He laughed back at her, as though she was as near to him as she looked to be.

He quite forgot that she was not, and spoke to her aloud.
"Some little heliographing--what?
Come on up, and we'll make up a code, so we can talk! Aw, come on--it ain't so far! Husky girl like you can climb it in no time at all.

Aw, come on!" A couple of tourists, panting up to the peak with unsightly amber goggles and a kodak and a dog, found him addressing empty air and looked at him queerly.

Jack could have murdered them both when he turned his head and saw them gaping open-mouthed at his performance.
But he did not.

He climbed shame-facedly down and answered the usual questions with his usual patient courtesy, and hoped fervently that they would either die at once of heart failure or go back to the lake and leave him alone.