They sat down and lookedout over the bay

"You've come far enough," she said. "Go back to bed."But they seemed unwilling to move. 　　"Let's sit down a moment," said Hewet. He spread his coat onthe ground. "Let's sit down and consider." They sat down and lookedout over the bay; it was very still, the sea was rippling faintly,and lines of green and blue were beginning to stripe it. There wereno sailing boats as yet, but a steamer was anchored in the bay,looking very ghostly in the mist; it gave one unearthly cry,and then all was silent. 　　Rachel occupied herself in collecting one grey stone after anotherand building them into a little cairn; she did it very quietlyand carefully. 　　"And so you've changed your view of life, Rachel?" said Helen. 　　Rachel added another stone and yawned. "I don't remember," she said,"I feel like a fish at the bottom of the sea." She yawned again. 　　None of these people possessed any power to frighten her out here inthe dawn, and she felt perfectly familiar even with Mr. Hirst. 　　"My brain, on the contrary," said Hirst, "is in a conditionof abnormal activity." He sat in his favourite position with hisarms binding his legs together and his chin resting on the topof his knees. "I see through everything--absolutely everything. 　　Life has no more mysteries for me." He spoke with conviction,but did not appear to wish for an answer. Near though they sat,and familiar though they felt, they seemed mere shadows to each other. 　　"And all those people down there going to sleep," Hewet began dreamily,"thinking such different things,--Miss Warrington, I suppose,is now on her knees; the Elliots are a little startled, it's not often_they_ get out of breath, and they want to get to sleep as quicklyas possible; then there's the poor lean young man who danced all nightwith Evelyn; he's putting his flower in water and asking himself,'Is this love?'--and poor old Perrott, I daresay, can't get to sleepat all, and is reading his favourite Greek book to console himself--and the others--no, Hirst," he wound up, "I don't find it simpleat all.""I have a key," said Hirst cryptically. His chin was still uponhis knees and his eyes fixed in front of him. 　　A silence followed. Then Helen rose and bade them good-night. 　　"But," she said, "remember that you've got to come and see us."They waved good-night and parted, but the two young men did notgo back to the hotel; they went for a walk, during which theyscarcely spoke, and never mentioned the names of the two women,who were, to a considerable extent, the subject of their thoughts.