the conch from any onlooker's suspicion he desisted.

Groping his way through the dimness to the nearest box. he
sat down, philosophically, to wait.

"Well," he mused sniffing in no approval at all at the musty
air of the place and peering up at the single eight-inch
barred window that served more for ventilation than for light.
"Well, here we are. And here, presumably, we stay till
Standish and Hade go back to the mainland. Then I'm to be let
out by Roke, with many apologies for Davy's mistake. There'll
be no way of getting back. The boats will be hidden or
padlocked. And here I'll stay, with Roke for a chum. till
whatever is going on at Standish's house is safely finished
with. It's a pretty program. If I can get away to-night
without Roke's finding it out till morning--"

His eyes were beginning to accustom themselves to the room.
Its corners and farther reaches and most of its floor were
still invisible. But, by straining his gaze, he could just
make out the shapes of a crate or two and several packing
boxes close to the wall. The central space was clear. In
spite of the stuffiness. there was a damp chill to the gloomy
place, by contrast to the vivid sunlight and the sweep of the
trade-winds. outside.

Gavin stretched himself out at full length on the long box,
and prepared to take a nap. First he reached toward the next
box--the one under which Davy had told him the key was hidden-
-and moved it an inch or so to make certain it was not full