Chapter 17, "Two Bottles of Champagne" Summary

Maryk is duty officer on the Caine in drydock. The ship's iron corpse is being refurbished while the officers and crew stay in nearby barracks. Captain Queeg is home in Arizona. The depressed crew, whose shore leave Queeg delayed, is seething unhappily in the barracks, waiting for the day when they can leave. A drunk Ensign Harding staggers in about at eight o'clock and relieves Maryk. Maryk tries to wake Keefer, who says, "See you St. Francis lunch one o'clock".

Maryk grew up in San Francisco. He meets Keefer in the lobby of the elaborate St. Francis, where they eat an expensive lunch and drink champagne. Keefer wants to know why Maryk is depressed. Maryk believes something bad is about to happen. Keefer explains Maryk is just seeing his boyhood home after a...