Was I right?

by Mrs. O. F. Walton

At about three o'clock in the morning we heard Lady Eldridge's voice loudly crying for help. She was calling, first for Clemence and then for the stewardess, but their cabins were at the other end of the saloon, and neither of them heard her.

"What can she want?" said Evelyn.

I put on my dressing-gown, and managed to go as far as the door of Lady Eldridge's cabin, that I might see what was the matter.

"Just look here, Miss Lindsay!" she said. "The porthole has burst open, and the water has come over my bed. Do go and call the stewardess, and tell her to bring me clean linen and blankets."

"I don't know whether I can walk as far as the stewardess's cabin, Lady Eldridge," I said, "but I will try; it is terribly rough!"

"Oh, nonsense!" she said. "Hold on by the wall, and you will be all right. You don't mean to say you are sea-sick, Miss Lindsay; you should get over it. I never believe in sea-sickness; if people only try they can keep it off. I feel as well at sea as on land!"

I could not help thinking that, this being the case she might have gone for the stewardess herself, instead of insisting that I should go for her. However, I did my best, and managed to stagger down the saloon, though I fell several times, and cut my hand very much with a broken plate, which was being swept across the floor, backwards and forwards, as the vessel rolled from side to side.

I found the stewardess lying on the bed in her cabin, crying. She told me that she was a widow with three little children, whom she had left in England. She had been persuaded to try this way of earning her living, and this was her first voyage; but she did not think she could ever go again, she had no idea that it would be so dreadful. She told me this as she was getting out the sheets for Lady Eldridge's bed, and she said that, just as I came in, she was crying because she thought she would never see her little children again.

I tried to say a word to comfort her, but the noise of the storm was so great that we could hardly hear each other speak. It was some time before she had collected everything that was necessary, and Lady Eldridge was very impatient and cross when we arrived at her cabin. I helped the stewardess to arrange the bed, and then went back to my own berth, very thankful to be able to lie still again.

Morning came, but the storm still continued. It raged all Tuesday, all Tuesday night, and all Wednesday, and we were not able to leave our cabin the whole time. Only on Wednesday did the storm begin to abate, and we were able at last to have a quiet sleep. We awoke on Thursday, to find the wind gone and the sea much calmer. We were to arrive at Alexandria in the afternoon, and every one seemed glad that the stormy voyage was drawing to a close.