orry about things. I knew
perfectly well aunt couldn't afford to pay more for me, and I'm not
such a fool as to pretend she could."

"And I'm to consider myself squashed--abso-bally-lutely pestle and
mortared?" he said, turning away flushing and biting his lip.

"Quite. I hate pretenders," she said. The next moment he heard her cabin
trunk being pushed noisily inside and the door was banged to.

At five o'clock a steward came along to explain that he had looked for
her at lunch-time, but could not find her.

"I've reserved you a place at my table, miss," he said. "You'd better
get in early and take it. These emigrants, they push and shove so--and
expect the best of everything. And mind you, not a penny to be had out
of them--not one penny! It's 'Knollys this' and 'Knollys that' all
day--my name being Knollys, miss--you'd think I was a dog."

She went along the alley-way with him. He went on, aggrievedly:

"Simply because they've never had anyone to order about before, and they
aren't used to it. But anything you want, let me know, miss, and I'll
see you all right."

When she got into the dining saloon she found small wars in progress.
About a hundred and fifty people were trying to sit down in a hundred
seats. The stewards looked harassed as they explained that there was
another meal-time half an hour after the first. Knollys was trying, with
impassive dignity, to prove mathematically to an old lady that by
waiting until six o'clock for her tea to-day and automatically shifting
all her meal-times on half an hour she was losing nothing; and, after
all, it would all be the same whether she had her tea at five or six or
seven a hundred years hence. But she thought there was some catch in it,
for she expressed an intention of seeing the captain, and then, thinking
better of it, stood behind an already occupied chair with the air of
Horatius holding the bridge.

When at last order was restored and Marcella sat down, she found that
she was at a long table, one of three that ran from end to end of the
saloon. Ole Fred and his three friends were at the same table, a little
higher up. He scowled at her, and the three others made some grinning
remarks to him which he seemed to resent. Next to her was a little boy
of six or seven, who looked at her gravely. Beside him was a man with
greying hair and a very red face, who was talking to a small lady of
deceptive age--a very pretty, dark, bright-eyed little lady, charmingly