第4章

Lightshadbeenburninginthebungalowalmostallthroughthenight；andwiththefirstsignofdaybeganthebustleofdeparture。Houseboyswalkedprocessionallycarryingsuit-casesanddressing-bagsdowntotheschooner"sboat，whichcametothelandingplaceatthebottomofthegarden。Justastherisingsunthrewitsgoldennimbusaroundthepurpleshapeoftheheadland，thePlanterofMalatawasperceivedpacingbare-headedthecurveofthelittlebay。Heexchangedafewwordswiththesailing-masteroftheschooner，thenremainedbytheboat，standingveryupright，hiseyesontheground，waiting。

Hehadnotlongtowait。Intothecool，overshadowedgardentheprofessordescendedfirst，andcamejauntilydownthepathinalivelycrackingofsmallshells。Withhisclosedparasolhookedonhisforearm，andabookinhishand，heresembledabanaltouristmorethanwaspermissibletoamanofhisuniquedistinction。Hewavedthedisengagedarmfromadistance，butatclosequarters，arrestedbeforeRenouard"simmobility，hemadenooffertoshakehands。Heseemedtoappraisetheaspectofthemanwithasharpglance，andmadeuphismind。

"WearegoingbackbySuez，"hebeganalmostboisterously。"Ihavebeenlookingupthesailinglists。IfthezephirsofyourPacificareonlymoderatelypropitiousIthinkwearesuretocatchthemailboatdueinMarseillesonthe18thofMarch。Thiswillsuitmeexcellently……"Heloweredhistone。"Mydearyoungfriend，I"mdeeplygratefultoyou。"

Renouard"ssetlipsmoved。

"Whyareyougratefultome？"

"Ah!Why？Inthefirstplaceyoumighthavemadeusmissthenextboat，mightn"tyou？……Idon"tthankyouforyourhospitality。

Youcan"tbeangrywithmeforsayingthatIamtrulythankfultoescapefromit。ButIamgratefultoyouforwhatyouhavedone，and-forbeingwhatyouare。"

Itwasdifficulttodefinetheflavourofthatspeech，butRenouardreceiveditwithanausterelyequivocalsmile。Theprofessorsteppingintotheboatopenedhisparasolandsatdowninthestern-sheetswaitingfortheladies。Nosoundofhumanvoicebrokethefreshsilenceofthemorningwhiletheywalkedthebroadpath，MissMoorsomalittleinadvanceofheraunt。

WhenshecameabreastofhimRenouardraisedhishead。

"Good-bye，Mr。Renouard，"shesaidinalowvoice，meaningtopasson；buttherewassuchalookofentreatyinthebluegleamofhissunkeneyesthatafteranimperceptiblehesitationshelaidherhand，whichwasungloved，inhisextendedpalm。

"Willyoucondescendtorememberme？"heasked，whileanemotionwithwhichshewasangrymadeherpalecheeksflushandherblackeyessparkle。

"Thisisastrangerequestforyoutomake，"shesaidexaggeratingthecoldnessofhertone。

"Isit？Impudentperhaps。YetIamnotsoguiltyasyouthink；

andbearinmindthattomeyoucannevermakereparation。"

"Reparation？Toyou!Itisyouwhocanoffermenoreparationfortheoffenceagainstmyfeelings-andmyperson；forwhatreparationcanbeadequateforyourodiousandridiculousplotsoscornfulinitsimplication，sohumiliatingtomypride。No!I

don"twanttorememberyou。"

Unexpectedly，withatighteninggrip，hepulledhernearertohim，andlookingintohereyeswithfearlessdespair-

"You"llhaveto。Ishallhauntyou，"hesaidfirmly。

Herhandwaswrenchedoutofhisgraspbeforehehadtimetoreleaseit。FeliciaMoorsomsteppedintotheboat，satdownbythesideofherfather，andbreathedtenderlyonhercrushedfingers。

Theprofessorgaveherasidelonglook-nothingmore。Buttheprofessor"ssister，yetonshore，hadputupherlong-handledoubleeye-glasstolookatthescene。Shedroppeditwithafaintrattle。

"I"veneverinmylifeheardanythingsocrudesaidtoalady，"shemurmured，passingbeforeRenouardwithaperfectlyerecthead。

