Evening star., 1925-07-12

were so coZy. they were SO complete:
the most homelike thing she had ever
seen. There was the saloon, or draw
ing room, and there were a large
double sleeping cabin and a small
single one; also there was a tiny bath.
room. The multiplicity of cupboards
and drawers delighted her: only in
Utopia could she have imagined there
was electric light. And there were
electric bells.
Indeed, life on the Yacht might he
described as playing at perfect house
keeping. Everything had a place. and
everything had to be in its rlaCe;
and every place was full-eXcept the
drawers and the mirrored s,drobe
reserved for the use of ;ha mistress
OF the floating home. In the pantry
every cup was on a hook; every wine
glass was lightly wedged in fitting
so that it could not dash itself against
another wine glass; and the same
with saucers and plates. One sur
missed that even if the yacht were to
turn upside down nothing would
break
Ihe dlnEer was very sound. 1t was
strictly p.Gin-oxtail soup (tinned).
herring, roast mutton. potatoes, rice
pudding-but it was sound. Alice ad-
mitted that Pete, for all his defects,
could not merely cook meat well-he
could buy good meat.
But she pointed out to Jim that
Pete did not know how to Law the
table properly-the fellow had put the
hsh knife and fork within the meat
knlfe and tork-and al Jim's sugges-
tlon she pointed out the sad RELAPSE
TO Pete personally. with a bright
smile. Pete received the correction
with a tranquility too perfect indicat.
ing by his nonchalant demea nor that
II II pleased madam TO have the meat
knire and fork within the ish knife
and fork he had no objection TO oblis-
ing her. but that for himself his soul
was above trifes.
Pete had been Jim's batman for
nearly three wears in the war, ana
Jim spoke with quite enthusiasm of
his qualities. Alice, however, did not
quite see what that had to do with
the knife-and-fork question.
IHEY went on deck. The Yacht
was now AT anchor in another
estuary. whose quiet waters were full
or phosphorescence. A dinghy NOV
ing toward another Yacht close bv
threw up marvellous silver fireworks
at every stroke of the oars. The night
was OBSCURE and warm and incredible
A radiance came from the saloon sky.
light: and a brighter radiance. shsrn
iN rectangular, from the open hatch
OF the forecastle. The crew -four hui
man beingsl could be heard talking in
the depths of the forecs stIe. The old
skipper appeared and Jim addressed
MIN as Skipper" with affectionate
respect. though he was nausht but
hsherman in Winter and spoke with
terrific Essex accent.
The skipper disappeared When
next Alice glanced round there was no
radiance. and no sound. from the
forecastle. The crew had gone 10 bed
She and Jim were alone in the vast
and miraculous world. enveloped by
the poetry of water and sky
Nevertheless the next morning. in
the double cabin. when she awoke
very early in the twilight. that singu.
lar young woman was not utterly
happy That is TO say, she was
utterly happy, but at the me time
she was unhappy-her heart being a
huge place where all kinds of contra.
dtctory emotions could roam in com.
fort without interfering with each
other.
The floating home, then. had al
ACooN DcS 10 junction very per
tectly for the day. 1t was precisely
the perfect functioning Of the organ.
ism that upset her. Every con.
trivance in it was mans con
trivance. Woman had had naught to
do with its excellence. 1t would func-
ton with the same perfection whether
she happened to be there or not
1t was orderly: it was comfortable: it
was luxurious, and men had accom-
plished it and were maintaining it all
by themselves. And the five males
appeared TO have an understa nding
themselves. as IL they be
longed 10 secret monastic or Ma
sonic order. She was side the
understanding. She was A woman.
ornamental. no doubt but unneces.
Sary. Well. she resented this in her
great happiness. And she petted
Fiji. who was curled within her arm
and Fifi resented il also.
60 that the next afternoon Alice had
- headache. 1t was a genuine
headache, of which the symptoms
were genuine pain in the forehead
and general sense of impending
calamity. Considering a headache to
be the proper thing al this juncture,
she had desired to have it. But she
gave nerSell uD TO uDndpDlneSS be
cause she felt herself unnecessary to
headache. and she had a headache: for
she was a capable and thoroughly eff
cient woman. Hence, with F'ifi, she
went and lay down in her bunk in the
big cabin. and parted with Jim a the
doorway thereof telling him that she
did not want him to tuck her up.
She noticed that the general sense Of
impending calamity had already af
feCted Jim's gaze. and she resented
that. What justification had Jim to
a ssume that all was not for The best
on board an ideal yacht. seeing that
her behavior toward him had been
He had no justification.
Therefore he was in the wrong
In her happiness she gave herself
up to unha appiness. And vet her sec
ond maria get must he deemed her