am sorry to say,
she tormented me with an unsparing selfishness during the whole time of
our mutual distress. Nothing could exceed her impatience and
fretfulness. The Watsons, who were very sick too, and on whom the
stewardess attended with shameless partiality, were stoics compared
with her. Many a time since have I noticed, in persons of Ginevra
Fanshawe's light, careless temperament, and fair, fragile style of
beauty, an entire incapacity to endure: they seem to sour in adversity,
like small beer in thunder. The man who takes such a woman for his
wife, ought to be prepared to guarantee her an existence all sunshine.
Indignant at last with her teasing peevishness, I curtly requested her
"to hold her tongue." The rebuff did her good, and it was observable
that she liked me no worse for it.

As dark night drew on, the sea roughened: larger waves swayed strong
against the vessel's side. It was strange to reflect that blackness and
water were round us, and to feel the ship ploughing straight on her
pathless way, despite noise, billow, and rising gale. Articles of
furniture began to fall about, and it became needful to lash them to
their places; the passengers grew sicker than ever; Miss Fanshawe
declared, with groans, that she must die.

"Not just yet, honey," said the stewardess. "We're just in port."
Accordingly, in another quarter of an hour, a calm fell upon us all;
and about midnight the voyage ended.

I was sorry: yes, I was sorry. My resting-time was past; my
difficulties--my stringent difficulties--recommenced. When I went on
deck, the cold air and black scowl of the night seemed to rebuke me for
my presumption in being where I was: the lights of the foreign sea-port
town, glimmering round the foreign harbour, met me like unnumbered
threatening eyes. Friends came on board to welcome the Watsons; a whole
family of friends surrounded and bore away Miss Fanshawe; I--but I
dared not for one moment dwell on a comparison of positions.

Yet where should I go? I must go somewhere. Necessity dare not be nice.
As I gave the stewardess her fee--and she seemed surprised at receiving
a coin of more value than, from such a quarter, her coarse calculations
had probably reckoned on--I said, "Be kind enough to direct me to some
quiet, respectable inn, where I can go for the night."

She not only gave me the required direction, but called a
commissionaire, and bid him take charge of me, and--_not_ my trunk, for
that was gone