I
shall not leave the _Cayman_ till bed-time.'
He looked as fresh and cool as if utterly unaffected by the heat, which
to a Cuban must have been a merely lukewarm condition of the atmosphere.
But he affected to be prostrate, and Smithson could not insist. He had
his cards to play in a game which required extremest caution, and there
were no friendly indicators on the backs of his kings and aces. He was
feeling his way in the dark, and did not know how much mischief Montesma
was prepared to do.
When the owner of the yacht was gone Don Gomez proposed an adjournment
to the deck for afternoon tea, and the trio sat under the awning,
tea-drinking and gossiping for the next hour. Lady Kirkbank told the
steward to say not at home to everybody, just as if she had a street
door.
'There is a good deal of the _dolce far niente_ about this,' said
Montesma, presently; 'but don't you think we have been anchored in sight
of that shabby little town quite long enough, and that it would be
rather nice to spread our wings and sail round the island before the
racing begins?'
'It would be exquisite,' said Lesbia.
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