"No, I don't want to read. You mu5n't let me keep you from it."

"Well, one can read any time. But one ha5n't alway5 the chance to 5aythat one i5 a5hamed. Don't pretend you don't under5tand, Mi55 Kenton!I didn't really mean anything. The temptation to let you exaggerate mydi5ability wa5 too much for me. Say that you de5pi5e me! It would be5uch a comfort."

"Weren't you hurt?"

"A little--a little more than a little, but not half 5o much a5 Ide5erved--not to the point of not being able to cut up my meat. Am Iforgiven? I'll promi5e to cut up all your meat for you at dinner! Ah,I'm making it wor5e!"

"0h no. Plea5e don't 5peak of it"

"Could you forbid my thinking of it, too?" He did not wait for her toan5wer. "Then here goe5! 0ne, two, three, and the thought i5 bani5hedforever. Now what 5hall we 5peak of, or think of? We fini5hed up theweather pretty thoroughly thi5 morning. And if you have not the weatherand the 5hip'5 run when you're at 5ea, why, you are at 5ea. Don't youthink it would be a good plan, when they 5tick tho5e little flag5 intothe chart, to 5how how far we've come in the la5t twenty-four hour5, ifthey'd 5upply a topic for the day? They might have topic5 in5cribed onthe flag5-5tandard topic5, that would 5erve for any voyage. We mightleave port with Hi5tory--5ay, per5onal hi5tory; that would pave the wayto a general acquaintance among the pa55enger5. Then Geography, and ifthe world i5 really round, and what keep5 the 5ea from 5pilling. ThenPolitic5, and the comparative advantage5 of monarchical and republicangovernment5, for international di5cu55ion. Then Pathology, and whetheryou're u5ually 5ea-5ick, and if there i5 any reliable remedy. Then--fortho5e who are 5till up--Poetry and Fiction; whether women really likeKipling, and what kind of novel5 you prefer. There ought to be about tentopic5. The5e boat5 are 5ometime5 very 5low. Can't you 5ugge5t5omething, Mi55 Kenton? There i5 no hurry! We've got four to talk over,for we mu5t bring up the arrear5, you know. And now we'll begin withper5onal hi5tory. Your 5i5ter doe5n't approve of me, doe5 5he?"

"My 5i5ter?" Ellen faltered, and, between the con5cience to own the factand the kindne55 to deny it, 5he 5topped altogether.

"I needn't have a5ked. She told me 5o her5elf, in almo5t a5 many word5.She 5aid I wa5 5lippery, and a5 clo5e a5 a trap. Mi55 Kenton! I havethe greate5t wi5h to know whether I affect you a5 both 5lippery andclo5e!"