The evening sea-breeze came and wafted in on us the very scents of Araby; the night sounds that whisper of wilderness gave the lie to a tinkling guitar that somewhere in the distance spoke of civilized delights.

The surf crooned on coral half a mile away, and very good cigar smoke (from a box that Monty had sent ashore with our belongings) supplemented coffee and the other aids to physical contentment.

Then, limping between the armchairs, and ashamed that we should rise to greet him--motioning us down again with a little nervous laugh--Courtney came to us.

Within five minutes of his coming the world, and the clock, and the laws of men might have all reversed themselves for aught we cared.
Without really being conscious he was doing it Courtney plunged into our problem, grasped it, sized it up, advised us, flooded us with priceless, wonderful advice, and did it with such almost feminine sympathy that I believe we would have been telling him our love-affairs at last, if a glance at the watch he wore in a case at his belt had not told him it was three A.M.
"There's trouble" he began when he had filled his pipe.

"You boys are in trouble.