Katherine Mansfield's short story "The Voyage" is divided into ten sections. The voyage of the title begins in section 3 and ends in section 8, meaning that the central six parts occur mainly at sea, while first two and last two act as a frame at either end of the journey. Throughout the course of the narrative, a series of incidents make it apparent that the journey is more significant and that Fenella's residence with her grandparents is likely to be of longer duration than was clear at the beginning. On the boat, these incidents involve Fenella's grandmother, but at either end of the journey, her father and grandfather signify how her life has changed.

At the end of section 2, just before the boat departs, Fenella's father gives her a shilling. It worries her to be given such a large sum, and she suddenly thinks,

A shilling! She must be going away for ever!

This is her first substantial clue as to what is happening. In section 10, Fenella finds the following text framed above her new bed:

Lost! One Golden Hour Set with Sixty Diamond Minutes. No Reward Is Offered For It Is Gone For Ever!

Her grandfather's faintly conspiratorial attitude to his wife's moralizing, which is evident in the look he gives Fenella upon telling her that this was painted by her grandmother, is the final sign that their current living situation is a long-term proposition. Crane is tacitly suggesting the formation of a good-natured alliance against the excesses of her grandmother's strictness and religious fervor.