williamson a m - lady betty across the water
TRANSCRIPT
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The Project
Gutenberg eBook,Lady Betty Across
the Water, Editedby Charles Norris
Williamson andAlice Muriel
Williamson,
Illustrated by
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Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT
GUTENBERG EBOOK LADY BETTY
ACROSS THE WATER***
E-text prepared by SuzanneShell
and the Project Gutenberg
Online DistributedProofreading Team
(http://www.pgdp.net)
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Transcriber's Note:
Minor typographical errors
have been corrected without
note. Dialect spellings,
contractions and
discrepancies have been
retained.
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EDITED BY
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To
the people of that great, delightful, andhospitable
land which gave Lady Betty the time of
her lifeand inspiration, this story of her visit is
admiringly
Dedicated by Betty Bulkeley
and C. N. and A. M. Williamson
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
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XII. About a Wedding and a
Disaster 200
XIII. About Running Away 211
XIV. About the Twentieth
Century Limited and
Chicago 223
XV. About Seeing Chicago 227XVI. About the Valley Farm 238
XVII. About Cows and National
Characteristics 253
XVIII. About Some Country Folk,
and Walker's Emporium 272
XIX. About Getting Engaged 289
XX. About Jim and the Duke 297
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"I found myself chatting
away with those cadets as
if I had grown up with
them" Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
"He turned around quickly,
glanced up and caught my
eyes, as I was looking
down, quite distressed" 34
"When I turned to speak to
him he was gone ... and I
was immediatelysurrounded by other men
asking me for dances" 196
"I swept past him with my
nose in the air, trying to
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This envelope had a great sprawly gol
crest, but she didn't seem to disapprove o
t. She read on and on, then suddenl
glanced up as if she would have sai
something quickly, to Victoria; she didn
say it, though, for she remembered me.
am never taken into family conclavesbecause I'm not out yet. I don't see wha
difference that makes, especially as I'
not to be allowed to come out till afte
Vic's married, because she was presented
four years ago, and isn't even engaged ye
so for all I can tell I may have to stay i
ill I'm a hundred, or leak out slowly whe
nobody is noticing, as Vic says girls do i
he middle classes. This time I didn
mind, however, for I couldn't see how th
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etter concerned me; and as I was dyin
for a sight of Berengaria's puppies, whic
were born last night, I was glad whe
Mother told me not to fidget after I'
finished breakfast, but to run down to th
kennels if I liked.
Soon I forgot all about the letter, for th
puppies were the dearest ducks on eart
can puppies be ducks, I wonder?), an
besides, it was such a delicious Jun
morning that I could have danced with jo
because I was alive.
often feel like that; but there's nobody t
ell, except the trees and the dogs, and m
poor pony, who is almost too old and
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bulb again.
stopped out of doors till luncheon, an
played croquet against myself, wishin
hat Stan would run down; for althoug
Stan rather fancies himself as a Gorgeou
Person since poor father's death gave hihe title, he is quite nice to me, when i
occurs to him. I'm always glad when h
comes to the Towers, but he hardly eve
does in the Season; and then in August and
September he's always in Scotland. So i
Vic, for the matter of that, and she hate
being in the country in May and June
hough Surrey is so close to town tha
uckily she doesn't miss much; but thi
year we seem to have been horribly poor
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did leave it for the last so far a
answering was concerned, but inside
where, thank goodness, even her eyes can
see, I was wondering hard when Mothe
had formed that flattering opinion. A
fortnight ago I heard her announce tha
Americans "got upon her nerves," and shhoped she would not soon be called upo
o meet any more. As she had made thi
remark directly after bidding Mrs. EsKay good-bye, I naturally supposed tha
ady to be the immediate cause for it. Bu
now, it seemed, this was not the case.
"You would be very ungrateful if you
disliked her," Mother went on, "as sh
ook such a tremendous fancy to you."
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"Dear me, I didn't know that!"
exclaimed, opening my eyes wide. "
hought it was Vic she"
"You are her favourite, as you are with
Miss Woodburn, also," said Mother, who
gets the effect of being so tremendousldignified partly, I believe, from neve
clipping her words as the rest of us do. "
am asking them down again especially o
your account, and I want you to b
particularly nice to them."
"It's easy enough to be nice to Sall
Woodburn, but"
caught a look from Vic and broke off m
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sentence, hurrying to change it int
another. "As they're sailing for the State
so soon, I shan't have time to sprea
myself much."
"Don't be slangy, Betty; it doesn't sui
you," said Mother. "You pick up too manyhings from Stanforth."
"Trust him not to drop anything wort
having," interpolated Vic, which was pert
but Mother never reproves her.
"Perhaps Mrs. Stuyvesant-Knox and MisWoodburn won't come," I said, for the
sake of getting on safer ground.
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"Not come? Of course they will come. I
s short notice, but if they have othe
engagements they will break them,
returned Mother; and though it would b
as impossible for her to be vulgar o
snobbish, as it would for a tall white aru
ily to be either of those things, still couldn't help feeling that her unconsciou
hought was: "The invitation to a couple o
unknown, touring Americans, from thDuchess of Stanforth, is equivalent to m
receiving a Royal Command."
She was probably right,anyhow, so fa
as Mrs. Ess Kay is concerned: as for Sall
Woodburn, I don't think she has a drop o
snobbish blood in her veins. She'
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July and August,even for September, i
you are amusing yourself. Later, Mrs
Stuyvesant-Knox will send you home wit
friends of hers, who can be trusted to tak
good care of you. She knows severa
people, she tells me, who are crossing i
he autumn, to winter abroad; and thewould bring you to me. Of course,
should have to be nice to them, by way o
showing my appreciation of any troubl
you had given; but a dinner, and
Saturday to Monday at most, would b
quite enough."
So it was all arranged, even to the detail
of my home-coming, and the price to b
paid for returning me, like a parcel, to m
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without Mother seeing, if she shoul
happen to prance in at the wrong momen
as she often does.
"Look here, Betty, are you going to be
good little girl, and do what you're bid
without making a fuss?" she asked, in quick, low voice.
"I'm not certain yet," said I. "I'm thinking i
over. I don't see why I should be sent of
across the water with strangers, at
moment's notice, and I"
"'Tisn't a moment's notice. It's five days
They're not sailing till Wednesday, and as
hey've a suite engaged,the best on th
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white, with just a tiny bead of black fo
he pupil. I never saw anything so har
except the glass marbles I used to pla
with): and they look at most people as i
something behind them were doing
mental sum in arithmetic, for th
Something's own advantage. They donook at Mother in that way; no eyes in th
world would dare; but I'm talking abou
ordinary people, who are not tall whit
arum lilies, with the air of having grow
n kings' gardens.
Mrs. Stuyvesant-Knox's nose is well
shaped and rather large; so is her mouth
with a "thin red line" of lips; but somehow
t's the chinthe feature you simply tak
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ike her cousin, who is so much older an
bigger, and apparently able to make th
gentle little Southern relative do as sh
wills?
Mrs. Ess Kay, terribly glittering thi
evening in a gown contrasting stronglwith our simple things, was almost to
nice to me, saying several times over how
glad she was that I was going to visit her
At dinner, she painted word-pictures o
he "good times" she would give me, an
hough I've never been able to care fo
her, and don't a bit more now, I began to
be rather excited by her talk, for she mad
hings seem so interesting and new
Besides, it appears that Sally Woodburn
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will be at Newport most of the summer, s
shall have her to fall back upon.
