Between the Macphails and the Davidsons, who were missionaries, there had arisen the intimacy of shipboard, which is due to proximity rather than to any community of taste.

麦克菲尔一家和身为传教士的戴维森一家在船上早已亲密无间，这是由于他们走进彼此，而不是因为任何志趣的共享。