"Nearly midnight."
"Indeed. I forgot the hour. I was engrossed. I—" He looked up hastily and looked down again. "A most strange, most unaccountable, thing has happened."
"What?" said Uniacke. "Surely the Skipper hasn't—"
"No, no. It's nothing to do with him. I haven't seen him. No, no—but the most unaccountable—how long have I been out there?"
"You went out at nine. It's a quarter to twelve now."
"Two hours and three-quarters! I should have said ten minutes. But then—how long was I with it?"
"With it?" repeated Uniacke, turning cold.
"Yes, yes—how long? It seemed no time—and yet an eternity, too."
He got up and went to and fro uneasily about the room.
"Horrible!" he muttered, as if to himself. "Horrible!"