When，amomentafterwards，softeningsuddenly，sheturnedtothrowagood-byetothatyoungman，shesawonlyhisbackinthedistancemovingtowardsthebungalow。Shewatchedhimgoin-amazed-

beforeshetooleftthesoilofMalata。

NobodydisturbedRenouardinthatroomwherehehadshuthimselfintobreathetheevanescentperfumeofherwhoforhimwasnomore，tilllateintheafternoonwhenthehalf-castewasheardontheothersideofthedoor。

HewantedthemastertoknowthatthetraderJanetwasjustenteringthecove。

Renouard"sstrongvoiceonhissideofthedoorgavehimmostunexpectedinstructions。HewastopayofftheboyswiththecashintheofficeandarrangewiththecaptainoftheJanettotakeeveryworkerawayfromMalata，returningthemtotheirrespectivehomes。AnorderontheDunsterfirmwouldbegiventohiminpayment。

Andagainthesilenceofthebungalowremainedunbrokentill，nextmorning，thehalf-castecametoreportthateverythingwasdone。

Theplantationboyswereembarkingnow。

Throughacrackinthedoorahandthrustathimapieceofpaper，andthedoorslammedtososharplythatLuizsteppedback。Thenapproachingcringinglythekeyhole，inapropitiatorytoneheasked:

"DoIgotoo，master？"

"Yes。Youtoo。Everybody。"

"Masterstopherealone？"

Silence。Andthehalf-caste"seyesgrewwidewithwonder。Buthealso，likethose"ignorantsavages，"theplantationboys，wasonlytoogladtoleaveanislandhauntedbytheghostofawhiteman。

Hebackedawaynoiselesslyfromthemysterioussilenceintheclosedroom，andonlyintheverydoorwayofthebungalowallowedhimselftogiveventtohisfeelingsbyadeprecatoryandpained-

"Tse!Tse!Tse!"

CHAPTERXII

TheMoorsomsdidmanagetocatchthehomewardmailboatallright，buthadonlytwenty-fourhoursintown。ThusthesentimentalWilliecouldnotseeverymuchofthem。Thisdidnotpreventhimafterwardsfromrelatingatgreatlength，withmanlytearsinhiseyes，howpoorMissMoorsom-thefashionableandcleverbeauty-

foundherbetrothedinMalataonlytoseehimdieinherarms。

Mostpeopleweredeeplytouchedbythesadstory。Itwasthetalkofagoodmanydays。

Buttheall-knowingEditor，Renouard"sonlyfriendandcrony，wantedtoknowmorethantherestoftheworld。Fromprofessionalincontinence，perhaps，hethirstedforafullcupofharrowingdetail。AndwhenhenoticedRenouard"sschoonerlyinginportdayafterdayhesoughtthesailingmastertolearnthereason。Themantoldhimthatsuchwerehisinstructions。HehadbeenorderedtoliethereamonthbeforereturningtoMalata。Andthemonthwasnearlyup。"Iwillaskyoutogivemeapassage，"saidtheEditor。

Helandedinthemorningatthebottomofthegardenandfoundpeace，stillness，sunshinereigningeverywhere，thedoorsandwindowsofthebungalowstandingwideopen，nosightofahumanbeinganywhere，theplantsgrowingrankandtallonthedesertedfields。ForhourstheEditorandtheschooner"screw，excitedbythemystery，roamedovertheislandshoutingRenouard"sname；andatlastsetthemselvesingrimsilencetoexploresystematicallytheunclearedbushandthedeeperravinesinsearchofhiscorpse。

Whathadhappened？Hadhebeenmurderedbytheboys？Orhadhesimply，capriciousandsecretive，abandonedhisplantationtakingthepeoplewithhim。Itwasimpossibletotellwhathadhappened。

Atlast，towardsthedeclineoftheday，theEditorandthesailingmasterdiscoveredatrackofsandalscrossingastripofsandybeachonthenorthshoreofthebay。Followingthistrackfearfully，theypassedroundthespuroftheheadland，andthereonalargestonefoundthesandals，Renouard"swhitejacket，andtheMalaysarongofchequeredpatternwhichtheplanterofMalatawaswellknowntowearwhengoingtobathe。Thesethingsmadealittleheap，andthesailorremarked，aftergazingatitinsilence-

"Birdshavebeenhoveringoverthisformanyaday。"

"He"sgonebathingandgotdrowned，"criedtheEditorindismay。

"Idoubtit，sir。Ifhehadbeendrownedanywherewithinamilefromtheshorethebodywouldhavebeenwashedoutonthereefs。

Andourboatshavefoundnothingsofar。"

Nothingwaseverfound-andRenouard"sdisappearanceremainedinthemaininexplicable。Fortowhomcouldithaveoccurredthatamanwouldsetoutcalmlytoswimbeyondtheconfinesoflife-withasteadystroke-hiseyesfixedonastar!