As for me, I was good as gold, and Vi
hrew me approving glances, for which
was grateful, for I like being in Vic's good
graces. She doesn't often bother with mmuch, but when she does, she is so swee
t makes up for everythingand sh
knows that well.
could hardly wait to hear he
"explanations," and so I was glad Mrs
Ess Kay and Miss Woodburn werehypnotised by Mother into thinking the
wanted to go early to bed. Mother is ver
clever about such things.
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"That's because you're such a great baby
f you must have every t crossed an
every i dotted, Sir Gilbert has apparentl
conceived a patronising toleration fo
your Victoria, which is likely, if properly
fostered and encouraged, to develop int
something more satisfactory."
"Patronising, indeed! That dull elephant!"
"Elephants are not, as a rule, dull. And
forty thousand a year in any form ca
afford to patronise a daughter of a hundre
dukes without a penny, whereas I'
merely the granddaughter of three. In fact
my dear, I'm humbly anxious that Si
Gilbert should propose; and as he's bee
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rather nice, and as he's written almos
asking for an invitation to come dow
with Stan, from next Saturday to Monday
although he carefully states he's bee
nvited for the same time, by Princess Pau
of Plon, things look hopeful. The onl
rouble isyou."
"Me!"
"Yes, you. The one time he ever saw you
was when you had that frightful cold, an
ooked hideous, with your poor dear nos
wice its size, and your eyes half theirsButwell, Betty, you're a beauty, and I'm
not, though I do flatter myself I'm not ba
ooking. I'm 'penny plain,' and you'r
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"You couldn't, without Stan making some
blundering remark, or some contretemp
happening; it would be sure to. It's muc
safer to have you absolutely out of th
way; and it was when we were talking i
over this morning, that Mother hit upon th
plan of sending you to the States. Youknow how prompt she is, once she's mad
up her mind? Mother is really a wonderfu
woman. Twenty minutes later she sent aelegram to Mrs. Ess Kay, asking her to
come down, and certain, unde
Providence, that she would; for a
ntimate sort of invitation like this, whe
we're alone (especially after the Grea
Disappointment), would be too flatterin
o a woman of that type not to be snappe
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at, no matter if a dozen engagements had t
be trampled in the dust."
"What Great Disappointment are yo
alking about?"
"Infant in Arms! Why, Stan and MisWoodburn."
"Ididn't knownobody told me"
"Fancy needing to be told! As if tha
weren't the only reason why Mothe
smiled on Mrs. Ess Kay in the beginningt was because she thought Mis
Woodburn might do for Stanforth, who
must marry money, and is too poor
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horribly poor, to be much of a catch with
most English heiresses, who aren't as kee
on titles as they used to be, unless there'
some solid foundation for them to stan
on, and not wobble. Everyone says Mis
Woodburn's a great heiress, and though
she's a few years older than Stan, she's ady, a charming creature, and not bad
ooking. Mother thought all that out, th
day they were introduced to her at th
orthminster's concert, so she invite
hem here. But Stan and the Woodburn
wouldn't lookat each other. It was useles
even for Mother's genius to attempt th
mpossible, so she resigned herself to th
nevitable, and gave the thing up. Sh
meant to drop the Americans gently
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which she could easily do as they wer
going home soonwhen this new ide
popped up. It's really important for me
dear. I do want you to see that. It will b
so much better all around if you are out o
he way, anyhow until I'm safely engaged
and the wedding-day fixed. Then, yoknow, if you haven't meanwhile picked up
an American millionaire on the other sid
don't look so horrified!Mother wil
be able to devote herself to you, heart an
soul, as she has to me. Next spring you ca
be presented"
"Don't bribe," I said, feeling as if I wante
o cry. "If you want to get rid of me, I'll go
without that. But I should have thought
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might be sent again to Aunt Sophy's."
"Not again till our magnificent cousin'
safely married. She wouldn't have yo
here. Remember how she sent you home
ast time. Poor Loveland! He too, mus
hink about collecting honest golsomebody else's), to brighten up hi
coronet. We're a poverty-stricken lot, my
child, and it's for me, with your help, t
retrieve the fallen fortunes of this branc
of the family."
"That's settled then," said I, as drily as could with wet tears in the background
"And now, let's go to bed, please. I'
sleepy."
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should have my fun later. When the other
went up to town for the Season, as the
often did, I was left behind, and thoug
Battlemead is within five-and-twent
miles of London, I suppose I haven't bee
here more than two dozen times in m
ife. When I did go, it was generally for concert, or a matine, and, of course,
enjoyed it immensely; but I don't know tha
t taught me much about life. And the on
ime I was taken abroad we had nothing t
do with anyone we met at hotels. Being o
his big ship seemed at first exactly lik
being at a play when I had been brought i
ate, and found it difficult to know whic
were the leading actors, which the villain
and villainesses, and what the plot wa
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bunch of roses, and several magazines
and just as we were starting he slippe
something small but fat into my hand.
"That's to help you keep your end up, Kid
n case you're imposed on," said he. "You
areonly a kid, you know; but all the samedon't let them treat you like one, and if yo
get the hump over there, just you cable me
'll see you through, and have you bac
again with your own sort, Mater or n
Mater, hanged if I don't."
Stan never made me such a long speecbefore, and after we sailed and I got tim
o look at the fat thing he'd put in my hand
found it was a lot of goldpieces bundle
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up in two ten-pound notes. The gold mad
welve sovereigns more, so Stan ha
given me altogether more than thirt
pounds. All that money, with the twenty
pounds Mother had told me to use onl
"when strictly necessary," made me feel
regular millionaire. I've never had a sixtpart as much before, in my life.
Stan's kindness was just like a cup o
something warm and comforting whe
you're tired and cold, so that I began t
brighten up and feel happy.
liked our suite, with two staterooms,
bath, and a dear little white-and-blu
drawing-room, about as big as the ol
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blouses of hers altered in a great hurry, fo
me. Besides, Mother said my outfit wa
quite good enough for a young girl i
England, and that I was not to let mysel
feel dissatisfied if in another country the
chose to overdress.
Anyhow, I will say for Mrs. Ess Kay tha
she didn't appear to be ashamed of me a
first. On the contrary, she had a way o
seeming to show me off, almost as if sh
hought I did her credit.
When we had unpacked, we three went tuncheon, and took the first seats whic
were vacant. But presently Mrs. Ess Ka
sent for the chief steward or someon
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mportant. "I am Mrs. Stuyvesant-Knox,
said she, in a haughty voice, "and I hav
as my guest Lady Betty Bulkeley, daughte
of the Duchess of Stanforth. You must give
me three of the best seats at the Captain'
able."
couldn't help hearing, and my ears di
ingle, but Miss Woodburn only smiled
and looked down, with a funny twinkl
under her eyelashes, which curl up s
much that it always seems as if she wer
ust going to laugh.
thought, if I were the steward, I woul
give us the worst seats on the ship, t
each us not to be proud; but he didn't d
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"I must have my chairs changed and pu
here," she said. And thenoh, horror!
'm certain I caught her repeating th
formula she'd used at luncheon. "I am Mrs
Stuyvesant-Knox, and I have as my gues
etc, etc." To be sure, she had walked of
o a little distance with the deck-stewardwhere our chairs were, and I might hav
been mistaken; but two or three peopl
who were standing near looked suddenlvery hard at me, and I know I turne
scarlet with annoyance, to be labelled i
hat way, as if I were a parcel marked
"glass" and to be handled with care.
