Then he went into the smoking-room.

He played bridge until two o'clock in the morning, and managed to lose a considerable sum of money without really noticing that he was doing so.
After the break of one fine day the weather was pretty consistently dull.

When the low sky thinned a trifle, the pale white spot of a sun did no more than throw a bluish lustre on the water, giving it the dark brightness of newly cut lead.

Through one after another of those gray days Alexander drowsed and mused, drinking in the grateful moisture.

But the complete peace of the first part of the voyage was over.