The remark was treated with contemptuous silence while Percival devoted himself to the menu.
"Seen that girl of mine since she came ashore?" continued the captain.
"Miss Boynton?" asked Percival, as if not quite sure of the identity of the person inquired for. "Oh, yes, I believe I did see her early this morning. She went out with Mr. Black."
"Good! He'll show her a thing or two."
"Rather extraordinary," Percival could not help commenting, "the way young American girls go about alone like that."
"Alone? What's the matter with Andy?"
"But I mean unchaperoned. Dare say young Black is very good in his way, but he can't be called discreet."
"How do you mean?"
"Taking your daughter into that nasty mess of Chinamen in the steerage, for instance, to watch them play fan-tan."
"What of that? She only lost a couple of quarters and had a dollar's worth of fun. Can't see it was any worse than keeping her out at the prow until midnight, or taking her up to the crow's-nest." The captain pushed back his chair, and smiled with maddening significance. "See here, my young friend, you needn't worry about Bobby. She's been taking care of herself for twenty years. You better look after yourself."