ThePlanterofMalataThePartnerTheInnoftheTwoWitchesBecauseoftheDollarsTHEPLANTEROFMALATA
CHAPTERI
Intheprivateeditorialofficeoftheprincipalnewspaperinagreatcolonialcitytwomenweretalking。Theywerebothyoung。
Thestouterofthetwo，fair，andwithmoreofanurbanlookabouthim，wastheeditorandpart-owneroftheimportantnewspaper。
Theother\'snamewasRenouard。Thathewasexercisedinhismindaboutsomethingwasevidentonhisfinebronzedface。Hewasalean，lounging，activeman。Thejournalistcontinuedtheconversation。
\"AndsoyouwerediningyesterdayatoldDunster\'s。\"
Heusedthewordoldnotintheendearingsenseinwhichitissometimesappliedtointimates，butasamatterofsoberfact。TheDunsterinquestionwasold。Hehadbeenaneminentcolonialstatesman，buthadnowretiredfromactivepoliticsafteratourinEuropeandalengthystayinEngland，duringwhichhehadhadaverygoodpressindeed。Thecolonywasproudofhim。
\"Yes。Idinedthere，\"saidRenouard。\"YoungDunsteraskedmejustasIwasgoingoutofhisoffice。Itseemedtobelikeasuddenthought。AndyetIcan\'thelpsuspectingsomepurposebehindit。
Hewasverypressing。Hesworethathisunclewouldbeverypleasedtoseeme。SaidhisunclehadmentionedlatelythatthegrantingtomeoftheMalataconcessionwasthelastactofhisofficiallife。\"
\"Verytouching。Theoldboysentimentalisesoverthepastnowandthen。\"
\"Ireallydon\'tknowwhyIaccepted，\"continuedtheother。
\"Sentimentdoesnotmovemeveryeasily。OldDunsterwasciviltomeofcourse，buthedidnoteveninquirehowIwasgettingonwithmysilkplants。Forgottherewassuchathingprobably。ImustsaythereweremorepeopletherethanIexpectedtomeet。Quiteabigparty。\"
\"Iwasasked，\"remarkedthenewspaperman。\"OnlyIcouldn\'tgo。
ButwhendidyouarrivefromMalata？\"
\"Iarrivedyesterdayatdaylight。Iamanchoredoutthereinthebay-offGardenPoint。IwasinDunster\'sofficebeforehehadfinishedreadinghisletters。HaveyoueverseenyoungDunsterreadinghisletters？Ihadaglimpseofhimthroughtheopendoor。
Heholdsthepaperinbothhands，huncheshisshouldersuptohisuglyears，andbringshislongnoseandhisthicklipsontoitlikeasuckingapparatus。Acommercialmonster。\"
\"Herewedon\'tconsiderhimamonster，\"saidthenewspapermanlookingathisvisitorthoughtfully。
\"Probablynot。Youareusedtoseehisfaceandtoseeotherfaces。Idon\'tknowhowitisthat，whenIcometotown，theappearanceofthepeopleinthestreetstrikemewithsuchforce。
Theyseemsoawfullyexpressive。\"
\"Andnotcharming。\"
\"Well-no。Notasarule。Theeffectisforciblewithoutbeingclear……Iknowthatyouthinkit\'sbecauseofmysolitarymanneroflifeawaythere。\"
\"Yes。Idothinkso。Itisdemoralising。Youdon\'tseeanyoneformonthsatastretch。You\'releadinganunhealthylife。\"
Theotherhardlysmiledandmurmuredtheadmissionthattrueenoughitwasagoodelevenmonthssincehehadbeenintownlast。
\"Yousee，\"insistedtheother。\"Solitudeworkslikeasortofpoison。Andthenyouperceivesuggestionsinfaces-mysteriousandforcible，thatnosoundmanwouldbebotheredwith。Ofcourseyoudo。\"
GeoffreyRenouarddidnottellhisjournalistfriendthatthesuggestionsofhisownface，thefaceofafriend，botheredhimasmuchastheothers。Hedetectedadegradingqualityinthetouchesofagewhicheverydayaddstoahumancountenance。Theymovedanddisturbedhim，likethesignsofahorribleinwardtravailwhichwasfrightfullyapparenttothefresheyehehadbroughtfromhisisolationinMalata，wherehehadsettledafterfivestrenuousyearsofadventureandexploration。
\"It\'safact，\"hesaid，\"thatwhenIamathomeinMalataIseenooneconsciously。Itaketheplantationboysforgranted。\"
\"Well，andweheretakethepeopleinthestreetsforgranted。Andthat\'ssanity。\"
Thevisitorsaidnothingtothisforfearofengagingadiscussion。
Whathehadcometoseekintheeditorialofficewasnotcontroversy，butinformation。Yetsomehowhehesitatedtoapproachthesubject。Solitarylifemakesamanreticentinrespectofanythinginthenatureofgossip，whichthosetowhomchattingabouttheirkindisaneverydayexerciseregardasthecommonestuseofspeech。
\"Youverybusy？\"heasked。
TheEditormakingredmarksonalongslipofprintedpaperthrewthepencildown。
\"No。Iamdone。Socialparagraphs。Thisofficeistheplacewhereeverythingisknownabouteverybody-includingevenagreatdealofnobodies。Queerfellowsdriftinandoutofthisroom。
Waifsandstraysfromhome，fromup-country，fromthePacific。
And，bytheway，lasttimeyouwerehereyoupickeduponeofthatsortforyourassistant-didn\'tyou？\"
\"Iengagedanassistantonlytostopyourpreachingabouttheevilsofsolitude，\"saidRenouardhastily；andthepressmanlaughedatthehalf-resentfultone。Hislaughwasnotveryloud，buthisplumppersonshookallover。Hewasawarethathisyoungerfriend\'sdeferencetohisadvicewasbasedonlyonanimperfectbeliefinhiswisdom-orhissagacity。ButitwashewhohadfirsthelpedRenouardinhisplansofexploration:thefive-years\'
