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THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 6, 1940.
SHORT STORY
It Is Easier For A Camel By URSULA BLOOM
"IT is easter for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven," read the parson a trifle pompously. He wasn't a rich man. He could gloat over the misfortunes of rich men, although covetously-minded to-
wards their comforts.
Naples, and then go bust!
started for the holiday, Mr. James but he thought that the cruise to was becoming, and the jade sash most glamorous about her hips was a vigorous con- She informed the family at lunch..sent for her to his office. He was Naples was the They were the old-fashioned large and opulent. He was un- and glorious thing that had ever trast to it. She knew that she
·looked her best. She would try to family who always had roast beef doubtedly the rich man, Not a bad happened to him. and Yorkshire, followed by fruit sort, of course, always very kind
He helped her with the suit put the return to England out of and custard or an apple charlotte. to the girls, but pompous. He ex- case up the gangway to the ship, her mind, she would try only to Mum and Dad had very nice plained to Gay quite calmly what A great white ship, with her ste remember that this was her holi- minds, and they had started the had happened, they were cutting wards lined up along spruce day, the one wild holiday of ner post office savings account on the down staff and they were making decks, and an eager air of ex- life and that nothing mattered be-
side it. In her pew, Gay watched him, day that they had carried Gay to several changes.
pectancy about her, and of appre- Guy was one of the changes. hension: Crowds surged up the She wasn't rich either, which was her christening. They believed in
and the Cornish When that sort of thing happens,
gangway. They chattered and also comforting. Yesterday she had Babbacombe
or chattered and gone mad. Yesterday she had had Riviera and the East coast. They you realise in one fell swoop how complained, a comfortable little nest egg in the thought all kinds of peculiar wise are the parents who start you laughed. bank, something which she had things happened abroad, never in life with a bank balance, and scraped and saved for, for her appreciating that Gay was aching how utterly feckless are the chil
throw the whole lot whole twenty-four years of life. for something to happen, just dren who
away on one glorious blind in the All her luxuries scooped up and anything. set inside a little brown bank
hopes that something will turn up. She must have been quite dotty. bock yielding two and a half per cent. "And," as she told herself,
"I'm sorry," said Mr. James, "a fat lot of good two and a half
and he looked to be genuinely per cent is to anyone!"
sorry about it. I would not have had it for the world, but my hands are tied. I will do everything to get you another job, a good job. You may rely on me."
So she had gone mad. She did not know what had happened, but the sunshine of a mad May morn- ing had gone to her head. Or was it the poster outside Charing Cross station? A poster of a ruined Colonnade with a wistaria droop- ing about it, and a volcano in the distance. See Naples and die! In her case, See Naples and go bust! 'Gloriously bust.
It. is a very short step from Charing Cross to Cockspur Street, and in the shipping offices there there are suave young men with patent leather hair and unctuous manners. Before she had realised the truth of her intention, she had committed herself. Instead of the usual holiday to Babbacombe, to the Cornish Riviera in flush years, or the East Coast in less opulent seasons, she was going to the Mediterranean. She was going to
. She broke it to them with the apple charlotte.
"But it is madness," said Father. "Your whole savings? What will for a trousseau?" asked you do Mother.
"I'm not engaged. Before I get the trousseau, I have got to get the man. Like this I might even get the man."
boomed "Husband-hunting?" father, bitterly hurt at the sug- gestion.
After that nobody had any ap- petite for the apple charlotte, and it was returned to the kitchen; whereupon the cook turned sulky and said she did not know what some people DID want.
In ten days Gay would be sail ing for the Mediterranean. It It would would mean a chance. mean opportunity, and she could spend the few pounds that she had over from her savings on a trous seau. Lunch hours became wild Father and searches in shops. mother grew cold with apprehen- sion, and then two days before she
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And all the time she wanted to cry. She wanted to confess that she had behaved crazily and that she did not know what to do next. She dare not tell them at home. up her Mother would button
become reserved. mouth and Father would have no compune- tion in saying, "I told you so."
