 She looks out across the flat, great water of the channel and over at the peeling, ochre facade of the old casino at the far end of the beach near the town. Dear God, she whispers to the wind. How did I get so old? From the dining room at the Hotel Mercure, Wade Abello looks out across the boardwalk to where the Englishwoman is sitting, bundled up in her deck chair with her book on her lap, looking out across the sea.