The Girl on the Boat

c.

sfied with a bald statement like that; they will have a Spoken Title or a Cut-Back Sub-Caption or whatever t

WITH HOPE AND YOUTH AND SWEETNESS, LINKING TWO YOUNG H

nts a key to my cellar," or something equally appropriate, very soulfully and slowly, with a wistful eye on the half-smoked cigarette which he has parked on the lowest octave a

offensive jauntiness of the man who has had a cold bath when he might just as easily have had a ho

welled his glowing back, he had suddenly come to the decision that this very day he would propose to Wilhelmina Bennett. Ye

him on the piano and the rest of the family sitting on the side-lines to see that no rough stuff was pulled. Having noted that she drooped her eyelashes and turned faintly pink when he came to the "Thee--only thee!" bit, he felt a mild sense of encouragement, strong enough to justify him in taking her sister aside next day and asking if the object of his affections ever happened to mention his name in the course of conversation. Further _pour-parlers_ having passed with her aunt, two more sisters, and her li

His courtship can hardly be called a courtship at all.

r cool assurance

Emily who has ch

e you. Will you ma

Certainly, Alphon

reading, talking, soup-drinking, tea-drinking, and shuffle-board-playing which they had done together had merely solidified his original impression. He loved this girl with all the force of a fiery nature--the fiery nature of the Marlowes was a by-word in Bruton Street, Berkeley Square--and something seemed to w

eneath the mirror and, collecting his sh

y through the soap. "I am, I am the Ba

clothes in the lower b

ace Hignett thrustin

n happening to Eustace during the last few days, and it was quite

bad again

t churlishly, "until you began the farmya

us! The

lk about

than it has ever shone in the histor

ll induce m

buster and have an

urly. "You seem devilish pleased with you

away. He hesitated. Then the desire to

said apologetica

mped his head sharply against the berth

e the voya

achfully. "I told you my troubles. Why did you not l

these last few days I had a notion that your

is

rl I met

s a friend I entreat you not to do it. Take my a

t do

in your eye that you are intending to pro

. I always think one can do on

ack evening dresses that have to be hooked up in a hurry when you are late for the theatre, and that, ou

thought it

of such a thing happening--of a boy with spectacles and protruding front teeth who asks questions all the time? Out of six small boys whom I saw when I came o

icate," said Sam stiffly. "A

rest of the voyage. You can easily dodge her when you get to Southamp

was that a girl with ideals had broken off her engagement with this man

c.

mpelled a man to great deeds, a morning which shouted to him to chuck his chest out and be romantic. The sight of Billie Bennett, trim and gleaming in a pale green sweater and white skirt had the effect of causing Marlowe to alter the programme wh

ning, Mis

ning, Mr.

t a perf

derf

erence on board ship i

doesn'

ely, always begin in this prosaic way Shakespeare tries to conceal the fact, but there can be little doubt

alk round?"

n a dull trance till the steward should arrive with the eleven o'clock soup. Others, more energetic, strode up and down. From the point of vi

e said. "Let's go on

read to me. Go and f

cted works almost anywhere and shut your eyes and dab down your finger on some red-hot passage. A proposal of marriage is a thing which it is rather difficult to bring neatly into the ordinary run of conversation. It w

t?" said

you gave me? I left it--ah, h

are you go

am making for the door. "She wants me to

nny

es

e uppe

es

Eustace Hignett, turni

ght of steps and found himself in the only part of the ship which was ever even comparat

r mast. He hurried on, and presently came upon Billie sitting on a garden seat, backed by the white roof of the smoke-room; beside this was a small deck which seemed to have lost its way and strayed up here all by itself. It was the deck on which one could occ

down beside the girl and drawin

his deck. It's

re of not meeting stout men in flannels and nautical caps. An

uld be

loser. "We would sail about, visiting desert island

W

wouldn't be any fun i

ery compl

. I'm not fond of

aren'

that I had one of those rare spiritual natures which cannot be satisfied with substitutes but must seek and seek till they find their soul-mate. When other men all r

wasn't ..

d then I would pour out upon her the stored-up devotion of a lifetime, lay

Like having a circ

id Sam after a

ought that that would be the mo

he world is love, a pure and c

lo!" sai

present and correct; nevertheless there was something missing, some familiar object which seemed to leave a gap. He now perceived that what had caused the feeling was the complete absence of Bre

, Bream!"

!" sai

ream Mortimer.

was a

might be here

we are,"

re here,"

s anothe

join you?"

" said

," sai

. "No ... that is to sa

s a thir

I believe I'll take a stroll on the

imer, having bumped his head twice agai

llow?" demanded

of father's

ys been so individual to him that he ha

eam. I suppose it was because Bream was sailing by her that father insisted on my coming over on

hel

miliar attitude with rather less affection than the son of her father's best friend

e to do something for it. I said I could only do conjuring tricks and juggling and so on, and he said all right, do conjuring tricks and j

id Sam.

a couple of women who both want to sing 'The Rosary' but h

te s

hovered wistfully above them.