programmeofscientificadventure，ofwork，ofdangerandendurance，carriedoutwithsuchdistinctionandrewardedmodestlywiththeleaseofMalataislandbythefrugalcolonialgovernment。
Andthisreward，too，hadbeenduetothejournalist\'sadvocacywithwordandpen-forhewasaninfluentialmaninthecommunity。
DoubtingverymuchifRenouardreallylikedhim，hewashimselfwithoutgreatsympathyforacertainsideofthatmanwhichhecouldnotquitemakeout。Heonlyfeltitobscurelytobehisrealpersonality-thetrue-and，perhaps，theabsurd。As，forinstance，inthatcaseoftheassistant。Renouardhadgivenwaytotheargumentsofhisfriendandbacker-theargumentagainsttheunwholesomeeffectofsolitude，theargumentforthesafetyofcompanionshipevenifquarrelsome。Verywell。Inthisdocilityhewassensibleandevenlikeable。Butwhatdidhedonext？Insteadoftakingcounselastothechoicewithhisoldbackerandfriend，andaman，besides，knowingeverybodyemployedandunemployedonthepavementsofthetown，thisextraordinaryRenouardsuddenlyandalmostsurreptitiouslypickedupafellow-Godknowswho-andsailedawaywithhimbacktoMalatainahurry；aproceedingobviouslyrashandatthesametimenotquitestraight。Thatwasthesortofthing。Thesecretlyunforgivingjournalistlaughedalittlelongerandthenceasedtoshakeallover。
\"Oh，yes。Aboutthatassistantofyours……\"
\"Whatabouthim，\"saidRenouard，afterwaitingawhile，withashadowofuneasinessonhisface。
\"Haveyounothingtotellmeofhim？\"
\"Nothingexcept……\"IncipientgrimnessvanishedoutofRenouard\'saspectandhisvoice，whilehehesitatedasifreflectingseriouslybeforehechangedhismind。\"No。Nothingwhatever。\"
\"Youhaven\'tbroughthimalongwithyoubychance-forachange。\"
ThePlanterofMalatastared，thenshookhishead，andfinallymurmuredcarelessly:\"Ithinkhe\'sverywellwhereheis。ButI
wishyoucouldtellmewhyyoungDunsterinsistedsomuchonmydiningwithhisunclelastnight。EverybodyknowsIamnotasocietyman。\"
TheEditorexclaimedatsomuchmodesty。Didn\'thisfriendknowthathewastheironeandonlyexplorer-thathewasthemanexperimentingwiththesilkplant……
\"Still，thatdoesn\'ttellmewhyIwasinvitedyesterday。ForyoungDunsterneverthoughtofthiscivilitybefore……\"
\"OurWillie，\"saidthepopularjournalist，\"neverdoesanythingwithoutapurpose，that\'safact。\"
\"Andtohisuncle\'shousetoo!\"
\"Helivesthere。\"
\"Yes。Buthemighthavegivenmeafeedsomewhereelse。Theextraordinarypartisthattheoldmandidnotseemtohaveanythingspecialtosay。Hesmiledkindlyonmeonceortwice，andthatwasall。Itwasquiteaparty，sixteenpeople。\"
TheEditorthen，afterexpressinghisregretthathehadnotbeenabletocome，wantedtoknowifthepartyhadbeenentertaining。
Renouardregrettedthathisfriendhadnotbeenthere。Beingamanwhosebusinessoratleastwhoseprofessionwastoknoweverythingthatwentoninthispartoftheglobe，hecouldprobablyhavetoldhimsomethingofsomepeoplelatelyarrivedfromhome，whowereamongsttheguests。YoungDunster(Willie)，withhislargeshirt-
frontandstreaksofwhiteskinshiningunpleasantlythroughthethinblackhairplasteredoverthetopofhishead，boredownonhimandintroducedhimtothatparty，asifhehadbeenatraineddogorachildphenomenon。Decidedly，hesaid，hedislikedWillie-oneoftheselargeoppressivemen……
Asilencefell，anditwasasifRenouardwerenotgoingtosayanythingmorewhen，suddenly，hecameoutwiththerealobjectofhisvisittotheeditorialroom。
\"Theylookedtomelikepeopleunderaspell。\"
TheEditorgazedathimappreciatively，thinkingthat，whethertheeffectofsolitudeornot，thiswasaproofofasensitiveperceptionoftheexpressionoffaces。
\"Youomittedtotellmetheirname，butIcanmakeaguess。YoumeanProfessorMoorsom，hisdaughterandsister-don\'tyou？\"
Renouardassented。Yes，awhite-hairedlady。Butfromhissilence，withhiseyesfixed，yetavoidinghisfriend，itwaseasytoguessthatitwasnotinthewhite-hairedladythathewasinterested。
\"Uponmyword，\"hesaid，recoveringhisusualbearing。\"ItlookstomeasifIhadbeenaskedthereonlyforthedaughtertotalktome。\"
Hedidnotconcealthathehadbeengreatlystruckbyherappearance。Nobodycouldhavehelpedbeingimpressed。Shewasdifferentfromeverybodyelseinthathouse，anditwasnotonlytheeffectofherLondonclothes。Hedidnottakeherdowntodinner。Williedidthat。Itwasafterwards，ontheterrace……
Theeveningwasdelightfullycalm。Hewassittingapartandalone，andwishinghimselfsomewhereelse-onboardtheschoonerforchoice，withthedinner-harnessoff。Hehadn\'texchangedfortywordsaltogetherduringtheeveningwiththeotherguests。Hesawhersuddenlyallbyherselfcomingtowardshimalongthedimlylightedterrace，quitefromadistance。
