“And poor Jeanette!” Lucile mused on. “I’d give almost anything if I could bring them together again.”
Jessie glanced at her friend curiously. “Perhaps you will tell me now that my dear old novels always exaggerate,” she challenged.
“A little more of this sort of thing and I’ll be able to believe anything,” Lucile answered, with a rueful smile. “It surely is wonderful!”
“Oh, Lucy, dear, I may convert you yet,” Jessie was crying gleefully, when she was interrupted by another crowd of fellow-voyagers, who, for the time being at least, cut her triumph short.
Later came the call to luncheon, and everybody hurried down to the dining-room, where the atmosphere of excitement and unrest prevailed to such a degree that people almost forgot to eat, or else bolted their meals in half the ordinary time, anxious not to miss a moment above decks. 106
Then, toward one o’clock in the afternoon, Mrs. Payton advised the girls to get everything ready, and see that nothing was left in the stateroom.
“We will dock in a few minutes,” she explained, “and we don’t want to leave everything until the last instant.”
Down rushed the girls to the stateroom obediently, treading on each other’s heels and not even bothering to apologize, for what was so everyday a thing as politeness at such a time?
Jessie and Evelyn waited in undisguised impatience while Lucile fumblingly fitted the key into the lock with fingers that trembled rebelliously.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, let me have it!” said Jessie, in desperation.