f I had only come up merrily that is what would have happened. As
it was I came up sad, with the result that I got my ears boxed, which,
of course, made me too wretched to put the cook in a good temper; a
cause of much woe to me later. The seamen who saw me crying at once put
me down as a cry-baby, which I really was not; so that, for the rest of
my time in the ship I was cruelly misjudged. I hope that my readers will
remember how little a thing may make a great difference in a person's
life. I hope that they will also remember how easy it is to misjudge
a person. It will be well for them if, as I trust, they may never
experience how terrible it feels to be misjudged.

After I had called the two gentlemen, I gave the glass bull's-eyes in
the swing ports a rub with a cloth. I was at work in this way when the
two gentlemen entered. Mr. Jermyn smiled to see me with my coat off,
rubbing at the glass. He also wished me good morning, which Mr. Scott
failed to do. Mr. Scott took no notice of me one way or the other;
but sat down at the locker, asking when breakfast would be ready. "Get
breakfast, boy," Mr. Jermyn said. At that I put my glass-rag into the
locker. I hurried off to the galley to bring the breakfast, not knowing
rightly whether it would be there or in another place. The cook, surly
brute, made a lot of offensive remarks to me, to which I made no answer.
He was glad to have someone to bully, for he had the common man's love
of power, with all his hatred of anything more polished than himself.
I took the breakfast aft to the cabin, where, by this time, the ship's
captain was seated. I placed the dish before Mr. Jermyn.

"Why haven't you washed your hands, boy?" he asked, looking at my hands.

"Please, sir, I haven't had time."

"Wash them now, then. Don't come to wait at table with hands like that
again. I didn't think you were a dirty boy."

I was not a dirty boy; but, having been at work since before six that
morning, I had had no chance of washing myself. I could not answer;
but the injustice of Mr. Jermyn's words gave me some of the most bitter
misery which I have known. For brutal, thoughtless injustice, it is
difficult to beat the merchant ship. I stole away to wash myself, very
glad of the chance to get away from the cabin. When I was ready, it was
time to clear the breakfast things to the galley, to wash them with the
cook. Luckily, I had overheard Mr. Jermyn say "how well this cook can
devil kidneys." I