Page:Guy Boothby--A Bid for Fortune.djvu/39

Rh that I was in love from the soles of my deck shoes to the cap upon my head. But as to the chance that I, a humble pearler, would stand with one of Sydney's wealthiest and most beautiful daughters why that's another matter, and one that, for the present, I was anxious to keep behind me.

Within the week we had left Adelaide behind us, and four days later Albany was also a thing of the past. By the time we had cleared the Lewin we had all settled down to our life aboard ship, the bad sailors were beginning to appear on deck again, and the medium voyagers to make various excuses for their absences from meals. It was plainly evident that Miss Wetherell was the belle of the ship. Everybody paid her attention from the skipper downwards. And this being so, I prudently kept out of the way myself, for I had no desire to be thought to presume on our previous acquaintance. Whether she noticed this I cannot say, but at any rate her manner to me when we did speak was more cordial than I had any right or reason to expect. Seeing this, there were not wanting people on board who scoffed and sneered at the idea of the Colonial Secretary's daughter noticing so humble a person as myself, and when it became known what my exact social position was, I promise you these malicious whisperings did not cease.

One evening, two or three days after we had left Colombo behind us, I was standing at the rails on the promenade deck a little abaft the smoking-room entrance, when Miss Wetherell came up and took her place beside me. She looked very dainty and sweet in her evening dress, and I felt, if I had known her better, I should have liked to have told her so.

"Mr. Hatteras," said she, when we had discussed