She had not even remembered to take leave of the baroness.
In five minutes Monsieur Le Grange returned to the deck, rejoined Madame Von Bruyin’s party and reported:
“Madame Downie has serened herself on the cushions of the carriage. She repeats to herself some consoling office of her religion. She——”
But the good secretary’s voice was drowned in the loud report of the farewell gun.
And the next minute the Kaiser Wilhelm stood out to sea.
It was two hours later. Most of the passengers had gone below, either to arrange their berths, or to guard against the first approaches of sea-sickness.
Madame Von Bruyin and her young companion sat well forward on the deck and quite out of hearing of any fellow-voyager. They had been silently gazing out to sea for a few minutes, when the baroness suddenly turned to her companion and said:
“I presume Monsieur Le Grange gave you my message that evening when you came to the hotel and found me too ill to keep my appointment?”
“Yes, madame.”
“And he told you my reason for changing steamers?”