首页 >出版文学> The Shuttlel>第8章

第8章

  "Howmanymillions。Howmanyhundredmillions!"saidhiscompanion,gloatingcheerfullyoverthevastnessofunknownpossibilities。"I’vecrossedwithMissVanderpoeloften,twoorthreetimeswhenshewasinshortfrocks。She’sthekindofgirlyoureadabout。Andshe’sgotmoneyenoughtobuyinhalfadozenprinces。"
  "ThereareNewYorkerswhowon’tlikeitifshedoes,"
  returnedtheother。"There’sbeentoomuchmoneygoingoutofthecountry。HersuiteiscrammedfullofJackroses,now,andthereareboxeswaitingoutside。"
  Saltermovedawayandheardnomore。Hemovedaway,infact,becausehewasconsciousthattoamaninhiscase,thisdwellinguponmillions,thisplethoraofwealth,wasalittlerevolting。HehadwalkeddownBroadwayandseenthepriceofJacqueminotroses,andhewasnotsoothedoralluredatthisparticularmomentbythepictureofagirlwhosehalf—dozencabinswerecrowdedwiththem。
  "Oh,thedevil!"hesaid。"Itsoundsvulgar。"Andhewalkedupanddownfast,squaringhisshoulders,withhishandsinthepocketsofhisrough,well—worncoat。HehadseeninEnglandsomethingoftheAmericanyoungwomanwithmillionairerelatives。HehadbeenscarcelymorethanaboywhentheAmericanfloodfirstbegantorise。Hehadbeenoldenough,however,tohearpeopletalk。Ashehadgrownolder,Salterhadobserveditsadvance。EnglishmenhadmarriedAmericanbeauties。AmericanfortuneshadbuiltupEnglishhouses,whichotherwisethreatenedtofallintodecay。ThentheAmericanfacultyofadaptabilitycameintoplay。Anglo—
  AmericanwivesbecamesometimesmoreEnglishthantheirhusbands。TheyproceededtoAnglicisetheirrelations,theirrelations’clothes,even,intime,theirspeech。TheycarriedorsentEnglishconventionstotheStates,theirbrothersorderedtheirclothesfromWestEndtailors,theirsistersbegantowearwalkingdresses,toplayout—of—doorgamesandtakeactiveexercise。TheirmotherstentativelytookhousesinLondonorParis,therecameaperiodwhentheirfathersoruncles,seriousoranxiousbusinessmen,themostunsportingofhumanbeings,rentedcastlesormanorswithhugemoorsandcoversattachedandentertainedlargepartiesofshootersorfisherswhocouldbeluredtoanyquarterbythepromiseoftheparticularformofslaughterforwhichtheyburned。
  "SheerAmericanbusinessperspicacity,that,"saidSalter,ashemarchedupanddown,thinkingofaparticularcaseofthisorder。"There’ssomethingadmirableinthepracticalwaytheymakeforwhattheywant。TheywanttoamalgamatewithEnglishpeople,notfortheirownsake,butbecausetheirwomenlikeit,andsotheyofferthementhousandsofacresfullofthingstokill。Theycangetthembypayingforthem,andtheyknowhowtopay。"Helaughedalittle,liftinghissquareshoulders。"Balthamor’ssixthousandacresofgrousemoorandElsty’ssalmonfishingarerentedbytheChicagoman。Hedoesn’tcaretwopenceforthem,anddoesnotknowapheasantfromacaper—cailzie,buthiswifewantstoknowmenwhodo。"
  ItmustbeconfessedthatSalterwasoftheEnglishwhowerenotpleasedwiththeAmericanInvasion。Insomeofhisviewsofthematterhewasalittleprehistoricandsavage,butthemodernsideofhischaracterwastoointelligenttolackreason。Hewasbynomeansentirelymodern,however;alargepartofhisnaturebelongedtotheageinwhichmenhadfoughtfiercelyforwhattheywantedtogetorkeep,andwhentheamenitiesofcommercehadnotbecomepowerfulfactorsinexistence。
  "They’renotabadlot,"hewasthinkingatthismoment。
  "Theyareratherfineinaway。Theyarecleverandpowerfulandinteresting——moresothantheyknowthemselves。Butitisallcommerce。Theydon’tcomeandfightwithusandgetpossessionofusbyforce。Theycomeandbuyus。Theybuyourlandandourhomes,andourlandowners,forthatmatter——
  whentheydon’tbuythem,theysendtheirwomentomarrythem,confoundit!"