Afterwards, when I came to read th
passenger-list, I found that there wa
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her cousin being a dragon if she could.
By and by, somebody else would sail up
perhaps not half as nice to look at as th
one who had gone. But lo, Mrs
Stuyvesant-Knox would be suddenl
ransformed. She would smile, and holout her hand. To their "How do you do?
she would respond "How do you do?" an
hough I don't think she's really muc
nterested in anyone but herself, she woul
ask where they had been, what they ha
been doing, and how it happened the
were going back so soon. The next thing
she would say to me: "Betty, dear,
should like you and Mrs. or Mr. So-and
So to know each other, as I hope you'l
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people and preening herself to others.
"My deah," said Sally (I'm to call he
"Sally" now; it's been understood betwee
us for some time), "my deah, you're
poor, innocent child, and I reckon you'v
been brought up in darkness, without eveso much as hearing of the Four Hundred."
"What are the Four Hundred? Are they
kind of Light Brigade, like the Si
Hundred?" I asked. "Or is it a sort o
governing body likelike the Council o
Three?"
She laughed so much at this, with he
charming, velvety laugh, that I grew quit
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was being intelligent at last, for I'd hear
Stan say that, in America, the Republica
party was rather like our Conservatives
and the Democrats like the Liberals; an
'd remembered because I believe I shoul
be very much interested in politics if onl
understood more about them. But Sallseemed to think that question funny, too.
"They can be either, my poor lamb," sh
exclaimed; "and they can be almos
anything else they like, if only they're jus
awfully, dreadfully rich, and can manag
o scrape up a family crest. It used to b
he crest that counted, with the man wh
nvented the Four Hundred; but since hi
day, that idea has got buried under heap
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and heaps of gold, and pearls an
diamonds; especially pearls. In thos
places I was telling you about, you don
exist unless you're in the Four Hundred
which is now being sifted down to Two
Hundred, and will probably be Seventy
five in a year or two. You may have thebluest blood in America in your veins; yo
may be simplysmeared with ancestors
but if you haven't managed to pus
forward in a clever, indescribable way
neither they nor you will ever be noticed
and your grey hairs will go down to th
grave in the Wrong Set.Now do yo
understand why my cousin Katherin
makes narrow eyes for some people, an
broad smiles for others?"
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"Ye-es, I suppose I do," I answered
"Onlywe are quite different at home.
haven't been about at all yet, but I know
because some things are in the air. How
did Mrs. Stuyvesant-Knox ever have th
poor Wrong Setters for acquaintances
hough?"
"Because (she'd kill me if she heard this
she has only lately got into the Right Se
herself, and after trouble enough to give a
ordinary woman nervous prostration. Tha
kind of thing does give it to a lot o
womenespecially if they fail. Bu
Cousin Katherine very seldom fails. Sh
almost always carries things through. I
you knew anything about America i
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Four Hundred. She did it by buying
Russian Prince."
"Buyinga"
"Yes, love, he was going to the highes
bidder, and she bought him. That is, shentertained him so gorgeously and did s
many nice things for him, that he posed a
her property; and as everyone was dyin
o meet him, it made her. She'd bee
working killingly hard before that, for
whole year after taking her house on Fift
Avenue and building her cottage aewport, but it was buying the Princ
which did the trick. On the strength of tha
episode and its consequences, she went t
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Europe with very nice introductions, an
as you know, deah, she has made som
valuable as well as pleasant friends. To
ive up to them and her reputation, sh
will have to be busy for a while droppin
a lot of old acquaintances."
"How horrid!" I couldn't help exclaiming
hough Mrs. Ess Kay was going to be m
hostess.
"Yes, it seems rather miserable to me
because I'm a weak, lazy, Southern thing
who would be right down sick, if I had thurt any human being's feelings. Ye
perhaps it looks fair to her. She's so
ambitious, and she's worked so hard, sh
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hasdeserved to succeed. As for poor me
she just regularly mesmerises me al
hrough. She mesmerised me into comin
up from Kentucky and visiting her thi
spring; then she mesmerised me into goin
with her to Europe. But I'm not sorry
went, for I've had a rightgood time."
"I'm so glad you went," said I, "because i
you hadn't I shouldn't have met you. I'
sure I should love Kentucky if all th
people there are like you. But these thing
you've been saying seem so odd. Do yo
mean to tell me that the people who lea
Society in New York want to keep their
set limited to a certain number, and refus
o know others, even if they'r
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extraordinarily clever and interesting?
"They don't like them to be too clever
because they call such people 'queer'
hat is, unless they happen to be 'lions' o
some sort from England or other place
abroad. Then, so long as they're nomerican, they welcome them with ope
arms."
"I'm glad Society isn't like that i
England," I said. "There the realpeople
he people who have the right to mak
social laws, you knoware delightewith anyone who can amuse them. O
course, deep down in our hearts, we ma
be proud if we have old names, whic
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he first menu I saw surprised me so much
hat I couldn't believe they really had an
could produce all those things if anybod
was inconsiderate enough to ask for them
hardly supposed there were so man
hings to eat in the world. But the captai
heard me exclaiming to Sally, so hsmiled, and told me to test the menu b
ordering a bit of everything on it; he'
guarantee that nothing would be misse
out. This was at breakfast the second day
and when he saw that I ate several dea
ittle round things, shaped like cream
coloured doyleys, which are calle
pancakes (though they aren't a bit lik
ours) with some perfectly divine stuf
named maple syrup, he said my takin
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such a fancy to American products was
sign that I should marry an American
What nonsense! As if I would dream o
marrying, especially a foreigner. But fo
all that, pancakes and maple syrup ar
delicious. I've had them every day sinc
for breakfast, after finishing a great orangfour times the natural size, which isn
reallyan orange, because it's a grape fruit
You have it on your plate cut in two
halves, with ice in each, and you scoop
he inside out of a lot of tiny pockets, wit
a teaspoon. You think when you first see
t, that you can't eat more than half; bu
nstead, you eat every bit, and sometime
f the morning is hot, you even wish yo
could have more; though of course yo
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"Yes, do come, Lady Betty," repeated
Mrs. Van der Windt; whereupon I obeyed
ittle knowing what I was laying up fo
myself.
Our deck is amidships. Aft, on a leve
with ours, is the second-class deck; anfor'rard, down below, like looking into
pit, is the steerage. We walked to the rail
over which quite a number of men wer
eaning, to see what was going on, an
several moved aside to give us room.
didn't like to take their places away
especially as they were laughing an
enjoying themselves, and I could hear th
sound of dance music coming up fro
below (such odd-sounding music!), bu
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crowd was collected round two smal
squares, which they purposely left open
Besides those little squares, every inc
was occupied. There wouldn't have bee
any more room for even a baby to si
down than there was in the Black Hole o
Calcutta. In the crowd were old menyoung men and boys, all poorly dressed
and old women, young women and girls
big and little. They wore crude, vivi
colours, and more than half of them ha
bright handkerchiefs tied over their heads
They scarcely took any notice of the first
class passengers staring dow
superciliously or pityingly at their poo
amusements; they were far too muc
absorbed in the dancing which was goin
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on busilyI can't say gailyin the tw
hollow squares. In one of these an elderly
pinched little man who looked almos
half-witted, was monotonously scraping
battered fiddle, for two solemn couples t
dance round and round, always on th
same axis. But the other "dancing salonwas more lively. There a man dressed lik
a buffoon, with a tall hat, a lobster claw
for a nose, a uniform with big red flanne
epaulettes and pasteboard buttons covere
with gold paper, was pretending to
conduct the band. And what a band it was
t consisted of four sailors, rather sheep
faced and self-conscious. One musica
nstrument was a wooden box rigged up
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with strings and a long handle; anothe
was formed from a couple of huge soup
spoons tied together, on which the playe
beat rhythmically with a smaller spoon
he third was a poker, dangling from
string, banged heartily with an enormou
nail as it swung to and fro; the fourth waa queer, home-made drum, which looked
as if it had been made out of a woode
bandbox.
