To Journey Together Read Online Free PDF Page A

their leisurely dinner and their eyeing newspapers, Sir Daniel took out his watch and said, "We shall be in in about five minutes. There are the harbour lights now."
    She gazed eagerly from the windows, and through the dark of the late winter evening she saw lines of distant lights strung out at intervals, and once, where they clustered together to give concentrated light, the outlines of a two-funnelled steamer.
    Everything was new and thrilling. Even though everyone else shivered when they stepped out of the cosy warmth of the train into the dank chill of Harwich station, Elinor hardly noticed the cold.
    The quick passage through the Customs was a novelty rather than a nuisance, and when an official said, "There's your boarding card," and thrust a card into her hand, she looked at it as though it were a ticket to Fairyland.
    It was only a short distance from the Customs shed to the boat, but Elinor stumbled twice, because she could not look where she was going—only at the big white ship that loomed ahead.
    "Careful." It was Kenneth Brownlow who suddenly took her by the arm. "There are always chains and cables and goodness knows what lying about here."
    "I—I'm all right, thank you," she assured him. But he kept his hand lightly round her arm until they reached the foot of the gangway which led on to the ship.
    As Elinor stepped on board she became aware of an immense degree of efficiency and cleanliness all round her. The paint could hardly have been whiter, or the brass brighter, or the directions more explicit.
     
    In no time she was being ushered into her small, bright cabin by a brisk stewardess, who checked her ticket, told her when she would be called in the morning, and even, as though she were a child, added firmly, "I expect you'll want to go right to bed. It's a short night."
    But Elinor—also responding like a child—had no intention of being hustled off early to bed when there were other, more interesting matters afoot. First she examined her cabin, delighting in her brassbound porthole, the little light over one corner of her bunk in case she wanted to read, the washbasin which really supplied hot water from the tap which said it would, and all the other neat amenities.
    Then, having tested all these, she went along to her employers' cabin, to see if Lady Connelton required her for anything.
    But Lady Connelton seemed to be more of the stewardess's way of thinking.
    "No, thank you, dear. We shall go straight to bed and get what sleep we can. They'll be waking us about five-thirty, I suppose. But if you want to have a look round, you'll find Ken somewhere about. I'm sure he will look after you and show you anything you want to see."
    Elinor thanked her and said good night. But she decided to avoid Kenneth Brownlow. She could not quite forget what he had said about "nice, quiet little things being boring if one had to see too much of them." On one thing she was determined; he should not have an opportunity of being bored with her.
    It was easy enough to find her way on deck, and, with several other people, she stood at the rail, watching the last of the freight being lowered into the hold. It was a fascinating sight, the cranes lifting the great bales of merchandise, the cars and the heavy luggage, swinging them high overhead and then lowering them far down into the bowels of the ship.
    Brilliant lights shone on the scene, illuminating it like a stage "set," and the shouted directions and the rattle of chains running over winches added their exciting overtones. Elinor became completely un-
     
    aware of who was coming and going around her, and she started quite violently when an already familiar voice said beside her, "I thought you had gone to bed."
    "Oh—oh, no. I felt I couldn't go while there was still anything to see. This is my first sea voyage."
    "Is that so?" Something almost like indulgence sounded in his voice for a moment. "Well, there isn't much left to put on board now. We should be leaving in