16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
laughed for no reason whatsoever, while a
joke such as 'What answer was given to him,
that dissuaded one from marrying a wife because
she was now wiser? 'I desire,' said he,
'my wife should have no more wit, than to be
able to distinguish my bed from another
man's,'' threw them into convulsions. It was noticeable
that they were both on good terms
with Dutourd; and this did not seem to
Stephen to be merely the result of their being
set free, but a settled state of affairs.
As for Dutourd himself, Stephen already knew
him pretty well in his present condition, since
Dutourd came every day to visit those Franklins
who had been brought across to be cared
for in the Surprise's capacious sick-berth.
Stephen necessarily spoke French to these patients,
and with such frequent contact it would
have been childish to conceal his fluency.
Dutourd for his part took it for granted and