第2章

Andindeedonthinkingitoveritwouldhavebeenplausibleenoughiftherehadn’tbeenalwaystheessentialfalsenessofirresponsibilityinSchom—

berg’schatter。However，Iwasnotdisposedtoin—

vestigatethepsychologyofFalk。IwasengagedjustthenineatingdespondentlyapieceofstaleDutchcheese，beingtoomuchcrushedtocarewhatIswallowedmyself，letalongbotheringmyheadaboutFalk’sideasofgastronomy。Icouldexpectfromtheirstudynocluetohisconductinmattersofbusiness，whichseemedtometotallyunrestrainedbymoralityorevenbythecommonestsortofde—

cency。HowinsignificantandcontemptibleImustappear，forthefellowtodaretreatmelikethis——I

reflectedsuddenly，writhinginsilentagony。AndIconsignedFalkandallhispeculiaritiestothedevilwithsomuchmentalfervourastoforgetSchom—

berg’sexistence，tillhegrabbedmyarmurgently。

\"Well，youmaythinkandthinktilleveryhairofyourheadfallsoff，captain；butyoucan’texplainitinanyotherway。\"

ForthesakeofpeaceandquietnessIadmittedhurriedlythatIcouldn’t：persuadedthatnowhewouldleaveoff。Buttheonlyresultwastomakehismoistfaceshinewiththeprideofcunning。Heremovedhishandforamomenttoscareablackmassoffliesoffthesugar—basinandcaughtholdofmyarmagain。

\"Tobesure。Andinthesamewayeverybodyisawarehewouldliketogetmarried。Onlyhecan’t。

Letmequoteyouaninstance。Well，twoyearsagoaMissVanlo，averyladylikegirl，camefromhometokeephouseforherbrother，Fred，whohadanen—

gineeringshopforsmallrepairsbythewaterside。

SuddenlyFalktakestogoinguptotheirbunga—

lowafterdinner，andsittingforhoursintheveran—

dahsayingnothing。Thepoorgirlcouldn’ttellforthelifeofherwhattodowithsuchaman，soshewouldkeeponplayingthepianoandsingingtohimeveningaftereveningtillshewasreadytodrop。Anditwasn’tasifshehadbeenastrongyoungwomaneither。Shewasthirty，andthecli—

matehadbeenplayingthedeucewithher。Then——

don’tyouknow——Fredhadtositupwiththemforpropriety，andduringwholeweeksonendnevergotasinglechancetogettobedbeforemidnight。

Thatwasnotpleasantforatiredman——wasit？

AndbesidesFredhadworriesthenbecausehisshopdidn’tpayandhewasdroppingmoneyfast。Hejustlongedtogetawayfromhereandtryhislucksomewhereelse，butforthesakeofhissisterhehungonandontillheranhimselfintodebtoverhisears——Icantellyou。I，myself，couldshowahand—

fulofhischitsformealsanddrinksinmydrawer。

Icouldneverfindouttho’wherehefoundallthemoneyatlast。Can’tbebuthemusthavegotsome—

thingoutofthatbrotherofhis，acoalmerchantinPortSaid。Anyhowhepaideverybodybeforeheleft，butthegirlnearlybrokeherheart。Disap—

pointment，ofcourse，andatherage，don’tyouknow……Mrs。Schombergherewasveryfriendlywithher，andshecouldtellyou。Awfuldespair。

Faintingfits。Itwasascandal。Anotoriousscan—

dal。TothatextentthatoldMr。Siegers——notyourpresentcharterer，butMr。Siegersthefather，theoldgentlemanwhoretiredfrombusinessonafortuneandgotburiedatseagoinghome，HEhadtointerviewFalkinhisprivateoffice。HewasamanwhocouldspeaklikeaDutchUncle，and，be—

sides，Messrs。SiegershadbeenhelpingFalkwithagoodbitofmoneyfromthestart。Infactyoumaysaytheymadehimasfarasthatgoes。

Itsohappenedthatjustatthetimeheturneduphere，theirfirmwascharteringalotofsailingshipseveryyear，anditsuitedtheirbusinessthatthereshouldbegoodtowingfacilitiesontheriver。See？……Well——there’salwaysanearatthekeyhole——

isn’tthere？Infact，\"heloweredhistoneconfiden—

tially，\"inthiscaseagoodfriendofmine；amanyoucanseehereanyevening；onlytheyconversedratherlow。Anyhowmyfriend’scertainthatFalkwastryingtomakeallsortsofexcuses，andoldMr。

Siegerswascoughingalot。AndyetFalkwantedallthetimetobemarriedtoo。Why!It’snotoriousthemanhasbeenlongingforyearstomakeahomeforhimself。Onlyhecan’tfacetheexpense。

Whenitcomestoputtinghishandinhispocket——

itchokeshimoff。That’sthetruthandnoother。

I’vealwayssaidso，andeverybodyagreeswithmebythistime。Whatdoyouthinkofthat——eh？\"

Heappealedconfidentlytomyindignation，buthavingamindtoannoyhimIremarked，\"thatitseemedtomeverypitiful——iftrue。\"

HebouncedinhischairasifIhadrunapinintohim。Idon’tknowwhathemighthavesaid，onlyatthatmomentweheardthroughthehalfopendoorofthebilliard—roomthefootstepsoftwomenenteringfromtheverandah，amurmuroftwovoices；atthesharptappingofacoinonatableMrs。Schomberghalfroseirresolutely。\"Sitstill，\"

hehissedather，andthen，inanhospitable，jovialtone，contrastingamazinglywiththeangryglancethathadmadehiswifesinkinherchair，hecriedveryloud：\"Tiffinstillgoingoninhere，gentle—

men。\"

Therewasnoanswer，butthevoicesdroppedsud—

denly。TheheadChinamanwentout。Weheardtheclinkoficeintheglasses，pouringsounds，theshufflingoffeet，thescrapingofchairs。Schom—

berg，afterwonderinginalowmutterwhothedevilcouldbethereatthistimeoftheday，gotupnapkininhandtopeepthroughthedoorwaycautiously。

Heretreatedrapidlyontip—toe，andwhisperingbe—

hindhishandinformedmethatitwasFalk，Falkhimselfwhowasinthere，and，what’smore，hehadCaptainHermannwithhim。

ThereturnofthetugfromtheouterRoadswasunexpectedbutpossible，forFalkhadtakenawaytheDianaathalf—pastfive，anditwasnowtwoo’clock。Schombergwishedmetoobservethatneitherofthesemenwouldspendadollaronatiffin，whichtheymusthavewanted。ButbythetimeI

wasreadytoleavethedining—roomFalkhadgone。

Iheardthelastofhisbigbootsontheplanksoftheverandah。Hermannwassittingquitealoneinthelarge，woodenroomwiththetwolifelessbilliardtablesshroudedinstripedcovers，moppinghisfacediligently。Heworehisbestgo—ashoreclothes，astiffcollar，blackcoat，largewhitewaistcoat，greytrousers。Awhitecottonsunshadewithacanehan—

dlereposedbetweenhislegs，hissidewhiskerswereneatlybrushed，hischinhadbeenfreshlyshaved；

andheonlydistantlyresembledthedishevelledandterrifiedmaninasnuffynightshirtandignobleoldtrousersIhadseeninthemorninghangingontothewheeloftheDiana。

Hegaveastartatmyentrance，andaddressedmeatonceinsomeconfusion，butwithgenuineea—

gerness。Hewasanxioustomakeitclearhehadnothingtodowithwhathecalledthe\"tampiz—

ness\"ofthemorning。Itwasmostinconvenient。

Hehadreckoneduponanotherdayupintowntosettlehisbillsandsigncertainpapers。Therewerealsosomefewstorestocome，andsundrypiecesof\"myironwork，\"ashecalleditquaintly，landedforrepairs，hadbeenleftbehind。Nowhewouldhavetohireanativeboattotakeallthisouttotheship。

