I perceived at once that the poor woman could hardly stand; she reeled to my chest, where she sat down and cried.

I pulled on my clothes as fast as I could, and then went up to her to console her, but she could not speak intelligibly.

After attempting in vain to comfort her, she made me no answer, but staggered to my hammock, and, after several attempts, succeeded in getting into it.

I cannot say that I much liked that, but what could I do?
So I finished dressing myself, and went up on the quarter-deck.
The midshipman who had the watch was the one who had cautioned me against the Trotters; he was very friendly to me.

"Well, Simple," said he, "what brings you on deck ?" I told him how ill Mr Trotter had behaved to his wife, and how she had turned into my hammock.
"The cursed drunken old catamaran," cried he; "I'll go and cut her down by the head;" but I requested he would not, as she was a lady.
"A lady!" replied he; "yes, there's plenty of ladies of her description;" and then he informed me that she had many years ago been the mistress of a man of fortune who kept a carriage for her; but that he grew tired of her, and had given Trotter L200 to marry her, and that now they did nothing but get drunk together and fight with each other.
I was very much annoyed to hear all this; but as I perceived that Mrs Trotter was not sober, I began to think that what the midshipman said was true.