Nextevening，fromtherecedingschooner，theEditorlookedbackforthelasttimeatthedesertedisland。Ablackcloudhunglistlesslyoverthehighrockonthemiddlehill；andunderthemysterioussilenceofthatshadowMalatalaymournful，withanairofanguishinthewildsunset，asifrememberingtheheartthatwasbrokenthere。

Dec。1913。

THEPARTNER

"Andthatbehangedforasillyyarn。TheboatmenhereinWestporthavebeentellingthislietothesummervisitorsforyears。Thesortthatgetstakenoutforarowatashillingahead-andasksfoolishquestions-mustbetoldsomethingtopassthetimeaway。

D"yeknowanythingmoresillythanbeingpulledinaboatalongabeach？……It"slikedrinkingweaklemonadewhenyouaren"tthirsty。Idon"tknowwhytheydoit!Theydon"tevengetsick。"

Aforgottenglassofbeerstoodathiselbow；thelocalitywasasmallrespectablesmoking-roomofasmallrespectablehotel，andatasteforformingchanceacquaintancesaccountsformysittinguplatewithhim。Hisgreat，flat，furrowedcheekswereshaven；athick，squarewispofwhitehairshungfromhischin；itswagglinggaveadditionalpointtohisdeeputterance；andhisgeneralcontemptformankindwithitsactivitiesandmoralitieswasexpressedintherakishsetofhisbigsofthatofblackfeltwithalargerim，whichhekeptalwaysonhishead。

Hisappearancewasthatofanoldadventurer，retiredaftermanyunholyexperiencesinthedarkestpartsoftheearth；butIhadeveryreasontobelievethathehadneverbeenoutsideEngland。

FromacasualremarksomebodydroppedIgatheredthatinhisearlydayshemusthavebeensomehowconnectedwithshipping-withshipsindocks。Ofindividualityhehadplenty。Anditwasthiswhichattractedmyattentionatfirst。Buthewasnoteasytoclassify，andbeforetheendoftheweekIgavehimupwiththevaguedefinition，"animposingoldruffian。"

Onerainyafternoon，oppressedbyinfiniteboredom，Iwentintothesmoking-room。Hewassittingthereinabsoluteimmobility，whichwasreallyfakir-likeandimpressive。Ibegantowonderwhatcouldbetheassociationsofthatsortofman，his"milieu，"hisprivateconnections，hisviews，hismorality，hisfriends，andevenhiswife-whentomysurpriseheopenedaconversationinadeep，mutteringvoice。

ImustsaythatsincehehadlearnedfromsomebodythatIwasawriterofstorieshehadbeenacknowledgingmyexistencebymeansofsomevaguegrowlsinthemorning。

Hewasessentiallyataciturnman。Therewasaneffectofrudenessinhisfragmentarysentences。ItwassometimebeforeIdiscoveredthatwhathewouldbeatwastheprocessbywhichstories-storiesforperiodicals-wereproduced。

Whatcouldonesaytoafellowlikethat？ButIwasboredtodeath；theweathercontinuedimpossible；andIresolvedtobeamiable。

"Andsoyoumakethesetalesuponyourown。Howdotheyevercomeintoyourhead？"herumbled。

Iexplainedthatonegenerallygotahintforatale。

"Whatsortofhint？"

"Well，forinstance，"Isaid，"Igotmyselfrowedouttotherockstheotherday。Myboatmantoldmeofthewreckontheserocksnearlytwentyyearsago。Thatcouldbeusedasahintforamainlydescriptivebitofstorywithsomesuchtitleas"IntheChannel，"

forinstance。"

