第1章

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。"