How the wind roared! how the sails creaked and flapped! and the tall
masts groaned! How the great vessel rolled from side to side, and tossed
hither and thither, like a plaything for the winds and waves. The poor
invalid groaned in his berth with pain and _ennui_. It mattered little
to him whether the vessel ever made port or not. Sea-sickness is a great
leveler, making the proud and haughty spirit quail before it, and
disposing it to receive a sympathizing word from even the humblest.
"A rough sea, sir," said the captain, stripping off his shaggy
deck-coat, and seating himself by the side of the invalid; "rough even
for us old sea-dogs; but for a landsman, ah! I see it has taken you all
aback," and the captain smiled as a man may smile who is quits with old
Neptune in his fiercest moods.
"I can't say, though," continued the captain, "that you looked any too
robust when you came on board. I suppose we must take that into the
account. I hope you find yourself comfortable here--stewardess
attentive, and so on. She is an uncouth creature, but seems to
understand her business. Ah! had you been aboard my ship some years ago,
you would have seen a stewardess! Such a noiseless step; such a gentle
voice; such a soft touch; it was quite worth while to be sick to be so
gently cared for."
The invalid made no reply, save to turn his head languidly on the
pillow; he was too weak, and sick, and dispirited to take any interest
in the old captain's story.
"I wonder what ever became of her," continued the captain, tapping on
the lid of his snuff-box; "I made all sorts of inquiries when I returned
from my last voyage. Such a boy as she had with her! You should have
seen that boy (bless me, I hope you'll excuse my sneezing). Such a pair
of eyes; black--like what, I fancy, yours might have been when you were
young, and handsomer; he was a splendid child. We thought one spell the
little fellow was going to slip his cable; but he managed to weather the
storm, and came out from his sickness brighter than ever. Poor Rose! how
she did love him!"
"Rose?" asked the invalid, for the first time betraying any sign of
interest.
"Yes; pretty name, wasn't it? and just sweet enough for her too. But,
poor girl, she was a blighted Rose!" and the old captain set his teeth
together, and bringing his horny palm down on his knee, exclaimed,
"Great Cæsar! I should like to see the rascal who broke that woman's
heart run up to the yard-arm yonder. I don't care how fine a broad-cloth
such a fellow wears; the better his station the greater his sin, and the
more weight his damning example carries with it. If a man wants to do a
mean action, let him not select a woman to victimize. Yes, sir, as I
said before, I should like to have that fellow dangling from yonder
yard-arm! I am an old man, and have seen a great deal of this sort of
thing in my travels round the world. The laws need righting on this
subject, and if men were not so much interested in letting them remain
as they are, women would be better protected. Imprisonment for life is
none too heavy a penalty for such an offense. It is odd," said the old
captain, reflectively, "how a woman will forgive every thing to a man
she loves. Now that poor little Rose--she clung to the belief that her
lover had neither betrayed nor deserted her--isn't it odd now? and isn't
it a cursed shame," said the old captain, striking his hand down again
on his knee, "that the most angelic trait in woman's nature should be
the very noose by which man drags her down to perdition? Hang it, I
could almost foreswear my own sex when I think of it.
"But you don't agree with me, I suppose," said the captain, unbuttoning
his vest, as if it impeded the play of his feelings. "You young fellows
are not apt to look on it in this light. You _will_, sir, if you ever
have daughters. Every such victim is somebody's daughter, somebody's
sister. No man can indulge in illicit gratification--not even with a
consenting party--and say he does no wrong. In the first place, as I
look at it, he blunts his own moral sense; secondly, that of his
companion; for it is well known that even the most depraved have moments
when their better natures are in the ascendant; who can tell that _on
him_ does not rest the responsibility of balancing the scales at such a
critical moment? Thirdly, the weight of his example on society; for
none, not even the humblest, is without his influence; the smallest
pebble thrown into a lake will widen out its circle; but I am talking
too much to you," said the old captain; "I think of these things oftener
since I saw poor Rose. You must forgive me if I said aught to displease
you."
The invalid stretched out his hand, and said, with a languid smile, "I
have not strength to talk to you about it now, captain; but God will
surely bless you for befriending poor Rose, as you call her."
"Oh, that's a trifle!" said the captain; "it was a blessing to look on
her sweet face and the boy's; you should see that boy, sir; any father
might have been proud of _him_. Good-day; bear up, now. Nobody dies of
sea-sickness. We shall make port before long. Let me know if you want
any thing. Good-day, sir."