16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
one on, straight from the smoothing-iron.
There is not a moment to be lost.'
In fact the dinner went off remarkably well.
Martin might not carry Jack Aubrey in his
heart, but he respected him as a naval commander
and as a patron: it would be ungenerous
to say that his respect was increased by
the prospect of another benefice to come, but
at some level the fact may well have had its
influence. At all events, in spite of looking
drawn and unwell he played his part as a
cheerful, appreciative guest quite well, except
that he drank almost no wine; and he told two
anecdotes of his own initiative: one of a trout
that he tickled as a boy under the fall of a
weir, and one of an aunt who had a cat, a
valuable cat that lived with her in a house
near the Pool of London – the animal vanished
– enquiries in every direction – tears that
lasted a year, indeed until the day the cat