16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
'You cannot possibly go over to the windward
side, without you are invited,' said Wilkins.
'Even I may not speak to him, except on duty,'
said Reade.
'Well,' said Dutourd, recovering from his surprise
and concealing a certain vexation moderately
well, 'you are a markedly formal, hierarchical
society, I see. But I hope, sir' – to
Maturin – 'that I may without sin tell you how
very much I enjoyed your music? I thought the
Boccherini adagio masterly, masterly...'
They walked off, still speaking of the Boccherini,
with real knowledge and appreciation
on Dutourd's part. Stephen, who in any case
was not of an expansive nature, tended to
avoid the Frenchman on general principles;
but now he would voluntarily have remained
in his company had not six bells struck. The
sixth was followed by pandemonium fore and