Duke, on
the other hand, like most Englishmen when they get a chance, revelled in
what he considered ease; that is to say, no two of his garments matched
or appeared to have been made in the same century; he wore a flannel
shirt, and was inclined to go about barefoot when the ladies were not on
deck, and he adorned his ducal forehead with a red worsted cap, price
one shilling.

Margaret, as was to be expected, was the deck member, with her
curiously-wrought chair and her furs and her portable bookcase; while
Miss Skeat, who looked tall and finny, and sported a labyrinthine
tartan, was generally to be seen entangled in the weather-shrouds near
by. As for the Duke's sister, Lady Victoria, she was plain, but healthy,
and made regular circuits of the steamer, stopping every now and then to
watch the green swirl of the foam by the side, and to take long draughts
of salt air into her robust lungs. But of all the party there was not
one on whom the change from the dry land to the leaping water produced
more palpable results than on Claudius. He affected nothing nautical in
dress or speech, but when the Duke saw him come on deck the first
morning out, there was something about his appearance that made the
yachtsman say to Barker--

"That man has been to sea, I am positive. I am glad I asked him."

"All those Swedes are amphibious," replied Barker; "they take to the
water like ducks. But I don't believe he has smelled salt water for a
dozen years."

"They are the best sailors, at all events," said the Duke. "I have lots
of them among the men. Captain a Swede too. Let me introduce you." They
were standing on the bridge. "Captain Sturleson, my friend Mr. Barker."
And so in turn the captain was made known to every one on board; for he
was an institution with the Duke, and had sailed his Grace's yachts ever
since there had been any to sail, which meant for about twenty years. To
tell the truth, if it were not for those beastly logarithms, the Duke
was no mean sailing-master himself, and he knew a seaman when he saw
one; hence his remark about Claudius. The Doctor knew every inch of the
yacht and every face in the ship's company by the second day, and it
amused the Countess to hear his occasional snatches of the clean-cut
Northern tongue that sounded like English, but was yet so different.

Obedient to her instructions, he had provided books of all sorts for the
voyage, and they began to read together, foolishly imagining that,