Itwouldcostfiveorsixdollarsperhaps。HehadhadnowarningfromFalk。Nothing……Hehitthetablewithhisdumpyfist……Derver—

fluchteKerlcameinthemorninglikea\"tam’

ropper，\"makingagreatnoise，andtookhimaway。

Hismatewasnotprepared，hisshipwasmooredfast——heprotesteditwasshamefultocomeuponamaninthatway。Shameful!YetsuchwasthepowerFalkhadontheriverthatwhenIsuggestedinachillingtonethathemighthavesimplyrefusedtohavehisshipmoved，Hermannwasquitestartledattheidea。Ineverrealisedsowellbeforethatthisisanageofsteam。TheexclusivepossessionofamarineboilerhadgivenFalkthewhiphandofusall。Hermann，recovering，putittomeappealinglythatIknewverywellhowunsafeitwastocontra—

dictthatfellow。AtthisIonlysmileddistantly。

\"DerKerl!\"hecried。Hewassorryhehadnotrefused。Hewasindeed。Thedamage!Thedam—

age!Whatforallthatdamage!Therewasnooccasionfordamage。DidIknowhowmuchdam—

agehehaddone？ItgavemeacertainsatisfactiontotellhimthatIhadheardhisoldwaggonofashipcrackforeandaftasshewentby。\"Youpassedcloseenoughtome，\"Iaddedsignificantly。

Hethrewbothhishandsuptoheavenattherec—

ollection。Oneofthemgraspedbythemiddlethewhiteparasol，andheresembledcuriouslyacarica—

tureofashopkeepingcitizeninoneofhisownGer—

mancomicpapers。\"Ach!Thatwasdangerous，\"

hecried。Iwasamused。Butdirectlyheaddedwithanappearanceofsimplicity，\"Thesideofyourironshipwouldhavebeencrushedinlike——

likethismatchbox。\"

\"Wouldit？\"Igrowled，muchlessamusednow；

butbythetimeIhaddecidedthatthisremarkwasnotmeantforadigatmehehadworkedhimselfintoahighstateofresentfulnessagainstFalk。

Theinconvenience，thedamage，theexpense!Gott—

ferdam!Deviltakethefellow。BehindthebarSchombergwithacigarinhisteeth，pretendedtobewritingwithapencilonalargesheetofpaper；

andasHermann’sexcitementincreaseditmademecomfortinglyawareofmyowncalmnessandsupe—

riority。ButitoccurredtomewhileIlistenedtohisrevilings，thatafterallthegoodmanhadcomeupinthetug。Thereperhaps——sincehemustcometotown——hehadnooption。ButevidentlyhehadhadadrinkwithFalk，eitheracceptedoroffered。

Howwasthat？SoIcheckedhimbysayingloftilythatIhopedhewouldmakeFalkpayforeverypennyofthedamage。

\"That’sit!That’sit!Goforhim，\"calledoutSchombergfromthebar，flinginghispencildownandrubbinghishands。

Weignoredhisnoise。ButHermann’sexcite—

mentsuddenlywentofftheboilaswhenyouremoveasaucepanfromthefire。Iurgedonhisconsidera—

tionthathehaddonenowwithFalkandFalk’scon—

foundedtug。He，Hermann，wouldnot，perhaps，turnupagaininthispartoftheworldforyearstocome，sincehewasgoingtoselltheDianaattheendofthisverytrip（\"Gohomepassengerinamailboat，\"hemurmuredmechanically）。Hewasthere—

foresafefromFalk’smalice。AllhehadtodowastoraceofftohisconsigneesandstoppaymentofthetowagebillbeforeFalkhadthetimetogetinandliftthemoney。

Nothingcouldhavebeenlessinthespiritofmyadvicethanthethoughtfulwayinwhichhesetabouttomakehisparasolstayproppedagainsttheedgeofthetable。

WhileIwatchedhisconcentratedeffortswithas—

tonishmenthethrewatmeoneortwoperplexed，half—shyglances。Thenhesatdown。\"That’sallverywell，\"hesaidreflectively。

Itcannotbedoubtedthatthemanhadbeenthrownoffhisbalancebybeinghauledoutoftheharbouragainsthiswish。Hisstolidityhadbeenprofoundlystirred，elsehewouldneverhavemadeuphismindtoaskmeunexpectedlywhetherIhadnotremarkedthatFalkhadbeencastingeyesuponhisniece。\"Nomorethanmyself，\"Iansweredwithliteraltruth。Thegirlwasofthesortonenecessa—

rilycastseyesatinasense。Shemadenonoise，butshefilledmostsatisfactorilyagoodbitofspace。

\"Butyou，captain，arenotthesamekindofman，\"observedHermann。

Iwasnot，Iamhappytosay，inapositiontodenythis。\"Whataboutthelady？\"Icouldnothelpasking。Atthishegazedforatimeintomyface，earnestly，andmadeasiftochangethesub—

ject。Iheardhimbeginningtomuttersomethingunexpected，abouthischildrengrowingoldenoughtorequireschooling。HewouldhavetoleavethemashorewiththeirgrandmotherwhenhetookupthatnewcommandheexpectedtogetinGermany。

Thisconstantharpingonhisdomesticarrange—

mentswasfunny。Isupposeitmusthavebeenliketheprospectofacompletealterationinhislife。Anepoch。Hewasgoing，too，topartwiththeDiana!

Hehadservedinherforyears。Hehadinheritedher。Fromanuncle，ifIrememberrightly。Andthefutureloomedbigbeforehim，occupyinghisthoughtexclusivelywithallitsaspectsasontheeveofaventuresomeenterprise。Hesattherefrowningandbitinghislip，andsuddenlyhebegantofumeandfret。

IdiscoveredtomymomentaryamusementthatheseemedtoimagineIcould，shouldorought，havecausedFalkinsomewaytopronouncehim—

self。Suchahopewasincomprehensible，butfunny。

Thenthecontactwithallthisfoolishnessirritatedme。IsaidcrosslythatIhadseennosymptoms，butiftherewereany——sincehe，Hermann，wassosure——thenitwasstillworse。WhatpleasureFalkfoundinhumbuggingpeopleinjustthatwayI

couldn’tsay。Itwas，however，mysolemndutytowarnhim。Ithadlately，Isaid，cometomyknowl—

edgethattherewasaman（notaverylongtimeagoeither）whohadbeentakeninjustlikethis。

Allthispassedinundertones，andatthispointSchomberg，exasperatedatoursecrecy，wentoutoftheroomslammingthedoorwithacrashthatpositivelyliftedusinourchairs。This，orelsewhatIhadsaid，huffedmyHermann，Hesupposed，withacontemptuoustossofhisheadtowardsthedoorwhichtrembledyet，thatIhadgotholdofsomeofthatman’ssillytales。Itlooked，indeed，asthoughhismindhadbeenthoroughlypoisonedagainstSchomberg。\"Histaleswere——theywere，\"here—

peated，seekingfortheword——\"trash。\"Theyweretrash，hereiterated，andmoreoverIwasyoungyet……

Thishorridaspersion（IregretIamnolongerexposedtothatsortofinsult）mademehuffytoo。

Ifeltreadyinmyownmindtobackupeveryasser—

tionofSchomberg’sandonanysubject。Inamo—

ment，devilonlyknowswhy，HermannandIwerelookingateachothermostinimically。HecaughtuphishatwithoutmoreadoandIgavemyselfthepleasureofcallingafterhim：

\"TakemyadviceandmakeFalkpayforbreak—

ingupyourship。Youaren’tlikelytogetany—

thingelseoutofhim。\"

WhenIgotonboardmyshiplateron，theoldmate，whowasveryfulloftheeventsofthemorn—

ing，remarked：

\"IsawthetugcomingbackfromtheouterRoadsjustbeforetwoP。M。\"（Heneverbyanychanceusedthewordsmorningorafternoon。AlwaysP。M。orA。M。，log—bookstyle。）\"Smartworkthat。Man’salwaysinastateofhurry。He’saregularchucker—out，ain’the，sir？There’safewpubsI

knowofintheEast—endofLondonthatwouldbeallthebetterforoneofhissortaroundthebar。\"

Hechuckledathisjoke。\"Aregularchucker—out。

NowhehasfiredoutthatDutchmanheadoverheels，Isupposeourturn’scomingto—morrowmorning。\"

