He doubted his eyes too. He must have dreamt
it all! "I am dreaming now," he said to himself. And very likely for a
few seconds he must have looked like a man in a trance or profoundly
asleep on his feet, and with a glass of brandy-and-water in his hand.
What woke him up and, at the same time, fixed his feet immovably to the
spot, was a voice asking him what he was doing there in tones of thunder.
Or so it sounded to his ears. Anthony, opening the door of his stern-
cabin had naturally exclaimed. What else could you expect? And the
exclamation must have been fairly loud if you consider the nature of the
sight which met his eye. There, before him, stood his second officer, a
seemingly decent, well-bred young man, who, being on duty, had left the
deck and had sneaked into the saloon, apparently for the inexpressibly
mean purpose of drinking up what was left of his captain's brandy-and-
water. There he was, caught absolutely with the glass in his hand.
But the very monstrosity of appearances silenced Anthony after the first
exclamation; and young Powell felt himself pierced through and through by
the overshadowed glance of his captain.
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