Oh, they were great gunners at the Presidio! But just the same the sound of cannon was a fine thing to hear; it excited one.

A noisy party of gentlemen already installed in the smoking-room came out on deck for a moment with their cards in their hands, and declared laughingly that the whole thing was only a salute in the _Santa Rosa's_ honour.
By the middle of the afternoon, Vandover began to see that for him the trip was going to be tedious.

He knew no one on board and had come away so hurriedly that he had neglected to get himself any interesting books.
He spent an hour or two promenading the upper deck until the cold wind that was blowing drove him to the smoking-room, where he tried to interest himself in watching some of the whist games that were in progress.
It surprised him that he could find occasion to be bored so soon after what had happened; but he no longer wished to occupy his mind by brooding over anything so disagreeable and wanted some sort of amusement to divert and entertain him.

Vandover had so accustomed himself to that kind of self-indulgence that he could not go long without it.

It had become a simple necessity for him to be amused, and just now he thought himself justified in seeking it in order to forget about Ida's death.