Itwasthenthatheflewoutattheboatmenandthesummervisitorswholistentotheirtales。Withoutmovingamuscleofhisfaceheemittedapowerful"Rot，"fromsomewhereoutofthedepthsofhischest，andwentoninhishoarse，fragmentarymumble。"Stareatthesillyrocks-nodtheirsillyheads[thevisitors，Ipresume]。

Whatdotheythinkamanis-blown-outpaperbagorwhat？-gooffpoplikethatwhenhe"shit-Damnsillyyarn-Hintindeed!……

Alie？"

Youmustimaginethisstatuesqueruffianenhaloedintheblackrimofhishat，lettingallthisoutasanolddoggrowlssometimes，withhisheadupandstaring-awayeyes。

"Indeed!"Iexclaimed。"Well，butevenifuntrueitISahint，enablingmetoseetheserocks，thisgaletheyspeakof，theheavyseas，etc。，etc。，inrelationtomankind。Thestruggleagainstnaturalforcesandtheeffectoftheissueonatleastone，say，exalted-"

Heinterruptedmebyanaggressive-

"Wouldtruthbeanygoodtoyou？"

"Ishouldn"tliketosay，"Ianswered，cautiously。"It"ssaidthattruthisstrangerthanfiction。"

"Whosaysthat？"hemouthed。

"Oh!Nobodyinparticular。"

Iturnedtothewindow；forthecontemptuousbeggarwasoppressivetolookat，withhisimmovablearmonthetable。Isupposemyunceremoniousmannerprovokedhimtoacomparativelylongspeech。

"Didyoueverseesuchasillylotofrocks？Likeplumsinasliceofcoldpudding。"

Iwaslookingatthem-anacreormoreofblackdotsscatteredonthesteel-greyshadesofthelevelsea，undertheuniformgossamergreymistwithaformlessbrighterpatchinoneplace-theveiledwhitenessofthecliffcomingthrough，likeadiffused，mysteriousradiance。Itwasadelicateandwonderfulpicture，somethingexpressive，suggestive，anddesolate，asymphonyingreyandblack-aWhistler。Butthenextthingsaidbythevoicebehindmemademeturnround。Itgrowledoutcontemptforallassociatednotionsofroaringseaswithconciseenergy，thenwenton-

"I-nosuchfoolishness-lookingattherocksoutthere-morelikelycalltomindanoffice-Iusedtolookinsometimesatonetime-officeinLondon-oneofthemsmallstreetsbehindCannonStreetStation……"

Hewasverydeliberate；notjerky，onlyfragmentary；attimesprofane。

"That"saratherremoteconnection，"Iobserved，approachinghim。

"Connection？ToHadeswithyourconnections。Itwasanaccident。"

"Still，"Isaid，"anaccidenthasitsbackwardandforwardconnections，which，iftheycouldbesetforth-"

Withoutmovingheseemedtolendanattentiveear。

"Aye!Setforth。That"sperhapswhatyoucoulddo。Couldn"tyounow？There"snosealifeinthisconnection。Butyoucanputitinoutofyourhead-ifyoulike。"

"Yes。Icould，ifnecessary，"Isaid。"Sometimesitpaystoputinalotoutofone"shead，andsometimesitdoesn"t。Imeanthatthestoryisn"tworthit。Everything"sinthat。"

Itamusedmetotalktohimlikethis。Hereflectedaudiblythatheguessedstory-writerswereoutaftermoneyliketherestoftheworldwhichhadtolivebyitswits:andthatitwasextraordinaryhowfarpeoplewhowereoutaftermoneywouldgo……Someofthem。

Thenhemadeasallyagainstsealife。Sillysortoflife，hecalledit。Noopportunities，noexperience，novariety，nothing。

Somefinemencameoutofit-headmitted-butnomorechanceintheworldifputtoitthanfly。Kids。SoCaptainHarryDunbar。

Goodsailor。Greatnameasaskipper。Bigman；shortside-

whiskersgoinggrey，fineface，loudvoice。Agoodfellow，butnomoreuptopeople"stricksthanababy。

"That"sthecaptainoftheSagamoreyou"retalkingabout，"Isaid，confidently。

Afteralow，scornful"Ofcourse"heseemednowtoholdonthewallwithhisfixedstarethevisionofthatcityoffice，"atthebackofCannonStreetStation，"whilehegrowledandmouthedafragmentarydescription，jerkinghischinupnowandthen，asifangry。

