The Girl on the Boat - Penn State University

“Oh, no! I can see now that I was never in love with
poor Eustace. I was thinking of a man I got engaged to
on the boat!”
Mr. Bennett sat bolt upright in bed, and stared incredulously
at his surprising daughter. His head was
beginning to swim.
“Of course I’ve misunderstood you,” he said. “<strong>The</strong>re’s
a catch somewhere and I haven’t seen it. But for a moment
you gave me the impression that you had promised
to marry some man on the boat!”
“I did!”
“But …!” Mr. Bennett was doing sums on his fingers.
“Do you mean to tell me,” he demanded, having
brought out the answer to his satisfaction, “do you mean
to tell me that you have been engaged to three men in
three weeks?”
“Yes,” said Billie in a small voice.
“Great Godfrey! Er—?”
“No, only three.”
Mr. Bennett sank back on to his pillow with a snort.
“<strong>The</strong> trouble is,” continued Billie, “one does things
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Girl</strong> on the Boat
114
and doesn’t know how one is going to feel about it
afterwards. You can do an awful lot of thinking afterwards,
father.”
“I’m doing a lot of thinking now,” said Mr. Bennett
with austerity. “You oughtn’t to be allowed to go around
loose!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I shall never get engaged
again. I shall never love anyone again.”
“Don’t tell me you are still in love with this boat man?”
Billie nodded miserably. “I didn’t realise it till we
came down here. But, as I sat and watched the rain, it
suddenly came over me that I had thrown away my
life’s happiness. It was as if I had been offered a wonderful
jewel and had refused it. I seemed to hear a voice
reproaching me and saying, ‘You have had your chance.
It will never come again!’”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” said Mr. Bennett.
Billie stiffened. She had thought she had been talking
rather well.
Mr. Bennett was silent for a moment. <strong>The</strong>n he started
up with an exclamation. <strong>The</strong> mention of Eustace