As soon as the “boy,” who was on guard outside, noticed these symptoms, he carefully opened the door and pushed through his tray with food like greased lightning, then withdrew his arm, and I could feel with what relief he turned the key on me on the outside. When I sometimes burst out laughing, because I felt in such high spirits, the poor chap must have thought I had a fresh attack.
At last, on the evening of the third day, we left the house silently and cautiously.
A large steamer lay near the landing-place, we took brief but warm leave of each other, and off we went in the direction of the Wusung Roadstead.
The weather was bad, the sea rough and the gangway was not even let down. After calling and yelling loudly, at last somebody appeared and helped Mr. MacGarvin to board the ship with his solitary trunk.
Nobody even looked at me. The deck was in half-darkness, and at last I went up to several of the officers and inquired as to the whereabouts of my cabin. Something unintelligible was growled at me, but when the gentlemen looked more closely at my ticket a sudden change took place. Bowings and scrapings and fluent excuses. A blast from the whistle of an officer, and several stewards appeared as by magic, headed by the white head-steward. The deck-lamps gleamed. The stewards fought over the possession of my trunk, and the head-steward conducted me with empressement to my state-room. He simply exuded politeness.
“Oh, Mr. MacGarvin, why do you come to-day? The steamer only leaves the day after to-morrow, and it was known all over Shanghai at midday!”
I looked furious, and expressed my indignation that the owner of a state-cabin should not have been warned in time.
He was followed by my fat Chinese cabin-steward, who was repose and distinction personified. But he put me into a fix. One of his “boys” was ordered to bring my trunk, whereupon he asked me, in doubting tones, whether this represented all my luggage.
“Yes,” I said.