pleasure," I went on, "the idea of seeing foreign
lands."

"Mercy--I should think so!"

This was almost genial, and it cheered me proportionately. "It's a pity
our ship's not one of the fast ones, if you're impatient."

She was silent a little after which she brought out: "Oh I guess it'll be
fast enough!"

That evening I went in to see Mrs. Nettlepoint and sat on her sea-trunk,
which was pulled out from under the berth to accommodate me. It was nine
o'clock but not quite dark, as our northward course had already taken us
into the latitude of the longer days. She had made her nest admirably
and now rested from her labours; she lay upon her sofa in a dressing-gown
and a cap that became her. It was her regular practice to spend the
voyage in her cabin, which smelt positively good--such was the refinement
of her art; and she had a secret peculiar to herself for keeping her port
open without shipping seas. She hated what she called the mess of the
ship and the idea, if she should go above, of meeting stewards with
plates of supererogatory food. She professed to be content with her
situation--we promised to lend each other books and I assured her
familiarly that I should be in and out of her room a dozen times a
day--pitying me for having to mingle in society. She judged this a
limited privilege, for on the deck before we left the wharf she had taken
a view of our fellow-passengers.

"Oh I'm an inveterate, almost a professional observer," I replied, "and
with that vice I'm as well occupied as an old woman in the sun with her
knitting. It makes me, in any situation, just inordinately and
submissively _see_ things. I shall see them even here and shall come
down very often and tell you about them. You're not interested today,
but you will be tomorrow, for a ship's a great school of gossip. You
won't believe the number of researches and problems you'll be engaged in
by the middle of the voyage."

"I? Never in the world!--lying here with my nose in a book and not
caring a straw."

"You'll participate at second hand. You'll see through my eyes, hang
upon my lips, take sides, feel passions, all sorts of sympathies and
indignations. I've an idea," I further developed, "that your young
lady's the person on board who will interest me most."

"'Mine' indeed! She hasn't been near me since we left the dock."

"There you are--you do feel she owes you something. Well," I added,
"she's very curious."

"You've su