When she started from Victoria day in her new blue the next cruising outilt, with the little white cap stuck jauntily on golden curls and the white handbag to match with three flags in the form of a signal in the corner (what sort of a signal she had no idea!) she felt mouldy:
The train was labelled "Medi- which should terranean Cruise" have been satisfying enough. It sped through the country towards the sea. All the while, she was thinking, "I'll have, to meet some- body on this cruise, somebody or other, or I'll go mad." And it was a grim irony of fate that she was wishing herself anywhere in the world save where she was.
"I went to Madeira last year. All those toboggans and things, you can't sit down afterwards, Hon- estly, you can't. So'awkward."
"I went to the Fjords last time. Wonderful, oh yes, quite wonder- ful, and I met a man who said.
"
"It was an awful cruise. The stewards were frightful and the officers lousy. I went to bed every night at nine. Not my idea of a successful cruise. Never again. I always say never again, and yet here I am."
And at the very top of the gang- way was a large fattish man, with money written all over him. He wore spotless white flannels and a dark blue blazer, with binoculars dangling from a very new lea- ther strap. He had a panama on his head and he was arguing with a steward about his cabin. He didn't like his cabin. He had paid top price for the best and if this was their best, he would like to see what their worst was. If you paid for comfort, comfort you ex- pected to have. As Gay trooped on board with Keith at her side, she saw suddenly that the large rich man was Mr. James.
He recognised her at the same moment. "YOU?" sald Mc. James. "Why, I thought that you were
Next day was Sunday, They had the same old 'text in the service held. in the dining saloon, "It is easier for a camel." When you came to think about it, foolish text, and it was rather a Gay felt that she was sorry for Mr. James. Mr. James was ob- viously the rich man, who would find it a little awkward getting through the Heavenly turnstile. And he had such good qualities.
her He
All through the Bay she played Quoits and Deck Tennis, and Bull- ball, and forgot that there was such a thing as being jobless.. In Gibraltar. Mr. James took ashore. He knew Gibraltar. helped her into a carozzi and they trotted up the Main street with a jangle of bells. They walked in the Alamada with the most heavenly scent of-blossom, and the sound of a hurdy-gurdy grinding out a tango. They talked of everything save the office, And at one of the Indian shops, where swarthy- faced men peer out from behind Spanish shawls and Morocco lea- ther, he bought her a bottle of perfume as a souvenir.
"Everybody buys perfume in Gibraltar," he said, and he choose a beady one in an enormous Black bottle, and he beat the man down over the price..
Gay had never seen anybody beaten down before. She sat on a leather pouffe, and she drank ex~ cruciatingly strong coffee and she watched with wonder at the way She knew the idea that flashed Mr. James said that he would not through his mind. He thought that pay that amount and advanced she ought not to have spent the sixpence by sixpence on his ori- money and unfortunately he was ginal offer, while the Indian came quite right She ought to have down, shilling by shilling from the A young man sat opposite. He kept tha le brown bank book price which he had stated would had grave grey eyes and kinky and h and all her luxuries leave him a ruined, man. Then dark hair. He wore gay clothes insid and he laughed across at her yer "Like the window open?" he ask- old
ed.
·
"The window's all right." "I just thought
and then, "My name is Keith Dorne, and we are going to be travelling com- panions. Or should I say ship mates? I have not got the nautical lingo yet. It's going to be. fun, isn't it, though you look like a sick headache,"
She did not know why she told him. Mother had always said never speak to strangers, but somehow when you are starting on a cruise that sort of thing does not apply. Not to Gay, anyway.
1 rovers for every they got into another carozzi, and ntil she was too drove for the wharf. Everybody es any more. was hurrying back to the tender out are doing with huge bunches of flowers.
here?"
· James, ignoring. Great fat roses, and lilies, freesias Keith.
in long fragile sprays, stocks with Keith b. in. "Give me your their clove essence, ticket and 1'll see the old hat box. "How lovely they look," s into the cabin," said he. "Meet wistfully, you later," and off he went with. it.
