the empty pipe in his mouth, sucking at it
as if it were still alight. He was thinking deeply. The evening
darkened slowly, and a faint breeze stole in from the sea.

"Every prospect of a fine day to-morrow," said Meldon.

The Major took no notice of the remark. Meldon filled a fresh pipe,
and watched the _Spindrift_ tugging at her moorings as the breeze
freshened or died and the tide caught her.

"J. J.," said the Major at last, speaking very solemnly, "I'd rather
you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

"I know you enjoy this sort of thing, and I don't want to spoil your
holiday. I'd like you to have a really good time, but I wish you'd hit
on some other amusement."

"Try and be a little more explicit, Major. I'm a quick-witted man, and
I can generally guess at your meaning, no matter how you wrap it up in
paraphrases, but this time I really can't. The only amusement I've
proposed so far is a short trip in your yacht. I suppose you don't
grudge me that?"

"You know very well I don't, J. J. But I wish you wouldn't play these
tricks with Simpkins. He's a man I don't like."

"You told me that last night," said Meldon, "and I agreed at once to
have him murdered."

"Of course I know that you like talking in that sort of way, and I
don't mind it a bit. It's your way of making jokes, and you don't mean
any harm by what you say; but I'd really rather not be mixed up with
Simpkins even by way of a joke. I don't like the man at all."

"Don't repeat that again," said Meldon. "I quite believe you. And as
for the murder of Simpkins being a joke, I assure you it's nothing of
the sort. I may be flippant--several people have called me
flippant--but I draw the line at making jokes about murder. It's a
serious subject. In fact I've more than once hesitated about going
into this business at all. It's mainly for your sake that I'm doing
it."

"Then don't do it," said the Major. "I know quite well that you don't
mean a word you say, but--"

"I mean it all. Am I the kind of man who says what he doesn't mean?
Come now, Major; you've known me a good many years, and we've been in
some tight places together. Have you ever heard me say a thing I
didn't mean?"

"To be quite candid," said the Major, "I have, once or twice."

"You're entirely mistaken. You have not. And in any case I mean what
I say now. Do you really suppose that I'd have spent the whole of this
hot day fagging up and down the roads about Ballymoy i