THE HIGH SEA
51.9
''.l>..lompellicr, yes
I
know,"
:;;ti ll
David.
''1 wonder what they mean to do there, what possibly?" asked
Mrs. Treadwell.
David asked how they would get there, in the first place. :Mrs.
Treadwell supposed they would be put off at Southampton and from
there--
" It would be nice," remarked Jenny, " if the Captain might just
put them off in a life boat, the smallest one, with a little keg of old
water and a few stale biscuits and perhaps two oars. I'd like seeing
them start out and I feel certain they would get there."
"But I wish to go to Boulogne too," Mrs. Treadwell reminded
her, gently.
"Ah, so do I," said Jenny. "The more I think of it, the more I
hate going to Germany. That same man in Mexico told us that if we
changed our minds about Germany, we could always get a visa
from the French Consul at Gijon. That is my hope now."
Mrs. Treadwell turned to David and saw with astonishment
that his face was tight and pale and he seemed silently enraged.
"How nice," she told him, saying what she had meant to say before
she saw his face, "Do you wish to go to Boulogne too?"
"Not particularly," he said, "I am going to Spain."
Mrs. Treadwell felt quite suddenly that she was standing be–
tweeu two people who were throwing stones at each other. She stif–
;:::cr! a!1 d sn:ilcd, and almost furtively began to move away, cover–
iHg It er re treat with little haphazard statements about the weather
and some vague mrntion of breakfast. Could it have been possible
they might have quarrelle,t
l~·:-rc
before her? The notion filled her
with embarrassment and fright.
But
as
<
1, ..
hurried along, the smile
must have remained on her face, for Wilhelm Freytag asked her
what she was looking so gay about so early in the morning? She had
no idea, she told him, and watched his gaze following David Scott
and Jenny Brown, who were disappearing into the ship.
Turning back to her, he suggested breakfast on deck. "Delight–
ful," she agreed, after thinking about it. They settled themselves. The
sunlight poured upon them, the waves glittered. Coffee was brought,
the trays with smoking lamb chops, honey and hot rolls. The big
white napkins reflected softened light on their faces, their momentary
well being seemed to cast a pleasant glow forward over the whole un–
promising day.
As
their fellow voyagers passed, Mrs. Treadwell noticed that
at least half of them did not salute each other, not from rancor but
from indifference, and remarked to Freytag that the party last evening