  Hetookhalfadozenmorestridesandliftedhisshouldersagain。
  "BeggarlylotasIam,"hesaid,"unlikelyasitseemsthatIcanmarryatall,I’mhangedifIdon’tmarryanEnglishwoman,ifIgivemylifetoawomanatall。"
  But,infact,hewasoftheopinionthatheshouldnevergivehislifetoanywoman,andthiswasbecausehewas,atthisperiod,alsooftheopinionthattherewassmallprospectofitseverbeingworththegivingortaking。Ithadbeenoneofthoseliveswhichbeginuntowardlyandareruledbyunfaircircumstances。
  Hehadaparticularlywell—cutandexpressivemouth,and,ashewentbacktotheship’ssideandleanedonhisfoldedarmsontherailagain,itscurvesconcealedagooddealofstrongfeeling。
  Thewharfwasbusierthanbefore。Inlessthanhalfanhourtheshipwastosail。Thebustleandconfusionhadincreased。Therewerepeoplehurryingaboutlookingforfriends,andtherewerepeoplescribblingoffexcitedfarewellmessagesatthetelegraphoffice。Thesituationwasworkinguptoitsclimax。Anobservinglooker—onmightcatchglimpsesofemotionalscenes。Manyofthepassengerswerealreadyonboard,partiesofthemaccompaniedbytheirfriendsweremakingtheirwayupthegangplank。
  Salterhadjustbeenwatchingaluxuriouslycared—forlittleinvalidwomanbeingcarriedondeckinarecliningchair,whenhisattentionwasattractedbythesoundoftramplinghoofsandrollingwheels。Twonoticeablybigandsmartcarriageshaddrivenuptothestopping—placeforvehicles。Theyweregorgeouslyofthelatestmode,andtheirtall,satin—skinnedhorsesjangledsilverchainsandsteppeduptotheirnoses。
  "HerecometheWorthingtons,whosoevertheymaybe,"
  thoughtSalter。"Thefineup—standingyoungwomanis,nodoubt,themulti—millionairess。"
  Thefine,up—standingyoungwomanWASthemulti—millionairess。
  Bettinawalkedupthegangwayinthesunshine,andthepassengersupontheupperdeckcranedtheirneckstolookather。Hercarriageofherheadandshouldersinvariablymadepeopleturntolook。
  "My,ain’tshefine—looking!"exclaimedanexcitedladybeholderabove。"IguessthatmustbeMissVanderpoel,themulti—millionaire’sdaughter。Janetoldmeshe’dheardshewascrossingthistrip。"
  Bettinaheardher。Shesometimeswonderedifshewaseverpointedout,ifhernamewasevermentionedwithouttheadditionoftheexplanatorystatementthatshewasthemulti—millionaire’sdaughter。Asachildshehadthoughtitridiculousandtiresome,asshehadgrownoldershehadfeltthatonlyaremarkableindividualitycouldsurmountafactsoeverpresent。
  Itwaslikeatremendousqualitywhichovershadowedeverythingelse。
  "Itwoundsmyvanity,Ihavenodoubt,"shehadsaidtoherfather。"Nobodyeverseesme,theyonlyseeyouandyourmillionsandmillionsofdollars。"
  Salterwatchedherpassupthegangway。Thephasethroughwhichhewaslivingwasnotoftheorderwhichleadsamantodwelluponthebeautifulandinspiritingasexpressedbythefemaleimage。Successandthehopefulnesswhichengenderwarmthofsoulandquicknessofheartarerequiredforthedevelopmentofsuchallurements。HethoughtoftheVanderpoelmillionsastheladyonthedeckhadthoughtofthem,andinhismindsomehowthegirlherselfappearedtoexpressthem。Therichup—springingsweepofherabundanthair,herheight,hercolouring,theremarkableshadeandlengthofherlashes,thefullcurveofhermouth,all,hetoldhimself,lookedexpensive,asifevennatureherselfhadbeengivencarteblanche,andthebestpossiblearticlesprocuredforthemoney。
