--is--it? Didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, it must be the same boat. There wouldn't be two
knocking about, with a name like that."

We found the hotel presently. There were two elderly men sitting
on the little piazza, and they hitched their chairs around and
watched us through the window as soon as we entered the office.
This room was empty, but after we had stamped and coughed a good
deal, a small man in shirt-sleeves came from some room in the
back.

"Is Captain Bannister here?"

"Bannister? Oh, no, Bannister aint here!"

This in a tone which was as much as to say: "I wouldn't have a man
like that on the premises."

"Well, he WAS here, wasn't he?"

"Was here? Oh, yes, he WAS here,--last night."

(As if to say: "He was here until we got on to him.")

"Has he gone away?"

"Gone away? Oh, yes, he's gone away."