“I guess I don’t know now whether I’ve done you any kindness in inviting you aboard to see over the Stella Maris,” she said. “I reckon your own ship will seem a bit dowdy in comparison, won’t she?”
“I am sure she will—when I find her,” I replied. “Unfortunately, I haven’t a ship just now; indeed, I had been prowling round the docks all day looking for one when the sight of your yacht brought me up all standing. I love a pretty ship, and anxious though I am to get another berth, I could not deny myself the pleasure of taking a good look at her.”
“Y–e–s,” my companion agreed; “I can understand that feeling and sympathise with it too. There’s nothing made by the hand of man that I admire more than a handsome ship. And so you’re out of a berth, Mr—”
“Leigh,” I supplied; “Walter Leigh, at your service, madam.”
“Thank you!” she answered. “Any relation to the Lees of Virginia?”
“No,” I said, “I am afraid not. I am a Leigh of Devon, you know—L-e-i-g-h, not L double e.”
“I see,” she responded. “Well, Mr Leigh, if it’s not a rude question to ask, how do you come to be out of employment?”
“Not through any misconduct of mine, I am happy to say,” I answered. “The way of it is this. The City line of ships—the line in which I served and have only recently completed my apprenticeship—is amalgamating with, or, rather, is being absorbed by, the firm of Hepburn Brothers, the one-time rivals of the City line. Hepburns are, of course, taking over many of the City officers, as well as the ships. But Mr Clayton, Hepburns’ present manager, was once master of a City liner in which I was serving; and—well, something happened which caused Clayton to lose his berth, and unfortunately for me it was through me that the matter came to light. Consequently, now that Clayton has the chance to do me a bad turn, he is doing it by refusing to take me on with the new firm.”
“Is that so? Well, I call that real mean,” exclaimed my hostess, in accents of indignation. “And is that the reason why you have not been able to get other employment?”
“Oh, no!” I said, “excepting, of course, so far as Hepburn Brothers are concerned. My failure to-day arises simply from the fact that none of the skippers I have spoken to happen to have any vacancies.”