gales.

Such was Memmert, as I saw it on the chart, taking in its features
mechanically, for while Davies lay there heedless and taciturn, a
pretence of interest was useless. I knew perfectly well what was
between us, but I did not see why I should make the first move; for I
had a grievance too, an old one. So I sat back on my sofa and jotted
down in my notebook the heads of our conversation at the inn while it
was fresh in my memory, and strove to draw conclusions. But the
silence continuing and becoming absurd, I threw my pride to the
winds, and my notebook on the table.

'I say, Davies,' I said, 'I'm awfully sorry I chaffed you about
Fräulein Dollmann.' (No answer.) 'Didn't you see I couldn't help it?'

'I wish to Heaven we had never come in here,' he said, in a hard
voice; 'it comes of landing _ever_.' (I couldn't help smiling at
this, but he wasn't looking at me.) 'Here we are, given away, moved
on, taken in charge, arranged for like Cook's tourists. I couldn't
follow your game--too infernally deep for me, but--'That stung me.

'Look here,' I said, 'I did my best. It was you that muddled it. Why
did you harp on ducks?'

'We could have got out of that. Why did you harp on everything
idiotic--your letter, the Foreign office, the Kormoran, the wreck,
the--?'

'You're utterly unreasonable. Didn't you see what traps there were? I
was driven the way I went. We started unprepared, and we're jolly