"Who is that person?" asked Mr. James.
she said
Mr. Jemes patted her hand. "But they don't last! Any old hand at cruising would tell you that Mediterranean, flowers, are the. worst investment. Gone before you sail."
As she struggled back on board: with the black bottle of perfume, she saw Keith. He had an enor mous bunch of red roses. "For; your cabin," he said.
She filled the cabin with them, and by a grim irony, they lasted for three whole days, whereas the
Gay told Mr. James exactly what had happened. She had ven- tured on to the cruise before she had known that she was to have the sack. She had committed her self and there was no going back. "Gee, if that isn't a slice of When she got home she would be darned hard luck," said he. "I've looking for a job, unless of course, done much the same thing, only but she hastily brushed over that I've got a job, leastways a bit of a idea. In three weeks at sea a job. I'm an artist. I paint things great deal can happen, as every black bottle poised on the dress- for magazines, and, had a lucky body knows. She had met Keith ing-table unfortunately became den, hence Naples."
in the train, and he was being restive with the heaving of the "See Naples, and dic," said she, very helpful, she felt lonely of ship, and rolled on to the floor "Not at all. Generally you see it course and a little strange, she and was smashed - to atoms. Gay and come back to murky old Lon had never been further than the decided that it was a positively don and dream about it for ever, the Isle of Wight before, and the sickening scent when you had to I het. I'm going to enjoy, this what- Isle of Wight is very much like live with it in abundance until ever happens."
everywhere else. Naples would be you could have the port open different, she imagined.
again for calnier, seas!
She, brightened considerably. He was a nice cheery person. Twenty seven he said, hatt had lots of ups and downs, and very lucky breaks,
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Mr. Jumes patted her, hand. He said, "I'll see after you. I will get you fixed up at my table, and I'll see that you enjoy yourself."
It was peculiar, that all the way down in the train Gay had been saying to herself, "Oh, if only I knew somebody on board," and now. when she did know some- bedy on board she felt that stran gers were preferable. She had al- ways liked, Mr. James, but she was afraid of him.
When she went up on deck after a nice long. lie-down through a sea which was horribly inclined towards choppiness, she found that Mr. James was awaiting her.
"There is nothing like cham- pagne for seasickness," said Mr. James, and he ordered her some. He had fixed a little table in a sheltered corner of the deck away from the crowd. He was kindly and fatherly. He said the sort of things that she had never expect- "Oh, you mustn't feel that way,” ed_n_man like Mr. James could gaid he a little later, "we are cut say, and she came to the conclu- side the office now. Just friends, sion that either she had fallen'as- You will see that this is going to leep and dreamt all this, or that be fun.” The stewards band play, she had been seasick and it was ed “Auld lang syne!" There were one of the unpleasant effects. rainbow streamers linking them to. Or wasn't it unpleasant? the quay, and then the ship pass- ed slowly out to sea like a great white bird on the face of the water,
"Who is that sticky old chap you've picked up?" asked Keith that first night, when they, stood against the taffrall talking, while the others danced on deck,"
"He was my boss in the office. "Rich?".
"Awfully, I should think.". "And got a pash on you?" He said it with a proprietary note, for at sea the world moves swiftly.
"Oh no, he never noticed me muen before, except to blow me up for my typing. I don't know why he is noticing me;now.”-
"I do.. Shall I tell you?" "I'd rather you didn't." The new mimosa gold chiffon
Mr. James had much to com- mend him. He was kind. He was generous. He was talking glowing- ly about the cruelty of the firm that had sacked her, and how much he wanted to help her, though in exactly what way he did not any. He had always no- tleed what a charming girl she was. He had always thought that she had a way with her,
And a great many more.. other things.
*
"It's aen.fever," she told herself, "It would have been any girl he had met. Just sea fever."
The champagne had a very. brightening effect on her outlook. When she left :Ma. Jamos sho, folt almost herself, and half way down the companion she met Keith. He 4Continued on Page:6).