LADY FOR SHANGHAI

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 July 1939, Page 10

LADY FOR SHANGHAI

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By

CHAPTER IV, (Continued).

KAYE FOX

Doria Smythe made an impatient movement which jerked the bandage out of Christine's hand, so that she had to start bandaging the elbow again. Christine had to force herself to concentrate on that mechanical task, and

to hide her own feelings: she must not

let Doria guess how deeply she had been affected by that conversation about Fay. She had almost finished when Irish Collins came into the room and began repairing her make-up in front of the mirror. "Has Martin been in?" she asked.

"I met him on the deck just now, and he wanted to know where you were." "He has been in,’’ Doria said, in a tone of suppressed fury. "Chieflly, I think, to remind me that we’ve made a bargain and that he expects me to stick to it. Upon my words, Iris, it was all I could do not to tell him just what I think of that baby-faced Lind girl."

"You’ll be a fool if you- do. Your prospects aren’t too rosy just now, and if Martin doesn't finance this club for you. I don't know who will. Martin's your one hope ” “Don’t I know it, Iris. And apart from that, I need Fay Lind myself, for it, isn’t going to be too easy in these days to find dance partners for the clubs, and the girl’s attractive enough, and a good dancer. I'm holding my tongue, for my own sake- —but Fay Lind won’t get any sympathy from me when she loses her job at the beauty salon and depends on the club for her living. That's when I’m going to get my own back." "You think she will lose her job?”

"I’m certain of it,” Dooria said vindictively. “Apart from anything else, her head is pretty well turned already, thanks to Martin, and if she's going to spend her evenings at the club, she isn’t going to be much use in the day time. If they can get another girl out from England it’ll be finish for Miss Fay Lind, contract or no contract.” Iris Collins put down her lip stick, and stared at Doria as if she was seeing her for the first time. "I don’t know that 1 blame you Doria,” she said, "for I’ve done some queer things in my time, and I'm not in a position to throw stones. But — Fay Lind is only a kid. Doria.” “I was only a kid myself, when 1 married Dennis —and began growing up mighty fast. And since then —I’ve stopped being sentimental, Iris.” "I think that bandage will stay in place now, Mrs Smythe,” Christine said in a low voice, moving away from Doria. She was longing to get out ot the room before her self control gave way for she knew that she couldn’t stand very much more of this talk about Fay. Even as it was, her hands had been shaking so much that it had been difficult to finish bandaging Doria's arm. but Doria had been too absorbed to notice the stewardess. Doria muttered a word of thanks-, and Christine slipped out of the room but before she reached the head of the companion she met Grant, who had just come up the companion three steps at a time. *

■ “I was looking for you," he -exclaimed. "Those two old cats in your cabin said they didn't know where you were, so I was going to start a room to room search for vou.'

“What's the matter now?" she asked, rather wearily. "Miss Robins in number live —the girl who shares her room rang just now, and she says Miss Robins has a temperature and is talking all sorts of nonsense. Sounds like sunstroke to

me.” "She went ashore today, and I know it’s the first time she’s been East.” ‘‘Well, you go and have a look at her. Miss Jordan, and I'll be about in case you want me to fetch the doctor. I'm on watch until eleven—l’d only just come on watch when the bell rang." Christine hurried along to number five, with Grant close behind her. and found a very scared girl standing in the doorway wailing for her. "Phyllis Robins complained of having a headache before dinner,” she said to Christine, "and she went to lie down immediately after dinner—she hardly ate anything. I thought she’d rather be left alone, that's why I didn’t come along to see how she was." After one glance at the girl who was lying in the lower bunk, muttering in delirium, Christine sent Grant for Dr Stanhope. It was not at all unusual for one or two of her passengers to have a touch of the sunstroke when first the ship was in a hot climate, but Christine could see that this was more than a touch, and that the sooner the doctor was in charge the better. Within a very few' minutes. Grant was back again with Dr Stanhope, who gave Christine a brief, friendlj' nod before stooping over the patient to make his examination. "Sunstroke —as I expect you already know. Miss Jordan,” he said quietly, as he straightened himself. "I think it. will be simplest to move Miss Robins at once to the hospital, as she will have to be watched all night—and it is not! easy to cope with a delirious patient in a lower bunk. Will you tell Grant to find the man who is on watch with him. and to fetch a stretcher?” Christine gave the order to Grant, who was waiting in the alley-way. and then went up to the little two-roomed hospital on the boat deck to make up the bed. At that hour, most of the pasengers were either dancing on the promenade deck or were in the lounge or smoke-room, so that the two stewards carrying the sick girl on a stretcher attracted very little attention. Probably, few passengers even realised j that the small building at the after I end of the boat deck was the ship’s ! hospital. ! "I don’t think that it is going to be <

a serious case, Miss Jordan,” John Stanhope said, when he and Christine

had put the moaning girl to bed. and Grant had been despatched to the pantry for ice. “The chances are that she will be all right in a day or two. if she is kept quiet, but I am afraid it is going to moan extra work for you.” “It’s all part of the job," Christine said.

