nearly noon
If he did , he knew he would inevitably be drawn under , slipping downward from concession to concession ... . The noises of a hot summer night in the port of Genoa would have kept the most care-free from slumber ; but though Nick lay awake he did not notice them , for the tumult in his brain was more deafening . Dawn brought a negative relief , and out of sheer weariness he dropped into a heavy sleep . When he woke it was nearly noon , and from his window he saw the well-known outline of the Ibis standing up dark against the glitter of the harbour . He had no fear of meeting her owners , who had doubtless long since landed and betaken themselves to cooler and more fashionable regions : oddly enough , the fact seemed to accentuate his loneliness , his sense of having no one on earth to turn to . He dressed , and wandered out disconsolately to pick up a cup of coffee in some shady corner . As he drank his coffee his thoughts gradually cleared .