They stood still to recover themselves in the sheltered corner that Dolly had thought would make so ideal a kitchen. Their faces were quite pale at the thought of their narrow escape, and their knees were trembling dreadfully.
“Well,” said a voice behind them, and turning, they saw the dreadful boy, “I wouldn’t be you kids for anything—a nice thing you’ve let yourselves in for.”
“W—what?” said Phyl, trying to stand her ground.
“He only said if we didn’t go back he w—would——” said Dolly, with teeth almost chattering.
The boy came closer to them and spoke in a lower tone, for there were a couple of apprentices near. “You’re second-class passengers, aren’t you?” he said.
“Yes,” said Phyl.
[130]
]“Very well,” said the boy, “[you’re trespassing,]—this is the first-class deck.”
Fresh horror came into their eyes; they had just escaped one danger to be plunged into another.
“We didn’t know,” they said, “no one told us not to come.”
“You ought to have known,” the boy said, “the captain won’t take that excuse, I can assure you—you’ll be sentenced like the rest of them.”