Shewastallandsupple，carryingnoblyonherstraightbodyaheadofacharacterwhichtohimappearedpeculiar，something-well-
pagan，crownedwithagreatwealthofhair。Hehadbeenabouttorise，butherdecidedapproachcausedhimtoremainontheseat。
Hehadnotlookedmuchatherthatevening。Hehadnotthatfreedomofgazeacquiredbythehabitofsocietyandthefrequentmeetingswithstrangers。Itwasnotshyness，butthereserveofamannotusedtotheworldandtothepracticeofcovertstaring，withcarelesscuriosity。Allhehadcapturedbyhisfirst，keen，instantlylowered，glancewastheimpressionthatherhairwasmagnificentlyredandhereyesveryblack。Itwasatroublingeffect，butithadbeenevanescent；hehadforgottenitalmosttillveryunexpectedlyhesawhercomingdowntheterraceslowandeager，asifshewererestrainingherself，andwitharhythmicupwardundulationofherwholefigure。Thelightfromanopenwindowfellacrossherpath，andsuddenlyallthatmassofarrangedhairappearedincandescent，chiselledandfluid，withthedaringsuggestionofahelmetofburnishedcopperandtheflowinglinesofmoltenmetal。Itkindledinhimanastonishedadmiration。ButhesaidnothingofittohisfriendtheEditor。Neitherdidhetellhimthatherapproachwokeupinhisbraintheimageoflove\'sinfinitegraceandthesenseoftheinexhaustiblejoythatlivesinbeauty。No!WhatheimpartedtotheEditorwerenoemotions，butmerefactsconveyedinadeliberatevoiceandinuninspiredwords。
\"Thatyoungladycameandsatdownbyme。Shesaid:\'AreyouFrench，Mr。Renouard？\'\"
Hehadbreathedawhiffofperfumeofwhichhesaidnothingeither-ofsomeperfumehedidnotknow。Hervoicewaslowanddistinct。
Hershouldersandherbarearmsgleamedwithanextraordinarysplendour，andwhensheadvancedherheadintothelighthesawtheadmirablecontouroftheface，thestraightfinenosewithdelicatenostrils，theexquisitecrimsonbrushstrokeofthelipsonthisovalwithoutcolour。Theexpressionoftheeyeswaslostinashadowymysteriousplayofjetandsilver，stirringundertheredcopperygoldofthehairasthoughshehadbeenabeingmadeofivoryandpreciousmetalschangedintolivingtissue。
\"……ItoldhermypeoplewerelivinginCanada，butthatIwasbroughtupinEnglandbeforecomingouthere。Ican\'timaginewhatinterestshecouldhaveinmyhistory。\"
\"Andyoucomplainofherinterest？\"
Theaccentoftheall-knowingjournalistseemedtojaronthePlanterofMalata。
\"No!\"hesaid，inadeadenedvoicethatwasalmostsullen。Butafterashortsilencehewenton。\"Veryextraordinary。ItoldherIcameouttowanderatlargeintheworldwhenIwasnineteen，almostdirectlyafterIleftschool。Itseemsthatherlatebrotherwasinthesameschoolacoupleofyearsbeforeme。ShewantedmetotellherwhatIdidatfirstwhenIcameouthere；
whatothermenfoundtodowhentheycameout-wheretheywent，whatwaslikelytohappentothem-asifIcouldguessandforetellfrommyexperiencethefatesofmenwhocomeoutherewithahundreddifferentprojects，forhundredsofdifferentreasons-
fornoreasonbutrestlessness-whocome，andgo，anddisappear!
Preposterous。Sheseemedtowanttoheartheirhistories。Itoldherthatmostofthemwerenotworthtelling。\"
Thedistinguishedjournalistleaningonhiselbow，hisheadrestingagainsttheknucklesofhislefthand，listenedwithgreatattention，butgavenosignofthatsurprisewhichRenouard，pausing，seemedtoexpect。
\"Youknowsomething，\"thelattersaidbrusquely。Theall-knowingmanmovedhisheadslightlyandsaid，\"Yes。Butgoon。\"
\"It\'sjustthis。Thereisnomoretoit。Ifoundmyselftalkingtoherofmyadventures，ofmyearlydays。Itcouldn\'tpossiblyhaveinterestedher。Really，\"hecried，\"thisismostextraordinary。Thosepeoplehavesomethingontheirminds。Wesatinthelightofthewindow，andherfatherprowledabouttheterrace，withhishandsbehindhisbackandhisheaddrooping。Thewhite-hairedladycametothedining-roomwindowtwice-tolookatusIamcertain。Theotherguestsbegantogoaway-andstillwesatthere。ApparentlythesepeoplearestayingwiththeDunsters。
ItwasoldMrs。Dunsterwhoputanendtothething。Thefatherandtheauntcircledaboutasiftheywereafraidofinterferingwiththegirl。Thenshegotupallatonce，gavemeherhand，andsaidshehopedshewouldseemeagain。\"
WhilehewasspeakingRenouardsawagaintheswayofherfigureinamovementofgraceandstrength-feltthepressureofherhand-
heardthelastaccentsofthedeepmurmurthatcamefromherthroatsowhiteinthelightofthewindow，andrememberedtheblackraysofhersteadyeyespassingoffhisfacewhensheturnedaway。Herememberedallthisvisually，anditwasnotexactlypleasurable。
Itwasratherstartlinglikethediscoveryofanewfacultyinhimself。Therearefacultiesonewouldratherdowithout-such，forinstance，asseeingthroughastonewallorrememberingapersonwiththisuncannyvividness。Andwhataboutthosetwopeoplebelongingtoherwiththeirairofexpectantsolicitude!
