TITANIC: A STORY TOLD
Chapter Fifty-Two
From inside the sitting room of Rose and
Cal’s suite they could hear knocking and voices in the corridor.
"I had better go dress."
Ruth exited and Hockley went to Rose. He
regarded her coldly for a moment, then slapped her across the face.
"It is a little slut, isn’t it?"
To Rose the blow was inconsequential compared
to the blow her heart had been given. Cal grabbed her shoulders roughly.
"Look at me, you little--"
There was a loud knock on the door and an
urgent voice. The door opened and their steward put his head in.
Sir, I’ve been told to ask you to please put
on your lifebelt, and come up to the boat deck."
"Get out. We’re busy."
The steward persisted, coming in to get the
lifebelts down from the top of a dresser.
"I’m sorry about the inconvenience, Mr.
Hockley, but it’s Captain’s orders. Please dress warmly. It’s quite cold
tonight." He handed a lifebelt to Rose. "Not to worry, Miss. I’m sure
it’s just a precaution."
"This is ridiculous."
In the corridor outside the stewards were
being so polite and obsequious they were conveying no sense of danger
whatsoever.
*****
However, it was another story in steerage.
Blackness. Then bang! The door was thrown
open and the light snapped on by a steward. The Cartmell family roused from a
sound sleep.
"Everybody up. Let’s go. Put your
lifebelts on."
In the corridor outside, another steward was
going from door to door along the hall, pounding and yelling.
"Lifebelts on. Lifebelts on. Everybody
up, come on. Lifebelts on..."
People came out of the doors behind the
steward, perplexed. In the foreground a Syrian woman asked her husband what was
said. He shrugged.
*****
Phillips looked shocked.
"CQD, sir?"
"That’s right. The distress call. CQD.
Tell whoever responds that we are going down by the head and need immediate
assistance."
Smith hurried out.
"Blimey."
"Maybe you ought to try that new
distress call...SOS." Bride grinned. "It may be our only chance to
use it."
Phillips laughed in spite of himself and
started sending history’s first SOS. Dit, dit, dit, da, da, da, dit, dit,
dit...over and over.
*****
Thomas Andrews looked around in amazement.
The deck was empty except for the crew fumbling with the davits. He yelled over
the roar of the steam to First Officer Murdoch.
"Where are the passengers?"
"They’ve all gone back inside. Too damn
cold and noisy for them."
Andrews felt like he was in a bad dream. He
looked at his pocket watch and headed for the foyer entrance.