ward　an　impeccably　dressed　attendant。

？I？m　here　to　see　。　。　。　uh　。　。　。　Captain　Chips；？　Nate　said　stupidly；　realizing　he　couldn？t　even

remember　Chips？s　last　name。　？I？m　Nate；　um；　Nathaniel　Archibald。？　The　attendant　looked　down　at

his　metal　clipboard　and　quickly　found　his　name；　placing　a　neat　check　mark　right　beside　it。

？Right　this　way；　Mr。　Archibald。　CaptainWhite　is　expecting　you　in　the　Grill　Room。？　The　attendant

emphasized　the　name　White；　as　if　implying　that　Nate　ought　to　remember　it。　Nate　gulped　and

followed　him　down　the　wooden　stairs　to　a　set　of　heavy　oak　doors。

The　gracefully　curved　ceiling　of　the　Grill　Room　was　fashioned　out　of　planks　of　oak；　the　floors

and　walls　paneled　in　the　dark　wood。　Round　tables　covered　in　white　linen　tablecloths　were

scattered　around　the　cozy；　underground　space。　It　was　like　being　in　the　belly　of　a　tall　ship；　and　Nate

instantly　felt　a　thousand　times　more　fortable。　He　could　almost　hear　the　wood　creaking　under

his　feet　as　he　was　led　toward　a　man　dressed　in　full　navy　uniform；　gold　medals　shining　on　his　lapels。

His　white　hair　wa