Really，thosefiguresfromhomegotinfrontofone。Infact，theirpersistenceingettingbetweenhimandthesolidformsoftheeverydaymaterialworldhaddrivenRenouardtocallonhisfriendattheoffice。Hehopedthatalittlecommon，gossipyinformationwouldlaytheghostofthatunexpecteddinner-party。OfcoursetheproperpersontogotowouldhavebeenyoungDunster，but，hecouldn\'tstandWillieDunster-notatanyprice。
InthepausetheEditorhadchangedhisattitude，facedhisdesk，andsmiledafaintknowingsmile。
\"Strikinggirl-eh？\"hesaid。
Theincongruityofthewordwasenoughtomakeonejumpoutofthechair。Striking!Thatgirlstriking!Stri……!ButRenouardrestrainedhisfeelings。Hisfriendwasnotapersontogiveoneselfawayto。And，afterall，thissortofspeechwaswhathehadcometheretohear。As，however，hehadmadeamovementhere-
settledhimselfcomfortablyandsaid，withverycreditableindifference，thatyes-shewas，rather。Especiallyamongstalotofover-dressedfrumps。Therewasn\'tonewomanunderfortythere。
\"Isthatthewaytospeakofthecreamofoursociety；the\'topofthebasket，\'astheFrenchsay，\"theEditorremonstratedwithmockindignation。\"Youaren\'tmoderateinyourexpressions-youknow。\"
\"Iexpressmyselfverylittle，\"interjectedRenouardseriously。
\"Iwilltellyouwhatyouare。Youareafellowthatdoesn\'tcountthecost。Ofcourseyouaresafewithme，butwillyouneverlearn……\"
\"Whatstruckmemost，\"interruptedtheother，\"isthatsheshouldpickmeoutforsuchalongconversation。\"
\"That\'sperhapsbecauseyouwerethemostremarkableofthementhere。\"
Renouardshookhishead。
\"Thisshotdoesn\'tseemtometohitthemark，\"hesaidcalmly。
\"Tryagain。\"
\"Don\'tyoubelieveme？Oh，youmodestcreature。Well，letmeassureyouthatunderordinarycircumstancesitwouldhavebeenagoodshot。Youaresufficientlyremarkable。Butyouseemaprettyacutecustomertoo。Thecircumstancesareextraordinary。ByJovetheyare!\"
Hemused。AfteratimethePlanterofMalatadroppedanegligent-
\"Andyouknowthem。\"
\"AndIknowthem，\"assentedtheall-knowingEditor，soberly，asthoughtheoccasionweretoospecialforadisplayofprofessionalvanity；avanitysowellknowntoRenouardthatitsabsenceaugmentedhiswonderandalmostmadehimuneasyasifportendingbadnewsofsomesort。
\"Youhavemetthosepeople？\"heasked。
\"No。Iwastohavemetthemlastnight，butIhadtosendanapologytoWillieinthemorning。Itwasthenthathehadthebrightideatoinviteyoutofilltheplace，fromamuddlednotionthatyoucouldbeofuse。Willieisstupidsometimes。Foritisclearthatyouarethelastmanabletohelp。\"
\"HowonearthdoIcometobemixedupinthis-whateveritis？\"
Renouard\'svoicewasslightlyalteredbynervousirritation。\"I
onlyarrivedhereyesterdaymorning。\"
CHAPTERII
HisfriendtheEditorturnedtohimsquarely。\"Willietookmeintoconsultation，andsinceheseemstohaveletyouinImayjustaswelltellyouwhatisup。IshalltrytobeasshortasIcan。
Butinconfidence-mind!\"
Hewaited。Renouard，hisuneasinessgrowingonhimunreasonably，assentedbyanod，andtheotherlostnotimeinbeginning。
ProfessorMoorsom-physicistandphilosopher-fineheadofwhitehair，tojudgefromthephotographs-plentyofbrainsintheheadtoo-allthesefamousbooks-surelyevenRenouardwouldknow……
Renouardmutteredmoodilythatitwasn\'thissortofreading，andhisfriendhastenedtoassurehimearnestlythatneitherwasithissort-exceptasamatterofbusinessandduty，fortheliterarypageofthatnewspaperwhichwashisproperty(andtheprideofhislife)。TheonlyliterarynewspaperintheAntipodescouldnotignorethefashionablephilosopheroftheage。NotthatanybodyreadMoorsomattheAntipodes，buteverybodyhadheardofhim-
women，children，docklabourers，cabmen。Theonlyperson(besideshimself)whohadreadMoorsom，asfarasheknew，wasoldDunster，whousedtocallhimselfaMoorsomian(orwasitMoorsomite)yearsandyearsago，longbeforeMoorsomhadworkedhimselfupintothegreatswellhewasnow，ineveryway……Sociallytoo。Quitethefashioninthehighestworld。
Renouardlistenedwithprofoundlyconcealedattention。\"A
charlatan，\"hemutteredlanguidly。
\"Well-no。Ishouldsaynot。Ishouldn\'twonderthoughifmostofhiswritinghadbeendonewithhistongueinhischeek。Ofcourse。That\'stobeexpected。Itellyouwhat:theonlyreallyhonestwritingistobefoundinnewspapersandnowhereelse-anddon\'tyouforgetit。\"
TheEditorpausedwithabasiliskstaretillRenouardhadconcededacasual:\"Idaresay，\"andonlythenwentontoexplainthatoldDunster，duringhisEuropeantour，hadbeenmaderatheralionofinLondon，wherehestayedwiththeMoorsoms-hemeantthefatherandthegirl。Theprofessorhadbeenawidowerforalongtime。
\"Shedoesn\'tlookjustagirl，\"mutteredRenouard。Theotheragreed。Verylikelynot。HadbeenplayingtheLondonhostesstotip-toppeopleeversincesheputherhairup，probably。