Itwas，accordingtohisaccount，amodestplaceofbusiness，notshadyinanysense，butoutoftheway，inasmallstreetnowrebuiltfromendtoend。"SevendoorsfromtheCheshireCatpublichouseundertherailwaybridge。Iusedtotakemylunchtherewhenmybusinesscalledmetothecity。Cloetewouldcomeintohavehischopandmakethegirllaugh。Noneedtotalkmuch，either，forthat。Nothingbutthewayhewouldtwinklehisspectaclesonyouandgiveatwitchofhisthickmouthwasenoughtostartyouoffbeforehebeganoneofhislittletales。Funnyfellow，Cloete。

C-l-o-e-t-e-Cloete。"

"Whatwashe-aDutchman？"Iasked，notseeingintheleastwhatallthishadtodowiththeWestportboatmenandtheWestportsummervisitorsandthisextraordinaryoldfellow"sirritableviewofthemasliarsandfools。"Devilknows，"hegrunted，hiseyesonthewallasifnottomissasinglemovementofacinematographpicture。"SpokenothingbutEnglish，anyway。FirstIsawhim-

comesoffashipindockfromtheStates-passenger。Asksmeforasmallhotelnearby。Wantedtobequietandhavealookroundforafewdays。Itookhimtoaplace-friendofmine……Nexttime-intheCity-Hallo!You"reveryobliging-haveadrink。

Talksplentyabouthimself。BeenyearsintheStates。Allsortsofbusinessallovertheplace。Withsomepatentmedicinepeople，too。Travels。Writesadvertisementsandallthat。Tellsmefunnystories。Tall，loose-limbedfellow。Blackhairuponend，likeabrush；longface，longlegs，longarms，twinkleinhisspecs，jocularwayofspeaking-inalowvoice……Seethat？"

Inodded，buthewasnotlookingatme。

"Neverlaughedsomuchinmylife。Thebeggar-wouldmakeyoulaughtellingyouhowheskinnedhisownfather。Hewasuptothat，too。Amanwho"sbeeninthepatent-medicinetradewillbeuptoanythingfrompitch-and-tosstowilfulmurder。Andthat"sabitofhardtruthforyou。Don"tmindwhattheydo-thinktheycancarryoffanythingandtalkthemselvesoutofanything-alltheworld"safooltothem。Businessman，too，Cloete。Cameoverwithafewhundredpounds。Lookingforsomethingtodo-inaquietway。Nothingliketheoldcountry，afterall，sayshe……

Andsowepart-IwithmoredrinksinmethanIwasusedto。

Afteratime，perhapssixmonthsorso，IrunupagainsthimagaininMr。GeorgeDunbar"soffice。Yes，THAToffice。Itwasn"toftenthatI……However，therewasabitofhiscargoinashipindockthatIwantedtoaskMr。Georgeabout。IncomesCloeteoutoftheroomatthebackwithsomepapersinhishand。Partner。Youunderstand？"

"Aha!"Isaid。"Thefewhundredpounds。"

"Andthattongueofhis，"hegrowled。"Don"tforgetthattongue。

SomeofhistalesmusthaveopenedGeorgeDunbar"seyesabitastowhatbusinessmeans。"

"Aplausiblefellow，"Isuggested。

"H"m!Youmusthaveitinyourownway-ofcourse。Well。

Partner。GeorgeDunbarputshistop-hatonandtellsmetowaitamoment……Georgealwayslookedasthoughheweremakingafewthousandsayear-acityswell……Comealong，oldman!AndheandCaptainHarrygoouttogether-somebusinesswithasolicitorroundthecorner。CaptainHarry，whenhewasinEngland，usedtoturnupinhisbrother"sofficeregularlyabouttwelve。Satinacornerlikeagoodboy，readingthepaperandsmokinghispipe。Sotheygoout……Modelbrothers，saysCloete-twolove-birds-I

amlookingafterthetinned-fruitsideofthiscozylittleshow……Givesmethatsortoftalk。Thenby-and-by:WhatsortofoldthingisthatSagamore？Finestshipout-eh？Idaresayallshipsarefinetoyou。Youlivebythem。Itellyouwhat；Iwouldjustassoonputmymoneyintoanoldstocking。Sooner!"