Somehow they contrived to coax ou
music of a sort, and a few young men an
girls were solemnly gyrating to it in a wa
o make you giddy even to watch. When
man thought he had had enough, or wante
o dance with another girl, he dropped hi
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had a few shillings with me, and I'd bee
so much amused that I felt like bein
generous. Luckily, Mother couldn't se
me, and scold! I took half a dozen coins
shillings and sixpencesand wrappin
hem hurriedly up in half the cover torn of
a magazine I was reading, I aimed thittle parcel to fall at the comi
conductor's feet.
Generally I can throw fairly straight, fo
Stan took some pains with that part of m
education when I was a small girl; but jus
at that instant someone standing next m
moved, knocked me on the elbow, and
spoilt my aim.
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nstead of falling in front of Mr. Lobster
Claw, the parcel hit the ear of a very tal
young man among the crowd below, who
had been standing with his back to me. H
urned quickly, not knowing what had
happened, glanced up and caught my eyes
as I was looking down quite distressed.
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guilty sort of thrill, as if I had no right t
be well-dressed and prosperous, staring a
him and his companions as though the
were a show which we others paid to se
daring to amuse ourselves with th
hard, strange conditions of their lives.
've heard Mother say that good blood i
sure to prove itself; that a gentleman can
ook like a common man, even in ragsStan disputes that theory with her, when h
sn't too lazy, and wants to bet he could so
disguise himself that she would take hi
for a green grocer or a fishmonger, who
have the air of being commoner than othe
men, I think--at least in our village a
Battlemead--because they wear fat tufts o
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at once they were grey because the ligh
struck into them) rimmed with blac
ashes, so long you couldn't help noticin
hem; black eyebrows and hair short an
sleek like Stan's, or any other well
groomed man one knows. Besides
commonness shows in people's mouthmore than anywhere else; it's hard t
define, but it's there; and this man's mout
s the best part of his face--unless it's th
chin; or perhaps the nose, I'm not quit
sure which, though I've thought a goo
deal about them all, because of th
mystery of finding such a man in such a
unsuitable place. It would be just the sam
f you saw a tall palm suddenly shootin
up in the kitchen-garden, and couldn't fin
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realise exactly what had happened, an
stooping down, he picked it up. Then h
raised his hand high, so that I could see h
had the crumpled ball of paper in it; an
edging his way determinedly but not at al
roughly, through the crowd, he opened th
parcel and gave the money to thconductor.
"What a splendid-looking man!" I said in
ow voice to Mrs. Ess Kay. "Isn't i
extraordinary that he should be in th
steerage?"
"Come away, my dear child," sh
answered. "I can't have you standing her
o be stared at by low creatures like that
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The fellow's not in the least splendid
ooking. He's only a big, hulking anima
Don't take to making up romances abou
he steerage passengers, my love. They'r
not worth bothering your little head about
because if they weren't born for that sor
of thing, they wouldn't be there, I assuryou."
didn't say anything more, though I wa
vexed with her, both for being so stupidl
conventional, and for speaking to me i
such a loud tone that she attracted people'
attention.
We went back to our deck-chairs, and
here was nothing to remind me of th
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are two nice American girls on board
about my own age or a little older (the
seemyears older, for they are so charmin
and self-possessed) and Mrs. Ess Ka
encourages me to like them, as they are i
Mrs. Van der Windt's party. I grew quite
well acquainted with them the third daout, and they asked me to go and watch th
people in the steerage, who had a littl
rick dog which was lots of fun. I went
and saw the bronze young man again. H
was standing with his arms folded acros
his blue-flannel-shirted chest, leanin
against one of the supports of a kind o
bridge, looking up towards the first-clas
deck. Our eyes met as they had before, an
was so absurd that I felt myself blushing
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could have boxed my own ears; an
hough the trained dog really was a pet,
didn't stay long.
t is strange how certain kinds of eye
haunt one. You, see them in the air, as i
hey were really looking at you-especially when you are just dropping of
o sleep. I think grey ones do this mor
han others. Perhaps it is because they ar
more piercing.
But it was on the fourth day that the clima
came,--the climax which has ended bupsetting me so much, and has mad
everything so uncomfortable.
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The weather was glorious--all blue an
gold after a sulky, leaden day--and ther
was dancing down on the steerage dec
again. Though it was so fine, the wate
was not smooth like a floor as it had bee
at first, but broken into indigo wave
ruffled irregularly with silver lace anedged with shimmering pearl fringe.
The same performance was going on
down there on the crowded deck, that I'
seen the first day, and Sally Woodburn
and I, who had been walking--counting th
imes we went round, to make two miles-
stopped to glance at the show.
"There's that good-looking man Cousi
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Katherine classifies as a hulking animal,
said Sally. "I must really consult th
dictionary for a definition of the wor
hulking.' I don't know whether it's a ver
or adjective, do you?"
"No, I don't," said I. "But whichever it is'm sure he doesn't or isn't. He's
gentleman, and something strange ha
happened or he wouldn't be there. I d
hink it's a shame. It must be horrible."
"Don't you think Cousin Katherine know
more about such persons than you?" askeSally, and there was such a funny quave
n her voice that I turned to see what i
meant. She was laughing, but whether a
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suffocation, that a tiny boy down below
who had climbed up on the rail to watc
he dancing, was missing.
t was a woman who had screamed, an
everything followed so quickly that m
mind was confused, as if a whirlwind harushed through it and blown all th
mpressions on top of one another, in
heap. There was a babel of voices on th
steerage deck, more cries, and shouts, an
screams, and people surged in a soli
wave toward the rail to look over. But ou
of that wave sprang one figure separatin
tself from the other atoms; and then
heard myself give a cry, too, for the ma
who had been in my thoughts had throw
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nstantly, with one wave of my hand.
But it was being stopped, by anothe
power than mine. I felt the deck shive
under my feet, like a thoroughbred horse
pulled on to his haunches. The acciden
had been seen from the bridge; an order tstop the ship had been telegraphed dow
o the engine-room, and obeyed. Stil
when Sally Woodburn and I had been
carried by the crowd far enough toward
he stern to look out over the blu
wilderness of water we were leavin
behind, the ship's heart hadn't ceased it
hrob, throb, to which we had all grown s
accustomed in the last few days.
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"He's got the child!" exclaimed Sally
"See, he's hauling the little creature on t
his back with one hand, and swimmin
with the other. Glorious fellow!"
