any more about what was past and gone. It had been very nice while it
lasted, but now it was done with I preferred not to talk about it or
even think about it. I had made up my mind to go home.

He listened to the whole tirade in a particular lending-the-ear
attitude, as if trying to detect a false note in it somewhere; then
straightened himself up and appeared to ponder sagaciously over the
matter.

"Yes. You told me you meant to go home. Anything in view there?"

Instead of telling him that it was none of his business I said sullenly:

"Nothing that I know of."

I had indeed considered that rather blank side of the situation I had
created for myself by leaving suddenly my very satisfactory employment.
And I was not very pleased with it. I had it on the tip of my tongue
to say that common sense had nothing to do with my action, and that
therefore it didn't deserve the interest Captain Giles seemed to be
taking in it. But he was puffing at a short wooden pipe now, and looked
so guileless, dense, and commonplace, that it seemed hardly worth while
to puzzle him either with truth or sarcasm.

He blew a cloud of smoke, then surprised me by a very abrupt: "Paid your
passage money yet?"

Overcome by the shameless pertinacity of a man to whom it was rather
difficult to be rude, I replied with exaggerated meekness that I had
not done so yet. I thought there would be plenty of time to do that