Chapters 8 and 9, and the Author's Note Summary

Hornblower rides all night and arrives at a cheap London hotel in the morning. He washes, dresses and reports to the admiralty. He is admitted to a waiting room, sits down, quickly falls asleep, and has confused dreams bordering on nightmares. He is then escorted into the presence of Mr. Marsden, the secretary to the admiralty, and Mr. Barrow, the assistant secretary. He makes a complete report and presents the sealed packet. Marsden believes it to be authentic and not a ruse de guerre. He hands it off to a specialist to open and examine. While it is being opened, Marsden tells Hornblower that Calder has intercepted Villeneuve but has bungled the encounter; with slight loss, Villeneuve has gained safe harbor in Ferrol with a combined fleet of about twenty ships. The news...