Bogstad elbowing through the throng to
get to the ship. But he was too late. The third bell had rung, the
gangplank was being withdrawn, and the vessel was slowly moving away.
Signe had concealed herself among the people, but now she pressed to the
railing and waved her handkerchief with the rest.
Farewell to Norway, farewell to home and native land. Signe's heart was
full. All that day she sat on deck. She had no desire for food, and the
crowded steerage had no attractions. So she sat, busy with her thoughts
and the sights about the beautiful Christiania fjord.
Early the next morning they steamed into Christiansand, and a few hours
later, the last of Norway's rocky coast sank below the waters of the
North Sea.
All went well for a week. Signe had not suffered much from seasickness,
but now a storm was surely coming. Sailors were busy making everything
snug and tight; and the night closed in fierce and dark, with the sea
spray sweeping the deck.
Signe staggered down into the dimly lighted steerage.
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