- At one point, Alice is accosted and threatened by a villain aboard a steamer, who has missed the importance of a number of salient facts: 1. Alice is a proper young Englishwoman who has booked first-class passage. 2. The villain is a disreputable-looking steerage passenger. 3. This confrontation is occurring in the first-class dining hall during lunch. After he is removed by three burly crewmen, Alice nearly gets angry with the waiter who continually asks if she is unharmed.