“And where’s Mrs Negus, eh?”
“Thar she is, with that young imp clasped in her arms, sobbin’ her heart out in her cabin; and if you go fur to comfort her, as I did just now, why, she bites your nose off like a crocodile, she dew! She sez we’ll all go to the bottom; and that the cap’en and everybody else have runned the ship ashore just to spite her—she knows, she sez, it’s ben only done fur that!”
And the American laughed with a keen relish of the joke, which no sense of his own peril could subdue.
“She isn’t far out in thinking the ship going down,” said Mr Meldrum gravely. “The vessel has a hole knocked in her bows, through which you might drive an omnibus, and her fore compartment is full of water. We’ll soon have to abandon her, although, I’ve no doubt, she’ll keep afloat for some hours yet. I advise you, Mr Lathrope, to put on the warmest suit of clothes you’ve got, and get together any few little things that may be of use in a boat, as I’m going to do. Kate, my dear,” he added, addressing his daughter, who had been listening attentively while he had been talking to the American, at the same time that she hushed and soothed Florry, who was moaning with pain from her injured head, “you’d better do likewise; and see also to poor Mrs Negus, who appears utterly helpless and unable to look after herself. Where are the steward and stewardess?”
“The stewardess went on deck some time ago, papa, to try and get a cup of tea for Mrs Negus from the galley, and she has not yet returned,” answered Kate; “I think the steward is asleep in his pantry.”
“I thought him too big a coward to keep so quiet when the ship was in any danger,” said her father. “However, he’ll have to rouse up now, whether he likes it or not.”
“Hi, Llewellyn!” shouted he, going up to the door of the pantry, which was closed, and rapping outside with his fist loudly several times.
But there was no answer; so, turning the handle of the lock unceremoniously, he looked within and saw to his astonishment the object of his quest coiled up in a corner of a locker that ran across one side of the pantry, with a heap of blankets drawn tightly over his head.
Mr Meldrum entered and proceeded to shake the human bundle, calling the man again by name; when, after a little while, he disinterred his terrified face from amidst the folds of his coverings, looking as pale as a Niobe in marble.
“Wha–wha–what do you want?” Llewellyn stammered out, with his usual stutter when spoken to sharply.