"
By this time I was again in my uniform, and I sat down, and smoked, and
looked at Hungerford. His long gossip had been more or less detached, and
I had said nothing. I understood that he was trying, in his blunt, honest
way, to turn my thoughts definitely from Mrs. Falchion to Belle Treherne;
and he never seemed to me such a good fellow as at that moment. I replied
at last: "All right, Hungerford; I'll be your deputation, your
ambassador, to Miss Treherne. What time shall we see you on deck?"
"About 11.40--just in time to trip a waltz on the edge of eight bells."
"On the edge of Sunday, my boy."
"Yes. Do you know, it is just four years ago tomorrow since I found Boyd
Madras on the No Man's Sea?"
"Let us not talk of it," said I.
"All right. I merely stated the fact because it came to me. I'm mum
henceforth. And I want to talk about something else. The first
officer,--I don't know whether you have noticed him lately, but I tell
you this: if we ever get into any trouble with this ship he'll go to
pieces. Why, the other night, when the engine got tangled, he was as
timid as a woman.
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