-and was quite ready
to make my way to the saloon when the second and final summons to dinner
pealed forth.

The cuddy, or main saloon of the ship, was on deck, under the full poop,
while the sleeping accommodation was below; consequently by the time
that I had reached the vestibule upon which the cuddy doors opened, I
found myself in the midst of quite a little crowd of more or less
well-dressed people who were jostling each other in a gentle, well-bred
sort of way in their eagerness to get into the saloon. They were mostly
silent, as is the way of the English among strangers, but a few, here
and there, who seemed to have already made each other's acquaintance,
passed the usual inane remarks about the absurdly inconvenient
arrangements generally of the ship. Some half a dozen stewards were
showing the passengers to their places at table, as they passed in
through the doorways; and upon my entrance I was at once pounced upon by
one of the aforesaid stewards, who, in semi-confidential tones,
remarked:

"This way, if you please, sir. It's Cap'n Dacre's orders that you was
to be seated close alongside of him."

As I followed the man down the length of the roomy, handsome apartment,
I could scarcely realise that it was the same that I had seen when the
ship lay loading in the dock. Then, the deck (or floor, as a landsman
would call it) was carpetless, the tables, chairs, sofas, lamps, and
walls of the cabin were draped in brown holland, to protect them from
the all-penetrating dust and dirt that is always flying about, more or
less, during the handling of cargo, and the room was lighted only by the
skylights; now, I found myself in a scene as brilliant, after its own
fashion, as that afforded by the dining-room of a first-class hotel.
The saloon was of the full width of the ship, and some forty feet long
by about eight feet high; the sides and the ceiling were panelled, and
painted in cream, light blue, and gold; and it was furnished with three
tables--one on either side of the cabin, running fore-and-aft, with a
good wide gangway between, and one athwartships and abaft the other two,
with seats on the after side of it only, so that no one was called upon
to turn his or her back upon those sitting at the other two tables. The
tables were gleaming with snow-white napery, crystal, and silver; and
were further adorned with handsome flowering plants in painted china
bowls, placed at frequent intervals; the deck was cove