"'We therefore commit his body to the deep——'
"Two sailors stooped down and raised one end of the box. There came a grating sound, a splash, and the highway of silver was broken into steps of light.
"The Captain closed his book, the crowd opening to let him pass; the crew went back to their tasks—the sailor with tarred marlin to finish the bight of the cable he was whipping, the men to their furnaces, Hunter to his desk, I to where the girl reclined in her chair. She recognized my step and half raised herself toward me, as if eager to catch my first word.
"'Did he like the roses?' she asked, her voice full of tenderness.
"'Yes.'
"Where did you put them—by his bedside?'
"'No, on his breast.'
"'Poor fellow, I'm so sorry for him! Did you tell him I sent them?'
"'He knows.'
"'What did he say?'