That there really was distinct need for such a precaution seemed to be borne out next morning by the fact that when the party mustered for breakfast Barker was found to be an absentee, and upon George being dispatched to his cabin to awaken him, upon the assumption that he had overslept himself, the man presently returned with a message to the effect that the absentee was suffering from a splitting headache, that he required no breakfast, and that "he guessed" he would spend the morning in bed, if it was all the same to the others. Whereupon von Schalckenberg paid him a professional visit, looked at his tongue, asked him a few questions, and sent him a draught to take. Sir Reginald--who, now that his wife and child were with him, had evinced a rather marked tendency toward over-anxiety in all matters relating to sickness--was very particular in his inquiries as to the invalid's condition, and was with difficulty reassured by the professor's assertion that there was certainly nothing worse the matter with him than, possibly, a slight attack of biliousness. The remaining five men, therefore, went away in the boats after breakfast, Sir Reginald taking the precaution to carry his telephone along with him, in order that Lady Olivia might have the means of communicating with him in the event of further and more serious symptoms manifesting themselves in the case of the sick man. Arrived at the shoal, the divers--Mildmay and von Schalckenberg as before--went down and got to work; but Barker's absence was felt when it came to hauling up the full nets, the weight of which proved to be rather too much for one man to handle, and it therefore became necessary to haul up the nets one at a time, discharge both into the same boat, and, when she was as full as was thought desirable, leave her, shifting over to the other boat and loading her in the same way. The consequence of this was that they were late in completing their cargoes, and it was already considerably past the luncheon-hour when at length they lifted their anchors and started back toward the lagoon. Nothing had been heard in the mean time from Lady Olivia, from which circumstance it was deduced that the patient was at all events no worse. Scarcely, however, had the boats got under way when the bell of the telephone in Sir Reginald's pocket began to ring, and he whipped the instrument out with the remark-- "Hillo! what does this mean? Nothing very serious, I hope." He pressed the thumb of one hand upon the small red knob of the instrument, and with the other hand inserted the tube of it into his ear. Almost instantly he heard his wife's voice calling to him-- "Reginald! Reginald! are you there, and can you hear me?" "Yes, dear, I am here; and can hear you quite distinctly," answered Sir Reginald. "What is the matter? Nothing wrong with Barker, I hope. Is he any worse?"