in two sweeps of the room her eyes registered : four paintings on the walls , each virtually centered on its own wall , except for the entrance wall , where the paintingof darwin standing on the stubbed bow of hms beagle somewhere in the south pacific by the looks of it , islands in the background , palm trees , endless blue sky ; white beard fluttering in the wind and the old man intent on something or other in the roomwas centered between the door and the far end of that wall .