Whatdoyoumeanbyabusingpeopleinthatway？——
youolduselessboozer，you！\"
\"Can’thelpit.Don’trememberanythingaboutit.
Youshouldn’tlisten.\"
\"Youdaretotellme！Whatdoyoumeanbygoingonadrunklikethis！\"
\"Don’taskme.Sickofthedam’boilers——youwouldbe.Sickoflife.\"
\"Iwishyouweredead，then.You’vemademesickofyou.Don’tyouremembertheuproaryoumadelastnight？Youmiserableoldsoaker！\"
\"No;Idon’t.Don’twantto.Drinkisdrink.\"
\"Iwonderwhatpreventsmefromkickingyouout.
Whatdoyouwanthere？\"
\"Relieveyou.You’vebeenlongenoughdownthere，George.\"
\"Don’tyouGeorgeme——youtipplingoldrascal，you！
IfIweretodieto—morrowyouwouldstarve.Remem—
berthat.SayMr.Massy.\"
\"Mr.Massy，\"repeatedtheotherstolidly.
Disheveled，withdullblood—shoteyes，asnuffy，grimyshirt，greasytrowsers，nakedfeetthrustintoraggedslippers，heboltedinheaddowndirectlyMassyhadmadewayforhim.
Thechiefengineerlookedaround.Thedeckwasemptyasfarasthetaffrail.AllthenativepassengershadleftinBatuBeruthistime，andnoothershadjoined.Thedialofthepatentlogtinkledperiodicallyinthedarkattheendoftheship.Itwasadeadcalm，and，underthecloudedsky，throughthestillairthatseemedtoclingwarm，withaseaweedsmell，toherslimhull，onaseaofsombergrayandunwrinkled，theshipmovedonanevenkeel，asiffloatingdetachedinemptyspace.ButMr.Massyslappedhisforehead，totteredalittle，caughtholdofabelaying—pinatthefootofthemast.
\"Ishallgomad，\"hemuttered，walkingacrossthedeckunsteadily.Ashovelwasscrapingloosecoaldownbe—
low——afire—doorclanged.Sterneonthebridgebeganwhistlinganewtune.
CaptainWhalley，sittingonthecouch，awakeandfullydressed，heardthedoorofhiscabinopen.Hedidnotmoveintheleast，waitingtorecognizethevoice，withanappallingstrainofprudence.
Abulkheadlampblazedonthewhitepaint，thecrim—
sonplush，thebrownvarnishofmahoganytops.Thewhitewoodpacking—caseunderthebed—placehadre—
mainedunopenedforthreeyearsnow，asthoughCap—
tainWhalleyhadfeltthat，aftertheFairMaidwasgone，therecouldbenoabiding—placeonearthforhisaffections.Hishandsrestedonhisknees;hishand—
someheadwithbigeyebrowspresentedarigidprofiletothedoorway.Theexpectedvoicespokeoutatlast.
\"Oncemore，then.WhatamItocallyou？\"
Ha！Massy.Again.Thewearinessofitcrushedhisheart——andthepainofshamewasalmostmorethanhecouldbearwithoutcryingout.
\"Well.Isittobe’partner’still？\"
\"Youdon’tknowwhatyouask.\"
\"IknowwhatIwant\"
Massysteppedinandclosedthedoor.
\"AndIamgoingtohaveatryforitwithyouoncemore.\"
Hiswhinewashalfpersuasive，halfmenacing.
\"Forit’snomannerofusetotellmethatyouarepoor.Youdon’tspendanythingonyourself，that’strueenough;butthere’sanothernameforthat.Youthinkyouaregoingtohavewhatyouwantoutofmeforthreeyears，andthencastmeoffwithouthearingwhatIthinkofyou.YouthinkIwouldhavesubmittedtoyourairsifIhadknownyouhadonlyabeggarlyfivehundredpoundsintheworld.Yououghttohavetoldme.\"
\"Perhaps，\"saidCaptainWhalley，bowinghishead.
\"Andyetithassavedyou.\"Massylaughedscornfully\"Ihavetoldyouoftenenoughsince.\"
\"AndIdon’tbelieveyounow.WhenIthinkhowIletyoulorditovermyship！DoyourememberhowyouusedtobullyragmeaboutmycoatandYOURbridge？
Itwasinhisway.HISbridge！’AndIwon’tbeapartytothis——andIcouldn’tthinkofdoingthat.’
Honestman！Andnowitallcomesout.’Iampoor，andIcan’t.Ihaveonlythisfivehundredintheworld.’\"
HecontemplatedtheimmobilityofCaptainWhalley，thatseemedtopresentaninconquerableobstacleinhispath.Hisfacetookamournfulcast.
\"Youareahardman.\"
\"Enough，\"saidCaptainWhalley，turninguponhim.
\"Youshallgetnothingfromme，becauseIhavenoth—
ingofminetogiveawaynow.\"
\"Tellthattothemarines！\"
Mr.Massy，goingout，lookedbackonce;thenthedoorclosed，andCaptainWhalley，alone，satasstillasbefore.
Hehadnothingofhisown——evenhispastofhonor，oftruth，ofjustpride，wasgone.Allhisspotlesslifehadfallenintotheabyss.Hehadsaidhislastgood—bytoit.ButwhatbelongedtoHER，thathemeanttosave.
