The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-05-04
CHAPTER XXI

For hours after Joyce returned to her cabin, after leaving the captain, she waited hopefully for Dick. Sure ly he had something to say to her. some consolation to offer. Though her head ached and her eyelids burned, she kept the light burning, glaring down upon her, lest he come and, finding the room in darkness, go away without attempting to speak to her. But at 2 o'clock she turned of the light and went to bed.
 He was not coming. He. too, must have heard about the clip being found in her room. And he had accepted this final proof against her.
 All through the endless night, she tossed on her pillow, torturing herself with the thought. Dick did not believe in her.
 And when morning finally came, only one thing was clear in her mind. When the Empress stopped at Miami, she would leave the ship and take the bus home. She would ask Mrs. Bates to help her pack; the steWardess must be able to testify that she was not leaving the ship with the jewels tucked in her luggage. Mrs. Bates could search everything; on the pier she would ask the customs men to do the same. Despite their suspicious, these people would know that whether or not she had taken the things, she was leaving the ship without them.
 However, before she could ring for the stewardess there was a knock at the door, and her heart jumped expectantly, hoping against hope ..
 It was her steward, with a note. Prom the captain, miss"
 "Oh," Her voice was llfeless.
 She closed the door before she read the message. Miss Milner: Do not think it wise for you to try to leave the ship today"
 The words danced before her eyes in shattering bewilderment, She sank down on the berth, and read it over second time. Her hands were trembling so that the paper shook. The note could mean but one thing. She was unofhclally under arrest!
 She spent the day in her cabin gloomy and Respondent, persuad- ing herself that she might as well get accustomed to the idea Of con- finement. The ship was quiet Every passenger but herself had gone ashore; every member of the crew not on duty had taken him. self off for a few hours in which he might change places with the world and demand attention. The hours passed slowly.
 At 4 o'clock the ship began to come to life; in pairs and in parties the passengers returned, their bright enthusiastic voices echoing through the corridors. Joyce felt rising bit terness toward them. Why should they have enjoyed their day ashore while she was prisoner in her cab- in? Why should she be punished for something one of them had done?
 She turned over, buried her head in the pillow and cried. Once started, the whole miserable heart ache welled up in her throat, chok- ing her, and she could not stop. She cried, first of all, for the in justice of it, that of all the people on the ship she should be accused of taking the woman'S jewels. flashy, pretentious adornments that she wouldn't be seen wearing to a three-ring circus in Fall River. She cried for the humiliation of 1t, that she should be made to ap- pear 8 common thief before these people. But most of all she cried for Dick, because he had turned his back on her, because the affec- tion he declared had been so shal- low, 50 short-lived.
 So 1t was that Dr. Gray found her, a long while afterward. He stood outside her cabin, and as the curtain across her half-opened door blew aside, he saw her there. He knitted his brow in quick sympathy before he knocked.
 When she opened the door, he saw that her eyes were swollen and red with weeping, and he pretened to scold her.
 "You don't mean to tell me you've been down here, crying your eyes out, all this lonely day?"
 She blew her nose dolefully.
 I'm not allowed to go out. I'm I'm . prisoner!" Her tears flowed new.