be altogether
different when they took them up again.

LXXIII.

In fulfilment of another ideal Mrs. March took straightway to her berth
when she got on board the Cupania, and to her husband's admiration she
remained there till the day before they reached New York. Her theory
was that the complete rest would do more than anything else to calm her
shaken nerves; and she did not admit into her calculations the chances
of adverse weather which March would not suggest as probable in the last
week in September. The event justified her unconscious faith. The ship's
run was of unparalled swiftness, even for the Cupania, and of unparalled
smoothness. For days the sea was as sleek as oil; the racks were never
on the tables once; the voyage was of the sort which those who make it
no more believe in at the time than those whom they afterwards weary in
boasting of it.

The ship was very full, but Mrs. March did not show the slightest
curiosity to know who her fellow-passengers were. She said that she
wished to be let perfectly alone, even by her own emotions, and for
this reason she forbade March to bring her a list of the passengers till
after they had left Queenstown lest it should be too exciting. He did
not take the trouble to look it up, therefore; and the first night out
he saw no one whom he knew at dinner; but the next morning at breakfast
he found himself to his great satisfaction at the same table with the
Eltwins. They were so much at ease with him that even Mrs. Eltwin
took part in the talk, and told him how they had spent the time of her
husband's rigorous after-cure in Switzerland, and now he was going home
much better than they had expected. She said they had rather thought
of spending the winter in Europe, but had given it up because they were
both a little homesick. March confessed that this was exactly the case
with his wife and himself; and he had to add that Mrs. March was not
very well otherwise, and he should be glad to be at home on her account.
The recurrence of the word home seemed to deepen Eltwin's habitual
gloom, and Mrs. Eltwin hastened to leave the subject of their return
for inquiry into Mrs. March's condition; her interest did not so far
overcome her shyness that she ventured to propose a visit to her; and
March found that the fact of the Eltwins' presence on board did not
agitate his wife. It seemed rather to comfort her, and she said she
hoped he would see all he could of the poor old thing