Even the passengers who were going on to Brisbane had gone to
sleep ashore. Knollys told her that Jimmy had cried desperately because
he was being taken away from her, and that Mr. Peters was drunk in his
grief at ending his acquaintanceship with Mrs. Hetherington. Later,
seeing her standing lonely on deck, watching the lighted ferries go by,
Knollys came up to her.
"I beg your pardon, miss," he said, deferentially, "but it occurred to
Jules and myself that you might possibly care to join us in a game of
dominoes?" and, rather than appear unfriendly, she played with them for
an hour. She was very glad when morning came.
CHAPTER XIV
Marcella hurried to her field of Philippi that day. She went up to the
station to meet Louis at half-past eleven in alternating moods of
trembling softness and militancy, softness to welcome him, belligerency
for Ole Fred and the gang, and strange gusts of helpless, blazing,
hungry joy at the thought of getting him away from them, all to herself.
Almost she wished she could snatch him from life itself. As the train
came in she caught sight of him, laughing foolishly, dirty and
dishevelled from the long journey. She ran down the clanging platform on
feet of wind to meet him. He tumbled out of the carriage with half a
dozen draggled men after him.
"Oh--my dear," she cried, clinging to his hand, her face flushed, her
eyes shining.
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