Hedrewabreath，andInoticedhishand，lyinglooselyonthetable，closeslowlyintoafist。Inthatimmovablemanitwasstartling，ominous，likethefamednodoftheCommander。

"So，alreadyatthattime-note-already，"hegrowled。

"Butholdon，"Iinterrupted。"TheSagamorebelongedtoMundyandRogers，I"vebeentold。"

Hesnortedcontemptuously。"Damnboatmen-knownobetter。Flewthefirm"sHOUSE-FLAG。That"sanotherthing。Favour。Itwaslikethis:WhenoldmanDunbardied，CaptainHarrywasalreadyincommandwiththefirm。Georgechuckedthebankhewasclerkingin-togoonhisownwithwhattherewastoshareaftertheoldchap。

Georgewasasmartman。Startedwarehousing；thentwoorthreethingsatatime:wood-pulp，preserved-fruittrade，andsoon。

AndCaptainHarrylethimhavehissharetoworkwith……Iamprovidedforinmyship，hesays……Butby-and-byMundyandRogersbegintosellouttoforeignersalltheirships-gointosteamrightaway。CaptainHarrygetsveryupset-losecommand，partwiththeshiphewasfondof-verywretched。Justthen，soithappened，thebrotherscameinforsomemoney-anoldwomandiedorsomething。Quiteatidybit。ThenyoungGeorgesays:

There"senoughbetweenustwotobuytheSagamorewith……Butyou"llneedmoremoneyforyourbusiness，criesCaptainHarry-andtheotherlaughsathim:Mybusinessisgoingonallright。Why，Icangooutandmakeahandfulofsovereignswhileyouaretryingtogetyourpipetodraw，oldman……MundyandRogersveryfriendlyaboutit:Certainly，Captain。Andwewillmanageherforyou，ifyoulike，asifshewerestillourown……Why，withaconnectionlikethatitwasgoodinvestmenttobuythatship。

Good!Aye，atthetime。"

Theturningofhisheadslightlytowardmeatthispointwaslikeasignofstrongfeelinginanyotherman。

"You"llmindthatthiswaslongbeforeCloetecameintoitatall，"

hemuttered，warningly。

"Yes。Iwillmind，"Isaid。"Wegenerallysay:someyearspassed。That"ssoondone。"

Heeyedmeforawhilesilentlyinanunseeingway，asifengrossedinthethoughtoftheyearssoeasilydealtwith；hisownyears，too，theywere，theyearsbeforeandtheyears(notsomany)afterCloetecameuponthescene。Whenhebegantospeakagain，I

discernedhisintentiontopointouttome，inhisobscureandgraphicmanner，theinfluenceonGeorgeDunbaroflongassociationwithCloete"seasymoralstandards，unscrupulouslypersuasivegiftofhumour(funnyfellow)，andadventurouslyrecklessdisposition。

Hedesiredmeanxiouslytoelaboratethisview，andIassuredhimitwasquitewithinmypowers。HewishedmealsotounderstandthatGeorge"sbusinesshaditsupsanddowns(theotherbrotherwasmeantimesailingtoandfroserenely)；thathegotintolowwaterattimes，whichworriedhimrather，becausehehadmarriedayoungwifewithexpensivetastes。Hewashavingaprettyanxioustimeofitgenerally；andjustthenCloeteranupinthecitysomewhereagainstamanworkingapatentmedicine(thefellow"soldtrade)

withsomesuccess，butwhich，withcapital，capitaltothetuneofthousandstobespentwithbothhandsonadvertising，couldbeturnedintoagreatthing-infinitelybetter-payingthanagold-

mine。Cloetebecameexcitedatthepossibilitiesofthatsortofbusiness，inwhichhewasanexpert。IunderstoodthatGeorge"spartnerwasallonfirefromthecontactwiththisuniqueopportunity。

"SohegoesineverydayintoGeorge"sroomabouteleven，andsingsthattunetillGeorgegnasheshisteethwithrage。Doshutup。

What"sthegood？Nomoney。Hardlyanytogoonwith，letalonepouringthousandsintoadvertising。NeverdareproposetohisbrotherHarrytoselltheship。Couldn"tthinkofit。Worryhimtodeath。Itwouldbeliketheendoftheworldcoming。Andcertainlynotforabusinessofthatkind!……Doyouthinkitwouldbeaswindle？asksCloete，twitchinghismouth……Georgeownsup:No-wouldbenobetterthanasqueamishassifhethoughtthat，afteralltheseyearsinbusiness。

