The first villain of the
piece has said to the second villain of the piece: 'There's a
superfluous young woman over on our bench; I'll introduce you to her.
You lure her off to the giddy dance, and keep her away as long as you
can, and I'll do as much for you some day.'
"Whereupon Jack Lamont probably swore-- I understand that profanity is
sometimes distressingly prevalent aboard ship-- but nevertheless he
allowed the Lieutenant to lead him like a lamb to the slaughter. Well,
not being powerful enough to throw him overboard when I realized the
state of the case, I did the next best thing. I became cloyingly sweet
to him. I smiled upon him: I listened to his farrago of nonsense about
the chemical components of his various notable inventions, as if a
girl attends a ball to study chemistry! Before half an hour had passed
the infant had come to the conclusion that here was the first really
sensible woman he had ever met. He soon got to making love to me, as
the horrid phrase goes, as if love were a mixture to be compounded of
this ingredient and that, and then shaken before taken. I am delighted
to add, as a testimony to my own powers of pleasing, that Jack soon
forgot he was a sacrifice, and really, with a little instruction, he
would become a most admirable flirt. He is coming to call upon me this
afternoon, and then he will get his eyes opened. I shall tread on him
as if he were one of his own moujiks.
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