Larkins
has travelled with us before, and I had quite enough of her on that
voyage."
"Thank you very much, Captain. It will indeed be a comfort to have a
cabin to myself."
Dick found that he was berthed with two young cadets, whose names, he
learned from the cards fastened over the bunks, were Latham and
Fellows.
Half an hour after the arrival of the Hollands on board, the
passengers began to pour in rapidly, and the deck of the Madras was
soon crowded with them, their friends, and their luggage. Below, all
was bustle and confusion. Men shouted angrily to stewards; women,
laden with parcels, blocked the gangway, and appealed helplessly to
every one for information and aid; sailors carried down trunks and
portmanteaus; and Mrs. Holland, when she emerged from her cabin,
having stowed away her belongings and made things tidy, congratulated
herself on having been the first on board, and so had not only avoided
all this confusion, but obtained a separate cabin, which she might not
otherwise have been able to do, as the captain would have been too
busy to devote any special attention to her.
After having handed her over to the care of the purser, Captain
Barstow had spoken to the second officer, who happened to be passing.
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