“C. Q.”; or, In the Wireless House
cut me out, will you? How ’s Trevelyan? I see that swine Ashurst is on board.”
“You never liked him, did you?”
“Like him! It ’s beasts of his sort that make England a by-word! Why do you have him around?”
“If you were traveling first cabin I would n’t. But I ’m lonely, Cosmo. Don’t you see I want to be friends with you? You used to like me a little bit. I ’ll meet you here every night after everybody else has gone to bed.”
“Don’t, Lily!” he groaned. “Can’t you see I ’m all cut up? Forget me—just as I ’m trying to forget England! Suppose some officer saw you here with me now at three o’clock in the morning! It would make nice ship gossip, would n’t it? Hurry back to your stateroom. It was crazy of you to come and knock at my door.”
“Oh, very well,” she answered abruptly. “I ’ve tried my best to be nice to you. I don’t suppose it would do even my reputation any good to be seen at night around with second-class passengers. You ’re too cold a proposition to bother with. You can paddle your own canoe, and I ’ll paddle mine, even if I72
