Thursday 10th August.
Up betimes and to breakfast. Nora and Egypt also there. All quite well. After breakfast up on deck and found chairs- quite sheltered but in the lower part of the ship & we get rather sprayed upon – however, salt is frightfully healthy! Talked to Frank, a small dark man who used to play shuffleboard with me on the Mauretania- an Australian. Sat and slept & Egypt came and read with us.
To lunch and afterwards found our trunk. Egypt and Henry took Nora & I through to show us the Tourist part of the ship by daylight. Most frightfully possessive, my dear! Saw the swimming pool – v. nice. Very nice decks for Tourist, but you feel the vibration more than in our part. Very hot on deck- watched the horse races for a while and then all had tea on deck very nicely together. I then decided to go & find Mamma & Nora came too- our two swains leaving us to find our way home by ourselves, much to our annoyance. Back to our cabins and unpacked a bit more. To Nora’s cabin & talked a bit to her & her roommate – an oldish lady. Up to Garden Lounge & saw end of horse racing there – Egypt also there – incredible person. Backed a horse for me but of course it lost!
Down & got dressed for dinner – green muslin with black bows. In feeling very cheery – a Get Together Dinner – I was longing to get together! George, our steward – a funny little Cockney – very full of beans – insisted on signing menus for us all so we all signed.
Caps and balloons and whistles – such fun! An awfully nice big man at another table, very amused at us. I asked him to sign my menu- he is an American from Philadelphia, name Jack Wilkinson & he has lovely blue eyes & a most humourous smile.
Upstairs to the Garden Lounge for dancing. Sat a table with two American boys- only discovered one wasn’t American. His name is Maurice Chaundy & he was an exchange student from Rugby to the American school Choate for a year. He is rather nice, but looks & speaks quite typically American. Talked for a while and my friend Mr. Wilkinson came and smiled at us. Then Egypt once more appeared with Henry & insisted on us going Tourist. I didn’t want to go at all, so Mummy said we must only go for 1/2 hour & off we trailed. Got there eventually & found instead of dancing- community singing! Very bored, so went back in prompt 1/2 hours time. To find dancing finished & revolting game Keno going on. Deserted Egypt & Henry & sat & talked to Maurice & Mr. Wilkinson & the other American boy, Jack. After a while Keno stopped & recorded dance music came through. Danced à la American with Maurice, Jack & Wilkie- most successful. Maurice & I even danced cheek to cheek but it made me laugh rather! Nora didn’t manage so well – she doesn’t look much of a dancer though.
Mum to bed & after a while the music stopped. Then Jimmy McKenna started to play the piano and he was marvellous. We danced quite a lot, and sat listening & at last went to bed at about 2-ish. An hour off every night – terribly awkward for sleeping! Wilkie saw me to my cabin in the most sweet way.
A Family History in Letters 