ame forward
slowly.

"I was the first to see Mrs. Anthony," related Powell, "because I was
facing aft. The captain, noticing my eyes, looked quickly over his
shoulder and at once put his finger to his lips to caution me. As if I
were likely to let out anything before her! Mrs. Anthony had on a
dressing-gown of some grey stuff with red facings and a thick red cord
round her waist. Her hair was down. She looked a child; a pale-faced
child with big blue eyes and a red mouth a little open showing a glimmer
of white teeth. The light fell strongly on her as she came up to the end
of the table. A strange child though; she hardly affected one like a
child, I remember. Do you know," exclaimed Mr. Powell, who clearly must
have been, like many seamen, an industrious reader, "do you know what she
looked like to me with those big eyes and something appealing in her
whole expression. She looked like a forsaken elf. Captain Anthony had
moved towards her to keep her away from my end of the table, where the
tray was. I had never seen them so near to each other before, and it
made a great contrast. It was wonderful, for, with his beard cut to a
point, his swarthy, sunburnt complexion, thin nose and his lean head
there was something African, something Moorish in Captain Anthony. His
neck was bare; he had taken off his coat and collar and had drawn on his
sleeping jacket in the time that he had been absent from the saloon. I
seem to see him now. Mrs. Anthony too. She looked from him to me--I
suppose I looked guilty or frightened--and from me to him, trying to
guess what there was between us two. Then she burst out with a "What has
happened?" which seemed addressed to me. I mumbled "Nothing! Nothing,
ma'am," which she very likely did not hear.

"You must not think that all this had lasted a long time. She had taken
fright at our behaviour and turned to the captain pitifully. "What is it
you are concealing from me?" A straight question--eh? I don't know what
answer the captain would have made. Before he could even raise his eyes
to her she cried out "Ah! Here's papa" in a sharp tone of relief, but
directly afterwards she looked to me as if she were holding her breath
with apprehension. I was so interested in her that, how shall I say it,
her exclamation made no connection in my brain at first. I also noticed
that she had sidled up a little nearer to Captain Anthony, before it
occurred to me to turn my head. I can