noon
Ralph asked , dryly , and I nodded . I am afraid that we did the mile to Gravosa in a good deal less than the legal limit , but luckily no one was the worse for it , and there were no policemen about . At Gravosa we found some men on the quay who could talk Italian , and in five minutes I knew for certain what I had suspected . A white yacht answering the description I gave of `` Arethusa , '' had sent a boat before noon to meet a cab bringing to the port two ladies and a gentleman . The Signore were in long brownish coats and close hats . One was stout , with much colour ; the other , a young girl , transcendently beautiful . `` That impudent fellow has whisked them off to Cattaro , to see his beastly ancestral ruin , '' suggested Ralph .