FOR SEVERAL days Dick found it practically impossible to concentrate upon his work. At every natural interval, and sometimes between, he would find his mind reverting to his brief conversation with the Hawaiian girl. Over and over again it would recur, and gradually intersperse itself throughout his train of thought, until eventually it had taken entire possession, and he would find himself sitting idly before his machine and reviewing word by word the dialogue, each time finding it more egregious than before. It was horrible. No matter what excuses he made to himself, the fact remained that after the girl had veritably risked her life to save him, he had asked her flatly if she was crazy! And when she had seemed to resent the imputation, he had then asserted confidently that otherwise she certainly must be an idiot! And at that point his jaw always dropped, though in spite of the egregiousness of it all, the corners of his mouth would immediately twitch up again in an unregenerate grin. Dreadful as it was, it was still funny, and occasionally he would chuckle to him-
