It was cowardly, but what else could I do?
"Mr.Van Weyden speaks with the voice of authority," Wolf Larsen laughed.
I nodded my head, and she, having recovered herself, waited expectantly.
"Not that he is much to speak of now," Wolf Larsen went on, "but he has improved wonderfully.

You should have seen him when he came on board.

A more scrawny, pitiful specimen of humanity one could hardly conceive.
Isn't that so, Kerfoot ?" Kerfoot, thus directly addressed, was startled into dropping his knife on the floor, though he managed to grunt affirmation.
"Developed himself by peeling potatoes and washing dishes.

Eh, Kerfoot ?" Again that worthy grunted.
"Look at him now.

True, he is not what you would term muscular, but still he has muscles, which is more than he had when he came aboard.
Also, he has legs to stand on.