"She probably has friends on board who will sit with her in the daytime. As for tonight, if you will stay with her until midnight. Miss Jordan, I will take over then. I have a patient in the seamen's quarters who has to have an injection at half past eleven, and I’ll snatch a little sleep before then. You need do nothing for Miss Robins —it is simply a question of having someone at hand, in case she starts climbing out of bed. She seems quiet enough now." "I could stay later than midnight, Dr Stanhope,” she offered. There’s no need. It is' important that she should not be left alone tonight, but she is not likely to want much attention for me tomorrow—l can sleep during the day. You are a great deal busier than I am Miss Jordan, and it is too bad that, you should have to lose even an hour’s sleep, just because a silly girl probably went ashore in a hat which didn’t protect the back of the neck.

It was very quiet in the hospital after John Stanhope had settled the patient as comfortably as possible and gone away. Christine, who had done a heavy day’s work, was so tired that it would have been very easy to drop off to sleep in the big armchair, even though she was so worried about her sister.

She had ben alone for half an hour, and it seemed very much longer, when Grant came quietly into the room with a small tray in his hands.

“I’ve bought you some coffee and sandwiches,” he said. “I know you wouldn’t appreciate a whisky, so I cadged some coffee from the deck steward.”

“That was very kind of you, Grant,” she said gratefully. ‘Don’t you think that you could manage to call me Arthur, when we're alone?” he asked her, setting down the tray on the table. “I know that it would cause at lot of talk if Cator or Edwards heard you doing but—we’re neither of us exactly middle-aged, Christine, and we’re very good friends, aren’t we?"

“Very good friends, Arthur,” she said, with a smile, for it was true enough that she thought of Arthur Grant as a real friend, almost her only one on board.

“If we’d met on shore, we’d probably have lapsed into Christian names quite naturally after a couple of days,” he said. “It’s funny, isn’t it. that we should have to make a mystery of a. little thing like that? This is a queer, up-side-down sort of a life, Christine, and that’s a fact, with the staff having to bo formal and conventional ——”

"And the passengers just the other way.”

“Talking of passengers,” he said, leaning up against the doorpost, as if he meant to stay for some minutes. “Royde’s got a party on in the cabin de luxe—only it’s a very select party, just the'Lind girl and no one else. She thinks, poor little beggar, that Mrs Smythe and Mrs Collins and a few others arc coming along, but if they do come in for a bit. I'll bet they’re going to do the disappearing trick soon afterwards.”

"Surely she'll go when they do?" Christine said, hiding her anxiety, for even Grant must not guess how deeply interested she was in Fay. “She won't realise just what is hap-

pening. Royde’s got that gramophone of his in, and he’s keeping the kid well supplied with cocktails. She’s curled up in the big chair, half asleep really, listening to the music—if Mrs Smythe and Mrs Collins come in for a quarter of an hour or so, the kid will be pretty well doped by the time they go. 1 hey re playing bridge in the smokeroom at present, but I've got orders to take, a lot of drinks to the cabin de luxe before I go off watch.” They re coming in—just in case she does begin to get uneasy and think shed better go," Christine said slowly. Thais the great idea —the smokeroom waiter hoard Royde fixing it with Mrs Smythe, at least, he heard Royde ask Mrs Smythe to bring Mrs Collins along lor a drink when they’d finished bridge, and Mrs Smythe laughed and said she supposed it was to be a quick one. I guessed the rest when I took some cocktails along to the cabin de luxe and saw the Lind i girl there." j

Christine knew that she’d got to act. and to act quickly, whatever the risk might be. Fay had been ashore for hours with Royde that day. and she must have come on board thrilled by her new experiences, already under the spell of the East which she had felt for the first time. And now. lulled by music, and by Royde’s subtle flattery, she was alone with him. She couldn’t leave Arthur Grant in charge of her patient, for he was on watch and had already stayed too long talking to her. In her desperation, she could only think of asking one of het fellow stewardesses to come for a few minutes—surely it would seem natuial .enough that, she should want to leave the hospital for a short time, since she had left her ordinary duties without warning. Arthur, she said casually, “when you go down, will you ask Mrs Parr whether she can relieve me? I’ve forgotten —Mrs Carlyle’s hot milk, and one or two other things which I always do at night.” (To be continued.)