"I'm afraid, Tom," she said, "they spoiled you by keeping you so long in foreign parts."
"They opened my eyes," returned Whitaker. "They gave me some chance to see what the world is like."
"I have been a matter of six voyages," said Sparhawk, in his precise way. "And I have been a general agent in as many ports from time to time. And this I have learned: the ports of the world are not the world."
"Very well," said Whitaker, composedly. "Whatever they are, I like them. Calcutta, now!" said he, to Anthony. "There's a place for you! Were you ever in Calcutta?"
"No," said Anthony.
"You should go there," said the other. "You should, by all means. It's an astonishing place. I was there three months—for Stevens; you never put your eyes on such a cargo as I stowed into the Sea Mew. Riches was no name for it. It was prodigious. Unfortunate she went down, though. Too bad."
"She was lost, then?" said Anthony.
"Yes; never heard of her after the day she sailed for home. Great pity. She was a magnificent ship; and the loss was murderous to the insurance people."
"You had more misfortunes than that, had you not?" said Sparhawk. "Was there not a Stevens vessel, out of Lisbon for Liverpool, carrying ivory and wine? The Two Brothers, I think."
Whitaker wrinkled his brows.