The Day After.

40.

To Hugh it seemed that the day was radically different, not a day of an eight day world, but a day of chaos - and he had to revise his opinion of what had happened during the bal masque for others if not for himself.

A cyclone seemed to have hit the ship; sex, sex-banditry, gossip, rumors and scandals.

Willing and unwilling exchanges of wives, husbands, girl-
friends and boy-finds. It was definitely said that five
would
 couples had started divorce proceedings the day they reached
Paris. Of more it was rumored. And new affiliations had come
about, whether permanent or the reverse was still to be seen.

Several fights. A rowdy spirit was abroad, two noisy gangs
roamed the ship inviting trouble.

Tilden had further annoyance from the baron. Then, once and
for all, he fixed his business.

Morgan had trouble with the same philanderer. He fixed his
business.

Then Marsh had to take Morgan away from a brunette.

Then Bert Diggs took Marsh from Morgan.

These, together with many others, paid dues to those de-
lightful racketers called scandal-mongers.

Of all the rumors the most disturbing, so far as members
of the main salon were concerned, volatelized from the piece of
news that some numbers from tourist-third had come up and

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crashed the bal masque. They were led, it was said, by a
rabid red agitator who was brewing a revolt among the tourists,
inciting them to issue from their quarters and occupy the
first class cabins.

Hugh heard one woman exclaiming, "Why, the next thing we know we'll find some uncouth person occupying our beds, wearing our clothes! There is a limit you know!"

But just this seemed to be the dread. Was there a limit?
Inquiries at the pursers office were not assuring. The purser's
staff was diplomatically non-committal. The purser himself
was always "somewhere on the ship, but, I'm sorry madam I can-
not say exactly where."

It was rumored, too, that Hod would soon be in trouble
again on account of Jim Phelps. Phelps, it was said, had
boasted that he was going to pick a fight with Hod and throw
him off the ship.

Hugh, feeling that he was bent on picking up threads, ordering, and establishing a continuity on just the day when most of the ship's company were exploding, called for Barbara some time after ten o'clock.

The irony of the general situation mingled with his per-
sistent resentment of the personal situation. The ship-world
was not in accord with him. Barbara was not in accord with
him. He was not in accord with himself - and now he wondered
how it had happened that he found himself with Barbara, not
with Vera.

And this talk they were bent on having, where were they
going to have it? She did not suggest her cabin. He did not
suggest his. Not a place on the decks, not a table in the