Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Novelists -- Fiction; Secretaries -- Fiction; Voyages and travels -- Fiction; West Indies -- Fiction
"This was your room," he said, indicating it. "Mr. A---- had the next
one, Mr. H---- the next, Mr. Mapp the other, and so on. We never had a
party like that before or since. You were all so good natured and had
such a good time!"
I responded that he did very well for us, which aided in our enjoyment,
and that I had not thought of staying at a hotel unless his place was
quarantined; which pleased him mightily.
When Miss May retired to her room to arrange her dress, Eggert asked me
slyly if she was to be the future Mrs. Camran. This reminded me that I
had reached a fork of the road, where I must either take this whole
family into my secret or explain my change of name to my companion. The
latter was decided upon as the most feasible. When she emerged and drew
a chair to the edge of the veranda to admire the prospect of land and
sea I told her that henceforth she must call me by a new name.
She looked inquiringly into my face.
"Do you remember suggesting on the steamer," I asked, "that as we had to
lie to others we ought to tell the truth among ourselves? Well, my name
is Camran, not Camwell. The family here will call me by that name, and
as there is no need of deceiving you, I will admit that it is the
correct one."
"But why," she asked, "did you use the other? Was it because you were
afraid to trust me?"
"Remember how little I knew you," I said.
"Quite as well as I knew you," she replied, reproachfully.
"And have you told me the entire truth in all things?"
She reddened deeply.
"Your name, then, is David Camran--am I right now?" she asked.
"Donald Camran," I corrected. "That is my real name and henceforth you
may call me so; unless we come across any of the Madiana's passengers,
in which case consistency will compel you to use the old one."
Miss May seemed agitated by my last remark.
"How can we meet them?" she asked. "Is not our separation from them
final?"
"It is supposed to be; but how can we tell that some may not follow our
example and stop off at one of the islands? In that case it is quite
possible we may encounter them as we proceed on our journey."
She did not seem to like the idea, but remained silent for some minutes.
"Does any person, on the Madiana, know that the name in the passenger
list is not your true one?" she said, finally.
"Yes. Mr. Wesson knows; and Mr. Edgerly."
She put her hand over her mouth with a quick motion, as if to suppress a
scream.
"How could you tell those casual acquaintances what you concealed from
me?" she said, hoarsely.
"What difference can it make? I was introduced to Wesson in the office
of the steamship agent, some time before we sailed, as I remember
telling you. We exchanged cards. When he afterwards saw the way my name
was spelled on the list he asked me how it happened and I ascribed it to
a printer's error. I added, that as all the passengers would probably
call me Camwell, it was easier for him to do so than to explain the
mistake to fifty people."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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