“Mead had brought along an evening dress in case such occasions presented themselves in the South Seas, and she joined in the festivities on board. That night she found herself enduring an impromptu lecture from a navy officer, her escort for the evening. “He told me what he thought about language, instincts, race, inheritance and a few allied subjects,” she recalled, “and I discovered that the most boring thing in the world is to listen to someone talk to you about your specialty.”
