Chapter 3
Thefirstafternoonatseaseemslong:everyfaceisstrange,anditseemsasthoughinsovastacrowdnonewilleverbecomefamiliar,althoughoneofthemiraclesofsea-lifeisthewayinwhichtheblurredcrowdresolvesitselfintoindividualunits,eachofwhichhasitscharacterandsignificance.Andifwearereallytoknowandunderstandandnotmerelytohearwithourearsthetaleofwhathappenedtothegreatestshipintheworld,wemustfirstprepareandsoakourmindsinheratmosphere,andtakeinimaginationthatveryvoyagewhichbegansohappilyonthisAprilday.AttheendoftheafternooncamethecoastofFrance,andCherbourgasunsetmemoryofalongbreakwater,adistantcliffcrownedwithawhitebuilding,afussingoftugsandhastytransferenceofpassengersandmails;andfinallythelighthouseshowingagoldenstaragainstthesunset,whenthegreatship’sheadwasturnedtotheredwest,andthemuffledandmurmuringsongoftheengineswastakenupagain.
