She was a woman who had experienced most of the ordinary sensations of life. I proposed to supply her with an extraordinary one! And I liked her, liked her ease of manner, her lack of sentimentality, her freedom from any form of affection.
My mind was made up. I decided to seek her out then and there. She would hardly be in bed yet.
Then I remembered that I did not know the number of her cabin. My friend, the night stewardess, would probably know. I rang the bell. After some delay it was answered by a man. He gave me the information I wanted. Mrs. Blair's cabin was No. 71. He apologized for the delay in answering the bell, but explained that he had all the cabins to attend to.
“Where is the stewardess, then?” I asked. “They all go off duty at ten o'clock.” “No -1 mean the night stewardess.”
“No stewardess on at night, miss.”
“But - but a stewardess came the other night - about one o'clock.”
“You must have been dreaming, miss. There's no stewardess on duty after ten.”
He withdrew and I was left to digest this morsel of information. Who was the woman who had come to my cabin on the night of the 22 nd? My face grew graver as I realized the cunning and audacity of my unknown antagonists. Then, pulling myself together, I left my own cabin and sought that of Mrs. Blair. I knocked at the door.
“Who's that?” called her voice from within. “It's me - Anne Beddingfield.” “Oh, come in, gipsy girl.”
I entered. A good deal of scattered clothing lay about, and Mrs. Blair herself was draped in one of the loveliest kimonos I had ever seen. It was all orange and gold and black and made my mouth water to look at it.
“Mrs. Blair,” I said abruptly, “I want to tell you the story of my life - that is, if it isn't too late, and you won't be bored.”
“Not a bit. I always hate going to bed,” said Mrs. Blair, her face crinkling into smiles in the delightful way it had. “And I should love to hear the story of your life. You're a most unusual creature, gipsy girl. Nobody else would think of bursting in on me at 1 am. to tell me the story of their life. Especially after snubbing my natural curiosity for weeks as you have done! I'm not accustomed to being snubbed. It's been quite a pleasing novelty. Sit down on the sofa and unburden your soul.”
I told her the whole story. It took some time as I was conscientious over all the details. She gave a deep sigh when I had finished, but she did not say at all what I had expected her to say. Instead she looked at me, laughed a little and said:
“Do you know, Anne, you're a very unusual girl? Haven't you ever had qualms?”
“Qualms?” I asked, puzzled.
“Yes, qualms, qualms, qualms! Starting off alone with practically no money. What will you do when you find yourself in a strange country with all your money gone?”
“It's no good bothering about that until it comes. I've got plenty of money still. The twenty-five pounds that Mrs. Flemming gave me is practically intact, and then I won the sweep yesterday. That's another fifteen pounds. Why, I've got lots of money. Forty pounds!”
“Lots of money! My God!” murmured Mrs. Blair. “I couldn't do it, Anne, and I've plenty of pluck in my own way. I couldn't start off gaily with a few pounds in my pocket and no idea as to what I was doing and where I was going.”
“But that's the fun of it,” I cried, thoroughly roused. “It gives one such a splendid feeling of adventure.”
She looked at me, nodded once or twice, and then smiled.
“Lucky Anne! There aren't many people in the world who feel as you do.”
“Well,” I said impatiently, “what do you think of it all. Mrs. Blair?”
“I think it's the most thrilling thing I ever heard! Now, to begin with, you will stop calling me Mrs. Blair. Suzanne will be ever so much better. Is that agreed?”
“I should love it, Suzanne.”
“Good girl. Now let's get down to business. You say that in Sir Eustace's secretary - not that long-faced
My mind was made up. I decided to seek her out then and there. She would hardly be in bed yet.
Then I remembered that I did not know the number of her cabin. My friend, the night stewardess, would probably know. I rang the bell. After some delay it was answered by a man. He gave me the information I wanted. Mrs. Blair's cabin was No. 71. He apologized for the delay in answering the bell, but explained that he had all the cabins to attend to.
“Where is the stewardess, then?” I asked. “They all go off duty at ten o'clock.” “No -1 mean the night stewardess.”
“No stewardess on at night, miss.”
“But - but a stewardess came the other night - about one o'clock.”
“You must have been dreaming, miss. There's no stewardess on duty after ten.”
He withdrew and I was left to digest this morsel of information. Who was the woman who had come to my cabin on the night of the 22 nd? My face grew graver as I realized the cunning and audacity of my unknown antagonists. Then, pulling myself together, I left my own cabin and sought that of Mrs. Blair. I knocked at the door.
“Who's that?” called her voice from within. “It's me - Anne Beddingfield.” “Oh, come in, gipsy girl.”
I entered. A good deal of scattered clothing lay about, and Mrs. Blair herself was draped in one of the loveliest kimonos I had ever seen. It was all orange and gold and black and made my mouth water to look at it.
“Mrs. Blair,” I said abruptly, “I want to tell you the story of my life - that is, if it isn't too late, and you won't be bored.”
“Not a bit. I always hate going to bed,” said Mrs. Blair, her face crinkling into smiles in the delightful way it had. “And I should love to hear the story of your life. You're a most unusual creature, gipsy girl. Nobody else would think of bursting in on me at 1 am. to tell me the story of their life. Especially after snubbing my natural curiosity for weeks as you have done! I'm not accustomed to being snubbed. It's been quite a pleasing novelty. Sit down on the sofa and unburden your soul.”
I told her the whole story. It took some time as I was conscientious over all the details. She gave a deep sigh when I had finished, but she did not say at all what I had expected her to say. Instead she looked at me, laughed a little and said:
“Do you know, Anne, you're a very unusual girl? Haven't you ever had qualms?”
“Qualms?” I asked, puzzled.
“Yes, qualms, qualms, qualms! Starting off alone with practically no money. What will you do when you find yourself in a strange country with all your money gone?”
“It's no good bothering about that until it comes. I've got plenty of money still. The twenty-five pounds that Mrs. Flemming gave me is practically intact, and then I won the sweep yesterday. That's another fifteen pounds. Why, I've got lots of money. Forty pounds!”
“Lots of money! My God!” murmured Mrs. Blair. “I couldn't do it, Anne, and I've plenty of pluck in my own way. I couldn't start off gaily with a few pounds in my pocket and no idea as to what I was doing and where I was going.”
“But that's the fun of it,” I cried, thoroughly roused. “It gives one such a splendid feeling of adventure.”
She looked at me, nodded once or twice, and then smiled.
“Lucky Anne! There aren't many people in the world who feel as you do.”
“Well,” I said impatiently, “what do you think of it all. Mrs. Blair?”
“I think it's the most thrilling thing I ever heard! Now, to begin with, you will stop calling me Mrs. Blair. Suzanne will be ever so much better. Is that agreed?”
“I should love it, Suzanne.”
“Good girl. Now let's get down to business. You say that in Sir Eustace's secretary - not that long-faced
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