"A little weak and giddy," he continued, with his eyes resting on Miss
Denning, who held out her hand, and in a quiet sweet way, said--
"Yes, we have been rather unwell too. I turned quite giddy once."
Mr Denning looked at her angrily, and Mr Preddle shook hands very
awkwardly before walking away with me, and as I helped him down the
ladder, he said in a whisper--
"Are they all laughing at me? Look."
"Oh no," I said, after a hasty glance. "I'm afraid we were all very
rude, but every one meets with these accidents at sea."
I fancied he muttered something about "disgraced," but he was very
silent, and hardly noticed the men who touched their caps to him as we
went forward, where he stayed with the fish for a few minutes, and
lifted out a couple which lay floating wrong side up, with a tiny
landing-net; and then walked back without me towards his cabin. I let
him get nearly to the companion-way, and then ran after him with my face
burning.
"I beg your pardon for laughing at you, Mr Preddle," I said.
He turned his piteous face toward me, and smiled in a simple,
good-natured way, as he held out his hand.
"You couldn't help it," he said; "I suppose I did look very ridiculous.
It's because I'm so stout; p'r'aps being at sea will take it down."
He nodded and went on, leaving me thinking.
It was awkward, just too as he wanted to show how well he was. Then I
started and looked round, for some one clapped me on the shoulder.
"You and Mr Preddle seem to be getting capital friends, Dale; how smart
he had made himself look!"
"Yes, sir," I said; "but he had quite an accident on deck," and I looked
half-smilingly in the young doctor's face, for it was he.
"Accident? Hurt?" he said, eagerly.
"Oh no, sir. He was going up to speak to Miss Denning and her brother,
and the ship lurched, and he came down sitting."
"Oh!" said the doctor, and it struck me at the time that he looked
rather pleased.