LADY FOR SHANGHAI

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 August 1939, Page 10

LADY FOR SHANGHAI

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT. COPYRIGHT.

By

KAYE FOX

CHAPTER XI. “Christine, did you go completely crazy last night?" Arthur Grant askeci her, too worried to remember that Edwards might hear him call her by her Christian name. They had. met in the alley-way. when Christine came up from the pantry with her tray of fruit, first thing in the morning. "Why—what do you mean?" she faltered. "It’s all over the ship that you were ashore last night, and came on board, just before, sailing time. It is true. Christine? That quartermaster, Smithson, put the story round, and you know what he is—always ready to-start a scandal about someone.”

' "It is true,” she said, “but I thought he did not recognise me. He didn't say anything when 1 came up the gangway.” "He's said a mighty lot since, and he’s absolutely certain to report to Perrin. Oh, Christine, what possessed you to do it? Here’s Perrin been trying to find a reason for sacking you, all the voyage, and you've handed him one on a dish. You can't have been all that anxious to have a look at Penang.’’

"1 can't explain all in a hurry. Arthur," she said. “I found out something last night, which made it necessarj’ to go ashore, but I can’t tell you all about it now.”

"You'll have to explain to Perrin — though you may as well save your breath, for Perrin isn’t going to lose this chance of sacking you. Going ashore without leave is just about as good a reason as he could have for reporting you to the Liverpool office as insubordinate. In fact, I shouldn't wonder if he hauled you up before the Captain, just by way of a start”

"You needn't be so—angry with mo. Arthur,” she said unhappily, for Grant sounded furious.

“I am angry —because . I like you, Christine, and I’ve been hoping you’d struggle through the voyage somehow, in spite of Perrin, and get a transfer at the end of it. And now you’ve gone and played straight into his hands. How you could be such a little fool ”

A passenger who was waiting impatiently for his morning tea put his head out of one of the rooms and called Arthur off, and Christine was left to get through her own work as well as she could. Arthur Grant had been right when he said that the news was all over the ship, for'that morning all the stewards looked at Christine curiously, just as on the morning after the night watchman had made the scandal about her and Grant. When she went down to the cabin after taking round the morning teas, Mrs Parr and Miss Crane stared at her stonily, and they did not speak to her at breakfast time. Every time that a bell-boy came down the alley-way she expected a message from Perrin, ordering her to the office al once. 11. was not the Chief Steward's inspection that morning and she got through somehow, but. she grew nearly crazy with suspense when inspection was over and still no message came.

The bell-boy' came to the cabin for her at two o'clock when they were all getting ready for their afternoon rest. Christine scrambled into the apron and cap which she had just taken off, and followed the boy down to Perrin's cabin, next the pantry. Perrin was sitting in his chair, smoking a cigar, and his own steward was clearing away the remains of his lunch, which had been laid on the cabin table. He stared at Christine through the smoke of the cigar, his slow gaze travelling from the crown of her cap to the tips of her shoes: she stood very still, and hoped that he would not notice that her knees were shaking. “You know why I have sent for you. Miss Jordan?" he said, as the steward closed the door softly behind him. "Yes —I know Mr Perrin," she said quietly.

He suddenly began to work himself into a rage. Christine saw the veins on his forehead swell and his face grow crimson, and recognised the fam-

iliar signs: Perrin worked himself up almost deliberately, as if rage with him was a secret, evil pleasure. "And what have you to say for your-

self?' he thundered, crashing his fist down on the table. “You were ashore without leave. There is not a man on this staff who would not be dismissed for going ashore without leave, however good his record, and you—a woman who has been giving trouble from the beginning, slack at your work, defiant. mutinous . Have you anything in the world to say for yourself'.' I'll condemn no one unheard —not even you."

She said, in a low. steady voice: "1 overheard two of my passengers talking. Mr Perrin —Mrs Smythe and Mrs Collins —and I learnt that Mr Royde had deliberately arranged to be stranded in Penang with Miss Lind. He had pretended to her Ilia! the ship did no! sail until midnight. I went, ashore to warn Miss Lind."

"1 don't believe a word of it." he shouted. "Is it likely that two sane women would discuss such, a thing in front of you? Why didn’t you come to me. if you thought that little fool of a girl, was in clanger, instead of dashing off to the rescue, as if you thought, that you were the girl's guardian angel disguised in a cap and apron'.' Why didn't you come to me?" "Because you would not have believed a word of it." "It was no! your place to take any action. And let me tell you this. Miss Jordan: if you go running round the ship, making yourself out a heroine, telling people that you snatched Miss Lind from Mr Royde's clutches, you'll find yourself in serious trouble. You'd better hold your tongue, for your own sake." I She knew then, without a shadow of I doubt, that Royde had been, to Perrin | and told him to make sure of tier silence. Perrin didn't believe her story

of the conversation she had overheard, because he had been heavily bribed not to believe it. and to bully her into suppressing it. Although Roydc would not have worried at all at diagging Fay into a very nasty scandal, if they had really been stranded, ho wanted no scandal now that he had failed.

