"What's the matter?" asked the lady, half-closing her grey, faded eyes.
"The Germans will smash them up, by Jove! You will see it!"
"Why should you rejoice at that?"
"Just so."
The man with the side-whiskers, examining the soles of his boots, asked the red-haired man, speaking deliberately and in a loud voice:
"Were you satisfied with this surprise or not?"
The red-haired man twisted his moustache fiercely, and made no reply.
The steamer slowed down. The green water splashed against the white sides of the ship, as if in protest. It gave no reflection of the marble houses, the high towers and the azure terraces. The black jaws of the harbour opened, disclosing a thick scattering of ships.