  "Shemoves,"hethoughtsardonically,"asifshewereperfectlyawarethatshecouldpayforanything。Anunlimitedincome,nodoubt,establishesintheownertheequivalenttoasenseofrank。"
  Hechangedhispositionforoneinwhichhecouldcommandaviewofthepromenadedeckwherethearrivingpassengersweregraduallyappearing。Hedidthisfromtheidleandcarelesscuriositywhich,thoughitisnotamatterofabsoluteinterest,doesnotobjecttobeingentertainedbypassingobjects。HesawtheWorthingtonpartyreappear。ItstruckSalterthattheylookednotsomuchlikepersonscomingonboardaship,aslikepeoplewhowerereturningtoahoteltowhichtheywereaccustomed,andwhichwasalsoaccustomedtothem。HearguedthattheyhadprobablycrossedtheAtlanticinnumerabletimesinthisparticularsteamer。Thedeckstewardsknewthemandmadeobeisancewithempressement。MissVanderpoelnoddedtothestewardSalterhadhearddiscussingher。Shegavehimasmileofrecognitionandpausedamomenttospeaktohim。Saltersawhersweepthedeckwithherglanceandthendesignateasequesteredcorner,suchastheexperiencedvoyagerwouldrecogniseasbeingdesirablysheltered。Shewasevidentlygivinganorderconcerningtheplacingofherdeckchair,whichwaspresentlybrought。Anelegantlyneatanddecorouspersoninblack,whowasevidentlyhermaid,appearedlater,followedbyastewardwhocarriedcushionsandsumptuousfurrugs。Thesebeingarranged,adelightfulcornerwasleftalluringlyprepared。MissVanderpoel,afterherinstructionstothedecksteward,hadjoinedherpartyandseemedtobeawaitingsomearrivalanxiously。
  "Sheknowshowtodoherselfwell,"Saltercommented,"andsherealisesthatforethoughtisapracticalfactor。Millionshavebeenproductiveofcomposure。Itisnotunnatural,either。"
  Itwasbutashorttimelaterthatthewarningbellwasrung。Stewardspassedthroughthecrowdscallingout,"Allashore,ifyouplease——allashore。"Finalembraceswereinorderonallsides。Peopleshookhandswithfervourandlaughedalittlenervously。WomenkissedeachotherandpouredforthhurriedmessagestobedeliveredontheothersideoftheAtlantic。Havingkissedandparted,someofthemrushedbackandindulgedinlittleclutchesagain。NotwithstandingthatthetideofhumanitysurgesacrosstheAtlanticalmostasregularlyasthedailytidesurgesinonitsshores,awaveofemotionsweepsthrougheveryshipatsuchpartings。
  Salterstoodondeckandwatchedthecrowddispersing。
  Someofthepeoplewerelaughingandsomehadredeyes。
  Groupscollectedonthewharfandtriedtosaystillmorelastwordstotheirfriendscrowdingagainsttherail。
  TheWorthingtonskepttheirplacesandwerestilllookingout,bythistimedisappointedly。Itseemedthatthefriendorfriendstheyexpectedwerenotcoming。SaltersawthatMissVanderpoellookedmoredisappointedthantherest。Sheleanedforwardandstrainedhereyestosee。Justatthelastmomenttherewasthesoundoftramplinghorsesandrollingwheelsagain。Fromthearrivingcarriagedescendedhastilyanelderlywoman,wholiftedoutalittleboyexcitedalmosttotears。Hewasadear,chubbylittlepersoninflappingsailortrousers,andhecarriedasplendidly—caparisonedtoydonkeyinhisarms。
  Saltercouldnothelpfeelingslightlyexcitedhimselfastheyrushedforward。Hewonderediftheywerepassengerswhowouldbeleftbehind。
