that
practical philosophy which consists in good health and good humour? Ah!
young people, travel if you can, and if you cannot--travel all the same!

Tartlet was not in a good humour. His cabin, near that of his pupil,
seemed to him too narrow, his bed too hard, the six square yards which
he occupied quite insufficient for his steps and strides. Would not the
traveller in him absorb the professor of dancing and deportment? No! It
was in the blood, and when Tartlet reached the hour of his last sleep
his feet would be found placed in a horizontal line with the heels one
against the other, in the first position.

Meals were taken in common. Godfrey and Tartlet sat opposite to each
other, the captain and mate occupying each end of the rolling table.
This alarming appellation, the "rolling table," is enough to warn us
that the professor's place would too often be vacant.

At the start, in the lovely month of June, there was a beautiful breeze
from the north-east, and Captain Turcott was able to set his canvas so
as to increase his speed. The _Dream_ thus balanced hardly rolled at
all, and as the waves followed her, her pitching was but slight. This
mode of progressing was not such as to affect the looks of the
passengers and give them pinched noses, hollow eyes, livid foreheads, or
colourless cheeks. It was supportable. They steered south-west over a
splendid sea, hardly lifting in the least, and the American coast soon
disappeared below the horizon.

For two days nothing occurred worthy of mention. The _Dream_ made good
progress. The commencement of the voyage promised well--so that Captain
Turcott seemed occasionally to feel an anxiety which he tried in vain to
hide. Each day as the sun crossed the meridian he carefully took his
observations. But it could be noticed that immediately afterwards he
retired with the mate into his cabin, and then they remained in secret
conclave as if they were discussing some grave eventuality. This
performance passed probably unnoticed by Godfrey, who understood nothing
about the details of navigation, but the boatswain and the crew seemed
somewhat astonished at it, particularly as for two or three times during
the first week, when there was not the least necessity for the
manoeuvre, the course of the _Dream_ at night was completely altered,
and resumed again in the morning. In a sailing-ship this might be
intelligible; but in a steamer, which could keep on the great circle
line and on