But it was in fact among the very best on that small steamship. It’s door opening directly upon the deck so that after retiring one could lie and watch the stars and breathe the pure air of the sea. Also, her short sojourn in it was to do her much good physically. Even now, when Molly and Dorothy peeped in they saw her sitting upright, drinking a cup of tea and chatting with the stewardess as calmly as usual.
At sight of Dorothy, however, she promptly dismissed the attendant and bade the girl enter and explain everything that had happened after her disappearance from the “Mary Powell.”
Molly made a grimace, and Dolly sighed. Repetition of unpleasant things made them doubly disagreeable, and she now longed to enter into the Judge’s spirit and feel that this was happy holiday. She cut the tale as short as she could; listened meekly to Miss Isobel’s reproofs; waited upon that fidgetty person with admirable patience; and with equal patience received all the many instructions as to “suitable conduct” during their whole journey. When the final word had been said, and she had been told that no other “allowance” could be hers until “advices” had been received from Miss Rhinelander, and that she must report every cent expended, she ventured to cut the “lecture” also short, by kneeling in the little aisle between their berths and kissing her guardian’s hand with the petition:
“Please forgive me, dear Miss Greatorex, for all the worry I gave you. I will be good. I will be ‘prudent,’ I will remember—everything—if only you’ll say you’ll love me just the same again!”
Miss Isobel was touched. In her heart she was very fond of Dorothy and grateful to her, on account of her bravery that night of the fire. But she felt it beneath her dignity to show this fondness openly, and answered more coldly than she felt:
“Certainly, it would be unworthy in me to harbor ill will against anybody. But I trust you will give me no further annoyance. Rise, please; and there is Molly. Thank you, Miss Breckenridge, I am much better. It was but a momentary weakness to which I yielded. Please make my regards to your father for his courteous messages of regret. Yes, Dorothy, you may go with your friend for a walk on the deck. I will join you very soon.”
“Hope she won’t, mean old thing!” grumbled Molly, under her breath. “She’s one of the plans that didn’t go right. Instead of darling Miss Penelope with her sweet mother-ways to have the ‘Grater’ forced on us this way is too bad. I know Papa and Auntie Lu aren’t pleased with her either, though they’re too polite to say so.”
“O, Molly, don’t! I was bad, I can’t deny it and I deserve to have her stiff and cross with me. I don’t believe she’s half so vexed as she seems but she doesn’t think it’s ‘proper’ to let me know how thankful she is I wasn’t really lost. Folks can’t help being themselves, anyway; else I’d be a perfectly angelic sort of a girl, and be it quick! Hark! Those bells!”
“Yes, honey, let me tell you! Papa just told me. That’s four o’clock, ‘eight bells.’ In half an hour it’ll strike once. At five will strike twice. Every half hour one more stroke till at the end of four hours it’ll be eight bells again. That’s the beginning and the end of a ‘watch.’ A ‘watch’ is four hours long and the sailors change off then, one lot comes from ‘duty’ and another lot ‘stand’ theirs. Isn’t it odd and interesting? Oh! I think being on shipboard is just too lovely for words! And aren’t we going to have a glorious time after all?”
“Oh! Molly, I hope so. Course I think it’s splendidly interesting, too, if I could get over feeling so ashamed of myself and my foolishness. I don’t like to go near your father for he must think I have been horrid. I don’t know how I can ever pay him back the money he spent hiring folks to hunt for me, and the trouble I gave him—oh! dear! Why didn’t I let that old ‘shiny man’ go and not try to follow him!”