And then, without warning, all the girls ceased to come to the island.  Three days went by, five, a week, ten days.  One morning they all passed over the island, one by one, an hour or two between flights; but they flew high and fast, and they did not stop.

Ralph Addington had become more and more irascible.  That day the others maintained peace only by ignoring him.

“By the gods!” he snarled at night as they all sat dull and dumb about the fire.  “Something’s got to happen to change our way of living or murder’ll break out in this community.  And we’d better begin pretty quick to do something about it.  What I’d like to know is,” and he slapped his hand smartly against a flat rock, “coming down to cases — as we must sooner or later — what is our right in regard to these women.”

III

“I don’t exactly like your, use of the word right, Ralph,” said Billy.  “You mean duty, don’t you?”

“And he’d better change that to privilege,” put in Pete Murphy, scowling.

“Shut up, you mick,” Honey interposed, flicking Pete on the ear with a pebble.  “What do you know about machinery?”

Pete grinned and subsided for a moment.  Honey could always placate him by calling him a mick.”

“No,” Ralph went on obstinately, addressing himself this time to Billy, “I mean right.  Of course, I mean right,” he went on with one of his, gusty bursts of, irritation.  “For God’s sake, don’t be so high-brow and altruistic.”

“How about it, Frank?” Billy said, turning to Merrill.

“Well,” said Frank slowly, “I don’t exactly know how to answer that question.  I don’t know what you mean by the word — right.  I take it that you mean what our right would be if these flying-maidens permitted themselves to become our friends.  I would say, that, in such a case, you would have the only right that any man ever has, as far as women are concerned — the right to woo.  If he wins, all well and good.  If he loses, he must abide by the consequences.”

“You’re on, Frank,” said Billy Fairfax.

You’ve said the last word.”

“In normal condition, I’d agree with you,” Ralph said.  “But in these conditions I disagree utterly.”

“How?” Frank asked.  “Why?” He turned to Ralph with the instinctive equability that he always presented to an opponent in argument.

“Well, in the first place, we find ourselves in a, situation unparalleled in the world’s history.”  Ralph had the air of one who is saying aloud for the first time what he has said to himself many times.  At any rate, he proceeded with an unusual fluency and glibness.  “Circumstances alter cases.  We can’t handle this situation by any of the standards we have formerly known.  In fact, we’ve got to throw all our former standards overboard.  There are five of these girls.  There are five of us.  Voila!  Following the laws of nature we have selected each of us the mates