Perhaps there would be no house without some special interest in her cruise.

Tradesmen of a dozen sorts supplied stores on shares.

Ambitious boys of the best families sought places before the mast, for there was then no higher goal for youthful ambition than command of a whaler.

Not infrequently a captain would go direct from the marriage altar to his ship, taking a young bride off on a honeymoon of three years at sea.

Of course the home conditions created by this almost universal masculine employment were curious.