Adrian Smith is a minor celebrity, a successful Broadway playwright, and an extrovert. He initially appears to be as relieved as his wife to be leaving New York, but even as he expresses this relief, he does so in a rather theatrical manner, as though they have made a daring escape and evaded the consequences of some crime.

Adrian's extroversion, his need for attention and the company of others, quickly becomes evident. Eva would be perfectly content for the two of them to spend the voyage solely in each other's company. However, Adrian soon discovers that some of the other passengers have heard of him, and consents to be lionized with a pretense of tolerant amusement, but really with some enthusiasm. This is how his affair with Betsy D'Amido begins. He is certainly attracted to Betsy because she is a beautiful young woman, but one of the most attractive things about her is clearly her youthful adulation. He is flattered by her unashamed pursuit of him. The casual way in which the love affair develops shows that Adrian is careless and disinclined to think ahead. This quality is connected with his selfishness, which repels Eva, but also with his physical courage and daring, which attract her. The Smiths appear to have a stable marriage at the end of the story, but Adrian is not the type who is likely to remain faithful for very long. This is partly because he does not share or appreciate his wife's depth of feeling.