I
never am to get credit, I think. I begin to be afraid that the Fates is
determined to make the world easy to me.'
'Well, Mark,' said Martin, near whose berth he had ruminated to this
effect. 'When will this be over?'
'Another week, they say, sir,' returned Mark, 'will most likely bring
us into port. The ship's a-going along at present, as sensible as a ship
can, sir; though I don't mean to say as that's any very high praise.'
'I don't think it is, indeed,' groaned Martin.
'You'd feel all the better for it, sir, if you was to turn out,'
observed Mark.
'And be seen by the ladies and gentlemen on the after-deck,' returned
Martin, with a scronful emphasis upon the words, 'mingling with the
beggarly crowd that are stowed away in this vile hole. I should be
greatly the better for that, no doubt.'
'I'm thankful that I can't say from my own experience what the feelings
of a gentleman may be,' said Mark, 'but I should have thought, sir, as a
gentleman would feel a deal more uncomfortable down here than up in the
fresh air, especially when the ladies and gentlemen in the after-cabin
know just as much about him as he does about them, and are likely to
trouble their heads about him in the same proportion.
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