Pawned

Then presently a point of land ran out, and, the road ignoring this, the bay behind was shut out from view. And presently again, farther on, the road came to a long white stretch of beach on the one hand, and foliage and trees on the other. And here the dripping figure halted and stood hesitant as though undecided between the moonlit stretch of sand, and the darkness of a native hut that was dimly outlined amongst the trees on the other side of the road.

After a moment he made his way to the hut and, groping around, secured some matches and a box of cigarettes. He spoke into the empty blackness.

"You lose, Nanu," he muttered whimsically. "They wouldn't stand water and I left them for you. But now, you see, I'm back again, after all."

He lighted a cigarette, and in the flame of the match stared speculatively at the small,