\"Idon\'texpecttoseeanygirlishbloomonherwhenIdohavetheprivilege，\"hecontinued。\"ThosepeoplearestayingwiththeDunster\'sINCOG。，inamanner，youunderstand-somethinglikeroyalties。Theydon\'tdeceiveanybody，buttheywanttobelefttothemselves。Wehaveevenkeptthemoutofthepaper-toobligeoldDunster。Butweshallputyourarrivalin-ourlocalcelebrity。\"
\"Heavens!\"
\"Yes。Mr。G。Renouard，theexplorer，whoseindomitableenergy，etc。，andwhoisnowworkingfortheprosperityofourcountryinanotherwayonhisMalataplantation……And，bytheby，how\'sthesilkplant-flourishing？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Didyoubringanyfibre？\"
\"Schooner-full。\"
\"Isee。TobetranshippedtoLiverpoolforexperimentalmanufacture，eh？Eminentcapitalistsathomeverymuchinterested，aren\'tthey？\"
\"Theyare。\"
Asilencefell。ThentheEditorutteredslowly-\"Youwillbearichmansomeday。\"
Renouard\'sfacedidnotbetrayhisopinionofthatconfidentprophecy。Hedidn\'tsayanythingtillhisfriendsuggestedinthesamemeditativevoice-
\"YououghttointerestMoorsomintheaffairtoo-sinceWilliehasletyouin。\"
\"Aphilosopher!\"
\"Isupposeheisn\'tabovemakingabitofmoney。Andhemaybecleveratitforallyouknow。Ihaveanotionthathe\'safairlypracticaloldcove……Anyhow，\"andherethetoneofthespeakertookonatingeofrespect，\"hehasmadephilosophypay。\"
Renouardraisedhiseyes，repressedanimpulsetojumpup，andgotoutofthearm-chairslowly。\"Itisn\'tperhapsabadidea，\"hesaid。\"I\'llhavetocallthereinanycase。\"
Hewonderedwhetherhehadmanagedtokeephisvoicesteady，itstoneunconcernedenough；forhisemotionwasstrongthoughithadnothingtodowiththebusinessaspectofthissuggestion。Hemovedintheroominvaguepreparationfordeparture，whenheheardasoftlaugh。Hespunaboutquicklywithafrown，buttheEditorwasnotlaughingathim。Hewaschucklingacrossthebigdeskatthewall:apreliminaryofsomespeechforwhichRenouard，recalledtohimself，waitedsilentandmistrustful。
\"No!Youwouldneverguess!Noonewouldeverguesswhatthesepeopleareafter。Willie\'seyesbulgedoutwhenhecametomewiththetale。\"
\"Theyalwaysdo，\"remarkedRenouardwithdisgust。\"He\'sstupid。\"
\"Hewasstartled。AndsowasIafterhetoldme。It\'sasearchparty。Theyareoutlookingforaman。Willie\'ssoftheart\'senlistedinthecause。\"
Renouardrepeated:\"Lookingforaman。\"
Hesatdownsuddenlyasifonpurposetostare。\"DidWilliecometoyoutoborrowthelantern，\"heaskedsarcastically，andgotupagainfornoapparentreason。
\"Whatlantern？\"snappedthepuzzledEditor，andhisfacedarkenedwithsuspicion。\"You，Renouard，arealwaysalludingtothingsthataren\'tcleartome。Ifyouwereinpolitics，I，asapartyjournalist，wouldn\'ttrustyoufurtherthanIcouldseeyou。Notaninchfurther。Youaresuchasophisticatedbeggar。Listen:
themanisthemanMissMoorsomwasengagedtoforayear。Hecouldn\'thavebeenanobody，anyhow。Buthedoesn\'tseemtohavebeenverywise。Hardluckfortheyounglady。\"
Hespokewithfeeling。Itwasclearthatwhathehadtotellappealedtohissentiment。Yet，asanexperiencedmanoftheworld，hemarkedhisamusedwonder。Youngmanofgoodfamilyandconnections，goingeverywhere，yetnotmerelyamanabouttown，butwithafootinthetwobigF\'s。
Renouardloungingaimlesslyintheroomturnedround:\"Andwhatthedevil\'sthat？\"heaskedfaintly。
\"WhyFashionandFinance，\"explainedtheEditor。\"That\'showI
callit。TherearethethreeR\'satthebottomofthesocialedificeandthetwoF\'sonthetop。See？\"
\"Ha!Ha!Excellent!Ha!Ha!\"Renouardlaughedwithstonyeyes。
\"Andyouproceedfromonesettotheotherinthisdemocraticage，\"
theEditorwentonwithunperturbedcomplacency。\"Thatisifyouarecleverenough。Theonlydangerisinbeingtooclever。AndI
thinksomethingofthesorthappenedhere。ThatswellIamspeakingofgothimselfintoamess。Apparentlyaveryuglymessofafinancialcharacter。YouwillunderstandthatWilliedidnotgointodetailswithme。Theywerenotimpartedtohimwithverygreatabundanceeither。Butabadmess-somethingofthecriminalorder。Ofcoursehewasinnocent。Buthehadtoquitallthesame。\"
\"Ha!Ha!\"Renouardlaughedagainabruptly，staringasbefore。\"Sothere\'sonemorebigFinthetale。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"inquiredtheEditorquickly，withanairasifhispatentwerebeinginfringed。
\"Imean-Fool。\"
\"No。Iwouldn\'tsaythat。Iwouldn\'tsaythat。\"
\"Well-lethimbeascoundrelthen。WhatthedevildoIcare。\"
\"Butholdon!Youhaven\'theardtheendofthestory。\"
Renouard，hishatonhisheadalready，satdownwiththedisdainfulsmileofamanwhohaddiscountedthemoralofthestory。StillhesatdownandtheEditorswunghisrevolvingchairrightround。Hewasfullofunction。
