A Floating City, and The Blockade Runners — John Shaqi
A Floating City, and The Blockade RunnersVerne, Jules
History
A Floating City, and The Blockade Runners
Verne, Jules
Great Eastern (Steamship) -- Fiction; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Blockades -- Fiction
I began my search with the cabin near the ladies’ saloon, and went along
the passages of both stories. This inspection was easy enough, as the
names of the occupants were written on each door, in order to facilitate
the steward’s work. I did not see Harry Drake’s name, but this did not
surprise me much, as I had no doubt he had preferred the more isolated
cabins at the stern. In matter of comfort, however, no difference
existed between the cabins at the bows and those at the stern, for the
_Freighters_ had only admitted one class of passengers.
I next went towards the dining saloons, keeping carefully to the side
passages which wound between the double row of cabins. All these rooms
were occupied, and all had the name of the passengers outside, but Harry
Drake’s name was not to be seen. This time the absence of his name
astonished me, for I thought I had been all over our Floating City, and
I was not aware of any part more secluded than this.
I inquired of a steward, who told me there were yet a hundred cabins
behind the dining saloons.
“How do you get to them?” I asked.
“By a staircase at the end of the upper deck.”
“Thank you, and can you tell me which cabin Mr. Harry Drake occupies?”
“I do not know, sir,” replied the steward.
Again I went on deck, and following the steward’s direction at last came
to the door at the top of the stairs. This staircase did not lead to any
large saloons, but simply to a dimly-lighted landing, round which was
arranged a double row of cabins. Harry Drake could hardly have found a
more favourable place in which to hide Ellen.
The greater part of the cabins were unoccupied. I went along the
landing, a few names were written on the doors, but only two or three at
the most. Harry Drake’s name was not among them, and as I had made a
very minute inspection of this compartment, I was very much disappointed
at my ill success. I was going away when suddenly a vague, almost
inaudible murmur caught my ear, it proceeded from the left side of the
passage. I went towards the place; the sounds, at first faint, grew
louder, and I distinguished a kind of plaintive song, or rather
melopœia, the words of which did not reach me.
I listened; it was a woman singing, but in this unconscious voice one
could recognize a mournful wail. Might not this voice belong to the mad
woman? My presentiments could not deceive me. I went quietly nearer to
the cabin, which was numbered 775. It was the last in this dim passage,
and must have been lighted by the lowest light-ports in the hull of the
“Great Eastern;” there was no name on the door, and Harry Drake had no
desire that any one should know the place where he confined Ellen.
I could not distinctly hear the voice of the unfortunate woman; her song
was only a string of unconnected sentences like one speaking in sleep,
but at the same time it was sweet and plaintive.
Although I had no means of recognizing her identity, I had no doubt but
that it was Ellen singing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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