23rd morning - arrival

"There is myself and Mr. Kinsella.." The senior midshipman answered as he glanced at their joint table, now clear of anything, even of a given book or paper, that the midshipmen were either reading, learning from or writing onto. Nice and homely.

" ..the one you have met earlier, then there is Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Slater."

Who were both absent at the time. "Altogether, with you, there should be five of us." Chandos didn't suggest that Mr. Hamilton should do the math himself.

He nodded slowly as he noted the boy had mentioned one departing. "Ah yes, Mr. Yates. Left today." He said no more as if he did not feel that it was any of Mr. Hamilton's business of the reasons or surroundings of the boy's departure. Perhaps neither did he know of them himself, not all or many.

"So five, our ideal number should have been six, as you know."