Luckily, the spell of bad weather did not last long and the passengers were once again given the freedom of the deck, but he felt a certain constraint had arisen between himself and Kitty. They had both been disturbed by the emotions they had aroused and he was beset by a kind of gallantry; he needed to protect her from the possible consequences of a repeat performance. Very soon her family recovered from their seasickness and they went back to the safety of their supervised conversations.

As they watched the skyline of Melbourne materialise out of the haze on the horizon, he said, ‘We will see each other, when we’re ashore, won’t we?’

‘I certainly hope so,’ she replied. ‘But where will you be?’

‘I don’t know yet. I have to find a job. Where will you be?’

‘There’s a lodging house where we can stay, until Dad finds a place to set up in business. I’m not sure of the address.’

‘I have an idea,’ he said. ‘When I was here before I made friends with some people who own a hotel. I’m going to call on them as soon as I get ashore and they may help me to find work. But anyway, if you were to send a note to me there, I’m sure they would pass it on. It’s called Croft’s Hotel. Anyone will tell you where it is.’

She looked at him. ‘I’ve really liked being with you, Gus, and the talks we’ve had. I’d like it to go on.’

‘So would I,’ he responded. ‘We’ll keep in touch and maybe, one day …’ He left the sentence unfinished.

‘Yes, maybe … one day,’ she said and glanced behind her. Her mother was in conversation with another women and her father and brother were straining their eyes for the first glimpse of their new home. She leaned up and kissed him, quickly, on the lips and then moved away to join her mother.

He was busy from the time they docked and in the turmoil of passengers eager to get ashore he almost missed her. He caught sight of the family just as they were about to descend the gangplank and waved and called, ‘Good luck!’ She waved back and he shouted, ‘Croft’s Hotel, remember.’

‘I won’t forget,’ she called back, and then she was swallowed up in the straining, pushing crowd.

As soon as he had completed the necessary paperwork for his discharge, Gus said goodbye to his shipmates and headed for Croft’s Hotel. The streets of Melbourne felt comfortingly familiar and, although it was winter now, the sun was shining. His heart lifted. There was no knowing what lay in store for him, but it was going to be a new life and the possibilities were endless.