It was not far from the door, and presently two other ladies came down, with a gentleman and the captain, and held an anxious parley close to me.

I listened absently and mechanically, as indifferent to the subject as if it could be of no consequence to me.
"Is there any danger ?" asked one of the ladies.
"Well, I cannot say positively there will be no danger," answered the captain; "there's not danger enough to keep me and the crew in port; but it will be a very dirty night in the Channel.

If there's no actual necessity for crossing to-night I should advise you to wait, and see how it will be to-morrow.

Of course we shall use extra caution, and all that sort of thing.

No; I cannot say I expect any great danger." "But it will be awfully rough ?" said the gentleman.
The captain answered only by a sound between a groan and a whistle, as if he could not trust himself to think of words that would describe the roughness.