to suffer in solitude.

"We have no time for untimely diversions of this sort," snapped Xanthippe,
with a scornful glance at the suffering Ophelia, who, having retired to a
comfortable lounge at an end of the room, was evidently improving. "I have
no sympathy with this habit some of my sex seem to have acquired of
succumbing to an immediate sensation of this nature."

"I hope to be pardoned for interrupting," said Mrs. Noah, with a great
deal of firmness, "but I wish Mrs. Socrates to understand that it is
rather early in the voyage for her to lay down any such broad principle as
that, and for her own sake to-morrow, I think it would be well if she
withdrew the sentiment. There are certain things about a sea-voyage that
are more or less beyond the control of man or woman, and any one who
chides that poor suffering child on yonder sofa ought to be more confident
than Mrs. Socrates can possibly be that within an hour she will not be as
badly off. People who live in glass houses should not throw dice."

"I shall never yield to anything so undignified as seasickness, let me
tell you that," retorted Xanthippe. "Furthermore, the proverb is not as
the lady has quoted it. 'People who live in glass houses should not throw
stones' is the proper version."

"I was not quoting," returned Mrs. Noah, calmly. "When I said that people
who live in glass houses should not throw dice, I meant precisely what I
said. People who live in glass houses should not take chances. In assuming
with such vainglorious positiveness that she will not be seasick, the lady
who has just spoken is giving tremendous odds, as the boys used to say on
the Ark when we gathered about the table at night and began to make small
wagers on the day's run."

"I think we had better suspend this discussion," suggested Cleopatra. "It
is of no immediate interest to any one but Ophelia, and I fancy she does
not care to dwell upon it at any great length. It is more important that
we should decide upon our future course of action. In the first place, the
question is who these people up on deck are. If they are the members of
the club, we are all right. They will give us our scare, and land us
safely again at the pier. In that event it is our womanly duty to manifest
no concern, and to seem to be aware of nothing unusual in the proceeding.
It would never do to let them think that their joke has been a good one.
If, on the other hand, as I fear, we are the victims of some hor