The captain began to see the reason.
"It's all about that island," explained Mr. Chalk; "he can talk of
nothing else."
The captain suppressed a groan, and Mr. Tredgold endeavoured, but without
success, to exchange smiles with Miss Drewitt.
"Aye, aye," said the captain, desperately.
"He's as eager as a child that's going to its first pantomime," continued
Mr. Chalk.
Mr. Stobell's appearance was so alarming that he broke off and eyed him
with growing uneasiness.
"You were talking about a pantomime," said Mr. Tredgold, after a long
pause.
Mr. Chalk cast an imploring glance at Mr. Stobell to remind him of their
compact, and resumed.
"Talks of nothing else," he said, watching his friend, "and can't sleep
for thinking of it."
"That's bad," said Mr. Tredgold, sympathetically. "Has he tried shutting
his eyes and counting sheep jumping over a stile?"
"No, he ain't," said Mr. Stobell, exploding suddenly, and turning a
threatening glance on the speaker. "And what's more," he added, in more
ordinary tones, "he ain't going to."
"We--we've been thinking of that trip again," interposed Mr. Chalk,
hurriedly. "The more Stobell thinks of it the more he likes it.
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