"'Mr. Pearson!'
"I turned. He bowed.
"'Always the same!' he said.
"'I was just looking to see if there was any of me left.'
"'Let me beg of you to take a seat.'
"I sat down. He went to a desk which was at one side of the cabin and sat down too, his back to me. His manners did not strike me as particularly polite. Unlocking the desk, he took something out of it. I tried to make a little conversation.
"'I had no idea, Mr. Pearson, that you had become a captain.'
"He bowed, but said nothing. I tried again:
"'If it is not giving you too much trouble, Mr. Pearson--I am tired, you know--might I ask you to show me to a berth?"
"This time he condescended to face me.