Wewereallondeckatbreakofday（eventhesick——poordevils——hadcrawledout）readytocastoffinthetwinklingofaneye。Nothingcame。

Falkdidnotcome。Atlast，whenIbegantothinkthatprobablysomethinghadgonewronginhisengine—room，weperceivedthetuggoingby，fullpelt，downtheriver，asifwehadn’texisted。ForamomentIentertainedthewildnotionthathewasgoingtoturnroundinthenextreach。AfterwardsIwatchedhissmokeappearabovetheplain，nowhere，nowthere，accordingtothewindingsoftheriver。Itdisappeared。ThenwithoutawordI

wentdowntobreakfast。Ijustsimplywentdowntobreakfast。

Notoneofusutteredasoundtillthemate，afterimbibing——bymeansofsuctionoutofasaucer——

hissecondcupoftea，exclaimed：\"Wherethedevilisthemangoneto？\"

\"Courting!\"Ishouted，withsuchafiendishlaughthattheoldchapdidn’tventuretoopenhislipsanymore。

Istartedtotheofficeperfectlycalm。Calmwithexcessiverage。Evidentlytheyknewallaboutitalready，andtheytreatedmetoashowofconster—

nation。Themanager，asoft—footed，immenselyobeseman，breathingshort，gotuptomeetme，whileallroundtheroomtheyoungclerks，bend—

ingoverthepapersontheirdesks，castupwardglancesinmydirection。Thefatman，withoutwaitingformycomplaint，wheezingheavilyandinatoneasifhehimselfwereincredulous，con—

veyedtomethenewsthatFalk——CaptainFalk——

haddeclined——hadabsolutelydeclined——totowmyship——tohaveanythingtodowithmyship——thisdayoranyotherday。Never!

Ididmybesttopreserveacoolappearance，but，allthesame，ImusthaveshownhowmuchtakenabackIwas。Weweretalkinginthemiddleoftheroom。Suddenlybehindmybacksomeassblewhisnosewithgreatforce，andatthesametimean—

otherquill—driverjumpedupandwentoutonthelandinghastily。ItoccurredtomeIwascuttingafoolishfigurethere。Idemandedangrilytoseetheprincipalinhisprivateroom。

TheskinofMr。Siegers’headshoweddeadwhitebetweentheirongreystreaksofhairlyingplas—

teredcross—wisefromeartoearoverthetopofhisskullinthemannerofabandage。Hisnarrowsunkenfacewasofanuniformandpermanentter—

ra—cottacolour，likeapieceofpottery。Hewassickly，thin，andshort，withwristslikeaboyoften。

Butfromthatdebilebodythereissuedabullyingvoice，tremendouslyloud，harshandresonant，asifproducedbysomepowerfulmechanicalcontriv—

anceinthenatureofafog—horn。Idonotknowwhathedidwithitintheprivatelifeofhishome，butinthelargersphereofbusinessitpresentedtheadvantageofovercomingargumentswithouttheslightestmentaleffort，bythemerevolumeofsound。Wehadhadseveralpassagesofarms。IttookmeallIknewtoguardtheinterestsofmyowners——whom，notabene，Ihadneverseen——whileSiegers（whohadmadetheiracquaintancesomeyearsbefore，duringabusinesstourinAustralia）

pretendedtotheknowledgeoftheirinnermostminds，and，inthecharacterof\"ourverygoodfriends，\"threwthemperpetuallyatmyhead。

Helookedatmewithajaundicedeye（therewasnolovelostbetweenus），anddeclaredatoncethatitwasstrange，verystrange。HispronunciationofEnglishwassoextravagantthatIcan’tevenattempttoreproduceit。Forinstance，hesaid\"Fferiestrantch。\"Combinedwiththebellowingintonationitmadethelanguageofone’schildhoodsoundweirdlystartling，andevenifconsideredpurelyasakindofunmeaningnoiseitfilledyouwithastonishmentatfirst。\"Theyhad，\"hecon—

tinued，\"beenacquaintedwithCaptainFalkforverymanyyears，andneverhadanyreason……\"

\"That’swhyIcometoyou，ofcourse，\"Iinter—

rupted。\"I’vetherighttoknowthemeaningofthisinfernalnonsense。\"Inthehalflightoftheroom，whichwasgreenish，becauseofthetree—topsscreeningthewindow，Isawhimwrithehismeagreshoulders。Itcameintomyhead，asdisconnectedideaswillcomeatallsortsoftimesintoone’shead，thatthis，mostlikely，wastheveryroomwhere，ifthetaleweretrue，FalkhadbeenlecturedbyMr。

Siegers，thefather。Mr。Siegers’（theson’s）over—

whelmingvoice，inbrassyblasts，asthoughhehadbeentryingtoarticulatehiswordsthroughatrom—

bone，wasexpressinghisgreatregretataconductcharacterisedbyaverymarkedwantofdiscre—

tion……AsIlivedIwasbeinglecturedtoo!Hisdeafeninggibberishwasdifficulttofollow，butitwasMYconduct——mine!——that……Damn!I

wasn’tgoingtostandthis。

\"Whatonearthareyoudrivingat？\"Iaskedinapassion。Iputmyhatonmyhead（heneverofferedaseattoanybody），andasheseemedforthemomentstruckdumbbymyirreverence，I

turnedmybackonhimandmarchedout。Hisvo—

calarrangementsblaredaftermeafewthreatsofcomingdownontheshipforthedemurrageofthelighters，andalltheotherexpensesconsequentuponthedelaysarisingfrommyfrivolity。

Onceoutsideinthesunshinemyheadswam。Itwasnolongeraquestionofmeredelay。Iper—

ceivedmyselfinvolvedinhopelessandhumiliatingabsurditiesthatwereleadingmetosomethingverylikeadisaster。\"Letusbecalm，\"Imutteredtomyself，andranintotheshadeofaleprouswall。

Fromthatshortside—streetIcouldseethebroadmainthoroughfareruinousandgay，runningaway，awaybetweenstretchesofdecayingmason—

ry，bamboofences，rangesofarcadesofbrickandplaster，hovelsoflathandmud，loftytemplegatesofcarvedtimber，hutsofrottenmats——anim—

menselywidethoroughfare，looselypackedasfarastheeyecouldreachwithabarefootedandbrownmultitudepaddlingankledeepinthedust。ForamomentIfeltmyselfabouttogooutofmymindwithworryanddesperation。

Someallowancemustbemadeforthefeelingsofayoungmannewtoresponsibility。Ithoughtofmycrew。Halfofthemwereill，andIreallybegantothinkthatsomeofthemwouldendbydy—

ingonboardifIcouldn’tgetthemouttoseasoon。

ObviouslyIshouldhavetotakemyshipdowntheriver，eitherworkingundercanvasordredgingwiththeanchordown；operationswhich，incom—

monwithmanymodernsailors，Ionlyknewtheo—

retically。AndIalmostshrankfromundertakingthemshorthandedandwithoutlocalknowledgeoftheriverbed，whichissonecessaryforthecon—

fidenthandlingoftheship。Therewerenopilots，nobeacons，nobuoysofanysort；buttherewasaverydevilofacurrentforanybodytosee，noendofshoalplaces，andatleasttwoobviouslyawkwardturnsofthechannelbetweenmeandthesea。ButhowdangeroustheseturnswereIwouldnottell。I

didn’tevenknowwhatmyshipwascapableof!

