless belt sliding by so smoothly, isn't it? And
above--see, sweetheart--a clear sky."

"Ah-h, a beautiful night!" she murmured. "On such a night--" Lavis, as
he turned the corner of the house, saw him snatch her close and kiss
her.

In lounge and smoking rooms all was cosey, cheerful, lively company.
Lavis in passing had only to glance into air-ports to be sure of that.
It was card-playing and easy gossip in the one, and not infrequent
drinks being brought to impatient men by alert, deferential,
many-buttoned servants in the other. In the grill those who must have a
special little bite before turning in were having it; and, this being a
chilly sort of a night, there were those who were also having a warming
drink, with the bite or without it.

It was growing late. The deck was now almost deserted. Lavis took a last
look over the rail, a last gulp of the cooling air, and went into the
loungeroom. Here he got from the steward paper and envelopes, sat down
and wrote:

Now see that you make no attempt to lure him back.

There was no address, no signature. He sealed the envelope and went
below to where, at the end of a passageway, he found a stewardess on
watch. "Miss Huttle hasn't come down yet, Hannah?"

"No, sir, Mr. Lavis."

"No? Well, there is a party in Mr. Drissler's suite."

"Mr. Drissler, sir?"

"The wealthy man in the royal suite."

"Oh, yes, sir."

"Miss Huttle is there. You take this note to her there, and let me know
that it has been delivered, please."

Lavis went to his room, got out a long, loose linen duster from his
wardrobe, removed his top-coat, pulled the duster over his evening
clothes, found an old cloth cap, and waited for the return of the
stewardess.

She came presently. "I gave it to Miss Huttle, Mr. Lavis. Into her own
hand, sir."

"Thank you, Hannah."

* * * * *

Lavis left his room and descended deep down into the ship, to where a
man in dungarees, but with an officer's cap of authority, was perched on
a horizontal grating poring over the speed register. Over his shoulder
Lavis watched the numerals shift--seven, eight, nine, thirty. One,
two--eight, nine, forty. Click, click, click, click--he watched th