CHAPTER VII

THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

“Are you awake, Miss Kathleen? It’s time to get up.”

Nora opened her eyes, and sat up. For the first moment she could not remember where she was, and stared about the unfamiliar room in bewilderment. Then it all came back in a rush of memory, and she realized that it was morning, and that Sarah, already dressed, was standing by her bedside.

“What time is it?” she inquired, more for the sake of saying something than because she really particularly cared.

“Only seven, but you’ve got to get up early this morning. You’re going somewhere right after breakfast.”

Sarah spoke quite pleasantly; she was even looking a little excited, but Nora did not notice that.

“I know all about it,” she said, eagerly. “I’m to take Muriel Trevor for a ride, and I’m to go for her by myself, because her Fräulein always goes with her.”

Nora felt rather proud of having remembered her lesson so well, but Sarah smiled rather mysteriously.

“Your bath is ready,” she said, “and please hurry, for breakfast is at a quarter to eight.”

Nora had no objection to hurrying. Indeed, now that the night was over, her chief desire was to get home as soon as possible. How she did hope Kathleen would be ready to leave at once, and would not make a fuss, as she had done yesterday!

“I managed pretty well for one night,” she told herself, as she plunged into the warm bath Sarah had prepared for her, “but I couldn’t possibly keep it up much longer. Kathleen has got to come home this morning, whether she wants to or not. Anyway, she’s used to getting on without Mummy, and I’m not.”

Sarah seemed very busy and preoccupied. She kept dashing in and out of the room, and several times Nora heard her speaking in the hall, as if giving orders to some one. Nora did not pay much attention, however, for, after all, the affairs of the Crawford household were no concern of hers.

“I suppose I shall have to meet that other person Kathleen talked about,” she said to herself, rather anxiously, as she went down to breakfast. “Oh, I do hope she won’t find out, but if she doesn’t pay any more attention to me than Sarah and the butler, it will be all right.”

Her heart began to beat rather fast, when she entered the dining-room, and saw an elderly lady in a widow’s cap, already at the breakfast-table, but the lady merely gave her a nod, and a curt “Good morning, Kathleen,” and her courage rose again. Brown, the butler, was standing behind her chair, and she wished him a pleasant “Good morning,” which seemed to cause him some little surprise. The housekeeper also looked up from her coffee--looking as if something had surprised her.

“It’s a lovely morning, isn’t it?” remarked Nora, feeling that it was incumbent upon her to say something.

“It looks so now,” was the housekeeper’s rather guarded admission, “but I shouldn’t be surprised if we had rain before night. I have that pain in my rheumatic joint that I always have before a storm.”

Nora glanced out of the window at the bright Spring sunshine.

“It must be rather interesting to know what the weather is going to be,” she said. “It doesn’t look a bit like rain this morning, but I suppose if you were going off anywhere for the day, you’d take an umbrella. It’s very uncomfortable to get your hat spoiled in the rain, don’t you think so?”

“It never seems to trouble you very much,” said Mrs. Anderson, dryly, at which remark Nora blushed, and relapsed into silence.

At home, breakfast usually consisted of cereal and milk, with a cup of coffee for Mummy, and an egg, as a special treat, on Sunday. But here there were two kinds of cereal to choose from, bacon and eggs, broiled kidneys, and griddle-cakes. It was all delicious, but Nora did not enjoy it quite as much as she had enjoyed her dinner the evening before. The strain was beginning to tell upon her, and she was only anxious to get home, and bring her adventure to a satisfactory conclusion. She wondered how soon it would do to ask some one to send for the car. But in the meantime she must keep on “playing her part,” so she made another effort to start a conversation.

“Sarah went to see her mother last night, and Selma started the victrola. A lady with a beautiful voice sang ‘Home Sweet Home.’ Don’t you love the victrola?”

“I cannot say that I am very fond of it,” said Mrs. Anderson, with a sigh. “I have heard too much real music in my life to care for that sort of thing. But don’t stop to talk now. Hurry and finish your breakfast; Sarah is waiting for you.”

“What does she want me for?” inquired Nora, in a tone of sudden apprehension. Kathleen had assured her that there would not be the slightest difficulty in getting away from Sarah.

Mrs. Anderson smiled mysteriously, and glanced at the clock.

“You will know before long,” she said, not unkindly, and then she took up the morning paper, and began to read.

But it was impossible to hurry very much over such a wonderful breakfast, and Nora was just beginning on her second helping of cakes, when Brown announced respectfully that Sarah was waiting, and would Miss Kathleen please come at once? With a sigh of regret, Nora laid down her knife and fork, and rose from the table. Mrs. Anderson put down her newspaper at the same moment.