\"Imprudent，Ishouldsay。Inmanywaysmoneyisasdangeroustohandleasgunpowder。Youcan\'tbetoocarefuleitherastowhoyouareworkingwith。Anyhowtherewasamightyflashyburstup，asensation，and-hisfamiliarhauntsknewhimnomore。ButbeforehevanishedhewenttoseeMissMoorsom。Thatveryfactarguesforhisinnocence-don\'tit？Whatwassaidbetweenthemnomanknows-unlesstheprofessorhadtheconfidencefromhisdaughter。Therecouldn\'thavebeenmuchtosay。Therewasnothingforitbuttolethimgo-wasthere？-fortheaffairhadgotintothepapers。
Andperhapsthekindestthingwouldhavebeentoforgethim。
Anywaytheeasiest。Forgivenesswouldhavebeenmoredifficult，I
fancy，forayoungladyofspiritandpositiondrawnintoanuglyaffairlikethat。Anyordinaryyounglady，Imean。Well，thefellowaskednothingbetterthantobeforgotten，onlyhedidn\'tfinditeasytodosohimself，becausehewouldwritehomenowandthen。Nottoanyofhisfriendsthough。Hehadnonearrelations。
Theprofessorhadbeenhisguardian。No，thepoordevilwrotenowandthentoanoldretiredbutlerofhislatefather，somewhereinthecountry，forbiddinghimatthesametimetoletanyoneknowofhiswhereabouts。SothatworthyoldasswouldgoupanddodgeabouttheMoorsom\'stownhouse，perhapswaylayMissMoorsom\'smaid，andthenwouldwriteto\'MasterArthur\'thattheyoungladylookedwellandhappy，orsomesuchcheerfulintelligence。Idaresayhewantedtobeforgotten，butIshouldn\'tthinkhewasmuchcheeredbythenews。Whatwouldyousay？\"
Renouard，hislegsstretchedoutandhischinonhisbreast，saidnothing。Asensationwhichwasnotcuriosity，butratheravaguenervousanxiety，distinctlyunpleasant，likeamysterioussymptomofsomemalady，preventedhimfromgettingupandgoingaway。
\"Mixedfeelings，\"theEditoropined。\"Manyfellowsoutherereceivenewsfromhomewithmixedfeelings。ButwhatwillhisfeelingsbewhenhehearswhatIamgoingtotellyounow？Forweknowhehasnotheardyet。Sixmonthsagoacityclerk，justacommondrudgeoffinance，getshimselfconvictedofacommonembezzlementorsomethingofthatkind。Thenseeinghe\'sinforalongsentencehethinksofmakinghisconsciencecomfortable，andmakesacleanbreastofanoldstoryoftamperedwith，orelsesuppressed，documents，astorywhichclearsaltogetherthehonestyofourruinedgentleman。Thatembezzlingfellowwasinapositiontoknow，havingbeenemployedbythefirmbeforethesmash。Therewasnodoubtaboutthecharacterbeingcleared-butwheretheclearedmanwasnobodycouldtell。Anothersensationinsociety。
AndthenMissMoorsomsays:\'Hewillcomebacktoclaimme，andI\'llmarryhim。\'Buthedidn\'tcomeback。BetweenyouandmeI
don\'tthinkhewasmuchwanted-exceptbyMissMoorsom。Iimagineshe\'susedtohaveherownway。Shegrewimpatient，anddeclaredthatifsheknewwherethemanwasshewouldgotohim。Butallthatcouldbegotoutoftheoldbutlerwasthatthelastenvelopeborethepostmarkofourbeautifulcity；andthatthiswastheonlyaddressof\'MasterArthur\'thatheeverhad。Thatandnomore。Infactthefellowwasathislastgasp-withabadheart。MissMoorsomwasn\'tallowedtoseehim。Shehadgoneherselfintothecountrytolearnwhatshecould，butshehadtostaydownstairswhiletheoldchap\'swifewentuptotheinvalid。ShebroughtdownthescrapofintelligenceI\'vetoldyouof。Hewasalreadytoofargonetobecross-examinedonit，andthatverynighthedied。Hedidn\'tleavebehindhimmuchtogoby，didhe？OurWilliehintedtomethattherehadbeenprettystormydaysintheprofessor\'shouse，but-heretheyare。Ihaveanotionsheisn\'tthekindofeverydayyoungladywhomaybepermittedtogallopabouttheworldallbyherself-eh？Well，Ithinkitratherfineofher，butI
quiteunderstandthattheprofessorneededallhisphilosophyunderthecircumstances。Sheishisonlychildnow-andbrilliant-
what？Williepositivelysplutteredtryingtodescribehertome；
andIcouldseedirectlyyoucameinthatyouhadanuncommonexperience。\"
Renouard，withanirritatedgesture，tiltedhishatmoreforwardonhiseyes，asthoughhewerebored。TheEditorwentonwiththeremarkthattobesureneitherhe(Renouard)noryetWillieweremuchusedtomeetgirlsofthatremarkablesuperiority。WilliewhenlearningbusinesswithafirminLondon，yearsbefore，hadseennonebutboarding-housesociety，heguessed。Astohimselfinthegoodolddays，whenhetrodthegloriousflagsofFleetStreet，heneitherhadaccessto，noryetwouldhavecaredfortheswells。
NothinginterestedhimthenbutparliamentarypoliticsandtheoratoryoftheHouseofCommons。
Hepaidtothisnotverydistantpastthetributeofatender，reminiscentsmile，andreturnedtohisfirstideathatforasocietygirlheractionwasratherfine。Allthesametheprofessorcouldnotbeverypleased。Thefellowifhewasaspureasalilynowwasjustaboutasdevoidofthegoodsoftheearth。
Andthereweremisfortunes，howeverundeserved，whichdamagedaman\'sstandingpermanently。Ontheotherhand，itwasdifficulttoopposecynicallyanobleimpulse-nottospeakofthegreatloveattherootofit。Ah!Love!Andthentheladywasquitecapableofgoingoffbyherself。Shewasofage，shehadmoneyofherown，plentyofplucktoo。Moorsommusthaveconcludedthatitwasmoretrulypaternal，moreprudenttoo，andgenerallysaferallroundtolethimselfbedraggedintothischase。Theauntcamealongforthesamereasons。Itwasgivenoutathomeasatriproundtheworldoftheusualkind。
