Part 18 (1/2)

”Laughing at me again, aren't you?” he cried savagely, turning with a scowl and standing undecided.

She hurried below to give him a chance to retire gracefully.

When she was in a white frock and Jimmy s.h.i.+ning with soap and water, they took their places at the breakfast-table. Mr. Peters looked at Jimmy in surprise.

”h.e.l.lo! I never noticed you get up,” he said.

”He slept in my cabin,” she explained. ”He was frightened.”

”Very kind of you, I'm sure, young lady,” he said and turned to Mrs.

Hetherington, who looked at Marcella calculatingly between narrow lids.

As soon as breakfast was over she put her arm confidingly through Marcella's and drew her aside.

”Come for a little stroll, dear, won't you? I can see that you're different from most of the pa.s.sengers--they're so common so terribly common. I've regretted very much that I came third cla.s.s. It wasn't that I wanted to save money, you know,” her voice twittered to little inarticulacies.

”Most of the people are very interesting,” said Marcella.

”I find poor Mistah Petahs interesting, very,” said Mrs. Hetherington, pressing Marcella's arm. ”Losing my dear husband, and he losing his wife--it's a bond, isn't it? And I feel so sorry for a poor man with a child to bring up.”

”Um--” said Marcella doubtfully.

”It's sweet of you to mother the little fellow, dear. He must be a great trouble to poor Mistah Petahs! I have two little darlings, but I find that boarding school suits them much better than being with me. I think that children need both father and mother, don't you?”

”Yes,” said Marcella dazedly, unable to follow Mrs. Hetherington's reasoning.

”And you know,” she went on, ”I've a terrible feeling that poor Mistah Petah's loneliness might lead him to--er--Oh dreadful things.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. ”My dear--I believe he drinks,” she said, underlining the words. ”I tried my best to look after him last night,” she added plaintively.

”Oh, did you?” said Marcella and suddenly stopped dead. ”All this looking after! What are we all up to? Is it impudence or vanity, or what is it? I don't know! Anyway, I'm going below,” and she turned abruptly away.

As it was Sunday Marcella lost her crowd of children, who were claimed for a church service by an enthusiastic missionary in the first cla.s.s.

She spent the morning writing letters and reading. When she went to her cabin to get ready for lunch there was a note pinned on to the mirror.

She took it down in surprise.

”I don't know your name,” she read; ”but I must see you. I've been going through h.e.l.l and I can't hold out. I understand myself very well; I know what I need, but I can't do it. I've got to have someone to make me do things. And if you make me do things I'll get huffy with you and try to deceive you. It's pretty hopeless, isn't it? That pock-marked devil has been trying to get me. That's why I've been taking to cover all this time, partly. Come up on the fo'c'sle to-night at seven. I'll be sitting on the anchor. For G.o.d's sake come. And don't laugh at me, will you? I can't stand it. L. F.”

Without pausing she took paper and pencil and wrote.

”I shall be there. Of course I shall not laugh at you. I cannot understand anything. I am sorry to admit this, because you will say I am like your parents. I am in muddles myself, but I am most sorry for you.

And my name is Marcella Lashcairn of Lashnagar.”

She put it in an envelope, addressed it to him, tapped on his door and pushed it under.

She went on deck that afternoon in a state of bubbling excitement. There were not many people about. They were just getting into the Bay of Biscay and the _Oriana_ was rolling a little; many had succ.u.mbed to sea-sickness; many more were afraid of it and had gone to lie down in their bunks. She took some books to read but did not open them for a long time until the sea-glare had made her eyes ache.

Then she opened ”Questing Cells,” which she had decided to try to master during the voyage. She read a page, understanding much better than when she had read it to her father. But she was pulled up over the word ”inhibition.”

It was a chapter of generalization at the end of the book that she was trying to fathom.