Something more than a month had gone by, and John Caldigate and Mrs. Smith were very close companions.  This had not been effected without considerable opposition, partly on the part of Shand, and partly by the ship’s inhabitants generally.  The inhabitants of the ship were inimical to Mrs. Smith.  She was a woman who had no friends; and the very female who had first appeared as a friend was now the readiest to say hard things of her.  And Caldigate was a handsome well-mannered young man.  By this time all the ladies in the first-class knew very well who he was, and some of them had spoken to him.  On one or two occasions the stern law of the vessel had been broken; and he had been absolutely invited to sit on those august after-benches.  He was known to be a gentleman, and believed, on the evidence of Dick Shand, to be possessed of considerable means.  It was therefore a thing horrible to all of them, and particularly to Miss Green, that he should allow himself to be enticed into difficulties by such a creature as that Mrs. Smith.  Miss Green had already been a little cold to the doctor in consequence of a pleasant half-hour spent by her in Caldigate’s company, as they looked over the side of the vessel at the flying-fish.  Mrs. Callander had been with them, and everything had been quite proper.  But what a pity it was that he should devote so much of his time to that woman!  ’Fancy his condition if he should be induced to marry her!’ said Miss Green, holding up her hands in horror.  The idea was so terrible that Mrs. Callander declared that she would speak to him.  ’Nobody ever disliked interfering so much as I do,’ said Mrs. Callander; ’but sometimes a word from a lady will go so far with a young man!’ Mrs. Callander was a most respectable woman, whose father had begun life as a cattle drover in the colonies, but had succeeded in amassing a considerable fortune.  ’Oh, I do wish that something may be done to save him!’ said Miss Green.

Among the second-class passengers the same feeling existed quite as strongly.  The woman herself had not only been able but had been foolish enough to show that in spite of her gown she considered herself superior to them all.  When it was found that she was, in truth, handsome to look upon,—­that her words were soft and well chosen,—­that she could sit apart and read,—­and that she could trample upon Mrs. Crompton in her scorn,—­then, for a while, there were some who made little efforts to get into her good graces.  She might even have made an ally of good-natured Mrs. Bones, the wife of the butcher who was going out with his large family to try his fortune at Melbourne.  Mrs. Bones had been injured, after some ship fashion, by Mrs. Crompton, and would have made herself pleasant.  But Mrs. Smith had despised them all, and had shown her contempt, and was now as deeply suspected by Mrs. Bones as by Mrs. Crompton or Mrs. Callander.