Read Online 21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey by Patrick O’Brian - Free Book Online Page A

“ Dear Christine, she does you infinite credit. Edward, my dear sir, how do you do? How happy I am to see you.”
    The visitors’ cabins had long since been prep ared, and now the admiral’ s barge carried them over: after their extraordinarily rapid but somewhat cramped voyage they were amazed by th e scale of a ship of the line. ‘It is almost as good as Grignon’s hotel,” said Charlotte, which earned her a sour look from Killick. “ And have you noticed that the sails are square?” asked her si ster, to which Brigid replied, “ Don't you know the odds between a ship and a schooner?” with such firmness and such effect that Stephen saw, with infinite satisfaction, that a decent balance had been established. Then again, Brigid knew quantities of old Surprises, some of whom had taught her the ropes: these she found out and asked them how they did, calling them by name, which put her head and shoulders above any passenger but Mrs Aubrey. In any case the twins never entered into competition: as might have been predicted, they had been dreadfully seasick, confined to their bunks, horrible to see and worse to hear from the very beginning until a few days ago, so that they had acquired no sea-legs, no fundamental knowledge; and even now they were incapable of distinguishing a bowline from a rolling-hitch.
    Yet in a surprisingly short time as it is measured by days the new inhabitants of the Suffolk, even the more stupid of the Aubrey girls, took bells for granted, the ritual swabbing of decks, set meals (less Spartan now that they lay in port) and the many and very fine gradations that separated the rear-admiral from the boy, third-class. Stephen observed, with a mute but intense satisfaction, that here his daughter had not the least air of being a stranger in the house, a friend’ s child accepted for that friend’ s sake: here, with so many friends and accompanied by Padeen, an old Surprise of remarkable standing and authority, she was very much at home. Yet as far as he could see she did not flaunt her sea-going knowledge, but as soon as the twins were willing to be peaceable she was both kind and companion-like.
    Very soon they had explored almost every part of the ship from the safer tops (propelled by Padeen and other seamen) to the echoing vaults of the darkened hold, where facetious midshipmen and first class volunteers would terrify them with sepulchral moans and waving sheets.
    “Dearest Stephen,” said Sophie, passing him a cup of tea in the cabin, “ I cannot tell you how glad I am that our daughters are friends again: there was a time when I almost despaired — when I should have whipped them if I had not thought it would do more harm than good. It only made me dogged when I was young.”
    “ I cannot ima gine you being whipped, Sophie,” said Christine.
    “ But I was, and quite often too. My mother would make us stand with our faces to the wall and whip the back of our legs with a thin sheaf of willow-wands: I do not think it ever improved my French verbs or arithmetic or even my manners.”
    “ I knew so me Dominican nuns who did that,” said Stephen. “ They whipped my Saavedra cousins until they bled: I had thought it was only Catholic. Jack hardly ever flogs: discourages it, indeed . How do you find him, my dear?”
    “Oh, very well, I thank you,” said Sophie, blushing. “ I must admit he is rather thinner than I could wish: but he does love having his flag, and I am so very, very happy for him. It was Prince William who sent us the news, with his best compliments, whic h I thought wonderfully polite.”
    The three little girls came in, since if there was tea there might also, in the nature of things, be cake, or at least muffin. On seeing Stephen they stopped, not looking very wise, and made a concerted bob: then Br igid ran over to him and said, “ Oh sir, the Admiral says a Portuguee came in with the flood and he hopes there may be some mail. A boat pulled acr oss to the flag not