Full Tide by Celine Conway Page B

disdainfully. “No, and don’t call me nipper.”
    “You’re an ungracious brat,” he said, still without rancor. “You haven’t been spanked enough.”
    “Come, now,” put in Lisa quickly. “We’re supposed to be having fun. Shall we do our shopping first?” She found it a wearing afternoon. They tramped in and out of shops, bought Nancy a bracelet of carved imitation jade, and chose a depressingly expensive length of green and white rainbow georgette for the evening frock. They got a lift to the cathedral and climbed to the tower to admire the red and gold sun as it slid to rest. They were too late to visit to Museo Canario, but did fit in a walk round the famous Pueblo before it was quite dark.
    Darkness in the Canaries is soft and warm and musical with the singing of insects and the rustling of palms. The streets of Las Palmas were bright and each cafe blared gramophone music. Jeremy suggested taking a drink at one of the open-air type, and Lisa thankfully sank upon an iron chair and wished for the unprocurable—a good cup of tea.
    They were served with Canary wines and lemon syrup. Across the road a boy was begging at another cafe, singing a plaintive song in impure Spanish with which Nancy was enthralled.
    “In a few years’ time he’ll be a topline crooner,” said Jeremy. “I’ve some small change left. Would you like to take it over to him, Nancy?”
    “There are others begging. We should share it between them,” stated Lisa.
    “Please let me take it, Lee,” begged Nancy.
    “Yes, let her take it.” Jeremy dropped several Spanish coins into Nancy ’s hand. “Tell him to buy a supper with it, not wine.”
    “Don’t go, darling,” said Lisa. “The boy won’t understand English.”
    “The language of money is universal,” observed Jeremy. “Let her go. It’s not more than a dozen yards.” Nancy gripped the money and looked both ways before crossing the street.
    Lisa eased herself in the hard chair and tried to finish her drink, which was far too sweet and strong. The chances were against her ever coming to the Canaries again and the knowledge that most of her time ashore had been wasted was dispiriting. She had meant to make so much of this voyage, yet she had somehow got herself tangled up with Jeremy Carne, and the time which should have been spent in pure enjoyment had instead been taken up in listening to his new ambitions and keeping the peace between him and Nancy.
    “It will be different at Cape Town,” Jeremy was saying. “We’ll have longer, and I know the place inside out. I’ve relatives who live there.”
    “That’s nine days away, nine days of sea. Don’t we see any more land till then, Jeremy?”
    “No, but there’ll be high jinks on board. Competitions and tournaments, a fancy dress parade for children, a swimming gala and a deck derby. They arrange something for every day.”
    Lisa couldn’t finish the d ri nk. It was a quarter to seven and she wanted to get back to the Wentworth. Suddenly she sat up very straight.
    “The singing boy has vanished,” she said. “And where is Nancy?”
    Jeremy went to the curb and peered across the street, With Lisa close beside him. “She isn’t there,” he said. “Would the little nitwit take a walk by herself?”
    “Of course not. She’d be afraid to, in a foreign town. Jeremy,” her voice shook, “do you suppose she missed the way back?”
    “How could she? We’re diagonally opposite. ”
    “She might have got back on to this side and lost her bearings.” She jerked at his arm. “Do something! You take that side of the road and I’ll take this. We must find her ! ”
    “A ll right, all right. She’ll turn up. I’ll scour the other side and come back here. You take a look up a n d do wn but for Pete’s sake don’t you get lost, too.”
    Lisa was away, hurrying downhill, dodging the dark skinned people who thronged the pavement. Then back she went, past their cafe and on to the top of the street.
    No sign