Yes, there were the two heads bobbing
ike black corks in the tossing wavesclose together. I pictured so vividly wha
my sensations would be, if I were dow
here, a mere speck in that vast expanse o
blue, that I almost tasted salt water in m
mouth, and felt the choking tingle of it i
my lungs.
Then, suddenly the ship's heart ceased t
beat; and the unaccustomed stillness wa
as startling as an unexpected noise. A boa
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shot down from the davits, with severa
sailors on board; a few seconds later the
were rowing away towards those tw
bobbing black corks, and I loved them a
hey bent to their oars.
can't remember breathing once, or evewinking, until I saw the child being lifte
nto the boat, and the man climbing i
after. What a shout went up from the ship
Sally clapped her pretty, dimpled hands
but I only let my breath go at last, in
great sigh.
There was such a crush that I couldn't se
hem when they came on board, but ther
was more shouting and hurrahing, and me
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slapped each other on the shoulder an
aughed.
Throb, throb went the machinery again
and there was no sign that anything out o
he monotonous round had happened
except in the excited way that peoplalked. Several men we knew paid a visi
o the steerage, and came back wit
stories which flew about from group t
group in the first-class cabin, and no doub
he second too.
t seemed that the little boy who had fallento the sea was the only son of hi
mother, a widow. They were Swedes, and
he woman, who is on her way to th
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o be done to show him that the passenger
admire his bravery--not anythingfulsome
but something nice."
"I guess you don't know the America
disposition yet, as well as you will afte
you've wrestled with it on its native heatfor a few months," remarked Mr. Doremu
n his quaint way. "That chap down in th
steerage isan American, whatever else h
may be, or I'll eat my best hat; and
wouldn't for five cents be in the deputatio
o present him with the something 'no
fulsome but nice' on a little silver salver.
should expect him to give me the frost
mitt."
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"Very well, then, I will," said I. "Though
'd rather someone else did it."
"It wouldn't be so popular from any othe
quarter. I'll help you. We'll go floating
around together and pass the plate; and i
you like, I'll do the talking."
agreed to this, and if I'd thought about i
at all, I should have supposed that Mrs
Ess Kay would be as pleased as Punc
with such an arrangement, because Mr
Doremus, as a relative of Mrs. Van de
Windt's, is the only man on board to who
she makes herself agreeable. It appear
hat he has started several fashions in New
York, the most important being to drive in
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some park they have there, without a ha
But probably if the truth were known, h
ost it, like the fox that tried to make hi
friends chop off their tails.
Mrs. Ess Kay had gone to her stateroo
soon after lunch, as the motion of the shiphad given her a headache, and I didn
happen to be near Sally Woodburn; so
said "yes" to Mr. Doremus on the impuls
of the moment, without stopping to thin
whether I ought to ask permission first.
We had great fun going about, for MrDoremus was so witty and said suc
amusing things to the people he begged of
hat I could hardly speak for laughing, an
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everyone else laughed too. I wished tha
he wouldn't put me forward always, an
say it was my idea, and I had started th
subscription; but he argued that I mus
sacrifice myself for the success of th
Charity, just as I would at home, if I had t
work off damaged pincushions or dabefore yesterday's violets at a bazaar. O
course, not being out, I've never sol
anything at bazaars, but Victoria i
continually doing it in the Season, and sh
makes quite a virtue of forcing perfec
strangers to "stand and deliver," as sh
calls it. This seemed much the same sor
of thing to me, and so I felt nice an
virtuous, too, as Vic does when she come
home with a new frock torn and steppe
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on, and lies in bed late next day, wit
Thompson to brush her hair, and me to
read to her.
People were very kind, and though the
aughed a great deal, they gave so muc
hat before we'd been half the rounds, MrDoremus said we had more than enoug
for our friend. He wanted to know if
would like to "hit the nail on the head" an
settle matters at once, by arranging wit
he purser for a second-class cabin to b
put at the hero's disposal. I wanted him t
do that part alone, but he pretended to b
shy, and said he had grown to depend so
entirely on my co-operation, that he fel
unequal to undertaking any responsibilit
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without it. He told the same story to th
purser that he had told others, about m
being the one to start the subscription, an
he wanted me to sign a kind of lette
which he wrote, to the effect that th
passengers had chosen this way o
estifying their appreciation of a gallandeed, and so on; but I wouldn't, and h
stopped teasing at last, when he saw that
was going to be vexed.
After the business was what Mr. Doremu
called "fixed up," he took me back to m
chair on deck. Sally wasn't in her place
and as I was wondering what had becom
of her, the dressing-for-dinner bugle wen
wailing over the ship like a hungr
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describe as a "foreboding of disaster"; bu
when I have it, it's generally connecte
with a lecture from Mother, so I know i
only as a sneaky, "I haven't eaten th
cream" sort of feeling.
Just as I had begun to take off my frockLouise appeared at the door which lead
nto the little drawing-room. She said tha
f I pleased, Madame would be glad to se
me in her cabin. I hurried across to th
other state-room opposite ours, and ther
found Mrs. Ess Kay, in a gorgeousl
embroidered pink satin Japanese thing
which she calls a kimona. She was sittin
n a chair in front of the makeshif
dressing-table, putting on her rings, an
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o pour out my news.
"Never mind dinner, my dear girl,
replied Mrs. Ess Kay, with an air which
do believe she tried to copy from Mother
"What I have to say is more important tha
dinner. I hope what I have been hearinsn't true."
"That depends upon what it was,"
retorted, disguising my pertness with
smile.
"Don't think I've been tattling," said Sally"Whatever my faults may be,I haven't
Rubber Neck."
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didn't know in the least what she mean
but afterwards she explained that if you
neck is always pivoting round, to pry int
other people's affairs, it is a Rubber Neck
and I shall remember the expression to tel
Stan when I go home. He will like to ad
t to his collection of strange beasts.
Mrs. Ess Kay partly turned her back upo
Sally. "The dear Duchess" (she alway
speaks of Mother in that way,) "the dea
Duchess has entrusted you to my charge
Betty, and I don't know what I shall do i
you take advantage of me by playin
naughty tricks whenever I a
ncapacitated from chaperoning you fo
half an hour."
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One would have thought I was a traine
dog! I simply stared with saucer eyes, an
she went on. "Mrs. Collingwood came i
o enquire for my headache, and she tol
me that you have been running abou
begging for money to give to a commo
man in the steerage. I sent instantly foSally, but she either knows, or pretends to
know nothing."
rushed into explanations, sure that whe
Mrs. Ess Kay understood, I should b
pronounced "not guilty." But to m
surprise, her chin grew squarer an
squarer, and her eyes harder and lighter
ill they looked almost white.
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"I don't want to be harsh," she said at last
n the tone people use when they'r
walking on the ragged edge of thei
patience, "but for the Duchess's sake,
must befirm. It was very wrong o
Tommy Doremus to let you make yoursel
so conspicuous. This may lead to youbeing dreadfully misunderstood an
putting yourself and all of us in a fals
position. The man may be a butcher foall you know."
"His complexion isn't pink and whit
enough for a butcher's," said I. "Besides,
hought that in America one man was a
good as another."
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"You were never more mistaken in you
ife, my dear girl; and the sooner yo
correct such an impression the better, o
you may get into serious trouble fro
which I can't save you. If the steerage ma
sn't a butcher, he's probably
professional swimmer, and the wholhing was ascheme, to advertise himself
n fact, I am pretty certain from what Mrs
Collingwood said, it wasthat. And I wanyou to promise me solemnly that you wil
not go around helping to advertise th
creature any more. If you say you admir
such a person, people will think you'r
ike the Matine Girls, who wait at stag
doors and run after actors."
