“I beg your pardon, sir,” said O’Hara, touching his cap, and taking it off while he bowed low to the senior officer present. “I did not intend to be disrespectful.”
“Very well, Mr. O’Hara: you have shown that you can speak English as well as French, Italian, and Irish,” replied Mr. Fluxion, his face relaxing into a smile again. “What objection have you to the list in your hand?”
“I like the present detail better, sir.”
“That is no answer to my question. What objection have you?”
“The first is, that this reduces Mr. Speers to the rank of second officer, when he has done all the hard work of putting the steamer into sailing-trim as first.”
“If an officer from the Tritonia has the command, the Josephine should have the second place on board,” added Mr. Fluxion.
“I think that is quite fair,” interposed Mr. Pelham.
“I think so myself, if the Josephine is to take part in getting the vessel into port,” continued O’Hara, who could not help recognizing the fairness of the senior’s decision. “But my second objection is to mixing the two crews at all.”
“I see no objection to that,” said Mr. Fluxion.
“I’m afraid they won’t agree together,” suggested O’Hara, shaking his head.