Renouardhadrisenandremainedstandingwithhisheartbeating，andstrangelyaffectedbythistale，robbedasitwasofallglamourbytheprosaicpersonalityofthenarrator。TheEditoradded:\"I\'vebeenaskedtohelpinthesearch-youknow。\"
Renouardmutteredsomethingaboutanappointmentandwentoutintothestreet。Hisinbornsanitycouldnotdefendhimfromamistycreepingjealousy。Hethoughtthatobviouslynomanofthatsortcouldbeworthyofsuchawoman\'sdevotedfidelity。Renouard，however，hadlivedlongenoughtoreflectthataman\'sactivities，hisviews，andevenhisideasmaybeveryinferiortohischaracter；andmovedbyadelicateconsiderationforthatsplendidgirlhetriedtothinkoutforthemanacharacterofinwardexcellenceandoutwardgifts-someextraordinaryseduction。Butinvain。Freshfrommonthsofsolitudeandfromdaysatsea，hersplendourpresenteditselftohimabsolutelyunconquerableinitsperfection，unlessbyherownfolly。Itwaseasiertosuspectherofthisthantoimagineinthemanqualitieswhichwouldbeworthyofher。Easierandlessdegrading。Becausefollymaybegenerous-couldbenothingelsebutgenerosityinher；whereastoimaginehersubjugatedbysomethingcommonwasintolerable。
Becauseoftheforceofthephysicalimpressionhehadreceivedfromherpersonality(andsuchimpressionsaretherealoriginsofthedeepestmovementsofoursoul)thisconceptionofherwaseveninconceivable。ButnoPrinceCharminghaseverlivedoutofafairytale。Hedoesn\'twalktheworldsofFashionandFinance-
andwithastumblinggaitatthat。Generosity。Yes。Itwashergenerosity。Butthisgenerositywasaltogetherregalinitssplendour，almostabsurdinitslavishness-or，perhaps，divine。
Intheevening，onboardhisschooner，sittingontherail，hisarmsfoldedonhisbreastandhiseyesfixedonthedeck，heletthedarknesscatchhimunawaresinthemidstofameditationonthemechanismofsentimentandthespringsofpassion。Andallthetimehehadanabidingconsciousnessofherbodilypresence。Theeffectonhissenseshadbeensopenetratingthatinthemiddleofthenight，rousingupsuddenly，wide-eyedinthedarknessofhiscabin，hedidnotcreateafaintmentalvisionofherpersonforhimself，but，moreintimatelyaffected，hescenteddistinctlythefaintperfumesheused，andcouldalmosthaveswornthathehadbeenawakenedbythesoftrustleofherdress。Heevensatuplisteninginthedarkforatime，thensighedandlaydownagain，notagitatedbut，onthecontrary，oppressedbythesensationofsomethingthathadhappenedtohimandcouldnotbeundone。
CHAPTERIII
Intheafternoonheloungedintotheeditorialoffice，carryingwithaffectednonchalancethatweightoftheirremediablehehadfeltlaidonhimsuddenlyinthesmallhoursofthenight-thatconsciousnessofsomethingthatcouldnolongerbehelped。HispatronisingfriendinformedhimatoncethathehadmadetheacquaintanceoftheMoorsompartylastnight。AttheDunsters，ofcourse。Dinner。
\"Veryquiet。Nobodythere。Itwasmuchbetterforthebusiness。
Isay……\"
Renouard，hishandgraspingthebackofachair，stareddownathimdumbly。
\"Phew!That\'sastunninggirl……Whydoyouwanttositonthatchair？It\'suncomfortable!\"
\"Iwasn\'tgoingtositonit。\"Renouardwalkedslowlytothewindow，gladtofindinhimselfenoughself-controltoletgothechairinsteadofraisingitonhighandbringingitdownontheEditor\'shead。
\"Williekeptongazingatherwithtearsinhisboiledeyes。Youshouldhaveseenhimbendingsentimentallyoverheratdinner。\"
\"Don\'t，\"saidRenouardinsuchananguishedtonethattheEditorturnedrightroundtolookathisback。
\"YoupushyourdislikeofyoungDunstertoofar。It\'spositivelymorbid，\"hedisapprovedmildly。\"Wecan\'tbeallbeautifulafterthirty……Italkedalittle，aboutyoumostly，totheprofessor。Heappearedtobeinterestedinthesilkplant-ifonlyasachangefromthegreatsubject。MissMoorsomdidn\'tseemtomindwhenIconfessedtoherthatIhadtakenyouintotheconfidenceofthething。OurWillieapprovedtoo。OldDunsterwithhiswhitebeardseemedtogivemehisblessing。Allthosepeoplehaveagreatopinionofyou，simplybecauseItoldthemthatyou\'veledeverysortoflifeonecanthinkofbeforeyougotstruckonexploration。Theywantyoutomakesuggestions。Whatdoyouthink\'MasterArthur\'islikelytohavetakento？\"
\"Somethingeasy，\"mutteredRenouardwithoutunclenchinghisteeth。
\"Huntingman。Athlete。Don\'tbehardonthechap。Hemayberidingboundaries，ordrovingcattle，orhumpinghisswagabouttheback-blocksawaytothedevil-somewhere。Hemaybeevenprospectingatthebackofbeyond-thisverymoment。\"
\"Orlyingdeaddrunkinaroadsidepub。It\'slateenoughinthedayforthat。\"
TheEditorlookedupinstinctively。Theclockwaspointingataquartertofive。\"Yes，itis，\"headmitted。\"Butitneedn\'tbe。
AndhemayhavelitoutintotheWesternPacificallofasudden-
sayinatradingschooner。ThoughIreallydon\'tseeinwhatcapacity。Still……\"