Onlyalittlemoney.Hewouldtakeittoherinhisownhands——thislastgiftofamanthathadlastedtoolong.
Andanimmenseandfierceimpulse，theverypassionofpaternity，flamedupwithalltheunquenchedvigorofhisworthlesslifeinadesiretoseeherface.
JustacrossthedeckMassyhadgonestraighttohiscabin，struckalight，andhuntedupthenoteofthedreamednumberwhosefigureshadflamedupalsowiththefiercenessofanotherpassion.Hemustcontrivesomehownottomissadrawing.Thatnumbermeantsomething.Butwhatexpedientcouldhecontrivetokeephimselfgoing？
\"Wretchedmiser！\"hemumbled.
IfMr.Sternecouldatnotimehavetoldhimanythingnewabouthispartner，hecouldhavetoldMr.Sternethatanotherusecouldbemadeofaman’safflictionthanjusttokickhimout，andthusdeferthetermofadiffi—
cultpaymentforayear.Tokeepthesecretoftheafflictionandinducehimtostaywasabettermove.Ifwithoutmeans，hewouldbeanxioustoremain;andthatsettledthequestionofrefundinghimhisshare.HedidnotknowexactlyhowmuchCaptainWhalleywasdis—
abled;butifitsohappenedthatheputtheshipashoresomewhereforgoodandall，itwasnottheowner’sfault——wasit？Hewasnotobligedtoknowthattherewasanythingwrong.Butprobablynobodywouldraisesuchapoint，andtheshipwasfullyinsured.Hehadhadenoughself—restrainttopayupthepremiums.Butthiswasnotall.HecouldnotbelieveCaptainWhalleytobesoconfoundedlydestituteasnottohavesomemoremoneyputawaysomewhere.Ifhe，Massy，couldgetholdofit，thatwouldpayfortheboilers，andevery—
thingwentonasbefore.Andifshegotlostintheend，somuchthebetter.Hehatedher：heloathedthetroublesthattookhismindoffthechancesoffortune.
Hewishedheratthebottomofthesea，andthein—
surancemoneyinhispocket.Andas，baffled，heleftCaptainWhalley’scabin，heenvelopedinthesamehatredtheshipwiththeworn—outboilersandthemanwiththedimmedeyes.
Andourconductafterallissomuchamatterofoutsidesuggestion，thathaditnotbeenforhisJack’sdrunkengabblehewouldhavethereandthenhaditoutwiththismiserableman，whowouldneitherhelp，norstay，noryetlosetheship.Theoldfraud！Helongedtokickhimout.Butherestrainedhimself.Timeenoughforthat——whenheliked.Therewasafearfulnewthoughtputintohishead.Wasn’theuptoitafterall？HowthatbeastJackhadraved！\"Findasafetricktogetridofher.\"Well，Jackwasnotsofarwrong.Averyclevertrickhadoccurredtohim.Aye！Butwhatoftherisk？
Afeelingofpride——theprideofsuperioritytocom—
monprejudices——creptintohisbreast，madehisheartbeatfast，hismouthturndry.Noteverybodywoulddare;buthewasMassy，andhewasuptoit！
Sixbellswerestruckondeck.Eleven！Hedrankaglassofwater，andsatdownfortenminutesorsotocalmhimself.Thenhegotoutofhischestasmallbull’s—eyelanternofhisownandlitit.
Almostoppositehisberth，acrossthenarrowpassageunderthebridge，therewas，intheirondeck—structurecoveringthestokeholdfiddleandtheboiler—space，astoreroomwithironsides，ironroof，iron—platedfloor，too，onaccountoftheheatbelow.Allsortsofrubbishwasshotthere：ithadamoundofscrap—ironinacorner;
rowsofemptyoil—cans;sacksofcotton—waste，withaheapofcharcoal，adeck—forge，fragmentsofanoldhen—
coop，winch—coversallinrags，remnantsoflamps，andabrownfelthat，discardedbyamandeadnow（ofafeverontheBrazilcoast），whohadbeenoncemateoftheSofala，hadremainedforyearsjammedforciblybe—
hindalengthofburstcopperpipe，flungatsometimeorotheroutoftheengine—room.Acompleteandim—
periousblacknesspervadedthatCapharnaumoffor—
gottenthings.AsmallshaftoflightfromMr.Massy’sbull’s—eyefellslantingrightthroughit.
Hiscoatwasunbuttoned;heshottheboltofthedoor（therewasnootheropening），and，squattingbeforethescrap—heap，begantopackhispocketswithpiecesofiron.Hepackedthemcarefully，asiftherustynuts，thebrokenbolts，thelinksofcargochain，hadbeensomuchgoldhehadthatonechancetocarryaway.Hepackedhisside—pocketstilltheybulged，thebreastpocket，thepocketsinside.Heturnedoverthepieces.
Someherejected.Asmallmistofpowderedrustbegantoriseabouthisbusyhands.Mr.Massyknewsome—
thingofthescientificbasisofhisclevertrick.Ifyouwanttodeflectthemagneticneedleofaship’scompass，softironisthebest;likewisemanysmallpiecesinthepocketsofajacketwouldhavemoreeffectthanafewlargeones，becauseinthatwayyouobtainagreateramountofsurfaceforweightinyouriron，andit’ssur—
facethattells.