" sai

am!" sai

el

. I'm sure she must be feeling lonely. I lef

spread itself ov

d! Oh, say,

very ni

if you were a giraffe or something and she w

you some of her big-game hunting exp

ifted sa

e Miss Hubbar

do you

ed to pot at him with a rifle.

lk about Bream. Rea

beginning of their conversation. Only by reading poetry, it seemed to him, could it be recovered. And when he saw the passage at which the

red his

the soli

beneath

y life h

have found

come what

ter if I

have had

weet heav

and dark

am quite

is one to l

d see the girl sitting with a soft smile on her face, her eyes, big and dre

ch I have been trying to say ever since we met, som

t. She did not w

ean ... if you had the merest notion, dearest ... I don't know what's the matter with me ... Billie, darling, you are the only girl in the world! I have been looking for you for years and years and I have found you at last, my soul-mate. Surely this does not come as a surprise to you? That is, I mean, you must hav

sweet and tender, her eyes misty. He slid an a

c.

herself away, a

aid, "I've a con

ion? You?

rible thought. I was wond

... I mean ... why, it's so vast, it's bound

ttern on the de

fore--and it was not so very long ago,-

ghed he

that absurd business of

rted vi

u k

! He told

im? Where did

cousin. As a matter of fact, we are

, this is awful! What sh

genial quip. Just say: 'Oh, here you are!'

l be te

he only possible way. It was absurd his ever expecting you to marry him. I mean to say, just look a

keep pigs?" she

d exhibition of pure nerve. A dear, good fellow, of course, but hopeless where the sterner realities of life are concerned. A man who can't even stop a dog-fight! In a world w

mean. He really

by a

her chin

as quite a dear

d chap," said

first attracted me to him was his beautiful

ion to praising poor old Eustace within decent limits, but the conversa

. Not lately. He does drawing-room ballads a

love is like a glowing tulip tha

wing-room ballad. Now something funny, something that will make people laugh, so

g that sort

been good eno

cert to-morrow! The idea of your trying to hide your light under a bushel! I will

had sung in public had been at a house-supper at school, seven years before, and that on that occasion someb

llie. "I'll tell Bream when I go d

l--e

er it is. You are so wonderful in every way

second place he had remembered that there was no need for him to sing at all. He could do that imitation of Frank Tinney which had been s

c.

rious red hair that fell in a tumbled mass about her shoulders. On the lounge beside he

th a strong chin and an eye that had looked leopards squarely in the face and caused them to withdraw abashed into the undergrowth, or where-ever it is that leopards withdraw when abashed. One could not picture Jane Hubbard flirting lightly at

t. She was pleasantly tired after walking eighty-five times round the promenade deck. Soon she would go to bed and fall asleep t

lie, "have you e

ocked the ash o

sic-master. He was forty-seven and completely bald, but there was an appeal

to a molten bundle and let

u don't like weak men. I like a man w

t him and bring the smiles back to his face. I'm beginning to want to settle down. After all there are other things for a woman to do in this life besides travelling and big-game hunting. I should like to go into Parliament. And, if I did that, I should practically have to marry. I mean, I should have to have a man to look after the social end of life and arrange pa

eyes gazed dreamily at a smoke ring which

ieve you're thinking of som

e embarrassment which she exhibit

know hi

is really

es

id! Tell me

er strong hands and lo

thought his poor little arms would be wrenched out of their sockets. And he looked so unhappy, as though he had some secret sorrow. I offered him my seat, but he wouldn't take it. A couple of stations later, however, the man next to me got out and he sat down and we got into conversation. There wasn

t! You see ... you se

've been refusing your oats the last few days, and that's a sure sign. Is

!" cried Billie indignantly. "As i

of Bream Mortimer. I taught him to whistle 'Annie Laurie' and to ask for his supper in three nativ

nd handsome and very strong-looki

aid Miss

we're e

ress, interested. "

e you to-morro

t's

u ever have presentiments? I can't get rid of an awful fee

d spoil ev

now. Suppose he were to do anything to

rong men, didn't you? They always run true to

atively at her refl

ht I was in love

es

one to the church. And I waited and waited and he

ha

had stolen h

rd laughed

y. I had always thought him romantic, and when this happened the s

oke off the

cour

im. A man can't help his mo

tor's or do _something_. But he simply stayed where he was and didn't do a thing. Just because he

e sort of trait in a man which would appea

n for looking ridiculous. Thank goodness, my darling Sam couldn't look ridiculous, even if he tried.

p and stretched he

w. If you can arrange to have him flash his eyes then--say be