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"It's for you to say yes or no, Lady Betty,
announced Mr. Doremus, "because it'
your show; you set the top spinning."
"She is to have nothing more to do wit
he affair," Mrs. Ess Kay answered for m
quickly. "She is very sorry shcommenced it, and has lost the smal
nterest she felt in the beginning. I do hop
hat tramp, or beggar, or whatever he is
hasn't gotten it in his conceited head tha
Lady Betty Bulkeley has bothered hersel
about his insignificant affairs, or he'll b
hrusting himself upon her notice in som
way which will be very disagreeable fo
Me, as her guardian."
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"Well, he has sent a message of thanks to
everyone concerned," said Mr. Tommy
Doremus. "I don't know whether he pu
Lady Betty at the top of the list or not, an
f that's the way you feel about our nic
ittle stunt, I expect it's just as well not t
enquire further."
All the rest of the trip has been spoiled fo
me, by the hateful way in which th
excitement of that day ended, and it doe
seem too bad, for everything might hav
been so nice.
Whether people really do make ill-nature
okes or not, I don't know; but anyhow
Mrs. Ess Kay keeps hinting that they do
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which is almost as disagreeable for me
She says that they have nicknamed th
bronze man "Lady Betty's Hero"; and thi
has made me so self-conscious that I can
bear to go near the part of the deck wher
you look over into the steerage, for fea
some silly creatures may think I'm tryino see him. I feel as if I had been
conspicuous idiot, and I'm s
uncomfortable with Mrs. Ess Kay now
hat I expect to be wretched in her house.
can't talk it over even with Sally, because
after all, she's Mrs. Ess Kay's cousin.
wish I had a nose two inches long, an
green hair, and then perhaps Mother and
Vic would have let me stop at home.
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and almost cried about some money he'
ost. If I had been the first man, I wouldn
have trusted the other in the beginning
because he had fat lips, greasy blac
curls, and wicked eyes so close togethe
you felt they might run into one, if h
winked too hard on a hot day. But if I habeen so stupid as to trust him, I woul
have been ashamed to make a fus
afterwards. I think people ought to b
sporting.
liked the "Captain's dinner," too, i
honour of the last night on board, with th
flags and paper-flower decorations, th
band playing military music, the dishes o
he menu named after famous generals, an
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home, and I suppose they had gone awa
because they wanted to go. If they ha
iked, they could have stopped in thei
own country as well as not; and I hear
some of them saying during the voyage tha
f they could, they would spend nin
months out of the year in Paris; but themade as much fuss over the first lump o
sand we saw as if we were discoverin
he North Pole. Some of them had take
his trip a dozen times or maybe more, bu
anyone would have thought it was as new
o them as to me.
t seemed as if I were sailing, in a dream
o a dream land, and everything would b
a dream, till I found myself waking up a
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home. If anyone had pinched me, I hardl
believe I should have felt it, as I stood b
he rail, while we steamed towards New
York. We passed a big fort, and some nea
ittle houses, which looked like officers
quarters. There were Long Island an
Coney Island, which Mr. Doremus said must be "personally conducted" to see
some day when I felt young and frivolous
and by and by I heard people exclaimin
"There's Liberty--there she is! Bless th
dear old girl!"
While I was wondering whether they wer
alking of a lady, or a ship, I caught sigh
of a majestic giantess, obligingly holdin
a torch up to light the world. Then I knew
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t was the Statue which I had read about.
"What do you think of her?" asked Mr
Doremus.
"She's agrande dame," I said. "Now
know why your girls hold themselves swell. They're trying to live up to the Idea
American Woman. But she isn't as big as
hought she would be. Nothing ever is a
big as you think it's going to be, especiall
when Americans have told you about it
for one has been brought up to believe tha
heir big things are bigger than anybodelse's in the whole world."
"So they are," said Mr. Doremus, "onl
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where all the things are big, you don
notice them, for the high grass. And ove
here's some of the grass."
He pointed, and I saw a great number o
enormous objects, shaped like chimneys
and apparently about a mile highscattered aimlessly along the horizon
which was a brilliant, limpid blue.
"What are they?" I asked. "Great, strange
factories of some sort?"
"No. Houses where pretty women liveand offices where men make the money fo
hem to live on."
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"You must be joking. Women would be
afraid to perch up there in the sky
Besides, it would take too long to go up
and down."
"Nothing takes long in America. And i
comes natural to our women to perch uphigh. Statues aren't the only things we bu
pedestals for, this side of the porpoise
ank. You just wait and see."
"I don't need to wait to see that America
men are nice to women," said I; "perhap
no nicer than Englishmen, really, only yo
seem to take a great deal more trouble
Fancy all the men at Mrs. Van der Windt'
able drawing lots every night for the righ
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o sit by her and the two Miss Eastmans;
don't believe it would have occurred t
Englishmen. The ones who reallywante
o sit there, would have tried to get to thei
places first, that's all. I do think it wa
pretty of you."
"Wasn't it? especially supposing none o
us particularly wanted--but never mind
Talking of pretty things, here are the
docks."
They were big enough to satisfy even m
expectations, and I wished that I'd insisteon being taken by someone long ago, t
visit the London docks, so that I migh
know whether ours were better or worse
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One never thinks of going to see things a
home; but I began to suspect that I migh
some day be stabbed with jealous pang
and need to be stuffed with a lot of fact
about England--though until I knew
Americans I've been in the habit o
hinking facts the least interesting things ihe world. They seemed like chairs to si
on or floors to walk on without noticin
what you were doing; but I suppose i
might be awkward without chairs an
floors.
Soon we were near enough to New York
o see the tremendous chimney thing
clearly, and they sharpened the impressio
hat I was sailing straight into a dream
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There could be no such things in the rea
world; they wouldn't be possible. But th
dream felt very interesting and intense al
of a sudden, and I didn't want to wake up
from it just then, in spite of Mrs. Ess Kay.
The tall shapes were bright and vivinow, as giant hollyhocks growing i
rregular rows. Still, they did not look on
bit like houses, or offices where peopl
could work without going stark, starin
mad. I got a queer idea in my head that th
houses themselves must be buried dee
underground, like bulbs, with only thei
owers sticking up.
The next thing that happened in the dream
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was slowing majestically into our ow
dock, and that was wonderful. The whol
place was alive with faces, mostly prett
girls' faces, under fascinating hats, gay a
flowers in a flower-show; parterre abov
parterre of brilliant blossoms; and the
had all been grown in honour of us.
There was a wild waving o
handkerchiefs on the ship, and a franti
fluttering of white among the flowers, as i
a flock of butterflies had been frightene
up into the air. Still we were a long tim
getting in, and I grew quite impatient; bu
finally Louise, who had attended to m
packing, took charge of my handbag, m
sunshade and coat, with her mistress's an
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Miss Woodburn's things. The moment had
come to bid the ship good-bye.
"Now," said Mrs. Ess Kay, slipping he
arm into mine, "I wonder, dear child, i
you would mind being left alone to dea
with the custom-house people? You'dstand under your own letter 'B,' o
course."