Heslippedoutswiftly——twostridessufficed——andinhiscabinheperceivedthathishandswereallred——redwithrust.Itdisconcertedhim，asthoughhehadfoundthemcoveredwithblood：helookedhimselfoverhastily.
Why，histrowserstoo！Hehadbeenrubbinghisrustypalmsonhislegs.
Hetoreoffthewaistbandbuttoninhishaste，brushedhiscoat，washedhishands.Thentheairofguiltlefthim，andhesatdowntowait.
Hesatboltuprightandweightedwithironinhischair.Hehadahard，lumpybulkagainsteachhip，feltthescrappyironinhispocketstouchhisribsateverybreath，thedownwarddragofallthesepoundshanginguponhisshoulders.Helookedverydulltoo，sittingidlethere，andhisyellowface，withmotionlessblackeyes，hadsomethingpassiveandsadinitsquiet—
ness.
Whenheheardeightbellsstruckabovehishead，heroseandmadereadytogoout.Hismovementsseemedaimless，hislowerliphaddroppedalittle，hiseyesroamedaboutthecabin，andthetremendoustensionofhiswillhadrobbedthemofeveryvestigeofintelligence.
WiththelaststrokeofthebelltheSerangappearednoiselesslyonthebridgetorelievethemate.Sterneoverflowedwithgoodnature，sincehehadnothingmoretodesire.
\"Gotyoureyeswellopenyet，Serang？It’smiddlingdark;I’llwaittillyougetyoursightproperly.\"
TheoldMalaymurmured，lookedupwithhisworneyes，sidledawayintothelightofthebinnacle，and，crossinghishandsbehindhisback，fixedhiseyesonthecompass—card.
\"You’llhavetokeepagoodlook—outaheadforland，abouthalf—pastthree.It’sfairlyclear，though.
Youhavelookedinonthecaptainasyoucamealong——eh？Heknowsthetime？Well，then，Iamoff.\"
Atthefootoftheladderhestoodasideforthecaptain.
Hewatchedhimgoupwithaneven，certaintread，andremainedthoughtfulforamoment.\"It’sfunny，\"hesaidtohimself，\"butyoucannevertellwhetherthatmanhasseenyouornot.Hemighthaveheardmebreathethistime.\"
Hewasawonderfulmanwhenallwassaidanddone.
Theysaidhehadhadanameinhisday.Mr.Sternecouldwellbelieveit;andheconcludedserenelythatCaptainWhalleymustbeabletoseepeoplemoreorless——ashimselfjustnow，forinstance——butnotbeingcer—
tainofanybody，hadtokeepupthatunnoticingsilenceofmannerforfearofgivinghimselfaway.Mr.Sternewasashrewdguesser.
ThisnecessityofeverymomentbroughthometoCap—
tainWhalley’sheartthehumiliationofhisfalsehood.
Hehaddriftedintoitfrompaternallove，fromin—
credulity，fromboundlesstrustindivinejusticemetedouttomen’sfeelingsonthisearth.HewouldgivehispoorIvythebenefitofanothermonth’swork;perhapstheafflictionwasonlytemporary.SurelyGodwouldnotrobhischildofhispowertohelp，andcasthimnakedintoanightwithoutend.Hehadcaughtateveryhope;andwhentheevidenceofhismisfortunewasstrongerthanhope，hetriednottobelievethemani—
festthing.
Invain.Inthesteadilydarkeninguniverseasinisterclearnessfelluponhisideas.Intheilluminatingmo—
mentsofsufferinghesawlife，men，allthings，thewholeearthwithallherburdenofcreatednature，ashehadneverseenthembefore.
Sometimeshewasseizedwithasuddenvertigoandanoverwhelmingterror;andthentheimageofhisdaughterappeared.Her，too，hehadneverseensoclearlybefore.
Wasitpossiblethatheshouldeverbeunabletodoanythingwhateverforher？Nothing.Andnotseeheranymore？Never.
Why？Thepunishmentwastoogreatforalittlepre—
sumption，foralittlepride.Andatlasthecametoclingtohisdeceptionwithafiercedeterminationtocarryitouttotheend，tosavehermoneyintact，andbeholdheroncemorewithhisowneyes.Afterwards——what？
Theideaofsuicidewasrevoltingtothevigorofhismanhood.Hehadprayedfordeathtilltheprayershadstuckinhisthroat.Allthedaysofhislifehehadprayedfordailybread，andnottobeledintotempta—
tion，inachildlikehumilityofspirit.Didwordsmeananything？Whencedidthegiftofspeechcome？Theviolentbeatingofhisheartreverberatedinhishead——
seemedtoshakehisbraintopieces.
Hesatdownheavilyinthedeck—chairtokeepthepre—
tenseofhiswatch.Thenightwasdark.Allthenightsweredarknow.
\"Serang，\"hesaid，halfaloud.
\"Ada，Tuan.Iamhere.\"
\"Therearecloudsonthesky？\"
\"Thereare，Tuan.\"
\"Letherbesteeredstraight.North.\"
\"Sheisgoingnorth，Tuan.\"
TheSerangsteppedback.CaptainWhalleyrecog—
nizedMassy’sfootfallsonthebridge.
