. He's only one dat ole davil don't kill.
[Defiantly.] But me, Ay bet you Ay die ashore in bed, too!

ANNA--Were all of 'em yust plain sailors?

CHEIS--Able body seaman, most of dem. [With a certain pride.] Dey vas
all smart seaman, too--A one. [Then after hesitating a moment--shyly.]
Ay vas bo'sun.

ANNA--Bo'sun?

CHRIS--Dat's kind of officer.

ANNA--Gee, that was fine. What does he do?

CHRIS--[After a second's hesitation, plunged into gloom again by his
fear of her enthusiasm.] Hard vork all time. It's rotten, Ay tal you,
for go to sea. [Determined to disgust her with sea life--volubly.]
Dey're all fool fallar, dem fallar in our family. Dey all vork rotten
yob on sea for nutting, don't care nutting but yust gat big pay day in
pocket, gat drunk, gat robbed, ship avay again on oder voyage. Dey
don't come home, Dey don't do anytang like good man do. And dat ole
davil, sea, sooner, later she svallow dem up.

ANNA--[With an excited laugh.] Good sports, I'd call 'em. [Then
hastily.] But say--listen--did all the women of the family marry
sailors?

CHRIS--[Eagerly--seeing a chance to drive home his point.] Yes--and
it's bad on dem like hell vorst of all. Dey don't see deir men only
once in long while. Dey set and vait all 'lone. And vhen deir boys
grows up, go to sea, dey sit and vait some more. [Vehemently.] Any gel
marry sailor, she's crazy fool! Your mo'der she tal you same tang if
she vas alive. [He relapses into an attitude of somber brooding.]

ANNA--[After a pause--dreamily.] Funny! I do feel sort of--nutty,
to-night. I feel old.

CHRIS--[Mystified. ] Old?

ANNA--Sure--like I'd been living a long, long time--out here in the
fog. [Frowning perplexedly.] I don't know how to tell you yust what I
mean. It's like I'd come home after a long visit away some place. It
all seems like I'd been here before lots of times--on boats--in this
same fog. [With a short laugh.] You must think I'm off my base.

CHRIS--[Gruffly.] Anybody feel funny dat vay in fog.

ANNA--[Persistently.] But why d'you s'pose I feel so--so--like I'd
found something I'd missed and been looking for--'s if this was the
right place for me to fit in? And I seem to have forgot--everything
that's happened--like it didn't matter no more. And I feel clean,
somehow--like you feel yust after you've took a bath. And I feel happy
for once--yes, honest!--happier than I ever been anywhere before! [As
CHRIS makes no comment but a heavy sigh, she continues