side to side. "Oh, yes," she exclaimed suddenly, "I've got it
now--right up on the cliff there, away to the left. One can only just
see the roof, though, and it seems some way from the creek."

She resigned the glasses to me, and took over the tiller, while I had
a turn at examining the coast.

I soon made out the roof of the bungalow, which, as Joyce had said,
was the only part visible. It stood in a very lonely position, high
up on a piece of rising ground, and half hidden from the sea by what
seemed like a thick privet hedge. To judge by the smoke which I could
just discern rising from its solitary chimney, it looked as if the
occupants were addicted to the excellent habit of early rising.

There was no other sign of them to be seen, however, and if the launch
was lying anywhere about, it was at all events invisible from the sea.
I refreshed my memory with a long, careful scrutiny of the entrance to
the creek, and then handing the glasses back to Joyce I again assumed
control of the boat.

"Well," I observed, "we haven't wasted the morning. We know where
their bungalow door is, anyway."

Joyce nodded. "It may come in very handy," she said, "in case you ever
want to pay them a surprise call."

Exactly how soon that contingency was going to occur we neither of us
guessed or imagined!

We reached the Nore Lightship, and waving a courteous greeting to a
patient-looking gentleman who was spitting over the side, commenced
our long beat back in the direction of Southend. It was slow work, for
the tide was only just beginning to turn, and the wind, such as there
was of it, was dead in our faces. However, I don't think either Joyce
or I found the time hang heavily on our hands. If one can't be happy
with the sun and the sea and the person one loves best in the world,
it seems to me that one must be unreasonably difficult to please.

We fetched up off Southend Pier at just about eleven o'clock. A
hoarse-voiced person in a blue jersey, who was leaning over the end,
pointed us out some moorings that we were at liberty to pick up, and
then watched us critically while I stowed away the sails and locked up
everything in the boat which it was possible to steal. I had been to
Southend before in the old days.

These simple precautions concluded, Joyce and I got in the dinghy
and rowed to the steps. We were met by the gentleman in blue, who
considerately offered to keep his eye on the boat for us while I "and
the lady" enjoy