Theengineerwalkedovertoportandreturned，pass—
ingbehindthechairseveraltimes.CaptainWhalleydetectedanunusualcharacterasofprudentcareinthisprowling.ThenearpresenceofthatmanbroughtwithitalwaysarecrudescenceofmoralsufferingforCaptainWhalley.Itwasnotremorse.Afterall，hehaddonenothingbutgoodtothepoordevil.Therewasalsoasenseofdanger——thenecessityofagreatercare.
Massystoppedandsaid——
\"Soyoustillsayyoumustgo？\"
\"Imustindeed.\"
\"Andyoucouldn’tatleastleavethemoneyforatermofyears？\"
\"Impossible.\"
\"Can’ttrustitwithmewithoutyourcare，eh？\"
CaptainWhalleyremainedsilent.Massysigheddeeplyoverthebackofthechair.
\"Itwouldjustdotosaveme，\"hesaidinatremulousvoice.
\"I’vesavedyouonce.\"
Thechiefengineertookoffhiscoatwithcarefulmovements，andproceededtofeelforthebrasshookscrewedintothewoodenstanchion.Forthispurposeheplacedhimselfrightinfrontofthebinnacle，thushid—
ingcompletelythecompass—cardfromthequarter—
masteratthewheel.\"Tuan！\"thelascaratlastmur—
muredsoftly，meaningtoletthewhitemanknowthathecouldnotseetosteer.
Mr.Massyhadaccomplishedhispurpose.Thecoatwashangingfromthenail，withinsixinchesofthebinnacle.Anddirectlyhehadsteppedasidethequarter—
master，amiddle—aged，pock—marked，SumatraMalay，almostasdarkasanegro，perceivedwithamazementthatinthatshorttime，inthissmoothwater，withnowindatall，theshiphadgoneswingingfaroutofhercourse.Hehadneverknownhergetawaylikethisbefore.Withaslightgruntofastonishmentheturnedthewheelhastilytobringherheadbacknorth，whichwasthecourse.Thegrindingofthesteering—chains，thechidingmurmursoftheSerang，whohadcomeovertothewheel，madeaslightstir，whichattractedCap—
tainWhalley’sanxiousattention.Hesaid，\"Takebettercare.\"Theneverythingsettledtotheusualquietonthebridge.Mr.Massyhaddisappeared.
Buttheironinthepocketsofthecoathaddoneitswork;andtheSofala，headingnorthbythecompass，madeuntruebythissimpledevice，wasnolongermak—
ingasafecourseforPanguBay.
Thehissofwaterpartedbyherstem，thethrobofherengines，allthesoundsofherfaithfulandlaboriouslife，wentonuninterruptedinthegreatcalmoftheseajoin—
ingonallsidesthemotionlesslayerofcloudoverthesky.Agentlestillnessasvastastheworldseemedtowaituponherpath，envelopingherlovinglyinasu—
premecaress.Mr.Massythoughttherecouldbenobetternightforanarrangedshipwreck.
RunuphighanddryononeofthereefseastofPangu——waitfordaylight——holeinthebottom——outboats——PanguBaysameevening.That’saboutit.Assoonasshetouchedhewouldhastenonthebridge，getholdofthecoat（nobodywouldnoticeinthedark），andshakeitupside—downovertheside，orevenflingitintothesea.Adetail.Whocouldguess？Coatbeenseenhangingtherefromthathookhundredsoftimes.
Nevertheless，whenhesatdownonthelowerstepofthebridge—ladderhiskneesknockedtogetheralittle.Thewaitingpartwastheworstofit.Attimeshewouldbegintopantquickly，asthoughhehadbeenrunning，andthenbreathelargely，swellingwiththeintimatesenseofamasteredfate.NowandthenhewouldheartheshuffleoftheSerang’sbarefeetupthere：quiet，lowvoiceswouldexchangeafewwords，andlapsealmostatonceintosilence
\"Tellmedirectlyyouseeanyland，Serang.\"
\"Yes，Tuan.Notyet.\"
\"No，notyet，\"CaptainWhalleywouldagree.
Theshiphadbeenthebestfriendofhisdecline.HehadsentallthemoneyhehadmadebyandintheSofalatohisdaughter.Histhoughtlingeredonthename.Howoftenheandhiswifehadtalkedoverthecotofthechildinthebigstern—cabinoftheCondor;shewouldgrowup，shewouldmarry，shewouldlovethem，theywouldlivenearherandlookatherhappiness——itwouldgoonwithoutend.Well，hiswifewasdead，tothechildhehadgivenallhehadtogive;hewishedhecouldcomenearher，seeher，seeherfaceonce，liveinthesoundofhervoice，thatcouldmakethedarknessofthelivinggravereadyforhimsupportable.Hehadbeenstarvedoflovetoolong.Heimaginedhertender—
ness.
TheSeranghadbeenpeeringforward，andnowandthenglancingatthechair.Hefidgetedrestlessly，andsuddenlyburstoutclosetoCaptainWhalley——
\"Tuan，doyouseeanythingoftheland？\"
ThealarmedvoicebroughtCaptainWhalleytohisfeetatonce.He！See！Andatthequestion，thecurseofhisblindnessseemedtofallonhimwithahundredfoldforce.
\"What’sthetime？\"hecried.