"Oh, Katherine, do you think even Lette
B, which sounds so like a warning t
young men, a proper chaperon for
Duchess's daughter?" exclaimed SallWoodburn.
laughed, but Mrs. Ess Kay didn't. Sh
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evidently considers things connected wit
he American Custom House no fit subjec
for frivolity. She went on, withou
answering; "I'm under 'K,' and Sally 'W
We'll both have all we can attend to
wrestling with our own Fiends, an
Louise will be just as busy. But you're British subject, on a short visit to thi
country, and they won't be as diabolical to
you, dear. I did all the swearing necessar
for you in the saloon, with my own, whe
he tiresome man came on board, an
here's really nothing left for you to bothe
with on the dock, except to open you
boxes and say you have nothing t
declare."
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was glad that since profanity had bee
called for in the saloon, owing to th
iresomeness of a man, it had been Mrs
Ess Kay who was obliged to give vent t
t, not I; but I felt rather defrauded that
couldn't have heard, and I wondered if sh
had gone so far as to mention "damn." Alsaid out loud, however, was that I wa
sure I could manage very well in th
docks, and Mrs. Ess Kay appeared mucrelieved. "That's perfectly sweet of you
Betty," she said, launching a dagger
glance at poor, inoffensive Sally, for some
reason which I couldn't understand. "
hope you won't think I'm horrid not to hav
asked you to label your baggage 'K,' so i
could go with mine. It's better not, fo
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everyone concerned; I'll explai
afterwards why; and Louise shall take yo
o 'B.'"
Louise did take me to "B," which they ha
houghtfully printed very large and blac
on a wooden wall of the dock, in a rowwith all the other letters of the alphabet. A
good many people from the ship wer
collecting beneath theirs, as if they wer
animals getting ready to join th
procession for the ark, under the headin
of Cat or Elephant, as the case might be
and they all seemed worried an
apprehensive, as you do at the dentist's
even when you try to distract your mind b
ooking at the pictures inPunch.
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Louise put my bag on the wooden floor
and folded my coat on it. "Miladi will d
well to sit down," said she. "It may be tha
he baggage do not come immdiatement.
With this she bustled away to the Louis
rabbit warren, wherever it was, leavin
me to the tender mercies of fellow "B's,who began to swarm round me and buz
distractedly.
subsided on the bag, which was very lik
sitting on the floor; but it was stiflin
down there among people's feet; besides
mine soon got "pins and needles"; s
presently I popped up like a Jack out o
his Box, and almost knocked off a man'
nose with the crown of my hat.
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Bulkeley by strangers."
"It isn't my name," I said, more puzzle
han ever. I would have tried to b
dignified, as he was a perky-lookin
young man in an alpaca coat; but when yo
have just made a person's nose bleed wityour hat, it would seem unfeeling to be to
frigid,--though I believe an application o
ce is supposed to be beneficial.
"Shall I call you Lady Betty then?" aske
he man, patting his nose with hi
handkerchief, which luckily for my nervehad already a pattern of pink dots on it.
"I don't see why you should call m
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anything," said I.
With that, he produced a card, with
whole string of words printed on it, an
poked it under my eyes. "I was just goin
o introduce myself," he said. "I represen
The New York Flashlight, and I've beesent by my paper to get something fro
you, if you'll oblige me."
"Something from me?" I repeated
bewildered. "Is it anything to do with th
Customs? I've nothing to declare."
"Just tell me, please, something about you
family. Your brother's the Duke o
Stanforth, isn't he?" (He pronounced i
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"Excuse me. You're going to stay with
Mrs. Stuyvesant-Knox, I believe. Will yo
make a lengthy visit?"
"I don't"
"You must have met one or two of ousmartest young men on board. What d
you think of them as compared wit
Englishmen?"
Long before this I had made up my min
hat he couldn't have anything to do wit
he Customs, or if he did, that it was nwonder Mrs. Ess Kay had been driven t
swearing in the saloon. I was glad now
hat his nose was bleeding, and I turne
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my back upon him, because it was th
most emphatic gesture I could think of. Bu
as I faced round the other way, wonderin
f my luggage would ever come, anothe
man pushed through the "B's" who had go
heir boxes, and almost bounded into
foot of unoccupied space in front of me.
"Lady Bulkeley?" he shot at me, lik
history repeating itself; only h
pronounced me as if my name wer
founded on my size and weight.
This time I didn't answer. I simply stoodat bay, and stared, trying to look as muc
ike Mother as possible. But the new ma
didn't seem to mind this in the least, s
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apparently my effort was not a success.
"I 'm The Evening Bat," he remarke
hurriedly, with an air of valuing his tim
at so much a second.
was sorry he was a bat, for I've alwaybeen fond of bats, they are such soft, grey
velvet things; and I should have liked t
ell him that he was much more like
chicken hawk, only that would have bee
vulgar; and, besides, I didn't intend t
pose as chicken to his hawk. By way o
not letting myself be gobbled up, remained silent; but I couldn't help startin
when a voice behind me exclaimed: "Ah
here, my chappie. You're welcome to the
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milk. I've skimmed off the cream. Ta, ta."
t was theFlashlight flashing at th
vening Bat.
The creature was not blinded, however
He seemed difficult to disconcert. Thonly response he made was to grin, an
push his hat a little farther back on hi
head. An inch more, and it must have slid
down over his collar--which was so low
n the neck in front that it gave me th
creeps.
"There's plenty of milk and roses, too,
guess," said he, staring in such a way that
blushed, and was vexed with myself fo
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blushing. I peered anxiously about, hopin
o see a face I knew, even ever so slightly
which might be summoned to the rescue
But all the "B's" were passionatel
minding their own business, and while
was wishing that Mr. Doremus began wit
a "B" instead of a "D," I caught the eyes oa man looking straight at me. The ver
nicest eyes, and with an expression i
hem that filled me with joy!
They said: "Do let me come and get rid o
hat fellow for you," and mine said: "Yes
yes--yes. Please come at once."
So the Eyes came, without waiting fo
more; and it was the Hero of the steerag
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who brought them. That was the reason I'
elegraphed "yes, yes"; for I thought: "H
saved a little boy, why shouldn't I trus
him, without an introduction, to save me?"
"Look here," said the bronze man to th
vening Bat, "I've got just five minutes tspare. You can have them if you like."
TheEvening Batlooked at him, crossly a
first; then his sharp little face seeme
urning into a point of admiration. "B
Jehosaphat!" he ejaculated. "Home-mad
goods will get the preference over Britishis time, duty or noduty."
couldn't think what either of them mean
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hough at first I was afraid my ma
ntended the other to understand that th
five minutes would be devoted t
knocking him down, or something els
violent, as a punishment for impertinenc
o a defenceless foreigner. But my mind
was almost instantly relieved, for the twmen walked off together quite amicably
and stood talking at a distance.
A moment later, one of my boxes went by
ooking very fat and friendly, on th
shoulders of a porter, who apparently had
no head. I rushed out, and seized it--no
he head, but the box; so there wa
something encouraging; but I had tw
pieces of luggage to wait for still.
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Most of the other "B's" were mor
fortunate about getting their things
nevertheless, they seemed far from easy i
heir minds, and though they proteste
almost tearfully that they'd nothin
whatever to declare, stern persons i
uniform stirred up their boxes as I used tdo with the nursery pudding, when all th
plums had sunk to the bottom.
was very tired and very hot, hotter tha
'd supposed people could be, except in
Turkish bath; and I was beginning to b
hungry too, for I'd lunched principally of
he Statue of Liberty and Sky-scrapers
which were more filling than lasting, as
meal.
