Part 24 (1/2)
He frowned again, hesitating over the words.
”Honestly, I don't. I am not in a sociable mood. I look upon these few days at sea as a holiday, when there is no reason why I should exert myself against my will. I was relieved to find that there are so few military people on board, and if a man joins a s.h.i.+p half-way, doesn't play bridge, and abjures deck games, it's an easy matter to be left alone. I promised myself never to enter the smoke-room until we reach Bombay, or to make an unnecessary acquaintance, but naturally your friends must be the exception. Only--there's plenty of time! Don't drag me into a vortex of sociability.”
Katrine laughed at that, but the laugh turned into a grimace.
”There is no vortex around _met_ It comes to this, that if you know me and my friends, you will know no one else! Mr Keith is taboo. I've explained why, and Mrs Mannering is--is--” The while she sought for words, the blood rose in her cheek. She was embarra.s.singly conscious that Bedford noticed it, and that his interest was heightened thereby.
”Is?” he queried, urging the confidence. ”Is?”
”Very nice to _me_,” continued Katrine desperately, ”but--?”
”But?”
Again there was the same _impa.s.se_. Their eyes met, they laughed together, while Bedford hitched himself a trifle nearer her seat.
”It's--rather difficult to explain!”
”Obviously! which makes me all the more anxious to find out. Very nice to _you_, but--?”
”Prom what she said; from what I've _heard_, not always very--_nice_, herself!”
”I see!” Bedford's jaw lengthened with a gravity which was the obvious cloak of laughter. Katrine flushed still deeper, feeling countrified and raw, but it _was_ true that Mrs Mannering chummed with the fastest women on board, and that the stray fragments of their conversation which she had heard had been far from savoury. She tilted her head with a gesture of offence.
”I am afraid you think me a prig!”
The grey eyes dwelt on her face with a thoughtful scrutiny.
”Prig! Do I? I am not versed in prigs, but I hardly imagine that they would be likely to make your somewhat unconventional selection of friends!” He swung himself gently to and fro, his lips curving in a humorous smile. ”So we are to be ostracised, are we,--you and I, and the Waster, and the woman who is not--nice! Left to our own devices, by this very worthy, commonplace crowd? That's good! Thank heaven for that. I think we can contrive to have a fairly agreeable time. Prom my own point of view it's a gain, but you are young, and it's your first voyage. You may regret the crowd.”
Katrine considered. Certainly the voyage so far had been strikingly different from her expectations on embarking. In imagination she had seen herself the centre of merry parties on deck, dancing beneath the awnings, competing in deck sports, forming friends.h.i.+ps with young people of her own age, but there were few young people on board, and so far there had been no dancing. The men played cricket on the sunny side of the deck, leaving the more shady regions for the loungers who did nothing; quoits and bean bags had each their votaries, but a single refusal, prompted by shyness rather than disinclination, had shut her out from their ranks, and henceforth she had been left severely alone, labelled undesirable, and mentally coupled with two of the most unpopular people on board. It had been a disappointment. Always when looking forward to a visit to India, the voyage had loomed large as one of the most exciting portions of the whole, but the first days at sea had been far from exciting. Suppose that Captain Bedford had _not_ come on board, that she had been left to the tender mercies of Vernon Keith and Mrs Mannering, knowing full well that even while they talked with her, the one was longing for the smoke-room, and the other for bridge, and spicy recollections--how long, how drearily long would have seemed the days which were yet to come! If Bedford had _not_ come on board; but he had come; he was even now sitting at her feet, scanning her face with intent eyes. In his presence disappointment became a problematical thing; she knew herself to be abundantly content.
”I am quite happy,” she said simply. ”I have plenty of gaiety ahead, and I can understand that you want to be quiet. It must have been-- hard, to be so ill, and to have been constantly thrown back as you were.
Feverish attacks are so exhausting.”
An indefinite murmur was the only response. Katrine noted a sudden stiffening of the lines of the figure: he ceased to swing to and fro, and sat grave, almost stern, avoiding her glance.
”Miss Beverley,” he said suddenly. ”May I ask you a favour? I am grateful for your sympathy, but the subject is painful.--I had rather avoid it. For the moment I am well, as you see--will you humour me by forgetting anything else? It's a holiday time, you know. A few days stolen out of the year in which to laze, and be happy, and--drift!
Can't we leave it at that?”
”Of course. Of course. I'm sorry!” cried Katrine eagerly. Her eyes were soft with tenderness and remorse, for this man's malady was of no ordinary type. She knew him to have been threatened by a fate a hundred times worse than death, and reproached herself for having touched so sore a wound. She nodded a glad agreement.
”Yes! we will. We will just take up our friends.h.i.+p from _now_, and be like children living in the hour. _I've_ had a bad time, too, and for the first time for years I'm free from responsibility. It's a heady feeling, and I feel capable of being as frivolous as you please.
Forward be our watchword!”
”Right oh!” he called cheerily, and stretching himself stumbled to his feet. ”Then let's go for a walk! One gets cramped sitting cooped in here, and there are,” he lowered his voice, ”so many ears! That looks like a Bedouin camp over there! You are missing all the sights... Come and look...”
Katrine followed eagerly to the prow of the vessel, and beheld a small ferry-boat crossing the ca.n.a.l, laden with a load of vague moving shapes, which on closer investigation proved to be donkeys. On the sh.o.r.e a number of camels were already lying, their fore-legs tied together. As the vessel approached a donkey was pushed from the boat into the water, it went down head first, and emerged a limp and sorry object, which was nevertheless unwilling to go ash.o.r.e, and struggled feebly to rejoin its companions in the boat. Next moment there was consternation on board the ferry, for the wash of the great steamboat made it rock until men and donkeys had much ado to retain their places. One turbaned figure curled up suddenly at the bottom of the boat with a donkey seated on its lap; the onlookers caught the roll of dark round eyes as the s.h.i.+p sped past. Even in that undignified att.i.tude there was an air of composure about the figure, of placid acceptance of fate, while his companion cast never a glance at the towering s.h.i.+p with the throng of white faces leaning over the rail. To the travellers they themselves might be an unusual sight, but to the Easterners this pa.s.sing to and fro was an ordinary event, of infinitely less importance than the landing of donkeys!
Suez was an agreeable surprise, with its square white houses cl.u.s.tered among palm trees, the mountain in the background showing rosy red in the suns.h.i.+ne. The vessel came to rest in the roads, and the pa.s.sengers who were new to the scene welcomed the arrival of a raft of small boats with their various objects for sale. Bedford pointed out the crates of fresh vegetables for consumption on the voyage, which had come by train from the valley of the Nile, but Katrine had no interest to spare for such mundane articles. Her eyes had caught the gleam of sh.e.l.l and coral, and her eager gesture pointed her out as a probable prey.