"Good Lawd!" he gasped, and then tittered at himself. "I ax yo' pahdon, miss, I _neveh_ know de Hayles twins 'uz _double_ twins, male 'n' female. You ax me----?"
"Well, Miss Hayles--you is Miss Hayles, ain't you? Yit, my Lawd! miss, ain't I dess now see you down in de cabin a-playin' in de play, an' a hund'ed people sayin': '_'tis_ her, 'cose it is'?"
"Humph! no, I left as the curtain rose. How's the----?"
"Bishop? Oh, de bishop, he, eh--'bout five-six minute' ago--aw it mowt be ten--whilse I 'uz down dah--de bishop--I'm bleeds to say--breave his las'."
"Ummmm, hmmmm!" droned old Joy; "gone to glory!"
"Yass, de good bishop gone to his good bishop!"
"Why, eh"--the three moved on their way--"de doctoh, he 'uz dah, and de bofe sis' o' charity; yass'm."
"The commodore--wasn't?--Nor the senator--nor----?"
"Oh, yass'm, de commodo', he 'uz dah--faw a spell. He didn' stay till de--finish. He couldn'. He git slightly indispose', hisseff, an' have to go to his own room."
The nurse made a meek show of despair and Ramsey turned upon her. "Now, mammy, this is no time--_now--don't--cry_."
The old woman braced up superbly. "Yass'm," persisted the waiter, "he dah now, in bed; slightly indispose'."
A rumble close below broke in upon the rhythm of the boat. "What's that?" demanded Ramsey.
"Oh, dat's on'y de aujience a-stompin' de actohs."
The next moment, a step or two down the stair, with the skylight roof still in sight as much as hidden tears would let her see it, she stopped again, to stare anxiously at another trio, coming from the bell to the captain's room.
"Da'--dat's all right," the white-jacket reassured her. "Dat's dess de cap'm, wid Mr. Hugh an' a passengeh."
"Yass'm, 'zac'ly; f'om Ca'fawnia; dat's him."
She sprang back to the deck, and the servant went his way down the stair. Hugh had left his father to proceed on the arm of the Californian and was approaching. He murmured only a preoccupied greeting and would have taken the stair, but old Joy motioned eagerly to the girl. She spoke. He stopped. "Yes, Miss Ramsey?"
"Go on," she said, "we're going that way."
Down on the cabin guards the two paused at the bottom step, the old woman lingering at the top. "Mr. Hugh," said Ramsey, "mom-a's sending me for the twins." She drew a breath. "You know about the commodore?"