Ihadneverhandledherinmylife。Amisunder—

standingbetweenamanandhisshipinadifficultriverwithnoroomtomakeitup，isboundtoendintroublefortheman。Ontheotherhand，itmustbeownedIhadnotmuchreasontocountuponageneralrunofgoodluck。AndsupposeIhadthemisfortunetopileheruphighanddryonsomebeastlyshoal？Thatwouldhavebeenthefinalun—

doingofthatvoyage。ItwasplainthatifFalkrefusedtotowmeouthewouldalsorefusetopullmeoff。Thismeant——what？Adaylostattheverybest；butmorelikelyawholefortnightoffrizzlingonsomepestilentialmudflat，ofdesperatework，ofdischargingcargo；morethanlikelyitmeantborrowingmoneyatanexorbitantrateofinterest——fromtheSiegers’gangtooatthat。Theywereapowerintheport。Andthatelderlyseamanofmine，Gambril，hadlookedprettyghastlywhenIwentforwardtodosehimwithquininethatmorn—

ing。HEwouldcertainlydie——nottospeakoftwoorthreeothersthatseemednearlyasbad，andoftherestofthemjustreadytocatchanytropicaldiseasegoing。Horror，ruinandeverlastingre—

morse。Andnohelp。None。Ihadfallenamongstalotofunfriendlylunatics!

Atanyrate，ifImusttakemyshipdownmyselfitwasmydutytoprocureifpossiblesomelocalknowledge。Butthatwasnoteasy。Theonlyper—

sonIcouldthinkofforthatservicewasacertainJohnson，formerlycaptainofacountryship，butnowsplicedtoacountrywifeandgoneutterlytothebad。Ihadonlyheardofhiminthevaguestway，aslivingconcealedinthethickoftwohundredthousandnatives，andonlyemergingintothelightofdayforthepurposeofhuntingupsomebrandy。

IhadanotionthatifIcouldlaymyhandsonhimIwouldsoberhimonboardmyshipandusehimforapilot。Betterthannothing。Onceasailoralwaysasailor——andhehadknowntheriverforyears。ButinourConsulate（whereIarriveddrip—

pingafterasharpwalk）theycouldtellmenoth—

ing。Theexcellentyoungmenonthestaff，thoughwillingtohelpme，belongedtoasphereofthewhitecolonyforwhichthatsortofJohnsondoesnotexist。TheirsuggestionwasthatIshouldhuntthemanupmyselfwiththehelpoftheConsulate’sconstable——anex—sergeant—majorofaregimentofHussars。

Thisman，whoseusualdutyapparentlyconsistedinsittingbehindalittletableinanouterroomofConsularoffices，whenorderedtoassistmeinmysearchforJohnsondisplayedlotsofenergyandamarvellousamountoflocalknowledgeofasort。Buthedidnotconcealanimmenseandscep—

ticalcontemptforthewholebusiness。Weexploredtogetheronthatafternoonaninfinityofinfamousgrogshops，gamblingdens，opiumdens。Wewalkedupnarrowlaneswhereourgharry——atinyboxofathingonwheels，attachedtoajibbingBur—

mahpony——couldbynomeanshavepassed。Theconstableseemedtobeontermsofscornfulinti—

macywithMaltese，withEurasians，withChina—

men，withKlings，andwiththesweepersattachedtoatemple，withwhomhetalkedatthegate。WeinterviewedalsothroughagratinginamudwallclosingablindalleyanimmenselycorpulentItal—

ian，who，theex—sergeant—majorremarkedtomeperfunctorily，had\"killedanothermanlastyear。\"

Thereuponheaddressedhimas\"Antonio\"and\"OldBuck，\"thoughthatbloatedcarcase，appar—

entlymorethanhalffillingthesortofcellwhere—

initsat，recalledratherafatpiginastye。Fa—

miliarandneverunbending，thesergeantchucked——absolutelychucked——underthechinahorriblywrinkledandshrivelledoldhagproppedonastick，whohadvolunteeredsomesortofinformation：andwiththesamestolidfacehekeptupananimatedconversationwiththegroupsofswathedbrownwomen，whosatsmokingcherootsonthedoor—stepsofalongrangeofclayhovels。Wegotoutofthegharryandclamberedintodwellingsairylikepackingcrates，ordescendedintoplacessinisterlikecellars。Wegotin，wedroveon，wegotoutagainforthesolepurpose，asitseemed，oflookingbehindaheapofrubble。Thesundeclined；mycompanionwascurtandsardonicinhisanswers，butitappearswewerejustmissingJohnsonallalong。Atlastourconveyancestoppedoncemorewithajerk，andthedriverjumpingdownopenedthedoor。

Ablackmudholeblockedthelane。Amoundofgarbagecrownedwiththedeadbodyofadogar—

restedusnot。AnemptyAustralianbeeftinboundedcheerilybeforethetoeofmyboot。Sud—

denlyweclamberedthroughagapinapricklyfence……

Itwasaverycleannativecompound：andthebignativewoman，withbarebrownlegsasthickasbedposts，pursuingonallfoursasilverdollarthatcamerollingoutfromsomewhere，wasMrs。

Johnsonherself。\"Yourman’sathome，\"saidtheex—sergeant，andsteppedasideincompleteandmarkedindifferencetoanythingthatmightfollow。

Johnson——athome——stoodwithhisbacktoanativehousebuiltonpostsandwithitswallsmadeofmats。Inhislefthandheheldabanana。Outoftherighthedealtanotherdollarintospace。Thewomancapturedthisoneonthewing，andthereandthenplumpeddownonthegroundtolookatuswithgreatercomfort。

Mymanwassallowofface，grizzled，unshaven，muddyonelbowsandback；wheretheseamsofhissergecoatyawnedyoucouldseehiswhitenaked—

ness。Thevestigesofapapercollarencircledhisneck。Helookedatuswithagrave，swayingsur—

prise。\"Wheredoyoucomefrom？\"heasked。

Myheartsank。HowcouldIhavebeenstupidenoughtowasteenergyandtimeforthis？

ButhavingalreadygonesofarIapproachedalittleneareranddeclaredthepurposeofmyvisit。

Hewouldhavetocomeatoncewithme，sleeponboardmyship，andto—morrow，withthefirstoftheebb，hewouldgivemehisassistanceingettingmyshipdowntothesea，withoutsteam。Asix—hun—

dred—tonbarque，drawingninefeetaft。Ipro—

posedtogivehimeighteendollarsforhislocalknowledge；andallthetimeIwasspeakinghekeptonconsideringattentivelythevariousaspectsofthebanana，holdingfirstonesideuptohiseye，thentheother。

\"You’veforgottentoapologise，\"hesaidatlastwithextremeprecision。\"Notbeingagentlemanyourself，youdon’tknowapparentlywhenyouin—

trudeuponagentleman。Iamone。IwishyoutounderstandthatwhenIaminfundsIdon’twork，andnow……\"

Iwouldhavepronouncedhimperfectlysoberhadn’thepausedingreatconcerntotryandbrushaholeoffthekneeofhistrousers。

\"Ihavemoney——andfriends。Everygentle—

manhas。Perhapsyouwouldliketoknowmyfriend？HisnameisFalk。Youcouldborrowsomemoney。Trytoremember。F—A—L—K，Falk。\"

Abruptlyhistonechanged。\"Anobleheart，\"hesaidmuzzily。

\"HasFalkbeengivingyousomemoney？\"I

asked，appalledbythedetailedfinishofthedarkplot。

\"Lentme，mygoodman，notgivenme。Lent，\"

hecorrectedsuavely。\"Metmetakingtheairlastevening，andbeingasusualanxioustooblige——Hadn’tyoubettergotothedeviloutofmycompound？\"

Anduponthis，withoutotherwarning，heletflywiththebananawhichmissedmyhead，andtooktheconstablejustunderthelefteye。HerushedatthemiserableJohnson，stammeringwithfury。

Theyfell……Butwhydwellonthewretched—

ness，thebreathlessness，thedegradation，thesense—

lessness，theweariness，theridiculeandhumiliationand——and——theperspiration，ofthesemoments？I

draggedtheex—hussaroff。Hewaslikeawildbeast。Itseemshehadbeengreatlyannoyedatlosinghisfreeafternoononmyaccount。Thegar—

denofhisbungalowrequiredhispersonalatten—

tion，andattheslightblowofthebananathebruteinhimhadbrokenloose。WeleftJohnsononhisback，stillblackintheface，butbeginningtokickfeebly。Meantime，thebigwomanhadremainedsittingontheground，apparentlyparalysedwithextremeterror。

