The people in ships, however, took an equally singular view of England.  Not only did it appear to them to be an island, and a very small island, but it was a shrinking island in which people were imprisoned.  One figured them first swarming about like aimless ants, and almost pressing each other over the edge; and then, as the ship withdrew, one figured them making a vain clamour, which, being unheard, either ceased, or rose into a brawl.  Finally, when the ship was out of sight of land, it became plain that the people of England were completely mute.  The disease attacked other parts of the earth; Europe shrank, Asia shrank, Africa and America shrank, until it seemed doubtful whether the ship would ever run against any of those wrinkled little rocks again.  But, on the other hand, an immense dignity had descended upon her; she was an inhabitant of the great world, which has so few inhabitants, travelling all day across an empty universe, with veils drawn before her and behind.  She was more lonely than the caravan crossing the desert; she was infinitely more mysterious, moving by her own power and sustained by her own resources.  The sea might give her death or some unexampled joy, and none would know of it.  She was a bride going forth to her husband, a virgin unknown of men; in her vigor and purity she might be likened to all beautiful things, for as a ship she had a life of her own.

Indeed if they had not been blessed in their weather, one blue day being bowled up after another, smooth, round, and flawless.  Mrs. Ambrose would have found it very dull.  As it was, she had her embroidery frame set up on deck, with a little table by her side on which lay open a black volume of philosophy.  She chose a thread from the vari-coloured tangle that lay in her lap, and sewed red into the bark of a tree, or yellow into the river torrent.  She was working at a great design of a tropical river running through a tropical forest, where spotted deer would eventually browse upon masses of fruit, bananas, oranges, and giant pomegranates, while a troop of naked natives whirled darts into the air.  Between the stitches she looked to one side and read a sentence about the Reality of Matter, or the Nature of Good.  Round her men in blue jerseys knelt and scrubbed the boards, or leant over the rails and whistled, and not far off Mr. Pepper sat cutting up roots with a penknife.  The rest were occupied in other parts of the ship:  Ridley at his Greek—­he had never found quarters more to his liking; Willoughby at his documents, for he used a voyage to work of arrears of business; and Rachel—­Helen, between her sentences of philosophy, wondered sometimes what Rachel did do with herself?  She meant vaguely to go and see.  They had scarcely spoken two words to each other since that first evening; they were polite when they met, but there had been no confidence of any kind.  Rachel seemed to get on very well with her father—­much better, Helen thought, than she ought to—­and was as ready to let Helen alone as Helen was to let her alone.