noon
He had invited friends aboard for luncheon , and was now daring one of them to play this joke . But my glance turned to the room , to its equipment and toilette articles which were large and curiously shaped , and the numbing truth crept into my brain that the stupid boatman had put me on the wrong yacht . I had known some tight places in France , but this one simply squeezed me all over . There was nothing for it , of course , but go out and explain -- yet how could a chap appear at noon draped in a sheet ! The situation confused me , but I decided to search the wardrobe , of my unknown host , to borrow his razor , appropriate a new toothbrush that should be found in a box somewhere , and select flannels and linens in keeping with the hour . Still balanced between confusion and panic I must have done these things because , fittingly attired though with no very good fit , I opened my door , stepped softly along the passageway , and entered the cabin . On a wide couch built in at one side a girl lay reading .