Forhalfanhourwejoltedinsideourrollingbox，sidebyside，inprofoundsilence。Theex—ser—

geantwasbusystaunchingthebloodofalongscratchonhischeek。\"Ihopeyou’resatisfied，\"hesaidsuddenly。\"That’swhatcomesofallthattomfoolbusiness。Ifyouhadn’tquarrelledwiththattugboatskipperoversomegirlorother，allthiswouldn’thavehappened。\"

\"YouheardTHATstory？\"Isaid。

\"OfcourseIheard。AndIshouldn’twonderiftheConsul—Generalhimselfdoesn’tcometohearofit。HowamItogobeforehimto—morrowwiththatthingonmycheek——Iwanttoknow。ItsYOUwhooughttohavegotthis!\"

Afterthat，tillthegharrystoppedandhejumpedoutwithoutleave—taking，hesworetohim—

selfsteadily，horribly；mutteringgreat，purpose—

ful，trooperoaths，towhichtheworstasailorcandoisliketheprattleofachild。FormypartIhadjustthestrengthtocrawlintoSchomberg’scoffee—

room，whereIwroteatalittletableanotetothemateinstructinghimtogeteverythingreadyfordroppingdowntherivernextday。Icouldn’tfacemyship。Well!shehadacleversortofskip—

perandnomistake——poorthing!Whatahorridmess!Itookmyheadbetweenmyhands。Attimestheobviousnessofmyinnocencewouldreducemetodespair。WhathadIdone？IfIhaddonesomethingtobringaboutthesituationIshouldatleasthavelearnednottodoitagain。ButIfeltguiltlesstothepointofimbecility。Theroomwasemptyyet；onlySchombergprowledroundmegoggle—eyedandwithasortofawedrespectfulcu—

riosity。Nodoubthehadsetthestorygoinghim—

self；buthewasagood—heartedchap，andIamreallypersuadedheparticipatedinallmytroubles。

Hedidwhathecouldforme。Herangedasidetheheavymatchstand，setachairstraight，pushedaspittoonslightlywithhisfoot——asyoushowsmallattentionstoafriendunderagreatsorrow——

sighed，andatlast，unabletoholdhistongue：

\"Well!Iwarnedyou，captain。That’swhatcomesofrunningyourheadagainstMr。Falk。

Man’llstickatnothing。\"

Isatwithoutstirring，andaftersurveyingmewithasortofcommiserationinhiseyesheburstoutinahoarsewhisper：\"Butforafinelumpofagirl，she’safinelumpofagirl。\"Hemadealoudsmackingnoisewithhisthicklips。\"ThefinestlumpofagirlthatIever……\"hewasgoingonwithgreatunction，butforsomereasonorotherbrokeoff。Ifanciedmyselfthrowingsomethingathishead。\"Idon’tblameyou，captain。HangmeifIdo，\"hesaidwithapatronisingair。

\"Thankyou，\"Isaidresignedly。Itwasnousefightingagainstthisfalsefate。Idon’tknowevenifIwassuremyselfwherethetruthofthematterbegan。Theconvictionthatitwouldenddisas—

trouslyhadbeendrivenintomebyallthesucces—

siveshocksmysenseofsecurityhadreceived。I

begantoascribeanextraordinarypotencytoagentsinthemselvespowerless。ItwasasifSchomberg’sbaselessgossiphadthepowertobringaboutthethingitselfortheabstractenmityofFalkcouldputmyshipashore。

Ihavealreadyexplainedhowfatalthislastwouldhavebeen。Formyfurtheraction，myyouth，myinexperience，myveryrealconcernforthehealthofmycrewmustbemyexcuse。Theac—

tionitself，whenitcame，waspurelyimpulsive。ItwassetinmovementquiteundiplomaticallyandsimplybyFalk’sappearanceinthedoorway。

Theroomwasfullbythenandbuzzingwithvoices。Ihadbeenlookedatwithcuriositybyeveryone，buthowamItodescribethesensationproducedbytheappearanceofFalkhimselfblock—

ingthedoorway？Thetensionofexpectationcouldbemeasuredbytheprofundityofthesilencethatfellupontheveryclickofthebilliardballs。

AstoSchomberg，helookedextremelyfrightened；

hehatedmortallyanysortofrow（fracashecalledit）inhisestablishment。Fracaswasbadforbusi—

ness，heaffirmed；but，intruth，thisspecimenofportly，middle—agedmanhoodwasofatimiddis—

position。Idon’tknowwhat，consideringmypres—

enceintheplace，theyallhopedwouldcomeofit。

Asortofstagfight，perhaps。OrtheymayhavesupposedFalkhadcomeinonlytoannihilatemecompletely。Asamatteroffact，FalkhadcomeinbecauseHermannhadaskedhimtoinquireafterthepreciouswhitecottonparasolwhich，intheworryandexcitementofthepreviousday，hehadforgot—

tenatthetablewherewehadheldourlittlediscus—

sion。

Itwasthisthatgavememyopportunity。I

don’tthinkIwouldhavegonetoseekFalkout。

No。Idon’tthinkso。Therearelimits。ButtherewasanopportunityandIseizedit——Ihavealreadytriedtoexplainwhy。NowIwillmerelystatethat，inmyopinion，togethissicklycrewintotheseaairandsecureaquickdespatchforhisshipaskip—

perwouldbejustifiedingoingtoanylength，shortofabsolutecrime。Heshouldputhisprideinhispocket；hemayacceptconfidences；explainhisin—

nocenceasifitwereasin；hemaytakeadvantageofmisconceptions，ofdesiresandofweaknesses；heoughttoconcealhishorrorandotheremotions，and，ifthefateofahumanbeing，andthathumanbeingamagnificentyounggirl，isstrangelyin—

volved——why，heshouldcontemplatethatfate（whateveritmightseemtobe）withoutturningahair。AndallthesethingsIhavedone；theex—

plaining，thelistening，thepretending——eventothediscretion——andnobody，notevenHermann’sniece，Ibelieve，needthrowstonesatmenow。

Schombergatalleventsneedn’t，sincefromfirsttolast，Iamhappytosay，therewasnottheslightest\"fracas。\"

Overcominganervouscontractionofthewind—

pipe，Ihadmanagedtoexclaim\"CaptainFalk!\"

Hisstartofsurprisewasperfectlygenuine，butafterwardsheneithersmilednorscowled。Hesim—

plywaited。Then，whenIhadsaid，\"Imusthaveatalkwithyou，\"andhadpointedtoachairatmytable，hemoveduptome，thoughhedidn’tsitdown。Schomberg，however，withalongtumblerinhishand，wasmakingtowardsusprudently，andIdiscoveredthentheonlysignofweaknessinFalk。

HehadforSchombergarepulsionresemblingthatsortofphysicalfearsomepeopleexperienceatthesightofatoad。Perhapstoamansoessentiallyandsilentlyconcentrateduponhimself（thoughhecouldtalkwellenough，asIwastofindoutpresently）theother’sirrepressibleloquacity，em—

bracingeveryhumanbeingwithinrangeofthetongue，mighthaveappearedunnatural，disgust—

ing，andmonstrous。Hesuddenlygavesignsofrestiveness——positivelylikeahorseabouttorear，and，mutteringhurriedlyasifingreatpain，\"No。

Ican’tstandthatfellow，\"seemedreadytobolt。

Thisweaknessofhisgavemetheadvantageattheverystart。\"Verandah，\"Isuggested，asifren—

deringhimaservice，andwalkedhimoutbythearm。Westumbledoverafewchairs；wehadthefeelingofopenspacebeforeus，andfeltthefreshbreathoftheriver——fresh，buttainted。TheChi—

nesetheatresacrossthewatermade，inthesparselytwinklingmassesofgloomanEasterntownpre—

sentsatnight，blazingcentresoflight，andofadistantandhowlinguproar。Ifelthimbecomesuddenlytractableagainlikeananimal，likeagood—temperedhorsewhentheobjectthatscareshimisremoved。Yes。Ifeltinthedarknesstherehowtractablehewas，withoutmyconvictionofhisinflexibility——tenacity，rather，perhaps——beingintheleastweakened。Hisveryarmabandoningit—

selftomygraspwasashardasmarble——likealimbofiron。ButIheardatumultuousscufflingofboot—soleswithin。Theunspeakableidiotsinsidewerecrowdingtothewindows，climbingovereachother’sbacksbehindtheblinds，billiardcuesandall。

Somebodybrokeawindowpane，andwiththesoundoffallingglass，sosuggestiveofriotanddevasta—

tion，Schombergreeledoutafterusinastateoffunkwhichhadpreventedhispartingwithhisbrandyandsoda。Hemusthavetrembledlikeanaspenleaf。Thepieceoficeinthelongtumblerheheldinhishandtinkledwithaneffectofchat—

teringteeth。\"Ibegyou，gentlemen，\"heexpost—

ulatedthickly。\"Come!Really，now，Imustin—

sist……\"

HowproudIamofmypresenceofmind!