\"Orhemaybepassingatthisverymomentunderthisverywindow。\"
\"Nothe……andIwishyouwouldgetawayfromittowhereonecanseeyourface。Ihatetalkingtoaman\'sback。Youstandtherelikeahermitonasea-shoregrowlingtoyourself。Itellyouwhatitis，Geoffrey，youdon\'tlikemankind。\"
\"Idon\'tmakemylivingbytalkingaboutmankind\'saffairs，\"
Renouarddefendedhimself。Buthecameawayobedientlyandsatdowninthearmchair。\"Howcanyoubesocertainthatyourmanisn\'tdownthereinthestreet？\"heasked。\"It\'sneithermorenorlessprobablethaneverysingleoneofyourothersuppositions。\"
PlacatedbyRenouard\'sdocilitytheEditorgazedathimforawhile。\"Aha!I\'lltellyouhow。Learnthenthatwehavebegunthecampaign。Wehavetelegraphedhisdescriptiontothepoliceofeverytownshipupanddowntheland。Andwhat\'smorewe\'veascertaineddefinitelythathehasn\'tbeeninthistownforthelastthreemonthsatleast。Howmuchlongerhe\'sbeenawaywecan\'ttell。\"
\"That\'sverycurious。\"
\"It\'sverysimple。MissMoorsomwrotetohim，tothepostofficeheredirectlyshereturnedtoLondonafterherexcursionintothecountrytoseetheoldbutler。Well-herletterisstilllyingthere。Ithasnotbeencalledfor。Ergo，thistownisnothisusualabode。Personally，Ineverthoughtitwas。Buthecannotfailtoturnupsometimeorother。Ourmainhopeliesjustinthecertitudethathemustcometotownsoonerorlater。Rememberhedoesn\'tknowthatthebutlerisdead，andhewillwanttoinquireforaletter。Well，he\'llfindanotefromMissMoorsom。\"
Renouard，silent，thoughtthatitwaslikelyenough。Hisprofounddistasteforthisconversationwasbetrayedbyanairofwearinessdarkeninghisenergeticsun-tannedfeatures，andbytheaugmenteddreaminessofhiseyes。TheEditornoteditasafurtherproofofthatimmoraldetachmentfrommankind，ofthatcallousnessofsentimentfosteredbytheunhealthyconditionsofsolitude-
accordingtohisownfavouritetheory。Aloudheobservedthataslongasamanhadnotgivenupcorrespondencehecouldnotbelookeduponaslost。Fugitivecriminalshadbeentrackedinthatwaybyjustice，heremindedhisfriend；thensuddenlychangedthebearingofthesubjectsomewhatbyaskingifRenouardhadheardfromhispeoplelately，andifeverymemberofhislargetribewaswellandhappy。
\"Yes，thanks。\"
Thetonewascurt，asifrepellingaliberty。Renouarddidnotlikebeingaskedabouthispeople，forwhomhehadaprofoundandremorsefulaffection。Hehadnotseenasinglehumanbeingtowhomhewasrelated，formanyyears，andhewasextremelydifferentfromthemall。
Ontheverymorningofhisarrivalfromhisislandhehadgonetoasetofpigeon-holesinWillieDunster\'souterofficeandhadtakenoutfromacompartmentlabelled\"Malata\"averysmallaccumulationofenvelopes，afewaddressedtohimself，andoneaddressedtohisassistant，alltothecareofthefirm，W。DunsterandCo。Asopportunityoffered，thefirmusedtosendthemontoMalataeitherbyaman-of-warschoonergoingonacruise，orbysometradingcraftproceedingthatway。Butforthelastfourmonthstherehadbeennoopportunity。
\"Yougoingtostayheresometime？\"askedtheEditor，afteralongishsilence。
Renouard，perfunctorily，didseenoreasonwhyheshouldmakealongstay。
\"Forhealth，foryourmentalhealth，myboy，\"rejoinedthenewspaperman。\"Togetusedtohumanfacessothattheydon\'thityouintheeyesohardwhenyouwalkaboutthestreets。Togetfriendlywithyourkind。Isupposethatassistantofyourscanbetrustedtolookafterthings？\"
\"There\'sthehalf-castetoo。ThePortuguese。Heknowswhat\'stobedone。\"
\"Aha!\"TheEditorlookedsharplyathisfriend。\"What\'shisname？\"
\"Who\'sname？\"
\"Theassistant\'syoupickedupontheslybehindmyback。\"
Renouardmadeaslightmovementofimpatience。
\"Imethimunexpectedlyoneevening。Ithoughthewoulddoaswellasanother。Hehadcomefromupcountryanddidn\'tseemhappyinatown。HetoldmehisnamewasWalter。Ididnotaskhimforproofs，youknow。\"
\"Idon\'tthinkyougetonverywellwithhim。\"
\"Why？Whatmakesyouthinkso。\"
\"Idon\'tknow。Somethingreluctantinyourmannerwhenhe\'sinquestion。\"
\"Really。Mymanner!Idon\'tthinkhe\'sagreatsubjectforconversation，perhaps。Whynotdrophim？\"
\"Ofcourse!Youwouldn\'tconfesstoamistake。Notyou。
NeverthelessIhavemysuspicionsaboutit。\"
Renouardgotuptogo，buthesitated，lookingdownattheseatedEditor。
\"Howfunny，\"hesaidatlastwiththeutmostseriousness，andwasmakingforthedoor，whenthevoiceofhisfriendstoppedhim。
\"Youknowwhathasbeensaidofyou？Thatyoucouldn\'tgetonwithanybodyyoucouldn\'tkick。Now，confess-isthereanytruthinthesoftimpeachment？\"
\"No，\"saidRenouard。\"Didyouprintthatinyourpaper。\"
\"No。Ididn\'tquitebelieveit。ButIwilltellyouwhatI
believe。Ibelievethatwhenyourheartissetonsomeobjectyouareamanthatdoesn\'tcountthecosttoyourselforothers。Andthisshallgetprintedsomeday。\"
\"Obituarynotice？\"Renouarddroppednegligently。
\"Certain-someday。\"