"] told Mr Royde last night,” she said, “that 1 would hold my tongue—for Miss Lind's sake. But I shall speak openly at the head office, Mr Perrin, when I am questioned about your report. I have a right to defend myself."

"At Iho head office!" he shouted, glaring at her across the narrow table. “Do you think- they’re even going to grant you an interview at the head office? You'll be sacked out of hand— I'll send my report in beforehand, and you'll find a letter waiting for you when you get home. There was enough without this. I shall report that your work is disgraceful, that you've been carrying on a squalid affair with one of the men "

"You can’t report that lie without proof. Mr Perrin," she interrupted. ••I’ll have proof enough before the voyage is over. If I've no proof, 1 shall report that everyone on board knows it, but that you're too sly to be caught. Why, even this morning, you and Grant were talking intimately in the alley-way —you’re brazen. And there's plenty more that I can put in —your impudent attitude towards the older stewardesses, your hostility towards the decent stewards, like Cator. There’d be enough to get you the sack twice over, without this last thing—going ashore without leave.” “My record on my last ship was excellent, Mr Perrin,” she said confidently. "They'll hear what I have to say at the Liverpool office, if it’s only to find out why I have changed so completely.” "Get out of this room," he- said, his voice choked with anger. “I’ve got nothing more to say to you —I'd send you back to England on the Yes Tor if I didn't know that you'd jump at the chance of telling your own story at the office before they hear mine. I’m not going to give you that chance.” She went at once, her head held very high. Almost to her own surprise, Perrin’s bullying had had very little effect upon her, far less effect than when he had stormed at her over some trifle. It was as though,* now that he had succeeded in catching her in a serious fault, which would make dismissal .almost inevitable, she no longer had any reason to worry, for the worst had happened.

Of course she and Arthur Grant would still be closely watched, for Perrin hoped to get some evidence against them, to make his report to thcLiverpool office still more black. But neither Perrin nor his toadies would be likely to take the trouble to persecute her in small ways, over her work; he would make the sweeping statement. at the office that her work was disgraceful, but this was such a minor accusation, compared to her going ashore without leave, that the authorities would not expect him to go into details over her bad work.

Although she had said so boldly that she was sure that they would interview her at the Liverpool office, she was not really so sure. She might, as Perrin had said, merely find a letter when she got home, to say that her service-s were no longer required. The stewardesses, like the rest of the staff, were signed on for each voyage, and were not actually in the employment of the Company between voyages, so that, no notice was necessary. Naturally, Perrin would do his very best to prevent her being interviewed, and since every Chief Steward was a trusted servant of the Company, his word would go a long way. There was only one thing to be thankful for —her mother would understand. Mrs Lind knew Perrin, and knew how easily a case could be made against anyone at sea if the Chief Steward disliked them. Mrs Parr and Miss Crane stared at her curiously when she went back to the cabin, but they asked her no questions. They must have known perfectly well why Perrin had sent for her. I but if they hoped that she would return in tears, they were disappointed. Arthur Grant was hovering about in the alley-way when Christine went up to her own section before dinner.

"Edwards and Cator are having a row on the starboard side, over a passenger's bath," he said, "so we've got a few moments. How are you feeling, kid? It’s hard lines to have to carry on with the work just as usual." "I'm not. feeling too bad, Arthur. O! course I'm going to be sacked, but I’ve been expecting that all the voyage and it's almost restful to have it iwer --like having a tooth out.” "At least you kept your end up. and he didn't make you cry. It must have made him mad tiiat you kept cool, instead of dissolving into tears." "How <>n earth do you know that. Arthur?" she exclaimed. "From Perrin's steward," he said, with a grin. "Perrin leads Poller a life, but there's mighty little that goes oh in Perrin's cabin without Potter

knowing. "1 didn’t want to be sacked." she said."and I've no idea what sort of a job 1 shall get ashore, if any—but it won't be a job where everybody listens al doors. It's like living in a spy story on board this ship." "Only no one gets shot al dawn. Anyhow, Christine, Potter's done you a good turn, for now the whole staff knows why you went ashore last night, and except for a few of Perrin's special pets, they're all sympathetic. Perrin’s gone too far in letting Royde bribe him to hush up a story like that, which ought to have been reported to the Captain." (T-j be commued.)