"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!"
第8章