"Cloetelooksathimhard-NeverthoughtofSELLINGtheship。

Expectedtheblamedoldthingwouldn"tfetchhalfherinsuredvaluebythistime。ThenGeorgefliesoutathim。What"sthemeaning，then，ofthesesillyjeersatship-owningforthelastthreeweeks？

Hadenoughofthem，anyhow。

"Angryathavinghismouthmadetowater，see。Cloetedon"tgetexcited……Iamnosqueamishass，either，sayshe，veryslowly。

"Tisn"tsellingyouroldSagamorewants。Theblamedthingwantstomahawking(seemsthenameSagamoremeansanIndianchieforsomething。Thefigure-headwasahalf-nakedsavagewithafeatheroveroneearandahatchetinhisbelt)。Tomahawking，sayshe。

"Whatdoyoumean？asksGeorge……Wrecking-itcouldbemanagedwithperfectsafety，goesonCloete-yourbrotherwouldthenputinhisshareofinsurancemoney。Needn"ttellhimexactlywhatfor。Hethinksyou"rethesmartestbusinessmanthateverlived。

Makehisfortune，too……Georgegripsthedeskwithbothhandsinhisrage……Youthinkmybrother"samantocastawayhisshiponpurpose。Iwouldn"tevendarethinkofsuchathinginthesameroomwithhim-thefinestfellowthateverlived……Don"tmakesuchnoise；they"llhearyououtside，saysCloete；andhetellshimthathisbrotheristhesaltedpatternofallvirtues，butallthat"snecessaryistoinducehimtostayashoreforavoyage-foraholiday-takearest-whynot？……Infact，Ihaveinviewsomebodyuptothatsortofgame-Cloetewhispers。

"Georgenearlychokes……SoyouthinkIamofthatsort-youthinkMEcapable-Whatdoyoutakemefor？……Healmostloseshishead，whileCloetekeepscool，onlygetswhiteaboutthegills……Itakeyouforamanwhowillbemostcursedlyhardupbeforelong……Hegoestothedoorandsendsawaytheclerks-therewereonlytwo-totaketheirlunchhour。Comesback……Whatareyouindignantabout？DoIwantyoutorobthewidowandorphan？Why，man!Lloyd"sacorporation，ithasn"tgotabodytostarve。There"sfortyormoreofthemperhapswhounderwrotethelinesonthatsillyshipofyours。Notonehumanbeingwouldgohungryorcoldforit。Theytakeeveryriskintoconsideration。

EverythingItellyou……Thatsortoftalk。H"m!Georgetooupsettospeak-onlygurglesandwaveshisarms；sosudden，yousee。Theother，warminghisbackatthefire，goeson。Wood-pulpbusinessnextdoortoafailure。Tinned-fruittradenearlyplayedout……You"refrightened，hesays；butthelawisonlymeanttofrightenfoolsaway……Andheshowshowsafecastingawaythatshipwouldbe。Premiumspaidforsomany，manyyears。Noshadowofsuspicioncouldarise。And，dashitall!ashipmustmeetherendsomeday……

"Iamnotfrightened。Iamindignant，"saysGeorgeDunbar。

"Cloeteboilingwithrageinside。Chanceofalifetime-hischance!Andhesayskindly:Yourwife"llbemuchmoreindignantwhenyouaskhertogetoutofthatprettyhouseofyoursandpileinintoatwo-pairback-withkidsperhaps，too……

"Georgehadnochildren。Marriedacoupleofyears；lookedforwardtoakidortwoverymuch。Feelsmoreupsetthanever。Talksaboutanhonestmanforfather，andsoon。Cloetegrins:Youbequickbeforetheycome，andthey"llhavearichmanforfather，andnoonetheworseforit。That"sthebeautyofthething。

"Georgenearlycries。Ibelievehedidcryatoddtimes。Thiswentonforweeks。Hecouldn"tquarrelwithCloete。Couldn"tpayoffhisfewhundreds；andbesides，hewasusedtohavehimabout。

Weakfellow，George。Cloetegenerous，too……Don"tthinkofmylittlepile，sayshe。Ofcourseit"sgonewhenwehavetoshutup。

