Evening star., 1925-07-12
By arnold Bennett


And at the same time the shippers
voice was heard on deck:
Let out a couple o fathoms more
chain Charlie.
A LICE grasped the great truth that
n If she could hear the skipper, the
skipper and crew could hear her. and
the still greater truth that voice
raising in anger was impossible on
that yacht without open scandal. She
would have given about 10 pounds for
the privilege of one unrestrained
scream.
Jim whispered uncompromisingly
Peter certainly isn't fool. Also,
he's particular friend of mine
An awful silence descended upon the
yacht, and in the silence the yachts
clock, placed over the saloon stairs.
could be heard ticking with uncanny
loudness. In the late afternoon and
early evening Alice ranged about the
vessel. chewing the cud of the discov-
cry that there was no real privacy
aboard. There was privacy from eyes,
and plenty of it, but there was abso-
lutely no privacy from ears II you
raised your tone beyond a certain de-
gree. And Alice wanted to raise her
tone beyond a certain degree. She
wanted TO do that more than /she
wanted 10 do anything else, in the
world. She examined the dispositions
of the yacht again and again with no
satisfactory result. 1t was full of Sc
cret compartments, but IL held no com
partment in which a grand quarrel,
row and upset could be comfortably
conducted according to the rules of
such encounters. AS a honeymoon re-
sort the yacht was merely absurd.
Alice did not reflect upon the dan
gerous folly and the bad form and the
gross inefficiency of aking scene
on the third day OF your second honey
moon. She did not even reflect that
man is held 10 be q reasoning animal.
She reflected simply and exclusively
upon her predicament, which was
surely the most singular predicament
that a. bride had ever found herself
in. But she did not disclose her
thoughts. Night fell and red eye
shone forth from the land. She learned
that 1t indicated a jetty on an island
which was devoted to the reclamation
of habitual drunkards.
Let's row ashore, shall we?" she
suggested persuasiVely.
But the islands private, you know"
aid Jim.
Here, referring TO the affair of the
propeller, she might have revolted and
said sngrily:
'Of course. you're against anything
want"
Many women in her place would
have said just that. But Alice was de-
termined 10 be efficient, and so she
said, with Increased persuasiveness:
Still. it would be bit of a lark,
wouldn't it,"
Jim gave the order to lower the
launch and they were taken ashore
M ha lot -.
an hour. Half an hour would have
suficed for Alice's purposes, but the
captain and two of the crew were also
in the launch and had to go down
river 10 fill six beakers with fresh
water from a well in the vicinity.
"Now," said Jim. shall we take
a stroll and look for reformed
drunkards?"
Il think well just stay where we
are" Alice answered. Il must have
an understanding with you"
She spoke firmly but quietly. The
desire to make a noise seemed TO have
left her. now that she was free TO
make noise without making sea n.
dal. Both inside and out she was the
self possessed woman again. the model
of efficiency and sagacity
Certainly, said Jim. Let's under
stand"
She was nettled because she thought
she detected irony in his powerful al
most brutal, masculine voice.
I've already told you that think
Peter ought to apologize 10 me. He
hasn't apologized to me. Quite the
contrary"
''Ah." Jim answered II knew that
was on your mind.N You're an Al
actress, but I'm an Al dra matte
critic" And he proceeded: And.
what's more. I've already told you that
Pete's friend of mine. and I don't
like to hear my wife call my friends
fools
F. She then burst out into one of the
most voluptuous Of hums passions
oVerrighteous indignation. She didn't
want any more to be self-possessed
efficient, sagacious,, nor to be an ex-
emplary wife, nor to teach a barbar ric
husband by the force of Christian ex-
ample, nor to do any of the things
that serious young wives very properly
want to do. She just wanted to let
herself go, and she did The mys-
terious and terrible potion had been
brewing for several hours. II now
boiled over, surging magnificently up
ward as geyser shoots out of the
ground. She was at last free of the
captivity of the Yacht.
That's just like you she cried
That's just like you. You're ready
to risk the whole of our married life
in order to indulge your brutality.
You once said you were a brute. and
so you are. We've scarcely been three
GAYS together and yet you're spelling
for row. You think you can brow
beat me, you and your crew. You
can't. You've all done nothing but
laugh al me since ] went on board
Look how you all stood around and
smiled condescendingly when steered.
And Heaven knows ] only took the
helm because you asked me to.
You're all as thick as thieves to-
gether, and I'm nobody. I'm only a
woman, a doll TO be petted and laughed
at Do you imagine ] wanted to steer
your precious yacht? Indeed, no,I
Give me an Atlantic liner, that's what
] say. Your crew do what they like
with you. and you're such simpleton
you can't see it. They f1atter YOU, and
you're so conceited you swallow it all.
And shouldn't l just like to see the
1000 bills for your precious yacht.
Why, there's been as much meat
cooked for us two in these three DAYS
as would keep a family for a fort
night. You pay your crew wages that
include their food, and then instead
OF buying their own food they live on
ours. It's as plain as pikestaff"
In short pause that followed Jim
said:
Don't let me interrupt you. Tell
me when you're quite done. and then
I'll make a short speech. But if vol,
think I'm going to lose my temper. old
woman, you're mistook''
Alice resumed.
II said Peter was a fool. So he is
But he's also a s1o,it And uba,,s