  Theywerenotpassengers,butthearrivalsMissVanderpoelhadbeenexpectingsoardently。Theyhadcometosaygood—byetoherandweretoolateforthat,atleast,asthegangwaywasjustabouttobewithdrawn。
  MissVanderpoelleanedforwardwithanamazinglyfervidexpressiononherface。
  "Tommy!Tommy!"shecriedtothelittleboy。"HereIam,Tommy。Wecansaygood—byefromhere。"
  Thelittleboy,lookingup,brokeintoawailofdespair。
  "Betty!Betty!Betty!"hecried。"Iwantedtokissyou,Betty。"
  Bettyheldoutherarms。Shediditwithentireforgetfulnessoftheexistenceofanylookers—on,andwithsuchoutreachingloveonherfacethatitseemedasifthechildmustfeelhertouch。Shemadeabeautiful,warm,consolingbudofhermouth。
  "We’llkisseachotherfromhere,Tommy,"shesaid。
  "See,wecan。Kissme,andIwillkissyou。"
  Tommyheldouthisarmsandthemagnificentdonkey。
  "Betty,"hecried,"Ibroughtyoumydonkey。Iwantedtogiveittoyouforapresent,becauseyoulikedit。"
  MissVanderpoelbentfurtherforwardandaddressedtheelderlywoman。
  "Matilda,"shesaid,"pleasepackMasterTommy’spresentandsendittome!Iwantitverymuch。"
  Tendersmilesirradiatedthesmallface。Thegangwaywaswithdrawn,and,amidthefamiliarsoundsofabigcraft’sfirststruggle,theshipbegantomove。MissVanderpoelstillbentforwardandheldoutherarms。
  "Iwillsooncomeback,Tommy,"shecried,"andwearealwaysfriends。"
  Thechildheldouthisshortbluesergearmsalso,andSalterwatchinghimcouldnotbutbetouchedforallhisgloomofmind。
  "Iwantedtokissyou,Betty,"heheardinfarewell。"I
  didsowanttokissyou。"
  Andsotheysteamedawayupontheblue。
  CHAPTERVIII
  THESECOND—CLASSPASSENGER
  Uptoacertainpointthevoyagewaslikeallothervoyages。
  Duringthefirsttwodaystherewerepassengerswhodidnotappearondeck,butastheweatherwasfairfortheseasonoftheyear,therewerefewerabsenteesthanisusual。Indeed,onthethirddaythedeckchairswereallfilled,peoplewhoweregiventotrampingduringtheirvoyageshadbeguntowalktheircustomaryquotaofcarefully—measuredmilestheday。
  Therewereafewpalefacesdozinghereandthere,butthegeneralaspectofthingshadbeguntobesprightly。Shuffleboardplayersandquoitenthusiastsbegantobestirthemselves,thedeckstewardappearedregularlywithlightrepastsofbeefteaandbiscuits,andthebrillianthuesofred,blue,oryellownovelsmadefrequentspotsofcolouruponthepromenade。
  Personsofsomeinitiativewenttothelengthofmakingtentativeobservationstotheirnext—chairneighbours。Thesecond—cabinpassengerswerecheerful,andthesteeragepassengers,havingtumbledup,formedfriendlygroupsandbegantojokewitheachother。
  TheWorthingtonshadplainlythegoodfortunetoberespectablesailors。Theyreappearedontheseconddayandestablishedregularhabits,afterthemannerofaccustomedtravellers。MissVanderpoel’shabitswereregularfromthefirst,andwhenSaltersawherhewasimpressedevenmoreattheoutsetwithherairofbeingathomeinsteadofonboardship。Herpracticallywell—chosencornerwasanagreeableplacetolookat。Herchairwasbuiltforeaseofangleandwidth,hercushionswereofdarkrichcolours,hertravellingrugswereofblackfoxfur,andsheownedanadjustabletableforbooksandaccompaniments。Sheappearedearlyinthemorningandwalkeduntiltheseaaircrimsonedhercheeks,shesatandreadwithevidentenjoyment,shetalkedtohercompanionsandplainlyentertainedthem。
