“The temperature is dropping—”
“We know that,” Laura interrupted. “What else does it say?”
“That the sea is slightly rolling.”
“We can feel that,” Laura put in again, for the ship was rolling with the waves.
“That we are headed into a storm. There, Miss Smarty, you didn’t know that,” Amelia laughed.
“Did too,” Laura retorted. “My creaking bones told me. Now, I’m going in before I get rheumatism.” So saying, she followed Grace. The others, except Nan, whom not even Bess could persuade to come in as yet, followed her.
Alone on the dark deck, Nan stood for a while at the rail, watching the white foam of the waves, listening to the roar of the wind, and glancing now and then at the clouds, swiftly gathering overhead. Save for a pale moon, the only light was the ship’s beacon which every few seconds, passed in its circle, over Nan’s head.
Once, Nan was tempted to follow her friends. She could hear voices, singing and laughter, and the sound of a piano inside. She even started toward the door, but then a dark passageway at her right tempted her and she went exploring.
Hugging the side of the boat closely, she followed around through the passageway between the ship’s riggings, and then on down the deck until she came to the barrier between first and second class that Laura had taunted Bess about. She examined it carefully. It was impossible to get by. There was no moving it. She tried sliding it and pushing it. It wouldn’t budge.
She turned and retraced her steps, going back to some narrow iron stairs that went up. The “Keep Off” sign, which she couldn’t read in the dark, she shoved aside. She was determined now to make a complete circle of the boat. She went up the stairs, around another deck, and down some steps again.