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fanned myself with my handkerchief a
well as I could, and felt sure I was slowl
getting appendicitis; because wheneve
Americans feel uncomfortable in any way
t seems almost certain to turn eventuall
nto that, probably on account of th
climate. Would my other boxes nevecome? I thought. Most of the "B's" wer
going home. They had homes, luck
people, and if they liked, they coulpresently have tea.
"World without tea,
Ah me!"
When I was small, and my nurse talked o
Sundays about heaven and hell, making th
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one sound incredibly dull, the othe
ncredibly painful, I used to think that I'
rather go to neither, but just be stuffed
ike Mother's Blenheim, Beau Brumme
whose soul I fancied had leave to stop i
his body so long as moth and rust did no
corrupt. He seemed rather out of thingshough, poor dear, standing forever in th
same position in a glass case, with on
paw up begging for something whic
nobody gave, while the years dragged on
and I'd begun to feel as if I were fallin
nto his state, when I was roused from
stupid dream by the man of the steerag
suddenly looming over me.
"I beg your pardon," said he, taking off hi
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hat, and speaking in a nice America
voice, as nice for a man as Sall
Woodburn's is for a woman. "Please don
suppose I mean to be rude or intrusive, bu
wanted to tell you that I think you won
be annoyed again; and--just one thin
more. May I thank you for your goodneson shipboard? It brightened what woul
otherwise have been a grim experience."
Blind Mrs. Ess Kay to pronounce this ma
not a gentleman, just because some strang
circumstances had forced him to travel i
he steerage! I did wish that, without hi
knowing it, I could have slipped into hi
pocket my thirty pounds!
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"Oh, I did nothing," I answered. "It wa
he other people who did everything--th
ittle that was done. It's I who have t
hank you, for taking that person away. H
and the other, who came just before, wer
so rude."
"They didn't mean to be rude," he said
"They wanted you to tell them somethin
which they could put into their papers, an
hey live by doing that kind of thing. I di
he best I could with them, but I wish
could have saved you from being annoye
n the beginning. I hesitated at first, fo
fear you might misunderstand, and thin
me as bad as they were; but I wish I hadn
now."
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"After what I saw you do, at sea, I couldn
possibly have misunderstood," I said.
"Thank you for saying that," he returned
"though for what I did then, I don't deserv
any praise. It was done on the impulse
and I'm used to salt water. As a child, ived close to it for a time, in California
and swimming came almost as natural a
walking. But I'm not here to talk abou
myself. It was only to tell you how
grateful I was, and am, and shall continu
o be, for your kindness on the ship.
couldn't go without speaking of this; an
here's something now I'd like to ask. You
won't be offended?"
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"If it's something you want to tell me,
know it isn't the sort of thing which coul
offend," I said; but I didn't say it as calml
as it looks when written. I stammered
ittle, and got the words tangled up; and
felt my face growing hotter than ever.
"I thank you again. It's only this. If, whil
you're over on this side the water, there'
ever any way in which a man--a ma
who'd be as respectful as your footman
and loyal as your friend--could possibl
serve you--I wish you would let me b
hat man. I know it seems now as if such
hing couldn't happen; but nothing's quit
mpossible in this queer world, and--an
anyhow I shall always be ready. You
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could trust me"
"I know that!" I couldn't resist breaking in
"I'm--employed for the present at a club i
ew York. If you'd send word to Jim
Brett, at the Manhattan Club, there'nothing under the sun that Jim Bre
wouldn't do for you, from finding a los
dog, to taking a message across th
world."
"First I must catch my dog before I ca
ose him," I answered, laughing. "But if do, or--or there's anything else, I shan
forget."
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"That's a true promise, then; and I have t
hank you for the third time. Now, I'm no
going to trouble you any longer. Good
bye."
Without stopping to think who he was, o
who I was, I held out my hand, and higood-looking brown face grew red. H
ook the hand, pressed it hard, once
dropped it abruptly; turned on his heel an
walked away, without looking back.
was so interested in going over th
conversation in my mind, that I forgot t
feel like Beau Brummel with one paw u
n his glass case; and though I daresay te
minutes had passed, it hardly seemed two
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when a wonderful little black image in th
shape of a boy came sidling up to me, al
rolling white eyes, and red grin, like
nice Newfoundland puppy. He had som
newspapers tucked under his arm, but i
his hand was a small basket of peache
almost too beautiful to be real. But thenweren't they--and wasn't he--part of m
dream?
He grinned so much more that I was afrai
his round black face would break into tw
separate halves, and looking at me wit
his woolly head on one side, he thrust ou
he basket.
"Fur you, missy," said he, with a funn
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ittle accent, for all the world like Sall
Woodburn's.
"They can't be for me. There must be
mistake," said I, wishing there wasn't, fo
he peaches did look delicious; and ther
were two rosebuds lying on top of thbasket; one pink, the other white. "I don
know anyone who could have sent them."
"The gent knows you, you bet, missy,
replied the image. "He guv me a quarte
and axed if I know'd my alphabet 'nuf t
find letter 'B,' an' tote dese yere to thprettiest young lady I'd ever seed. Mos
wite ladies, dey looks all jes' alike, to me
but you's different, missy; an' I reckon d
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ings must be fur you."
had a horrible vision of this complimen
proceeding from The Flashlight or Th
vening Bat. "What was the gentlema
ike?" I asked.
"Like mos' any gent, missy, 'cept that h
was powerful tall, an' I reckon if he keep
right on like he's doin' now, he'll get mos
as brown as me some day."
Then I knew that I was safe in taking th
present; so I did, and gave the comicablack image two or three little roun
white metal things I'd got from the purse
when I changed some English money.
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didn't know how much they were, and the
ooked ridiculously small, but he seeme
pleased.
When he had run off, I turned my attentio
o the peaches. They were so big that ther
was room only for four in the basket, anhey seemed dreadfully patheti
considering from whom they had come.
That poor fellow must be almost penniles
or he wouldn't have been in the steerage
yet he had bought peaches for me, an
given a "quarter"--whatever that was--this quaint black doll of a messenger.
could have cried; nevertheless, I ate tw
of the peaches, and reluctantly presente
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he other two, which I couldn't possibl
eat, to a gloomy "B" child, sitting on
shawl-strap.
As if for a reward of virtue, just as I ha
disposed of my leavings, and stuck th
roses into my belt, the last of the luggagarrived. There were two Custom Hous
men near to choose from, and as I'v
heard, in choosing between two evils it'
better to choose the less, I smile
beseechingly at the smaller man who ha
ust crammed a pile of lace blouses int
he box of a lady with nervous prostration
Whether he was sated with cruelty, o
whether he was naturally of an angeli
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disposition, I shall probably never know
now; but the fact remains that, instead o
urning out the Fiend I'd been led t
expect, he was one of the most considerat
men I've ever met. He wouldn't even le
me unlock my own boxes, but took th
keys and opened them for me himselfDidn't an executioner braid the hair o
some queen whose head he was going t
chop off? I must look the incident up
when I have time.) Anyway, I thought of i
when the Custom House man was being s
polite; but the analogy didn't go an
farther, for my head never came off at all
and two of the boxes remained unopened.
"You're English, aren't you?" he asked
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and when I said yes, and that I was