\"Half—pastthree，Tuan.\"
\"Weareclose.YouMUSTsee.Look，Isay.Look.\"
Mr.Massy，awakenedbythesuddensoundoftalkingfromashortdozeontheloweststep，wonderedwhyhewasthere.Ah！Afaintnesscameoverhim.Itisonethingtosowtheseedofanaccidentandanothertoseethemonstrousfruithangingoveryourheadreadytofallinthesoundofagitatedvoices.
\"There’snodanger，\"hemutteredthickly.
ThehorrorofincertitudehadseizeduponCaptainWhalley，themiserablemistrustofmen，ofthings——oftheveryearth.Hehadsteeredthatverycoursethirty—
sixtimesbythesamecompass——ifanythingwascertaininthisworlditwasitsabsolute，unerringcorrectness.
Thenwhathadhappened？DidtheSeranglie？Whylie？Why？Washegoingblindtoo？
\"Isthereamist？Looklowonthewater.Lowdown，Isay.\"
\"Tuan，there’snomist.Seeforyourself.\"
CaptainWhalleysteadiedthetremblingofhislimbsbyaneffort.Shouldhestoptheenginesatonceandgivehimselfaway.Agustofirresolutionswayedallsortsofbizarrenotionsinhismind.Theunusualhadcome，andhewasnotfittodealwithit.Inthispassageofinexpressibleanguishhesawherface——thefaceofayounggirl——withanamazingstrengthofillusion.
No，hemustnotgivehimselfawayafterhavinggonesofarforhersake.\"Yousteeredthecourse？Youmadeit？Speakthetruth.\"
\"Ya，Tuan.Onthecoursenow.Look.\"
CaptainWhalleystrodetothebinnacle，whichtohimmadesuchadimspotoflightinaninfinityofshape—
lessshadow.Bybendinghisfacerightdowntotheglasshehadbeenablebefore
Havingtostoopsolow，heputout，instinctively，hisarmtowhereheknewtherewasastanchiontosteadyhimselfagainst.Hishandclosedonsomethingthatwasnotwoodbutcloth.Theslightpulladdingtotheweight，theloopbroke，andMr.Massy’scoatfalling，struckthedeckheavilywithadullthump，accompaniedbyalotofclicks.
\"What’sthis？\"
CaptainWhalleyfellonhisknees，withgropinghandsextendedinafrankgestureofblindness.Theytrem—
bled，thesehandsfeelingforthetruth.Hesawit.Ironnearthecompass.Wrongcourse.Wreckher！Hisship.Ohno.Notthat.
\"Jumpandstopher！\"heroaredoutinavoicenothisown.
Heranhimself——handsforward，ablindman，andwhiletheclangingofthegongechoedstillallovertheship，sheseemedtobuttfulltiltintothesideofamountain.
Itwaslowwateralongthenorthsideofthestrait.
Mr.Massyhadnotreckonedonthat.Insteadofrun—
ningagroundforhalfherlength，theSofalabuttedthesheerridgeofastonereefwhichwouldhavebeenawashathighwater.Thismadetheshockabsolutelyterrific.Everybodyintheshipthatwasstandingwasthrowndownheadlong：theshakenriggingmadeagreatrattlingtotheverytrucks.Allthelightswentout：
severalchain—guys，snapping，clatteredagainstthefunnel：therewerecrashes，pingsofpartedwire—rope，splinteringsounds，loudcracks，themastheadlampflewoverthebows，andallthedoorsaboutthedeckbegantobangheavily.Then，afterhavinghit，sherebounded，hitthesecondtimetheverysamespotlikeabattering—
ram.Thiscompletedthehavoc：thefunnel，withalltheguysgone，felloverwithahollowsoundofthunder，smashingthewheeltobits，crushingtheframeoftheawnings，breakingthelockers，fillingthebridgewithamassofsplinters，sticks，andbrokenwood.CaptainWhalleypickedhimselfupandstoodknee—deepinwreckage，torn，bleeding，knowingthenatureofthedangerhehadescapedmostlybythesound，andholdingMr.Massy’scoatinhisarms.
BythistimeSterne（hehadbeenflungoutofhisbunk）hadsettheenginesastern.Theyworkedforafewturns，thenavoicebawledout，\"Getoutofthedamnedengine—room，Jack！\"——andtheystopped;buttheshiphadgoneclearofthereefandlaystill，withaheavycloudofsteamissuingfromthebrokendeck—
pipes，andvanishinginwispyshapesintothenight.
Notwithstandingthesuddennessofthedisastertherewasnoshouting，asiftheveryviolenceoftheshockhadhalf—stunnedtheshadowylotofpeopleswayinghereandthereaboutherdecks.ThevoiceoftheSerangpronounceddistinctlyabovetheconfusedmurmurs——
\"Eightfathom.\"Hehadheavedthelead.
Mr.Sternecriedoutnextinastrainedpitch——
\"Wherethedevilhasshegotto？Wherearewe？\"
CaptainWhalleyrepliedinacalmbass——
\"Amongstthereefstotheeastward.\"
\"Youknowit，sir？Thenshewillnevergetoutagain.\"
\"Shewillbesunkinfiveminutes.Boats，Sterne.