\"Hallo，\"Isaidinstantlyinaloudandnaivetone，\"somebody’sbreakingyourwindows，Schomberg。

Wouldyoupleasetelloneofyourboystobringouthereapackofcardsandacoupleoflights？

Andtwolongdrinks。Willyou？\"

Toreceiveanordersoothedhimatonce。Itwasbusiness。\"Certainly，\"hesaidinanimmenselyrelievedtone。Thenightwasrainy，withwander—

inggustsofwind，andwhilewewaitedforthecan—

dlesFalksaid，asiftojustifyhispanic，\"Idon’tinterfereinanybody’sbusiness。Idon’tgiveanyoccasionfortalk。Iamarespectableman。Butthisfellowisalwaysmakingoutsomethingwrong，andcanneverresttillhegetssomebodytobelievehim。\"

ThiswasthefirstofmyknowledgeofFalk。

Thisdesireofrespectability，ofbeinglikeevery—

bodyelse，wastheonlyrecognitionhevouchsafedtotheorganisationofmankind。Fortheresthemighthavebeenthememberofaherd，notofaso—

ciety。Self—preservationwashisonlyconcern。

Notselfishness，butmereself—preservation。Sel—

fishnesspresupposesconsciousness，choice，thepres—

enceofothermen；buthisinstinctactedasthoughhewerethelastofmankindnursingthatlawliketheonlysparkofasacredfire。Idon’tmeantosaythatlivingnakedinacavernwouldhavesatis—

fiedhim。Obviouslyhewasthecreatureoftheconditionstowhichhewasborn。Nodoubtself—

preservationmeantalsothepreservationoftheseconditions。Butessentiallyitmeantsomethingmuchmoresimple，natural，andpowerful。HowshallIexpressit？Itmeantthepreservationofthefivesensesofhisbody——letussay——takingitinitsnarrowestaswellasinitswidestmeaning。Ithinkyouwilladmitbeforelongthejusticeofthisjudg—

ment。However，aswestoodtheretogetherinthedarkverandahIhadjudgednothingasyet——andIhadnodesiretojudge——whichisanidlepracticeanyhow。Thelightwaslongincoming。

\"Ofcourse，\"Isaidinatoneofmutualunder—

standing，\"itisn’texactlyagameofcardsIwantwithyou。\"

Isawhimdrawhishandsdownhisface——thevaguestirofthepassionateandmeaninglessges—

ture；buthewaitedinsilentpatience。Itwasonlywhenthelightshadbeenbroughtoutthatheopenedhislips。Iunderstoodhismumbletomeanthat\"hedidn’tknowanygame。\"

\"LikethisSchombergandalltheotherfoolswillhavetokeepoff，\"Isaidtearingopenthepack。

\"Haveyouheardthatweareuniversallysupposedtobequarrellingaboutagirl？Youknowwho——

ofcourse。Iamreallyashamedtoask，butisitpossiblethatyoudomethehonourtothinkmedan—

gerous？\"

AsIsaidthesewordsIfelthowabsurditwasandalsoIfeltflattered——for，really，whatelsecoulditbe？Hisanswer，spokeninhisusualdis—

passionateundertone，madeitclearthatitwasso，butnotpreciselyasflatteringasIsupposed。HethoughtmedangerouswithHermann，morethanwiththegirlherself；but，astoquarrelling，Isawatoncehowinappropriatethewordwas。Wehadnoquarrel。Naturalforcesarenotquarrelsome。

Youcan’tquarrelwiththewindthatinconveniencesandhumiliatesyoubyblowingoffyourhatinastreetfullofpeople。Hehadnoquarrelwithme。

Neitherwouldaboulder，fallingonmyhead，havehad。Hefelluponmeinaccordancewiththelawbywhichhewasmoved——notofgravitation，likeadetachedstone，butofself—preservation。Ofcoursethisisgivingitaratherwideinterpretation。

Strictlyspeaking，hehadexistedandcouldhaveexistedwithoutbeingmarried。Yethetoldmethathehadfounditmoreandmoredifficulttolivealone。Yes。Hetoldmethisinhislow，carelessvoice，tosuchapitchofconfidencehadwearrivedattheendofhalfanhour。

IttookmejustaboutthattimetoconvincehimthatIhadneverdreamedofmarryingHermann’sniece。Couldanynecessityhavebeenmoreextrava—

gant？Andthedifficultywasthegreaterbecausehewassohardhitthathecouldn’timagineany—

bodybeingabletoremaininastateofindifference。

Anymanwitheyesinhishead，heseemedtothink，couldnothelpcovetingsomuchbodilymagnifi—

cence。ThisprofoundbeliefwasconveyedbythemannerhelistenedsittingsidewaystothetableandplayingabsentlywithafewcardsIhaddealttohimatrandom。AndthemoreIsawintohimthemoreIsawofhim。Thewindswayedthelightssothathissunburntface，whiskeredtotheeyes，seemedtosuccessivelyflickercrimsonatmeandtogoout。Isawtheextraordinarybreadthofthehighcheek—bones，theperpendicularstyleofthefeatures，themassiveforehead，steeplikeacliff，denudedatthetop，largelyuncoveredatthetem—

ples。ThefactisIhadneverbeforeseenhimwith—

outhishat；butnow，asifmyfervourhadmadehimhot，hehadtakenitoffandlaiditgentlyonthefloor。Somethingpeculiarintheshapeandsettingofhisyelloweyesgavethemtheprovokingsilentintensitywhichcharacterisedhisglance。

Butthefacewasthin，furrowed，worn；Idiscov—

eredthatthroughthebushofhishair，asyoumaydetectthegnarledshapeofatreetrunklostinadenseundergrowth。Theseovergrowncheeksweresunken。Itwasananchorite’sbonyheadfittedwithaCapuchin’sbeardandadjustedtoaherculeanbody。Idon’tmeanathletic。Hercules，Itakeit，wasnotanathlete。Hewasastrongman，suscep—

tibletofemalecharms，andnotafraidofdirt。

AndthuswithFalk，whowasastrongman。Hewasextremelystrong，justasthegirl（sinceI

mustthinkofthemtogether）wasmagnificentlyat—

tractivebythemasterfulpoweroffleshandblood，expressedinshape，insize，inattitude——thatisbyastraightappealtothesenses。Hismindmean—

time，preoccupiedwithrespectability，quailedbe—

foreSchomberg’stongueandseemedabsolutelyimpervioustomyprotestations；andIwentsofarastoprotestthatIwouldjustassoonthinkofmarryingmymother’s（dearoldlady!）faithfulfemalecookasHermann’sniece。Sooner，Ipro—

tested，inmydesperation，muchsooner；butitdidnotappearthathesawanythingoutrageousintheproposition，andinhisscepticalimmobilityheseemedtonursetheargumentthatatalleventsthecookwasvery，veryfaraway。Itmustbesaidthat，justbefore，IhadgonewrongbyappealingtotheevidenceofmymannerwheneverIcalledonboardtheDiana。Ihadneverattemptedtoapproachthegirl，ortospeaktoher，oreventolookatherinanymarkedway。Nothingcouldbeclearer。But，ashisownideaof——letussay——courting，seemedtoconsistpreciselyinsittingsilentlyforhoursinthevicinityofthebelovedobject，thatlineofargu—

mentinspiredhimwithdistrust。Staringdownhisextendedlegsheletoutagrunt——asmuchastosay，\"That’sallveryfine，butyoucan’tthrowdustinMYeyes。\"

