At length the sound of a gong beaten on board the _Flying Fish_ gave notice that afternoon tea was ready for whosoever chose to partake of that refreshment; and the two ladies and little Ida--all three of whom held the institution in great respect--at once gladly turned their steps toward the ship, for they were fatigued and hot with their unwonted exertions, and felt that a cup of tea was precisely what they needed for their restoration. The men of the party, also, had by this time drifted almost insensibly into the habit of joining the ladies at this function; thus it came to pass that within the half-hour the entire party had gathered beneath the awnings, and, ensconced in comfortable basket chairs, were leisurely sipping the fragrant cup that is said to cheer and certainly does not inebriate, while they discussed in desultory fashion their afternoon's experiences, and compared their finds. All, that is to say, with the exception of von Schalckenberg, who, in his usual absent-minded way, was to be seen, about a mile distant, still prodding and poking at the cliff-face as industriously and with as deep an absorption as though so important a function as afternoon tea was quite unknown to him. "Let us call the beggar up with one of his own telephones," said Lethbridge, in response to some remark of Lady Olivia's anent the professor's absorption. "If we don't he will stay there until darkness falls, and then wonder how the dickens he got there. Here, Ida, come you and call up the professor, sweetheart; he will perhaps listen to you, though it is very doubtful whether he would to me." And, drawing his telephone from his pocket, he pressed the button, while Ida--with whom the ex-colonel was a great favourite--came and stood obediently by his side. As usual, everybody else's telephone, as well as all the bells in the ship, at once started ringing. "Now," continued Lethbridge, gravely, "that is the fault that I have to find with these otherwise wonderfully clever contrivances of von Schalckenberg's. You want to communicate with a certain person by means of your own instrument, and you at once attract the attention of everybody else who happens to possess one. I must remember to ask the worthy man if he cannot remedy that defect. Ah, there he is," as the bells ceased for a moment to tinkle. "Now then, Ida, put this in your ear, and then tell the professor, through that mouthpiece, that afternoon tea is on." The child at once did so, calling into the receiver-- "Professor, Professor, can you hear me?" "Oh yes, of course I can," replied the professor's voice. "What is the matter, my dear?" "Tea is ready!" proclaimed Ida, shortly. "Is that so?" answered the professor. "All right, little one; I should like a cup of tea very much, for I am terribly thirsty. But I cannot come just now, for I am very busy. So you take your tea yourself, and enjoy it, eh?" "What are you so dreadfully busy about, Professor?" demanded the child.