16 The Wine-Dark Sea - Libro della tutto

Patrick O'Brian The Wine-Dark Sea
appearance, standing at what he considered a
respectful distance and fixing them with his
shrewish, disapproving eye. He had been with
them for many years, in all climates, and although
he was neither very clever nor at all
agreeable he had, by mere conviction of
righteousness, acquired an ascendancy of
which both were ashamed. Killick coughed.
'And if you should see Mr West,' added Jack,
'pray tell him I should like to see him for a
couple of minutes. I do hope your dinner goes
well,' he called after Stephen's back.
The dinner in question was intended to welcome
Grainger, now Mr Grainger, to the gunroom;
Stephen too hoped that it would go
well, and although he ordinarily ate his meals
with Jack Aubrey in the cabin he meant to
take his place in the gunroom for this occasion:
since in principle the surgeon was a gun-