AtlastIwasexasperatedintosaying，\"Whydon’tyouputthematteratrestbytalkingtoHer—

mann？\"andIaddedsneeringly：\"Youdon’tex—

pectmeperhapstospeakforyou？\"

Tothishesaid，veryloudforhim，\"Wouldyou？\"

Andforthefirsttimeheliftedhisheadtolookatmewithwonderandincredulity。Heliftedhisheadsosharplythattherecouldbenomistake。I

hadtouchedaspring。Isawthewholeextentofmyopportunity，andcouldhardlybelieveinit。

\"Why。Speakto……Well，ofcourse，\"I

proceededveryslowly，watchinghimwithgreatat—

tention，for，onmyword，Ifearedajoke。\"Not，perhaps，totheyoungladyherself。Ican’tspeakGerman，youknow。But……\"

HeinterruptedmewiththeearnestassurancethatHermannhadthehighestopinionofme；andatonceIfelttheneedforthegreatestpossiblediplomacyatthisjuncture。SoIdemurredjustenoughtodrawhimon。Falksatup，butexceptforaverynoticeableenlargementofthepupils，tilltheirisesofhiseyeswerereducedtotwonarrowyellowrings，hisface，Ishouldjudge，wasincapa—

bleofexpressingexcitement。\"Oh，yes!Hermanndidhavethegreatest……\"

\"Takeupyourcards。Here’sSchombergpeep—

ingatusthroughtheblind!\"Isaid。

Wewentthroughthemotionsofwhatmighthavebeenagameofe’carte’。Presentlytheintoler—

ablescandalmongerwithdrew，probablytoinformthepeopleinthebilliard—roomthatwetwoweregamblingontheverandahlikemad。

Wewerenotgambling，butitwasagame；agameinwhichIfeltIheldthewinningcards。Thestake，roughlyspeaking，wasthesuccessofthevoy—

age——forme；andhe，Iapprehended，hadnothingtolose。Ourintimacymaturedrapidly，andbeforemanywordshadbeenexchangedIperceivedthattheexcellentHermannhadbeenmakinguseofme。

ThatsimpleandastuteTeutonhadbeen，itseems，holdingmeuptoFalkinthelightofarival。I

wasyoungenoughtobeshockedatsomuchduplic—

ity。\"Didhetellyouthatinsomanywords？\"I

askedwithindignation。

Hermannhadnot。Hehadgivenhintsonly；

andofcourseithadnottakenverymuchtoalarmFalk；but，insteadofdeclaringhimself，hehadtakenstepstoremovethefamilyfromundermyin—

fluence。Hewasperfectlystraightforwardaboutit——asstraightforwardasatilefallingonyourhead。Therewasnoduplicityinthatman；andwhenIcongratulatedhimontheperfectionofhisarrangements——eventothebribingofthewretchedJohnsonagainstme——hehadagenuinemovementofprotest。Neverbribed。Heknewthemanwouldn’tworkaslongashehadafewcentsinhispockettogetdrunkon，and，naturally（hesaid——

\"NATURALLY\"）helethimhaveadollarortwo。Hewashimselfasailor，hesaid，andanticipatedtheviewanothersailor，likemyself，wasboundtotake。

Ontheotherhand，hewassurethatIshouldhavetocometogrief。Hehadn’tbeenknockingaboutforthelastsevenyearsupanddownthatriverfornothing。Itwouldhavebeennodisgracetome——

butheassertedconfidentlyIwouldhavehadmyshipveryawkwardlyashoreataspottwomilesbelowtheGreatPagoda……

Andwithallthathehadnoill—will。Thatwasevident。Thiswasacrisisinwhichhisonlyobjecthadbeentogaintime——Ifancy。Andpresentlyhementionedthathehadwrittenforsomejewel—

lery，realgoodjewellery——hadwrittentoHong—

Kongforit。Itwouldarriveinadayortwo。

\"Well，then，\"Isaidcheerily，\"everythingisallright。Allyou’vegottodoistopresentittotheladytogetherwithyourheart，andlivehappyeverafter。\"

Uponthewholeheseemedtoacceptthatviewasfarasthegirlwasconcerned，buthiseyelidsdrooped。Therewasstillsomethingintheway。

ForonethingHermanndislikedhimsomuch。Astome，onthecontrary，itseemedasthoughhecouldnotpraisemeenough。Mrs。Hermanntoo。Hedidn’tknowwhytheydislikedhimso。Itmadeeverythingmostdifficult。

Ilistenedimpassive，feelingmoreandmoredip—

lomatic。Hisspeechwasnottransparentlyclear。

Hewasoneofthosemenwhoseemtolive，feel，sufferinasortofmentaltwilight。Butastobeingfascinatedbythegirlandpossessedbythedesireofhomelifewithher——itwasasclearasdaylight。

Somuchbeingatstake，hewasafraidofputtingittothehazardofdeclaration。Besides，therewassomethingelse。AndwithHermannbeingsosetagainsthim……

\"Isee，\"Isaidthoughtfully，whilemyheartbeatfastwiththeexcitementofmydiplomacy。\"I

don’tmindsoundingHermann。Infact，toshowyouhowmistakenyouwere，IamreadytodoallI

canforyouinthatway。\"

Alightsighescapedhim。Hedrewhishandsdownhisface，anditemerged，bony，unchangedofexpression，asifallthetissueshadbeenossified。

Allthepassionwasinthosebigbrownhands。Hewassatisfied。Thentherewasthatothermatter。

IftherewereanybodyonearthitwasIwhocouldpersuadeHermanntotakeareasonableview!I

hadaknowledgeoftheworldandlotsofexpe—

rience。Hermannadmittedthishimself。AndthenIwasasailortoo。Falkthoughtthatasail—

orwouldbeabletounderstandcertainthingsbest……

HetalkedasiftheHermannshadbeenlivingalltheirlifeinaruralhamlet，andIalonehadbeencapable，withmypracticeinlife，ofalargeandindulgentviewofcertainoccurrences。Thatwaswhatmydiplomacywasleadingmeto。Ibegansuddenlytodislikeit。

\"Isay，Falk，\"Iaskedquitebrusquely，\"youhaven’talreadyawifeputawaysomewhere？\"

Thepainanddisgustofhisdenialwereverystriking。Couldn’tIunderstandthathewasasrespectableasanywhitemanhereabouts；earninghislivinghonestly。Hewassufferingfrommysus—

picion，andthelowundertoneofhisvoicemadehisprotestationssoundverypathetic。Foramomentheshamedme，but，mydiplomacynotwithstanding，Iseemedtodevelopaconscience，asifinverytruthitwereinmypowertodecidethesuccessofthismatrimonialenterprise。Bypretendinghardenoughwecometobelieveanything——anythingtoouradvantage。AndIhadbeenpretendingveryhard，becauseImeantyettobetowedsafelydowntheriver。Butthroughconscienceorstupidity，I

couldn’thelpalludingtotheVanloaffair。\"Youactedratherbadlythere。Didn’tyou？\"waswhatIventuredactuallytosay——forthelogicofourconductisalwaysatthemercyofobscureandun—

foreseenimpulses。

Hisdilatedpupilsswervedfrommyface，glan—

cingatthewindowwithasortofscaredfury。Weheardbehindtheblindsthecontinuousandsuddenclickingofivory，ajovialmurmurofmanyvoices，andSchomberg’sdeepmanlylaugh。

\"Thatconfoundedoldwomanofahotel—keeperthenwouldnever，neverletitrest!\"Falkex—

claimed。\"Well，yes!Ithadhappenedtwoyearsago。\"Whenitcametothepointheownedhecouldn’tmakeuphismindtotrustFredVanlo——

nosailor，abitofafooltoo。Hecouldnottrusthim，but，tostophisrow，hehadlenthimenoughmoneytopayallhisdebtsbeforeheleft。Iwasgreatlysurprisedtohearthis。ThenFalkcouldnotbesuchamiserafterall。Somuchthebetterforthegirl。Foratimehesatsilent；thenhepickedupacard，andwhilelookingatithesaid：

