fact.
Arlene had stared at her incredulously. "Sight-seeing tours! Honey, you must be out of your mind."
"What's wrong with sight-seeing tours?" Greg had asked. "After all, that's what we're making the trip for— to see sights."
"Oh, Greg!" Arlene had laughed tolerantly. "Have you ever been on a Japanese sight-seeing tour?"
"Have you?"
"Yes, and I can tell you it's the end. They just cram you into a bus, give you a box lunch and then drive you from one clip joint to another. They don't want to show you what you want to see. They just want you to buy things—cameras, fans, bits of fake jewellery."
"That's not what it says on the notice-board."
"Naturally. Look, if you want to go rubber-necking, let me take you. I've been before. All you do is hire a car and have the man drive you around. You're on your own. You can stop when you want and go on when you want."
Dorothy had turned to him uncertainly. "What do you think, Greg?"
"Well, we've put our names down now."
Arlene had sighed. "Well, take them off again. Why not? If you want to be tourists you may as well do it properly. This is not the best time of the year to come to Japan, but, since you are here, at least make yourselves comfortable."
Unhappily, she had been right. Those who had gone on the sight-seeing tour had returned exhausted, ill-tempered and late for dinner. Dorothy had had a fascinating day and bought a pair of carved-soapstone hairpins which the barman said were worth at least three times what she had paid for them.
The following day, and then later at Kobe, the performance had been repeated. It could have been his fancy, but Greg suspected that both Dorothy and Arlene had a tacit agreement to ignore his leadership and run things their own way. When the table steward had reported that Miss Drecker was staying in her cabin, seasick, it had required an effort of will to utter the appropriate words of regret.
The bad weather lasted for two days and Greg thoroughly enjoyed them both. When, on the third day, Arlene made a wan appearance at lunch, he was almost as solicitous as Dorothy.
Then came the misunderstanding over the ship's shuffle-board tournament. The Doctor had wanted Greg and Dorothy in his team, and Greg, without consulting Dorothy, had accepted. When the first round was announced over the ship's loudspeakers, Dorothy was missing. Greg found her eventually in Arlene's cabin playing Scrabble. By the time he had explained what had happened and they had reached the deck, the teams had been rearranged and they were out of the tournament.
Greg was annoyed. He did not mind about the shuffle-board, which he thought an old man's game; but he did mind having to apologise to the Doctor.
Dorothy was very reasonable about it. "I'm sorry, dear, but you didn't tell me, did you?"
"I thought you were around on deck."
"Well, you were reading and Arlene suggested Scrabble. I know how you hate that, so I didn't bother you."
"Did you have to play down in the cabin?"
"She's got a very comfortable cabin. You haven't seen it. It's twice the size of ours. Look, dear, I'm sure the Doctor didn't mind a bit. He understood."
"Yes, I know. But all the same . . ."
All the same, he was annoyed. That evening, when Arlene and Dorothy began to talk about the shopping they were going to do in Hong Kong, his annoyance returned.
"The big stores are in Victoria," Arlene was saying; "that's on Hong Kong island itself. But for us gals the best places are over in Kowloon. That's on the mainland. There's one called Star of Siam in the Peninsular Hotel that's a must."
"Shops in a hotel?" asked Dorothy.
"That's right. There are two whole floors of them."
"Sounds like a tourist trap to me," said Greg.
Arlene smiled at him. "What would you say to a suit in the best English tropical worsted, made to order, for twenty-five dollars?"
"Oh sure, I know all about that. They just copy a suit you have and it falls to pieces the first time you wear it."
Arlene smiled
Arlene had stared at her incredulously. "Sight-seeing tours! Honey, you must be out of your mind."
"What's wrong with sight-seeing tours?" Greg had asked. "After all, that's what we're making the trip for— to see sights."
"Oh, Greg!" Arlene had laughed tolerantly. "Have you ever been on a Japanese sight-seeing tour?"
"Have you?"
"Yes, and I can tell you it's the end. They just cram you into a bus, give you a box lunch and then drive you from one clip joint to another. They don't want to show you what you want to see. They just want you to buy things—cameras, fans, bits of fake jewellery."
"That's not what it says on the notice-board."
"Naturally. Look, if you want to go rubber-necking, let me take you. I've been before. All you do is hire a car and have the man drive you around. You're on your own. You can stop when you want and go on when you want."
Dorothy had turned to him uncertainly. "What do you think, Greg?"
"Well, we've put our names down now."
Arlene had sighed. "Well, take them off again. Why not? If you want to be tourists you may as well do it properly. This is not the best time of the year to come to Japan, but, since you are here, at least make yourselves comfortable."
Unhappily, she had been right. Those who had gone on the sight-seeing tour had returned exhausted, ill-tempered and late for dinner. Dorothy had had a fascinating day and bought a pair of carved-soapstone hairpins which the barman said were worth at least three times what she had paid for them.
The following day, and then later at Kobe, the performance had been repeated. It could have been his fancy, but Greg suspected that both Dorothy and Arlene had a tacit agreement to ignore his leadership and run things their own way. When the table steward had reported that Miss Drecker was staying in her cabin, seasick, it had required an effort of will to utter the appropriate words of regret.
The bad weather lasted for two days and Greg thoroughly enjoyed them both. When, on the third day, Arlene made a wan appearance at lunch, he was almost as solicitous as Dorothy.
Then came the misunderstanding over the ship's shuffle-board tournament. The Doctor had wanted Greg and Dorothy in his team, and Greg, without consulting Dorothy, had accepted. When the first round was announced over the ship's loudspeakers, Dorothy was missing. Greg found her eventually in Arlene's cabin playing Scrabble. By the time he had explained what had happened and they had reached the deck, the teams had been rearranged and they were out of the tournament.
Greg was annoyed. He did not mind about the shuffle-board, which he thought an old man's game; but he did mind having to apologise to the Doctor.
Dorothy was very reasonable about it. "I'm sorry, dear, but you didn't tell me, did you?"
"I thought you were around on deck."
"Well, you were reading and Arlene suggested Scrabble. I know how you hate that, so I didn't bother you."
"Did you have to play down in the cabin?"
"She's got a very comfortable cabin. You haven't seen it. It's twice the size of ours. Look, dear, I'm sure the Doctor didn't mind a bit. He understood."
"Yes, I know. But all the same . . ."
All the same, he was annoyed. That evening, when Arlene and Dorothy began to talk about the shopping they were going to do in Hong Kong, his annoyance returned.
"The big stores are in Victoria," Arlene was saying; "that's on Hong Kong island itself. But for us gals the best places are over in Kowloon. That's on the mainland. There's one called Star of Siam in the Peninsular Hotel that's a must."
"Shops in a hotel?" asked Dorothy.
"That's right. There are two whole floors of them."
"Sounds like a tourist trap to me," said Greg.
Arlene smiled at him. "What would you say to a suit in the best English tropical worsted, made to order, for twenty-five dollars?"
"Oh sure, I know all about that. They just copy a suit you have and it falls to pieces the first time you wear it."
Arlene smiled
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