  Salter,beingboredandinbadspirits,foundhimselfwatchingherratheroften,butheknewthatbutforthesmall,comicepisodeofTommy,hewouldhavedefinitelydislikedher。Thedislikewouldnothavebeenfair,butitwouldhaveexistedinspiteofhimself。Itwouldnothavebeenfairbecauseitwouldhavebeenfoundedsimplyupontheignobleresentmentofenvy,uponthepoortruththathewasnotinthestateofmindtoavoidresentingtheinjusticeoffateinbestowingmulti—millionsupononepersonandhisoffspring。Heresentedhisownresentment,butwasobligedtoacknowledgeitsexistenceinhishumour。Hehimself,especiallyandpeculiarly,hadalwaysknownthebitternessofpoverty,thehumiliationofseeingwheremoneycouldbewellused,indeed,oughttobeused,andatthesametimehavinggroundintohimthefactthattherewasnomoneytolayone’shandon。Hehadhateditevenasaboy,becauseinhiscase,andthatofhispeople,thewholethingwasundignifiedandunbecoming。Itwashumiliatingtohimnowtobringhometohimselfthefactthatthethingforwhichhewasinclinedtodislikethistall,up—standinggirlwasherunconscious(herealisedtheunconsciousnessofit)airofhavingalwayslivedintheatmosphereofmillions,ofneverhavingknownareasonwhysheshouldnothaveanythingshehadadesirefor。Perhaps,uponthewhole,hesaidtohimself,itwashisownillluckandsenseofdefeatwhichmadehercorner,withitscushionsandcomforts,herproperlyattentivemaid,andhercoldweathersablesexpressiveofafortunetoocolossaltobedecent。
  Theepisodeoftheplump,despairingTommyhehadliked,however。Therehadbeenafinenaturalnessaboutitandafinepracticalnessinherpromptordertotheelderlynursethattherichly—caparisoneddonkeyshouldbesenttoher。Thishadatoncemadeitcleartothedonorthathisgiftwastoovaluabletobeleftbehind。
  "Shedidnotcaretwopenceforthelotofus,"washissummingup。"Shemighthavebeennothingbutthenicestpossiblewarm—heartednursemaidoracottagewomanwholovedthechild。"
  Hewasquiteawarethatthoughhehadfoundhimselfmorethanonceobservingher,sheherselfhadprobablynotrecognisedthetrivialfactofhisexistinguponthatothersideofthebarrierwhichseparatedthehighergradeofpassengerfromthelower。Therewas,indeed,noreasonwhysheshouldhavesingledhimoutforobservation,andshewas,infact,toofrequentlyabsorbedinherownreflectionstobeintheframeofmindtoremarkherfellowpassengerstotheextentwhichwasgenerallycustomarywithher。DuringhercrossingsoftheAtlanticsheusuallymadementalobservationofthepeopleonboard。Thistime,whenshewasnottalkingtotheWorthingtons,orreading,shewasthinkingofthepossibilitiesofhervisittoStornham。Sheusedtowalkaboutthedeckthinkingofthemand,sittinginherchair,sumthemupashereyesrestedontherollingandbreakingwaves。
  Thereweremanythingstobeconsidered,andoneofthefirstwastheperfectlysanesuggestionherfatherhadmade。
  "Supposeshedoesnotwanttoberescued?Supposeyoufindheracomfortablefineladywhoadoresherhusband。"
  Suchathingwaspossible,thoughBettinadidnotthinkitprobable。Sheintended,however,toprepareherselfevenforthis。IfshefoundLadyAnstruthersplumpandroseate,pleasedwithherselfandherposition,shewasquiteequaltomakinghervisitappearacasualandconventionalaffair。
