Explore "Married or Single? , Volume III" by B. M. Croker on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
The _Victoria_ was a crowded ship. There was a large contingent of Australian passengers, also many Anglo-Indians who changed at Aden, and a number of society swallows who were bound for Italy and Egypt. Madeline and Mrs. Leach shared a four-berthed cabin, and enjoyed the luxury of two spare berths, which served as holdalls for their belongings. Mrs. Leach had innumerable parcels, bags, boxes, books, a jewel-case, a tea-basket. She busied herself ere starting, in fixing up her affairs, and annexed fully three-quarters of the available space. Madeline was tired, and put on a tea-gown and lay in her berth languidly watching her partner making her toilette, arranging her hair, her dress, her rings, ere sallying forth to dinner and conquest. She looked remarkably handsome, prosperous, and triumphant as she turned to the wretched girl in the berth, and surveyed her exhaustively. She had adopted a curious way of staring at her the last few days -- a gaze of polite, half-veiled insolence -- that was distinctly irritating.
"Well, dear Madeline" -- the steamer had left the docks, and was steadily throbbing down the Thames -- "so we are off, you see, and I am of the party -- no thanks to _you_. Oh, I know all about it, dearest, and I know what you would little guess."