Read "Stem to Stern" by Oliver Optic online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
"I am very sorry, Mrs. Bristol, that you should have been placed in such an unpleasant situation," said Captain Gildrock when Dory had brought his speech to a square conclusion, which some orators find it very difficult to do. "Your son did no more than I would have done in the same circumstances. It was highly proper for him to defend his sister with his fists; and after that he acted only on the defensive."
"I was very well satisfied with Paul, sir," added Mrs. Bristol.