Evenonewillsaveyouallinthiscalm.\"
TheChinamanstokerswentinadisorderlyrushfortheportboats.Nobodytriedtocheckthem.TheMalays，afteramomentofconfusion，becamequiet，andMr.Sterneshowedagoodcountenance.CaptainWhalleyhadnotmoved.Histhoughtsweredarkerthanthisnightinwhichhehadlosthisfirstship.
\"Hemademeloseaship.\"
Anothertallfigurestandingbeforehimamongstthelitterofthesmashonthebridgewhisperedinsanely——
\"Saynothingofit.\"
Massystumbledcloser.CaptainWhalleyheardthechatteringofhisteeth.
\"Ihavethecoat.\"
\"Throwitdownandcomealong，\"urgedthechatter—
ingvoice.\"B—b—b—b—boat！\"
\"Youwillgetfifteenyearsforthis.\"
Mr.Massyhadlosthisvoice.Hisspeechwasameredryrustlinginhisthroat.
\"Havemercy！\"
\"Hadyouanywhenyoumademelosemyship？Mr.
Massy，youshallgetfifteenyearsforthis！\"
\"Iwantedmoney！Money！Myownmoney！Iwillgiveyousomemoney.Takehalfofit.Youlovemoneyyourself.\"
\"There’sajustice\"
Massymadeanawfuleffort，andinastrange，halfchokedutterance——
\"Youblinddevil！It’syouthatdrovemetoit.\"
CaptainWhalley，huggingthecoattohisbreast，madenosound.Thelighthadebbedforeverfromtheworld——leteverythinggo.Butthismanshouldnotescapescot—free.
Sterne’svoicecommanded——
\"Loweraway！\"
Theblocksrattled.
\"Nowthen，\"hecried，\"overwithyou.Thisway.
You，Jack，here.Mr.Massy！Mr.Massy！Captain！
Quick，sir！Let’sget——
\"Ishallgotoprisonfortryingtocheattheinsurance，butyou’llgetexposed;you，honestman，whohasbeencheatingme.Youarepoor.Aren’tyou？You’venothingbutthefivehundredpounds.Well，youhavenothingatallnow.Theship’slost，andtheinsurancewon’tbepaid.\"
CaptainWhalleydidnotmove.True！Ivy’smoney！
Goneinthiswreck.Againhehadaflashofinsight.
Hewasindeedattheendofhistether.
Urgentvoicescriedouttogetheralongside.Massydidnotseemabletotearhimselfawayfromthebridge.
Hechatteredandhisseddespairingly——
\"Giveituptome！Giveitup！\"
\"No，\"saidCaptainWhalley;\"Icouldnotgiveitup.
Youhadbettergo.Don’twait，man，ifyouwanttolive.She’ssettlingdownbytheheadfast.No;Ishallkeepit，butIshallstayonboard.\"
Massydidnotseemtounderstand;buttheloveoflife，awakenedsuddenly，drovehimawayfromthebridge.
CaptainWhalleylaidthecoatdown，andstumbledamongsttheheapsofwreckagetotheside.
\"IsMr.Massyinwithyou？\"hecalledoutintothenight.
Sternefromtheboatshouted——
\"Yes;we’vegothim.Comealong，sir.It’smadnesstostaylonger.\"
CaptainWhalleyfeltalongtherailcarefully，and，withoutaword，castoffthepainter.Theywereex—
pectinghimstilldownthere.Theywerewaiting，tillavoicesuddenlyexclaimed——
\"Weareadrift！Shoveoff！\"
\"CaptainWhalley！Leap！pullupalittle
leap！Youcanswim.\"
Inthatoldheart，inthatvigorousbody，therewas，thatnothingshouldbewanting，ahorrorofdeaththatapparentlycouldnotbeovercomebythehorrorofblindness.Butafterall，forIvyhehadcarriedhispoint，walkinginhisdarknesstotheveryvergeofacrime.Godhadnotlistenedtohisprayers.Thelighthadfinishedebbingoutoftheworld;notaglimmer.Itwasadarkwaste;butitwasunseemlythataWhalleywhohadgonesofartocarryapointshouldcontinuetolive.Hemustpaytheprice.
\"Leapasfarasyoucan，sir;wewillpickyouup.\"
Theydidnothearhimanswer.Buttheirshoutingseemedtoremindhimofsomething.Hegropedhiswayback，andsoughtforMr.Massy’scoat.Hecouldswimindeed;peoplesuckeddownbythewhirlpoolofasinkingshipdocomeupsometimestothesurface，anditwasunseemlythataWhalley，whohadmadeuphismindtodie，shouldbebeguiledbychanceintoastruggle.Hewouldputallthesepiecesofironintohisownpockets.
They，lookingfromtheboat，sawtheSofala，ablackmassuponablacksea，lyingstillatanappallingcant.
Nosoundcamefromher.Then，withagreatbizarreshufflingnoise，asiftheboilershadbrokenthroughthebulkheads，andwithafaintmuffleddetonation，wheretheshiphadbeenthereappearedforamomentsome—
thingstandinguprightandnarrow，likearockoutofthesea.Thenthattoodisappeared.
