Her dress was not quite so smart nor so well-fitting as that of
the American girl; but, nevertheless, she was warmly and sensibly clad,
and a brown Tam o' Shanter covered her fair head. The tips of her hands
were in the pockets of her short blue-cloth jacket; and she walked the
deck with a firm, reliant tread that aroused the admiration of John
Kenyon. 'If she were only a girl like _that_,' he repeated to himself, 'I
wouldn't mind. There's something fresh and genuine about her. She makes
me think of the breezy English downs.'
As she walked back and forward, one or two young men seemingly made an
attempt to become acquainted with her, but it was evident to Kenyon that
the young woman had made it plain to them, politely enough, that she
preferred walking alone, and they raised their sea-caps and left her.
'She doesn't pick up the first man who comes,' he mused.
The ship was beginning to roll more and more, and yet the day was
beautiful and the sea seemingly calm. Most of the promenaders had left
the deck. Two or three of them had maintained their equilibrium with a
gratifying success which engendered the pride that goeth before a fall,
but the moment came at last when their feet slipped and they had found
themselves thrown against the bulwark of the steamer. Then they had
laughed a little in a crestfallen manner, picked themselves up, and
promenaded the deck no more. Many of those who were lying in the
steamer-chairs gave up the struggle and went down to their cabins.
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