“And Miss Polk, I trust that you are comfortable too.” Again, it was a statement and Laura gulped, not knowing whether she was supposed to answer or not.
“I thank you, ladies.” With this he turned and went out.
Even before his measured tread was entirely out of earshot, Laura was lamenting. “If only I had kept my mouth shut!” she exclaimed. “‘Oxford or Cambridge accent.’” She sounded completely disgusted. “‘I’m in love with the man! He’s perfectly darling.’ And then he walks in on me! What can I do? You can’t walk up to a man and apologize for anything like that.” She looked hopelessly at her friends.
Nan was laughing so hard she was holding both her sides and so was Bess. Rhoda was stuffing a handkerchief into her mouth. “Oh, I never saw anything so funny in my life,” she said.
“Funny!” Laura was indignant. “I’d like to know what was funny about that! Funny!” she muttered.
“Oh, Laura,” Nan was wiping the tears out of her eyes. “If you could have seen the expression on your face when he asked whether you were comfortable, you would laugh too.”
Laura grinned with them at this. “The old meany,” she said. “He heard every word of what I said, and he was just rubbing it in. And I thought he was a chivalrous old duck! I wish he would come back now. I’d tell him what was what.”
“Don’t, don’t say that.” Rhoda raised a protesting hand. “You’ll meet him soon enough as it is.”
“Oh, no, I won’t,” Laura denied. “I’m not going to stir out of my cabin from now until the time the boat docks. I just couldn’t face that man again.” She turned as though to leave, but stopped as Grace came into the room.
“What man?” Grace asked. “Did you see him too?” Her face was pale and scared looking.