te the message.
But as the man, with growing agitation, had been watching narrowly
throughout this--a condition of which I felt sure she must be acutely
aware--I dared not make the slightest sign. Yet she seemed to understand
and, joining him, they passed out.

I pounced upon that crumpled ball of paper and was back in my chair
unfolding it with nervous fingers. Feverishly pressing out the creases I
saw that it was, indeed, a corner torn from the winecard, and written
upon it--nothing. Absolutely nothing!

Perhaps I should have laughed, but as a matter of fact I cursed. Deep in
my soul I cursed. Her little joke, her pretty bit of acting, had left a
stinging sense of loss. As suddenly as this ruthless comet swept into my
orbit it had swung out and on; for one delicious moment we had touched
across the infinite, but now my harmony was shattered, the strings of my
harp were snapped, curled up, and could not be made to play again.

But the Spanish girl was playing her guitar, once more singing her
impassioned song of the enchanted island in its sea of love, which made
me pity myself so much that I permitted the waiter again to fill my
glass. What a wondrous adventure this night might have brought!

Such thoughts wore not to be profaned by the companionship of Tommy and
Monsieur, so I slipped away, hailed a cab and alighted at the Machina
wharf. The boatman there, whom I aroused to take me out, was one of the
most stupid fellows I've ever encountered. At any rate, someone was
stupid.

Going aboard the yacht I stood for a moment listening to the lonely
sweep of his oar sculling shoreward through the murky night. Over the
castellated walls of La Cabana raced low, angry clouds. Was it a storm
brewing, or had some supernal madness touched the night?

The watch forward called in a guarded voice: "All right, sir?" to which
I answered, "All right," then went cautiously across deck and crept down
the companionway stairs. The cabin was dark so I felt for my stateroom,
passed in and closed the door. Somehow my fingers could not locate the
light jet, but what matter? In three minutes I had undressed and was
fast asleep.

CHAPTER IV

NIRVANA

A pleasant sense of motion came over me that suggested cradling waves,
and I was sleepily wondering why we had gone out on a day that portended
storms, when a tapping at my stateroom door was followed by someone
whispering:

"Aren't you ever going to get up, you lazy old dear?"