The thin faced man threw a shrewd look from his dark eyes and smiled.
Uncle John frowned at the look and stumped away. He was not at all easy
in his own mind. He had brought three nieces for a holiday to this
foreign shore, and here at the outset they were confronted by an
intangible danger that was more fearful because it was not understood.
It was enough to make his round face serious, although he had so strong
an objection to unnecessary worry.

Afternoon tea was served on deck amidst an unusual quiet. People soberly
canvassed the situation and remarked upon the fact that the darkness
increased visibly as they neared the Bay of Naples. Beth couldn't drink
her tea, for tiny black atoms fell through the air and floated upon the
surface of the liquid. Louise retired to her stateroom with a headache,
and found her white serge gown peppered with particles of lava dust
which had fallen from the skies.

The pilot guided the ship cautiously past Capri and into the bay. The
air was now black with volcanic dross and a gloom as of midnight
surrounded them on every side. The shore, the mountain and the water of
the bay itself were alike invisible.




CHAPTER V

VESUVIUS RAMPANT


It was Saturday night, the seventh day of April, nineteen hundred and