42/49 So he, Franklin, walked aft keeping his eyes on him. When he had come up quite close he said again, "Yes, sir ?" interrogatively. The mate didn't like to be stared at in that manner, a manner quite new in his captain, with a defiant and self-conscious stare, like a man who feels ill and dares you to notice it. Franklin gazed at his captain, felt that there was something wrong, and in his simplicity voiced his feelings by asking point-blank: "What's wrong, sir ?" The captain gave a slight start, and the character of his stare changed to a sort of sinister surprise. |