“Run up-stairs and get on your things,” she said, with another glance at the clock. “The car is waiting at the door.”

Nora’s spirits rose. Getting away was going to be even easier than she had thought possible. She ran quickly up the two flights of stairs to the schoolroom floor, but there her feelings underwent a sudden change, for standing at the head of the stairs, in hat and jacket, was Sarah.

“Come right along, Miss Kathleen,” she said in her quick, decided voice; “I’ve got your things all ready, and there isn’t any time to waste.”

“But--but I thought I was to go by myself,” faltered Nora, in dismay, as Sarah was helping her into a long gray coat, which seemed unnecessarily heavy for that warm Spring morning. “Are you going, too?”

“Where did you think you were going by yourself?” inquired Sarah, sharply.

“Why, I thought I was going to take Muriel Trevor for a ride,” explained Nora, whose heart was rapidly sinking.

Sarah laughed.

“You didn’t suppose you were going for Miss Muriel at this hour of the morning, did you?” she said. “It’s only just half-past eight.”

In a kind of dream, Nora submitted to the putting on of hat and gloves, and followed Sarah down-stairs. Some part of Kathleen’s well-laid plan was evidently going wrong. However, there was nothing to be done but pull herself together, and try to look cheerful. Mrs. Anderson was waiting in the front hall.

“Good-bye, Kathleen,” she said, and Nora noticed that she was smiling, as if she were very much amused about something.

“Good-bye,” said Nora. “It’s a lovely morning for a ride, isn’t it?”

“Very lovely indeed,” said the housekeeper, and she and Sarah exchanged amused glances. “Good-bye, dear,” she added, kindly; “I hope you will have a pleasant time.”

“And now I suppose you’d like to know where we’re going,” remarked Sarah, as the door of the limousine closed, and Michael sprang to his seat. Nora had noticed with surprise that no direction had been given to the chauffeur.

“Yes, I should like to know very much,” she said, politely.

“Well, we’re going to the Bermuda steamer. Your aunt and uncle are sailing this morning, and they want you to see them off.”

Nora gave a great gasp and sank back in her seat. Her aunt and uncle! Who in the world were they? Oh, why hadn’t Kathleen told her about them? It would be interesting to go on board a big ocean steamer, but the thought of meeting more new people was rather terrifying. What if this uncle and aunt were to discover that she wasn’t Kathleen? The very thought made her heart beat fast, and she felt suddenly cold and frightened. But whatever happened, she must “play her part” till the end. If, through any fault or mistake of hers, she should be the means of bringing trouble upon her mother, she could never be happy any more. So, for the second time that morning, she made a desperate effort to look pleased.

“It will be fun to go on a ship,” she said in a voice that trembled slightly, “but I hope it won’t take very long. You see, I must go for Muriel Trevor.”

Sarah did not answer. She seemed interested in looking out of the window. The car was whirling them rapidly down Fifth Avenue, where the big shops were just opening. It was a beautiful morning, and the air and sunshine, combined with the rapid movement of the car, were beginning to have an exhilarating effect on Nora. After all, it was not likely that these new people would take very much notice of her, she reflected. Kathleen had said nobody cared much about her except her daddy. It was certainly delightful to be bowled along in the big limousine, for those were the days when motoring was a comparative novelty, and until yesterday Nora had never been in an automobile in her life. So she decided to enjoy the present moment to the full.

The ride to the pier was not a very long one, but it was all new and interesting. Nora had never been in that part of the city before, and as the car turned from one crowded street into another, she leaned forward in her seat, her eyes round with excitement.

“I didn’t know there were so many people in New York,” she told Sarah. “Do you suppose everybody is out in the street this morning?”

But Sarah did not appear particularly interested.

“It’s Saturday morning,” she said, “and none of the children are in school. That’s why we see so many.”

At last the car drew up at the entrance to a long pier, and they both got out. There were a great many people on the pier, all apparently bound for the Bermuda steamer, and Sarah grasped her charge’s arm firmly.

“Keep tight hold of me,” she commanded. “If we once get separated in this crowd, we might never get together again. Oh, thank goodness, there’s Mr. Carew!”

Nora had no idea who Mr. Carew might be, but she followed the direction of Sarah’s glance and saw a gentleman beckoning to them from the deck of the steamer. “I wonder if he’s the uncle,” she said to herself, “but there doesn’t seem to be any aunt with him.”

