Reading Response #6

Arledge killed a man named Meffre in a duel. His outside intentions was because he was being rude to him publicly, and refused to be insulted in such a way. His deeper intentions are that he hated the man. Arledge, Meffre, and Bayham were the only men who would go on the deck anymore. Arledge was made at Meffre because he would never leave so he could talk to Bayham and force out of him the story of his kidnapping. He is obsessed with finding out the truth, not so much because of curiosity anymore, but because Bayham is hiding it from him. He will even go so much as to tell Kerrigan's story to Bayham and Florence Bongington. I am excited to hear this story and know of Kerrigan's motives. It will also give me a chance to sympathize with him.

Reading Response #5

I got back outside of the novel for a while. The character who was reading it to two other characters suggested they stop and start again the next morning. Only one of the characters shows up, and they start without her. I'm really curious as to why she didn't show up. As the reader said, "Miss Bunnage as well must have found the tale rather cumbersome and the dialogue poor, and that it was simply was not worth the effort to come here this morning-" (76). Is this really the reason she didn't come? Or did something happen to her to prevent her from coming? I have to wait quite a while to find out, if I do at all. It is a shame, because she promised she'd tell the other character what she knew of the book and her interpretation of it. I guess that will never be found out either.

Back into the second novel, something really dramatic happened. The second-in-command Kerrigan has been becoming more and more depressed and continuously drinking excessively. The reason for this is unknown. Maybe he is homesick, or just tired of sailing. One day when he was denied alcohol, he threw the cellist overboard, and threatened to do the same with Florence Bonington. Arledge finally managed to calm him down. Then the men attacked him and he stabbed the captain with a knife. The reason he did this was most likely because of the drinking. If there are other factors involved in this, they are unknown to me.

Reading Response #4

After Arledge met Mr. Bonington he was disappointed because he didn't match the description of the man who kidnapped Bayham. The two of them along with Florence and Bayham and they have a drink at a cafe together. Throughout their conversation Arledge tries to get Bayham to explain the story of his kidnapping. Bayham and his companions avoid the subject until Bayham confronts Arledge about it and explains that he wishes to forget about it.

I am interested as to why Bayham wishes to forget the incident. Could it be that something happened that he hasn't told anyone? Is he hiding something? Did he make it up? He says to Arledge, "'My good Mr. Arledge, if they interrupted me it was only because they know that I would prefer never to talk about that incident again'" (59). This confirms what was said in the letter to Arledge about the kidnapping: "'This way, perhaps, I may be able to avoid having to retell the story over and over again, for I have no doubt that it will be of great interest to our friends, all of whom have been so terribly worried by my absence and, for the same reason, I fear, will demand the relative satisfaction of an explanation'" (28). What are Bayham's motives?