WhentheSofalafailedtocomebacktoBatuBeruatthepropertime，Mr.VanWykunderstoodatoncethathewouldneverseeheranymore.Buthedidnotknowwhathadhappenedtillsomemonthsafterwards，when，inanativecraftlenthimbyhisSultan，hehadmadehiswaytotheSofala’sportofregistry，wherealreadyherexistenceandtheofficialinquiryintoherlosswasbeginningtobeforgotten.
Ithadnotbeenaveryremarkableorinterestingcase，exceptforthefactthatthecaptainhadgonedownwithhissinkingship.Itwastheonlylifelost;andMr.VanWykwouldnothavebeenabletolearnanydetailshaditnotbeenforSterne，whomhemetonedayonthequaynearthebridgeoverthecreek，almostontheveryspotwhereCaptainWhalley，topreservehisdaughter’sfivehundredpoundsintact，hadturnedtogetasampanwhichwouldtakehimonboardtheSofala.
FromafarMr.VanWyksawSterneblinkstraightathimandraisehishandtohishat.Theydrewintotheshadeofabuilding（itwasabank），andthematere—
latedhowtheboatwiththecrewgotintoPanguBayaboutsixhoursaftertheaccident，andhowtheyhadlivedforafortnightinastateofdestitutionbeforetheyfoundanopportunitytogetawayfromthatbeastlyplace.Theinquiryhadexoneratedeverybodyfromallblame.Thelossoftheshipwasputdowntoanun—
usualsetofthecurrent.Indeed，itcouldnothavebeenanythingelse：therewasnootherwaytoaccountfortheshipbeingsetsevenmilestotheeastwardofherpositionduringthemiddlewatch.
\"Apieceofbadluckforme，sir.\"
Sternepassedhistongueonhislips，andglancedaside.
\"Ilosttheadvantageofbeingemployedbyyou，sir.
Icanneverbesorryenough.Buthereitis：oneman’spoison，anotherman’smeat.ThiscouldnothavebeenhandierforMr.Massyifhehadarrangedthatship—
wreckhimself.ThemosttimelytotallossI’veeverheardof.\"
\"WhatbecameofthatMassy？\"askedMr.VanWyk.
\"He，sir？Ha！ha！Hewouldkeepontellingmethathemeanttobuyanothership;butassoonashehadthemoneyinhispocketheclearedoutforManillabymail—boatearlyinthemorning.Igavehimchaserightaboard，andhetoldmethenhewasgoingtomakehisfortunedeadsureinManilla.Icouldgotothedevilforallhecared.AndyetheasgoodaspromisedtogivemethecommandifIdidn’ttalktoomuch.\"
\"Youneversaidanything\"Mr.VanWykbegan.
\"NotI，sir.WhyshouldI？Imeantogeton，butthedeadaren’tinmyway，\"saidSterne.Hiseyelidswerebeatingrapidly，thendroopedforaninstant.
\"Besides，sir，itwouldhavebeenanawkwardbusiness.
Youmademeholdmytonguejustabittoolong.\"
\"DoyouknowhowitwasthatCaptainWhalleyre—
mainedonboard？Didhereallyrefusetoleave？Comenow！Orwasitperhapsanaccidental？\"
\"Nothing！\"Sterneinterruptedwithenergy.\"ItellyouIyelledforhimtoleapoverboard.HesimplyMUSThavecastoffthepainteroftheboathimself.Weallyelledtohim——thatis，JackandI.Hewouldn’tevenanswerus.Theshipwasassilentasagravetothelast.
Thentheboilersfetchedaway，anddownshewent.
Accident！Notit！Thegamewasup，sir，Itellyou.\"
ThiswasallthatSternehadtosay.
Mr.VanWykhadbeenofcoursemadetheguestoftheclubforafortnight，anditwastherethathemetthelawyerinwhoseofficehadbeensignedtheagreementbetweenMassyandCaptainWhalley.
\"Extraordinaryoldman，\"hesaid.\"Hecameintomyofficefromnowhereinparticularasyoumaysay，withhisfivehundredpoundstoplace，andthatengineerfellowfollowinghimanxiously.Andnowheisgoneoutalittleinexplicably，justashecame.Icouldneverunderstandhimquite.TherewasnomysteryatallaboutthatMassy，eh？IwonderwhetherWhalleyre—
fusedtoleavetheship.Itwouldhavebeenfoolish.
Hewasblameless，asthecourtfound.\"
Mr.VanWykhadknownhimwell，hesaid，andhecouldnotbelieveinsuicide.Suchanactwouldnothavebeenincharacterwithwhatheknewoftheman.
\"Itismyopinion，too，\"thelawyeragreed.Thegen—
eraltheorywasthatthecaptainhadremainedtoolongonboardtryingtosavesomethingofimportance.Per—
hapsthechartwhichwouldclearhim，orelsesomethingofvalueinhiscabin.Thepainteroftheboathadcomeadriftofitselfitwassupposed.However，strangetosay，somelittletimebeforethatvoyagepoorWhalleyhadcalledinhisofficeandhadleftwithhimasealedenvelopeaddressedtohisdaughter，tobeforwardedtoherincaseofhisdeath.Stillitwasnothingveryun—
usual，especiallyinamanofhisage.Mr.VanWykshookhishead.CaptainWhalleylookedgoodforahundredyears.