  "Ioughttowishittobeso,"shethought,"and,yet,howdisappointinglyIshouldfeelshehadchanged。Still,evenethicalreasonswouldnotexcuseoneforwishinghertobemiserable。"Shewasacreaturewithanumberofpassionateidealswhichwarredfrequentlywiththepracticalsideofhermentality。Oftensheusedtowalkupanddownthedeckorleanupontheship’sside,hereyesstormywithemotions。
  "IdonotwanttofindRosyaheartlesswoman,andIdonotwanttofindherwretched。WhatdoIwant?Onlytheusualthing——thatwhatcannotbeundonehadneverbeendone。
  Peoplearealwayswishingthat。"
  Shewasstandingnearthesecond—cabinbarrierthinkingthis,thefirsttimeshesawthepassengerwiththeredhair。
  Shehadpausedbymerechance,andwhilehereyeswerestormywithherthought,shesuddenlybecameconsciousthatshewaslookingdirectlyintoothereyesasdarklingasherown。Theywerethoseofamanonthewrongsideofthebarrier。Hehadatroubled,broodingface,and,astheirgazemet,eachofthemstartedslightlyandturnedawaywiththesenseofhavingunconsciouslyintrudedandhavingbeenintrudedupon。
  "Thatrough—lookingman,"shecommentedtoherself,"isasanxiousanddisturbedasIam。"
  Salterdidlookrough,itwastrue。Hiswell—wornclotheshadsufferedsomewhatfromtherestrictionsofasecond—classcabinsharedwithtwoothermen。Buttheaspectwhichhadpresenteditselftoherbriefglancehadbeennotsomuchroughnessofclothingasofmoodexpressingitselfinhiscountenance。Hewasthinkingharshlyandangrilyofthelifeaheadofhim。
  Theselooksoftheirswhichhadsoinadvertentlyencounteredeachotherwereofthatorderwhichsometimesstartlesonewheninpassingastrangeronefindsone’seyesentangledforasecondinhisorhers,asthecasemaybe。Atsuchtimesitseemsforthatinstantdifficulttodisentangleone’sgaze。
  Butneitherofthesetwothoughtoftheothermuch,afterhurryingaway。Eachwastoofullymasteredbypersonalmood。
  Therewould,indeed,havebeennoreasonfortheirencounteringeachotherfurtherbutfor"theaccident,"asitwascalledwhenspokenofafterwards,theaccidentwhichmightsoeasilyhavebeenacatastrophe。Itoccurredthatnight。Thiswastwonightsbeforetheyweretoland。
  Everybodyhadbeguntocomeundertheinfluenceofthatcheerfulnessofhumour,thesenseofreliefborderingongaiety,whichgenerallyelatespeoplewhenavoyageisdrawingtoaclose。Ifonehasbeendull,onebeginstogatherone’sselftogether,rejoicedthattheboredomisover。Inanycase,thereareplanstobemade,thoughtof,ordiscussed。
  "YouwishtogotoStornhamatonce?"Mrs。WorthingtonsaidtoBettina。"HowpleasedLadyAnstruthersandSirNigelmustbeattheideaofseeingyouwiththemaftersolong。"
  "IcanscarcelytellyouhowIamlookingforwardtoit,"
  Bettyanswered。
  Shesatinhercorneramonghercushionslookingatthedarkwaterwhichseemedtosweeppasttheship,andlisteningtothethroboftheengines。Shewasnotgay。Shewaswonderinghowfartheplansshehadmadewouldprovefeasible。
  Mrs。WorthingtonwasnotawarethathervisittoStornhamCourtwastobeunannounced。Ithadnotbeennecessarytoexplainthematter。Thewholeaffairwassimpleanddecorousenough。MissVanderpoelwastobidgood—byetoherfriendsandgoatoncetohersister,LadyAnstruthers,whosehusband’scountryseatwasbutashortjourneyfromLondon。
