Read Online Jalna: Books 1-4: The Building of Jalna / Morning at Jalna / Mary Wakefield / Young Renny by Mazo de la Roche - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mazo de la Roche
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innocent and Conway is not. He could tell those boys at the English school a thing or two.”
Adeline bent her brows in a sombre line. “I shall tell Mary’s mother,” she said, “to keep her away from that rascal.”
“Well, if the ship is going down, Adeline, they might as well be enjoying themselves.”
“The ship is not going down!”
The door opened and Conway, clinging to it, looked in. He said: —
“Philip has gone to your cabin. He’s as wet as a rat.”
“Con — come in and shut tht door!” He did and stood pale and smiling before her.
“Now,” she said, “no more hanky-panky with Mary Cameron! If I hear of it I shall tell Philip and he’ll give you a shaking to make your teeth rattle. Oh, you ought to be ashamed of yourself — making love to a child!”
“What has that little twister been telling you?” he demanded, his cold eyes on his brother.
Sholto began to shiver as fear produced a fresh wave of seasickness.
“I did not need to hear it from him,” said Adeline. “She told me herself that she’d just discovered she was pretty and I’ve been watching you. Now, I say no more of it!”
He tried to open the door and bow her out with a grand supercilious air but a sudden roll of the ship flung them staggering together. They clung so a moment and then she said, holding him close: —
“You will be good, won’t you, Con, dear?”
“Yes — I promise you.”
He saw her out, then, bending over his brother, he gave him half a dozen thumps, each one harder than the one before. Miraculously those, instead of bringing his sickness back, seemed to do him good for in half an hour they were on deck together, watching the sailors raising what canvas they dared, and feeling new hope as the sun came out brightly and the foam-crowned waves harassed the ship less cruelly. When they saw Mary they looked the other way. She, on her part, seemed occupied by her own thoughts. Her mother kept her at her side. Mrs. Cameron’s intense spirit went out in a fierce strengthening of the ship so that, made inviolate by her spiritual aid, it might reach land and set Mary’s feet in safety there.
Adeline found Philip standing in the middle of their cabin waiting for her. His clothes were wet and crumpled, his fair hair plastered in a fringe on his forehead. He looked so ridiculous thatshe would have laughed but she saw the frown on his face. He asked curtly: —
“Why did you send for me?”
“I was anxious about you.”
“I’ve been standing here waiting for you.”
“Only a few moments! I have been with Sholto. He’s sick.”
“So is everyone. I brought up my own breakfast. What do you want of me?”
“I want you to change into dry things.”
He turned toward the door. “If that is all —”
She caught his arm. “Philip, you are not to go! You’ll get your death!”
“I should make a poor soldier if this would kill me.”
“But what can you do?”
“For one thing, I can put some courage and order into the steerage passengers. They are on the verge of panic. As for you, you might tidy up this cabin. It’s vile.”
“What do you expect!” she cried. “I have a sick baby! I have an ayah who is half-dead! I have Mrs. Cameron to visit! I have my young brother to look after! I worry myself ill about you. The stewardess is useless except to gossip. The ship is leaking! And you ask me to tidy up the cabin!”
In a fury she began to snatch up garments and to thrust them into boxes or on pegs.
“I didn’t ask you to get in a temper,” he said.
“Oh, no, I’m not to get in a temper! I’m to keep perfectly calm! And as neat as a pin!”
“Then why don’t you?”
Before she could answer, the parrot, which had been sitting muffled on the top of his swaying cage, uttered a scream of the purest excitement as he became conscious of Adeline’s agitation, and flew violently about the cabin. The disturbance caused by his wings was startling to nerves already tense. He came to
Adeline bent her brows in a sombre line. “I shall tell Mary’s mother,” she said, “to keep her away from that rascal.”
“Well, if the ship is going down, Adeline, they might as well be enjoying themselves.”
“The ship is not going down!”
The door opened and Conway, clinging to it, looked in. He said: —
“Philip has gone to your cabin. He’s as wet as a rat.”
“Con — come in and shut tht door!” He did and stood pale and smiling before her.
“Now,” she said, “no more hanky-panky with Mary Cameron! If I hear of it I shall tell Philip and he’ll give you a shaking to make your teeth rattle. Oh, you ought to be ashamed of yourself — making love to a child!”
“What has that little twister been telling you?” he demanded, his cold eyes on his brother.
Sholto began to shiver as fear produced a fresh wave of seasickness.
“I did not need to hear it from him,” said Adeline. “She told me herself that she’d just discovered she was pretty and I’ve been watching you. Now, I say no more of it!”
He tried to open the door and bow her out with a grand supercilious air but a sudden roll of the ship flung them staggering together. They clung so a moment and then she said, holding him close: —
“You will be good, won’t you, Con, dear?”
“Yes — I promise you.”
He saw her out, then, bending over his brother, he gave him half a dozen thumps, each one harder than the one before. Miraculously those, instead of bringing his sickness back, seemed to do him good for in half an hour they were on deck together, watching the sailors raising what canvas they dared, and feeling new hope as the sun came out brightly and the foam-crowned waves harassed the ship less cruelly. When they saw Mary they looked the other way. She, on her part, seemed occupied by her own thoughts. Her mother kept her at her side. Mrs. Cameron’s intense spirit went out in a fierce strengthening of the ship so that, made inviolate by her spiritual aid, it might reach land and set Mary’s feet in safety there.
Adeline found Philip standing in the middle of their cabin waiting for her. His clothes were wet and crumpled, his fair hair plastered in a fringe on his forehead. He looked so ridiculous thatshe would have laughed but she saw the frown on his face. He asked curtly: —
“Why did you send for me?”
“I was anxious about you.”
“I’ve been standing here waiting for you.”
“Only a few moments! I have been with Sholto. He’s sick.”
“So is everyone. I brought up my own breakfast. What do you want of me?”
“I want you to change into dry things.”
He turned toward the door. “If that is all —”
She caught his arm. “Philip, you are not to go! You’ll get your death!”
“I should make a poor soldier if this would kill me.”
“But what can you do?”
“For one thing, I can put some courage and order into the steerage passengers. They are on the verge of panic. As for you, you might tidy up this cabin. It’s vile.”
“What do you expect!” she cried. “I have a sick baby! I have an ayah who is half-dead! I have Mrs. Cameron to visit! I have my young brother to look after! I worry myself ill about you. The stewardess is useless except to gossip. The ship is leaking! And you ask me to tidy up the cabin!”
In a fury she began to snatch up garments and to thrust them into boxes or on pegs.
“I didn’t ask you to get in a temper,” he said.
“Oh, no, I’m not to get in a temper! I’m to keep perfectly calm! And as neat as a pin!”
“Then why don’t you?”
Before she could answer, the parrot, which had been sitting muffled on the top of his swaying cage, uttered a scream of the purest excitement as he became conscious of Adeline’s agitation, and flew violently about the cabin. The disturbance caused by his wings was startling to nerves already tense. He came to
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