\"Youneednotthinkofanythingbad。Itwasanaccident。I’vebeenunfortunateonce。\"

\"Theninheaven’snamesaynothingaboutit。\"

AssoonasthesewordswereoutofmymouthI

fanciedIhadsaidsomethingimmoral。Heshookhisheadnegatively。Ithadtobetold。Hecon—

sidereditproperthattherelationsoftheladyshouldknow。Nodoubt——Ithoughttomyself——

hadMissVanlonotbeenthirtyanddamagedbytheclimatehewouldhavefounditpossibletoentrustFredVanlowiththisconfidence。Andthenthefig—

ureofHermann’snieceappearedbeforemymind’seye，withthewealthofheropulentform，herrichyouth，herlavishstrength。Withthatpowerfulandimmaculatevitality，hergirlishformmusthaveshoutedaloudoflifetothatman，whereaspoorMissVanlocouldonlysingsentimentalsongstothestrummingofapiano。

\"AndthatHermannhatesme，Iknowit!\"hecriedinhisundertone，withasuddenrecrudescenceofanxiety。\"Imusttellthem。Itisproperthattheyshouldknow。Youwouldsaysoyourself。\"

Hethenmurmuredanutterlymysteriousallu—

siontothenecessityforpeculiardomesticarrange—

ments。ThoughmycuriositywasexcitedIdidnotwanttohearanyofhisconfidences。Ifearedhemightgivemeapieceofinformationthatwouldmakemyassumedroleofmatch—makerodious——

howeverunrealitwas。Iwasawarethathecouldhavethegirlfortheasking；andkeepingdownadesiretolaughinhisface，IexpressedaconfidentbeliefinmyabilitytoargueawayHermann’sdis—

likeforhim。\"IamsureIcanmakeitallright，\"

Isaid。Helookedverypleased。

Andwhenwerosenotawordhadbeensaidabouttowage!Notaword!Thegamewaswonandthehonourwassafe。Oh!blessedwhitecottonum—

brella!Weshookhands，andIwasholdingmyselfwithdifficultyfrombreakingintoastepdanceofjoywhenhecameback，stridingallthelengthoftheverandah，andsaiddoubtfully：

\"Isay，captain，Ihaveyourword？You——you——won’tturnround？\"

Heavens!Thefrighthegaveme。Behindhistoneofdoubttherewassomethingdesperateandmenacing。Theinfatuatedass。ButIwasequaltothesituation。

\"MydearFalk，\"Isaid，beginningtoliewithaglibnessandeffronterythatamazedmeevenatthetime——\"confidenceforconfidence。\"（Hehadmadenoconfidences。）\"IwilltellyouthatIamalreadyengagedtoanextremelycharminggirlathome，andsoyouunderstand……\"

Hecaughtmyhandandwrungitinacrushinggrip。

\"Pardonme。Ifeeliteverydaymoredifficulttolivealone……\"

\"Onriceandfish，\"Iinterruptedsmartly，gig—

glingwiththesheernervousnessofadangeres—

caped。

Hedroppedmyhandasifithadbecomesud—

denlyredhot。Amomentofprofoundsilenceen—

sued，asthoughsomethingextraordinaryhadhap—

pened。

\"IpromiseyoutoobtainHermann’sconsent，\"

Ifalteredoutatlast，anditseemedtomethathecouldnothelpseeingthroughthathumbug—

gingpromise。\"Ifthere’sanythingelsetogetoverIshallendeavourtostandbyyou，\"Iconcededfurther，feelingsomehowdefeatedandoverborne；

\"butyoumustdoyourbestyourself。\"

\"Ihavebeenunfortunateonce，\"hemutteredunemotionally，andturninghisbackonmehewentaway，thumpingslowlytheplankfloorasifhisfeethadbeenshodwithiron。

Nextmorning，however，hewaslivelyenoughasman—boat，acombinationofsplashingandshout—

ing；oftheinsolentcommotionbelowwiththesteadyoverbearingglareofthesilenthead—pieceabove。Heturnedusoutmostunnecessarilyatanungodlyhour，butitwasnearlyeleveninthemorn—

ingbeforehebroughtmeupacable’slengthfromHermann’sship。Andhediditverybadlytoo，inahurry，andnearlycontrivingtomissaltogetherthepatchofgoodholdingground，because，for—

sooth，hehadcaughtsightofHermann’snieceonthepoop。AndsodidI；andprobablyassoonashehadseenherhimself。Isawthemodest，sleekgloryofthetawnyhead，andthefull，greyshapeofthegirlishprintfrockshefilledsoperfectly，sosatisfactorily，withtheseductionofunfalteringcurves——averynymphofDianatheHuntress。

AndDianatheshipsat，high—walledandassolidasaninstitution，onthesmoothlevelofthewater，themostuninspiringandrespectablecraftupontheseas，usefulandugly，devotedtothesupportofdomesticvirtueslikeanygrocer’sshoponshore。

AtonceFalksteamedaway；fortherewassomeworkforhimtodo。Hewouldreturnintheeven—

ing。

Herangedclosebyus，passingoutdeadslow，withoutahail。Thebeatofthepaddle—wheelsre—

verberatingamongstthestonyislets，asiffromtheruinedwallsofavastarena，filledtheanchorageconfusedlywiththeclappingsoundsofamightyandleisurelyapplause。AbreastofHermann’sshiphestoppedtheengines；andaprofoundsi—

lencereignedovertherocks，theshoreandthesea，forthetimeittookhimtoraisehishataloftbeforethenymphofthegreyprintfrock。Ihadsnatchedupmybinoculars，andIcananswerforitshedidn’tstiralimb，standingbytherailshapelyanderect，withoneofherhandsgraspingaropeattheheightofherhead，whilethewayofthetugcarriedslowlypastherthelingeringandprofoundhomageoftheman。Therewasformeanenormoussignificanceinthescene，thesenseofhavingwitnessedasolemndeclaration。Thediewascast。Aftersuchaman—

ifestationhecouldn’tbackout。AndIreflectedthatitwasnothingwhatevertomenow。Witharushofblacksmokebelchingsuddenlyoutofthefunnel，andamadswirlofpaddle—wheelsprovokingaburstofweirdandprecipitatedclapping，thetugshotoutofthedesolatearena。Therockyisletslayonthesealiketheheapsofacyclopeanruinonaplain；thecentipedesandscorpionslurkedun—

derthestones；therewasnotasinglebladeofgrassinsightanywhere，notasinglelizardsunninghim—

selfonaboulderbytheshore。WhenIlookedagainatHermann’sshipthegirlhaddisappeared。

Icouldnotdetectthesmallestdotofabirdontheimmensesky，andtheflatnessofthelandcontinuedtheflatnessoftheseatothenakedlineofthehori—

zon。

ThisisthesettingnowinseparablyconnectedwithmyknowledgeofFalk’smisfortune。Mydi—

plomacyhadbroughtmethere，andnowIhadonlytowaitthetimefortakinguptheroleofanambas—

sador。Mydiplomacywasasuccess；myshipwassafe；oldGambrilwouldprobablylive；afeeblesoundofatappinghammercameintermittentlyfromtheDiana。DuringtheafternoonIlookedattimesattheoldhomelyship，thefaithfulnurseofHermann’sprogeny，oryawnedtowardsthedis—

tanttempleofBuddha，likealonelyhillockontheplain，whereshavenpriestscherishthethoughtsofthatAnnihilationwhichistheworthyrewardofusall。Unfortunate!Hehadbeenunfortunateonce。

Well，thatwasnotsobadaslifegoes。Andwhatthedevilcouldbethenatureofthatmisfortune？

IrememberedthatIhadknownamanbeforewhohaddeclaredhimselftohavefallen，yearsago，avictimtomisfortune；butthismisfortune，whoseeffectsappearedpermanent（helookeddesper—

atelyhardup）whenconsidereddispassionately，seemedindistinguishablefromabreachoftrust。