  Bettinaandherfatherhadarrangedthatthefactshouldbekeptfromthesocietyparagraphist。Thishadrequiredsomeadroitmanagement,buthadactuallybeenaccomplished。
  Asthewavesswishedpasther,Bettinawassayingtoherself,"WhatwillRosysaywhensheseesme!WhatshallIsaywhenIseeRosy?Wearedrawingnearertoeachotherwitheverywavethatpasses。"
  Afogwhichsweptupsuddenlysentthemallbelowratherearly。TheWorthingtonslaughedandtalkedalittleintheirstaterooms,butpresentlybecamequietandhadevidentlygonetobed。Bettinawasrestlessandmovedaboutherroomaloneaftershehadsentawayhermaid。Sheatlastsatdownandfinishedalettershehadbeenwritingtoherfather。
  "AsIneartheland,"shewrote,"Ifeelasortofexcitement。
  Severaltimesto—dayIhaverecalledsodistinctlythepictureofRosyasIsawherlast,whenweallstoodcrowdeduponthewharfatNewYorktoseeheroff。SheandNigelwereleaningupontherailoftheupperdeck。Shelookedsuchadelicate,airylittlecreature,quitelikeaprettyschoolgirlwithtearsinhereyes。Shewaslaughingandcryingatthesametime,andkissingbothherhandstousagainandagain。Iwascryingpassionatelymyself,thoughItriedtoconcealthefact,andIrememberthateachtimeIlookedfromRosytoNigel’sheavyfacethepoignancyofmyanguishmademebreakforthagain。IwonderifitwasbecauseIwasachild,thathelookedsuchacontemptuousbrute,evenwhenhepretendedtosmile。
  Itistwelveyearssincethen。Iwonder——howIwonder,whatIshallfind。"
  Shestoppedwritingandsatafewmoments,herchinuponherhand,thinking。Suddenlyshesprangtoherfeetinalarm。
  Thestillnessofthenightwasbrokenbywildshouts,arunningoffeetoutside,atumultofmingledsoundsandmotion,adashandrushofsurgingwater,astrangethumpingandstrainingofengines,andamomentlatershewashurledfromonesideofherstateroomtotheotherbyacrashingshockwhichseemedtoheavetheshipoutofthesea,shudderingasiftheendofallthingshadcome。
  Itwassosuddenandhorribleathingthat,thoughshehadonlybeenflunguponapileofrugsandcushionsandwasunhurt,shefeltasifshehadbeenstruckontheheadandplungedintowilddelirium。Abovethesoundofthedashingandrockingwaves,thestrainingandroaringofhackingenginesandthepandemoniumofvoicesrosefromoneendoftheshiptotheother,onewild,despairing,long—drawnshriekofwomenandchildren。Bettinaturnedsickatthemadterrorinit——
  theinsensate,awfulhorror。
  "Somethinghasrunintous!"shegasped,gettingupwithherheartleapinginherthroat。
  ShecouldheartheWorthingtons’tempestofterrifiedconfusionthroughthepartitionsbetweenthem,andsherememberedafterwardsthatinthespaceoftwoorthreeseconds,andinthemidstoftheirclamour,ahundredincongruousthoughtsleapedthroughherbrain。Perhapstheywerethismomentgoingdown。Nowsheknewwhatitwaslike!Thisthingshehadreadofinnewspapers!Nowshewasgoingdowninmid—ocean,she,BettyVanderpoel!And,asshesprangtoclutchherfurcoat,thereflashedbeforehermentalvisionagruesomepictureoftheheadlinesinthenewspapersandtheinevitablereferencetothemillionssherepresented。
  "Imustkeepcalm,"sheheardherselfsay,asshefastenedthelongcoat,clenchingherteethtokeepthemfromchattering。
  "PoorDaddy——poorDaddy!"