the doctor.

"They'll be taking you along, doctor," she said. "Oh I do wish you were
coming! Good-bye! Good-bye. Oh dear, I do believe I'm going to cry."

"Good-bye, lassie," said the doctor, taking off his glasses as he
stepped on to the gangway and blinked at her. Suddenly she thought he
looked so grey and so lonely that it seemed necessary to comfort him
and, before the man at the gangway could stop her, she had dashed after
him, flung her arms round his neck, kissed him loudly on his ruddy cheek
and ran back on deck again, all in a moment. She was looking at the
doctor as he stared at her blindly, but she was suddenly conscious of a
loud and passionate "Damn!" very close to her. She guessed, rather than
realized, that she was standing on someone's foot.

"Oh, I am so sorry," she said, flushing hotly; she gave the owner of the
foot, which was in a neat brown shoe, a swift upward glance that stopped
at rather bright, downcast brown eyes. The next minute she was waving
to the doctor, for the tender had already started and the gap of dirty
water was widening.

"You'll take care, Marcella," he called. "And, Marcella, if you're
getting unhappy, you'll be coming back home?"

"Of course I'll come back. This is only a crusade," she said, waving her
hand to him, feeling that she would begin to dance with excitement in
another moment, and at the same time wishing that he could come with
her, for, as she saw him through mists slowly getting further and
further away while the gap of water widened, she realized how absolutely
alone she was.