Some of this knowledge “spilled over,” as Neale said, at the cabin concert, without which no pleasant steamship voyage would be complete. Agnes saw that “Nalbro Hastings” was written at the head of the list of patronesses of this concert, and she sighed bitterly because her name or Ruth’s was not there at all. The charity for which the concert was held was worthy, and Ruth said that was enough. But it was not enough for her social-striving sister.
However, to plan for a concert and for its object was one thing; to find talent to offer a fairly interesting program, was another.
“And that stuck-up Nalbro Hastings will never get anybody to work for her in this show,” declared one girl to the equally outspoken Agnes.
“Is she really stuck-up?” queried Agnes.
“When I asked her a question just now she only mumbled and turned away,” declared the critical girl. “She’ll spoil the whole thing.”
“We won’t let her,” Ruth said quietly. “If they have used her name as patroness because her father is a big man, as they say he is, in the steamship company, it is not her fault. You know, she may be bashful.”
“Bashful!” exclaimed Agnes.
“And you see her name in all the Boston papers,” gasped the other girl. “She is just stuck-up.”
Ruth had no opportunity of speaking to Miss Hastings herself. The daughter of the shipowner did not eat in the cabin with the other first-class passengers. The very fact that she had her meals served to her in her stateroom seemed to support the idea that had got about pretty generally, that Nalbro Hastings was a very snobbish girl.
“I hope that idea will not serve to ruin the concert,” Ruth said more than once.