deck. The crew were
going about their job in perfect silence, and amongst the passengers a
sort of stunned apathy prevailed. The thing had been so sudden, that
most of them as yet hardly realised what had happened.

He saw one man--a funny little, pimply man with spectacles, of the type
he would have expected to wring his hands and wail--take off his boots
with the utmost composure, and place them neatly side by side on the deck.

Then a large, healthy individual in a fur coat came past him demanding to
see the Captain, and protesting angrily when he was told to go to hell.

"It's preposterous, sir," he said to Vane; "absolutely preposterous. I
insist on seeing the Captain. . .."

"Don't be more of a fool than you can help," answered Vane rudely. "It's
not the Captain's 'At home' day. . . ."

And once again it struck him as it had so often struck him in France,
what an impossible thing it is to guess beforehand how danger will affect
different men. A woman beside him was crying quietly, and endeavouring
to soothe a little boy who clung to her with wide-open, frightened
eyes. . . .

"Do you think there's any danger, sir?" She turned to Vane and looked at
him imploringly.

"I hope not," he answered reassuringly. "There should be enough boats to
go round. . . . Ah! look--there is the swine."

Rolling a little, and just awash, the conning tower of the submarine
showed up out of the sea about half a mile away, and suddenly Vane heard
a voice beside him cursing it bitterly and childishly. He turned, to
find one of the smoking-room patriots shaking his fist at it, while the
weak tears of rage poured down his face. Afterwards, on thinking the
experience over, Vane decided that that one spectacle had made it almost
worth while. . . .

Two boats were pulling away from the ship, which had already begun to
settle by the bows, and two more were in the process of being launched,
when the Hun lived up to his rightful reputation. There are times when
one is nauseated and sickened by the revolting cant of a repentant
Germany; by the hypocritical humbug that, at heart, the German is a
peace-loving, gentle being who has been led away by those above him. And
as Vane watched grimly the path of the second, and so unnecessary
torpedo, he felt an overmastering longing that some of the up-holders of
the doctrine could be on board.

The "Connaught" was done for; that much was obvious to the veriest
land-lubber. And the s