The question was speedily settled by Mr. Carew himself, whose greeting, as they stepped from the gangplank on to the deck, was a cheery--

“Hello, Kathleen! here you are. You’ll find Aunt Kitty in her cabin; number seventeen. I’m waiting here to make sure all the luggage is put on board.”

“He’s got a nice face,” reflected Nora, as she followed Sarah along the deck, and down the companionway to the saloon. “I’m sure I should like him, but I don’t suppose I shall ever see him again after this morning.”

The Bermuda boat was not very large, but to Nora--who had never been on board any vessel larger than a ferry-boat--it seemed almost palatial. She was rather glad they had come, for it would be so interesting to tell Mummy all about it. Mummy had been to Europe when she was a girl, and knew about ocean steamers, but she was always interested in everything Nora had to tell her.

They were making their way along a narrow passage, with little rooms on each side, when, somewhere in the distance, a gong sounded. Nora paused in sudden alarm.

“What’s that for?” she inquired, anxiously.

“To warn the people who aren’t sailing to go on shore,” Sarah answered.

“Then hadn’t we better go?”

Sarah laughed.

“Goodness no,” she said. “Why, you haven’t even seen your aunt yet. You wouldn’t come all this way for nothing, would you?”

“Oh, no,” said Nora, with forced cheerfulness; “only--only, if we shouldn’t get off in time----”

At that moment they reached number seventeen, and Sarah tapped at the door. Some one called “Come in,” and they entered a large, comfortable stateroom, where a very pretty young lady was unpacking a suit case. At sight of Nora and Sarah, the young lady looked up, with a smile.

“Well, here you are!” she said. “What do you think of the ship, Kathleen?”

She had a bright, pleasant manner, but it struck Nora that she was more interested in the stowing away of her belongings than in the arrival of her supposed niece.

“It’s lovely,” said Nora, rather hurriedly, “but I think we’d better say good-bye right away. There’s a gong ringing, and Sarah says it’s to warn the people who aren’t going to get off.”

“Oh, there’s plenty of time,” said Mrs. Carew, easily; “they always begin sounding that gong ages too soon. Would you mind helping me a little, Sarah? I decided at the last moment to leave Celestine at home; she’s such a wretched sailor. I think I had better get my night things out at once, for I’m sure to be sick as soon as we pass Sandy Hook.”

Sarah complied, and Nora--still feeling a little anxious and uncomfortable--sat down on the sofa.

“I’m sorry you don’t feel well,” she said, sympathetically. “Perhaps you’ll be better after the ship starts.”

Mrs. Carew laughed.

“No such luck,” she said. “The last time I went abroad I scarcely lifted my head from my pillow during the entire voyage.”

“How dreadful!” exclaimed Nora. “I shouldn’t think you’d ever want to go on a ship again, if it makes you so ill. There’s that gong again. Don’t you really think Sarah and I had better go?”

“Don’t worry about that gong,” said Mrs. Carew a little impatiently. “Come here and help me fold some of these things.”

Nora did not like to refuse, but she was not at all easy in her mind, especially as neither Mrs. Carew nor Sarah appeared to be particularly in a hurry.

“Here’s some candy,” said Mrs. Carew, producing a large box of Maillard’s from her suit case. “You may have it if you want it. A friend sent it to me. Imagine any one being so foolish as to send such a wretched sailor as I am candy to eat on a sea voyage.”

“Oh, thank you!” cried Nora, her face brightening. “I love chocolates, and I hardly ever----” She was going to say, “hardly ever have any,” but stopped herself just in time.

At that moment the sound of a long, shrill whistle fell upon their ears. Nora gave a violent start.

“What’s that?” she demanded in sudden terror.

“Only the siren. We’re just---- Ah, here’s Uncle Stephen; he’ll explain.”

“Well, we’re off,” remarked a cheerful voice, and Mr. Carew came into the cabin, looking as calm and unperturbed as if the bottom hadn’t suddenly fallen out of Nora’s world.

“Off!” shrieked Nora, with a sudden rush towards the door; “but we mustn’t--oh, Sarah, come quick! The steamer’s going to start!”

She tried to dash past Mr. Carew, who was blocking the doorway, but he caught her and held her fast. Both he and his wife were laughing heartily.

“Why, Kathleen, you little goose!” cried Mrs. Carew, “don’t look so frightened. Don’t you understand? It’s a surprise. Your daddy planned it, and we all thought you would love it. You are not to get off at all. You and Sarah are going to Bermuda with us.”

[Illustration: “OH, SARAH, COME QUICK! THE STEAMER’S GOING TO START!”

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