"You are nearer the mark than possibly you imagine, Miss Deane," he said.

"When we took our observations yesterday there was a very weird-looking halo around the sun.

This morning you may have noticed several light squalls and a smooth sea marked occasionally by strong ripples.

The barometer is falling rapidly, and I expect that, as the day wears, we will encounter a heavy swell.

If the sky looks wild tonight, and especially if we observe a heavy bank of cloud approaching from the north-west, you see the crockery dancing about the table at dinner.