"What is it ?" The man drew himself up and saluted.
"If you please, doctor, one of the prisoners is taken sick, and as the dinner's over, and he's pretty bad, I ventured to disturb your honour." "You ass!" says Pine--who, like many gruff men, had a good heart under his rough shell--"why didn't you tell me before ?" and knocking the ashes out of his barely-lighted pipe, he stopped that implement with a twist of paper and followed his summoner down the hatchway.
In the meantime the woman who was the object of the grim old fellow's suspicions was enjoying the comparative coolness of the night air.
Her mistress and her mistress's daughter had not yet come out of their cabin, and the men had not yet finished their evening's tobacco.

The awning had been removed, the stars were shining in the moonless sky, the poop guard had shifted itself to the quarter-deck, and Miss Sarah Purfoy was walking up and down the deserted poop, in close tete-a-tete with no less a person than Captain Blunt himself.

She had passed and repassed him twice silently, and at the third turn the big fellow, peering into the twilight ahead somewhat uneasily, obeyed the glitter of her great eyes, and joined her.
"You weren't put out, my wench," he asked, "at what I said to you below ?" She affected surprise.
"What do you mean ?" "Why, at my--at what I--at my rudeness, there! For I was a bit rude, I admit." "I?
Oh dear, no.

You were not rude." "Glad you think so!" returned Phineas Blunt, a little ashamed at what looked like a confession of weakness on his part.
"You would have been--if I had let you." "How do you know ?" "I saw it in your face.

Do you think a woman can't see in a man's face when he's going to insult her ?" "Insult you, hey! Upon my word!" "Yes, insult me.