\"Perfectlytrue，\"assentedthelawyer.\"Theoldfellowlookedasthoughhehadcomeintotheworldfull—
grownandwiththatlongbeard.Icouldnever，some—
how，imaginehimeitheryoungerorolder——don’tyouknow.Therewasasenseofphysicalpoweraboutthatmantoo.Andperhapsthatwasthesecretofthatsome—
thingpeculiarinhispersonwhichstruckeverybodywhocameincontactwithhim.Helookedindestructiblebyanyordinarymeansthatputanendtotherestofus.
Hisdeliberate，statelycourtesyofmannerwasfullofsignificance.Itwasasthoughhewerecertainofhav—
ingplentyoftimeforeverything.Yes，therewassomethingindestructibleabouthim;andthewayhetalkedsometimesyoumighthavethoughthebelievedithimself.Whenhecalledonmelastwiththatletterhewantedmetotakechargeof，hewasnotdepressedatall.Perhapsashademoredeliberateinhistalkandmanner.Notdepressedintheleast.Hadheapre—
sentiment，Iwonder？Perhaps！Stillitseemsamisera—
bleendforsuchastrikingfigure.\"
\"Ohyes！Itwasamiserableend，\"Mr.VanWyksaid，withsomuchfervorthatthelawyerlookedupathimcuriously;andafterwards，afterpartingwithhim，heremarkedtoanacquaintance——
\"QueerpersonthatDutchtobacco—planterfromBatuBeru.Knowanythingofhim？\"
\"Heapsofmoney，\"answeredthebankmanager.\"I
hearhe’sgoinghomebythenextmailtoformacom—
panytotakeoverhisestates.Anothertobaccodistrictthrownopen.He’swise，Ithink.Thesegoodtimeswon’tlastforever.\"
InthesouthernhemisphereCaptainWhalley’sdaugh—
terhadnopresentimentofevilwhensheopenedtheenvelopeaddressedtoherinthelawyer’shandwriting.
Shehadreceiveditintheafternoon;alltheboardershadgoneout，herboyswereatschool，herhusbandsatupstairsinhisbigarm—chairwithabook，thin—faced，wrappedupinrugstothewaist.Thehousewasstill，andthegraynessofacloudydaylayagainstthepanesofthreeloftywindows.
Inashabbydining—room，whereafaintcoldsmellofdisheslingeredalltheyearround，sittingattheendofalongtablesurroundedbymanychairspushedinwiththeirbackscloseagainsttheedgeoftheperpetuallylaidtable—cloth，shereadtheopeningsentence：\"Mostpro—
foundregret——painfulduty——yourfatherisnomore——
inaccordancewithhisinstructions——fatalcasualty——
consolation——noblameattachedtohismemory\"
Herfacewasthin，hertemplesalittlesunkunderthesmoothbandsofblackhair，herlipsremainedresolutelycompressed，whileherdarkeyesgrewlarger，tillatlast，withalowcry，shestoodup，andinstantlystoopedtopickupanotherenvelopewhichhadslippedoffherkneesontothefloor.
Shetoreitopen，snatchedouttheinclosure
\"Mydearestchild，\"itsaid，\"IamwritingthiswhileIamableyettowritelegibly.Iamtryinghardtosaveforyouallthemoneythatisleft;Ihaveonlykeptittoserveyoubetter.Itisyours.Itshallnotbelost：
itshallnotbetouched.There’sfivehundredpounds.
OfwhatIhaveearnedIhavekeptnothingbacktillnow.Forthefuture，ifIlive，Imustkeepbacksome——
alittle——tobringmetoyou.Imustcometoyou.I
mustseeyouoncemore.
\"Itishardtobelievethatyouwilleverlookontheselines.Godseemstohaveforgottenme.Iwanttoseeyou——andyetdeathwouldbeagreaterfavor.Ifyoueverreadthesewords，Ichargeyoutobeginbythank—
ingaGodmercifulatlast，forIshallbedeadthen，anditwillbewell.Mydear，Iamattheendofmytether.\"
Thenextparagraphbeganwiththewords：\"Mysightisgoing\"
Shereadnomorethatday.Thehandholdingupthepapertohereyesfellslowly，andherslenderfigureinaplainblackdresswalkedrigidlytothewindow.Hereyesweredry：nocryofsorroworwhisperofthankswentuptoheavenfromherlips.Lifehadbeentoohard，foralltheeffortsofhislove.Ithadsilencedheremotions.Butforthefirsttimeinalltheseyearsitsstinghaddeparted，thecarkingcareofpoverty，themeannessofahardstruggleforbread.Eventheimageofherhusbandandofherchildrenseemedtoglideawayfromherintothegraytwilight;itwasherfather’sfacealonethatshesaw，asthoughhehadcometoseeher，alwaysquietandbig，asshehadseenhimlast，butwithsomethingmoreaugustandtenderinhisaspect.
Sheslippedhisfoldedletterbetweenthetwobuttonsofherplainblackbodice，andleaningherforeheadagainstawindow—paneremainedtheretilldusk，per—
fectlymotionless，givinghimallthetimeshecouldspare.Gone！Wasitpossible？MyGod，wasitpossi—
ble！Theblowhadcomesoftenedbythespacesoftheearth，bytheyearsofabsence.Therehadbeenwholedayswhenshehadnotthoughtofhimatall——hadnotime.Butshehadlovedhim，shefeltshehadlovedhim，afterall.