herself.”
Kathleen put her hand in his. “Yes, Pa-pa, I want to go with you.”
Richard stood still for a moment, appreciating Beth’s eyes, the curve of her lips. He had wanted to kiss them, but she had darted away like a frightened fawn. Well, time would correct that. He would never take advantage of her, but a kiss or two might be managed later. Perhaps during the evening.
“ Well, then, we’ll say au revoir and embark on our adventure to explore the ship.” He took Beth’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
She smiled, then went back to her compartment and returned holding a folded map. “Take this so you can find everything you want to see without getting lost.”
“ Thank you.” With a last glance at Beth’s slender figure in its long blue gown, he led Kathleen toward the door to the corridor and, the girl clutching Toby as usual, they stepped out.
They climbed the Grand Staircase up to A Deck and took tea in the charming Verandah room decorated to look like a garden café. Its white wicker chairs surrounded round tables topped with pots of flowers. In a corner, a few children stacked blocks on the floor or played tag among the unoccupied tables. He saw no sign of their parents.
Richard noticed Kathleen staring at the children. “Would you like to play with them?”
She looked solemn. “They have not asked me. Aunt Anne says it’s rude to join people you don’t know unless you’re invited.”
“ Quite right.” Privately he thought Aunt Anne’s rules were a little too strict for children these days. Perhaps it would be different in America. He knew so little about children, in any case. He wanted to learn.
They left the Verandah Café and took the “ele-bator” to the purser’s office on C Deck. “Why don’t we send a telegram to Aunt Charlotte and Aunt Anne and tell them we’re in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? Would you like to do that?”
“ Oh, yes, but I haven’t learned to write yet.”
He grinned. “You don’t have to write it. I mean, I will write the words and then the wireless operators will turn what I’ve written into a code.”
“ What’s a code?”
“ Well, it’s a special way of communicating ...” He tried to think of how best to explain the process. “Look, you know how a telephone works, don’t you?”
“ Yes, you speak into the little box with a wire attached and talk to someone who isn’t in the same room. Even the same house.”
“ This is similar, only there are no wires between. That’s why they call it ‘wireless.’ ”
“ But you said you write it down, not speak into the box.”
“ Come, I’ll show you.”
They entered the purser’s office, and Richard approached a young man behind the counter. “I’d like to send a wireless.”
“ You mean a Marconigram. Yes, sir. Just write your message on this form and I will send it to the Marconi Wireless Room.” He placed a square of paper in front of Richard, with the words “Marconi” printed at the top.
Richard showed it to Kathleen. “What would you like to say to your aunts?”
She stared at the paper for a moment before answering. “That I am on the ship going to America and ... and I love them very much.”
“ Splendid.” Richard placed the form on the countertop and wrote the message in block letters, adding an address in London where it could be delivered. He showed it to Kathleen.
“ I know you can’t read it, but I’ve written down what you said and now this nice young man will have it sent.”
He handed over the form, together with the fee the man calculated.
Kathleen tugged on her father’s coat. “I want to see.”
Richard picked her up, and together they watched the young man put the form into a cylinder and place it in the opening of a pneumatic tube fastened against the wall.
“ There,” Richard said. “It’s on its way.”
“ No, it’s not,” she insisted. “That man just put it in that round pipe.”
The young man turned and smiled at
Kathleen put her hand in his. “Yes, Pa-pa, I want to go with you.”
Richard stood still for a moment, appreciating Beth’s eyes, the curve of her lips. He had wanted to kiss them, but she had darted away like a frightened fawn. Well, time would correct that. He would never take advantage of her, but a kiss or two might be managed later. Perhaps during the evening.
“ Well, then, we’ll say au revoir and embark on our adventure to explore the ship.” He took Beth’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
She smiled, then went back to her compartment and returned holding a folded map. “Take this so you can find everything you want to see without getting lost.”
“ Thank you.” With a last glance at Beth’s slender figure in its long blue gown, he led Kathleen toward the door to the corridor and, the girl clutching Toby as usual, they stepped out.
They climbed the Grand Staircase up to A Deck and took tea in the charming Verandah room decorated to look like a garden café. Its white wicker chairs surrounded round tables topped with pots of flowers. In a corner, a few children stacked blocks on the floor or played tag among the unoccupied tables. He saw no sign of their parents.
Richard noticed Kathleen staring at the children. “Would you like to play with them?”
She looked solemn. “They have not asked me. Aunt Anne says it’s rude to join people you don’t know unless you’re invited.”
“ Quite right.” Privately he thought Aunt Anne’s rules were a little too strict for children these days. Perhaps it would be different in America. He knew so little about children, in any case. He wanted to learn.
They left the Verandah Café and took the “ele-bator” to the purser’s office on C Deck. “Why don’t we send a telegram to Aunt Charlotte and Aunt Anne and tell them we’re in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? Would you like to do that?”
“ Oh, yes, but I haven’t learned to write yet.”
He grinned. “You don’t have to write it. I mean, I will write the words and then the wireless operators will turn what I’ve written into a code.”
“ What’s a code?”
“ Well, it’s a special way of communicating ...” He tried to think of how best to explain the process. “Look, you know how a telephone works, don’t you?”
“ Yes, you speak into the little box with a wire attached and talk to someone who isn’t in the same room. Even the same house.”
“ This is similar, only there are no wires between. That’s why they call it ‘wireless.’ ”
“ But you said you write it down, not speak into the box.”
“ Come, I’ll show you.”
They entered the purser’s office, and Richard approached a young man behind the counter. “I’d like to send a wireless.”
“ You mean a Marconigram. Yes, sir. Just write your message on this form and I will send it to the Marconi Wireless Room.” He placed a square of paper in front of Richard, with the words “Marconi” printed at the top.
Richard showed it to Kathleen. “What would you like to say to your aunts?”
She stared at the paper for a moment before answering. “That I am on the ship going to America and ... and I love them very much.”
“ Splendid.” Richard placed the form on the countertop and wrote the message in block letters, adding an address in London where it could be delivered. He showed it to Kathleen.
“ I know you can’t read it, but I’ve written down what you said and now this nice young man will have it sent.”
He handed over the form, together with the fee the man calculated.
Kathleen tugged on her father’s coat. “I want to see.”
Richard picked her up, and together they watched the young man put the form into a cylinder and place it in the opening of a pneumatic tube fastened against the wall.
“ There,” Richard said. “It’s on its way.”
“ No, it’s not,” she insisted. “That man just put it in that round pipe.”
The young man turned and smiled at
Similar Books