ButIdon"tcare，hesays……AndthentherewasGeorge"snewwife。WhenCloetedinesthere，thebeggarputsonadresssuit；

littlewomanlikedit；……Mr。Cloete，myhusband"spartner；suchacleverman，manoftheworld，soamusing!……Whenhedinesthereandtheyarealone:Oh，Mr。Cloete，IwishGeorgewoulddosomethingtoimproveourprospects。Ourpositionisreallysomediocre……AndCloetesmiles，butisn"tsurprised，becausehehadputallthesenotionshimselfintoheremptyhead……Whatyourhusbandwantsisenterprise，alittleaudacity。Youcanencouragehimbest，Mrs。Dunbar……Shewasasilly，extravagantlittlefool。HadmadeGeorgetakeahouseinNorwood。Liveuptoalotofpeoplebetteroffthanthemselves。Isawheronce；silkdress，prettyboots，allfeathersandscent，pinkface。MorelikethePromenadeattheAlhambrathanadecenthome，itlookedtome。

Butsomewomendogetadevilofaholdonaman。"

"Yes，somedo，"Iassented。"Evenwhenthemanisthehusband。"

"Mymissis，"headdressedmeunexpectedly，inasolemn，surprisinglyhollowtone，"couldwindmeroundherlittlefinger。

Ididn"tfinditouttillshewasgone。Aye。Butshewasawomanofsense，whilethatpieceofgoodsoughttohavebeenwalkingthestreets，andthat"sallIcansay……Youmustmakeherupoutofyourhead。Youwillknowthesort。"

"Leaveallthattome，"Isaid。

"H"m!"hegrunted，doubtfully，thengoingbacktohisscornfultone:"AmonthorsoafterwardstheSagamorearriveshome。Allveryjollyatfirst……Hallo，Georgeboy!Hallo，Harry，oldman!……ButbyandbyCaptainHarrythinkshiscleverbrotherisnotlookingverywell。AndGeorgebeginstolookworse。Hecan"tgetridofCloete"snotion。Ithasstuckinhishead……There"snothingwrong-quitewell……CaptainHarrystillanxious。

Businessgoingallright，eh？Quiteright。Lotsofbusiness。

Goodbusiness……OfcourseCaptainHarrybelievesthateasily。

Startschaffinghisbrotherinhisjollywayaboutrollinginmoney。George"sshirtstickstohisbackwithperspiration，andhefeelsquiteangrywiththecaptain……Thefool，hesaystohimself。Rollinginmoney，indeed!Andthenhethinkssuddenly:

Whynot？……BecauseCloete"snotionhasgotholdofhismind。

"ButnextdayheweakensandsaystoCloete……Perhapsitwouldbebesttosell。Couldn"tyoutalktomybrother？andCloeteexplainstohimoveragainforthetwentiethtimewhysellingwouldn"tdo，anyhow。No!TheSagamoremustbetomahawked-ashewouldcallit；tospareGeorge"sfeelings，maybe。Buteverytimehesaystheword，Georgeshudders……I"vegotamanathandcompetentforthejobwhowilldothetrickforfivehundred，andonlytoopleasedatthechance，saysCloete……Georgeshutshiseyestightatthatsortoftalk-butatthesametimehethinks:

Humbug!Therecanbenosuchman。Andyetiftherewassuchamanitwouldbesafeenough-perhaps。

"AndCloetealwaysfunnyaboutit。Hecouldn"ttalkaboutanythingwithoutitseemingtherewasagreatjokeinitsomewhere……Now，sayshe，Iknowyouareamoralcitizen，George。Moralityismostlyfunk，andIthinkyou"rethefunkiestmanIevercameacrossinmytravels。Why，youareafraidtospeaktoyourbrother。

Afraidtoopenyourmouthtohimwithafortuneforusallinsight……Georgeflaresupatthis:no，heain"tafraid；hewillspeak；bangsfistonthedesk。AndCloetepatshimontheback……We"llbemademenpresently，hesays。

"ButthefirsttimeGeorgeattemptstospeaktoCaptainHarryhisheartslidesdownintohisboots。CaptainHarryonlylaughsatthenotionofstayingashore。Hewantsnoholiday，nothe。ButJanethinksofremaininginEnglandthistrip。Goaboutabitandseesomeofherpeople。JanewastheCaptain"swife；round-faced，pleasantlady。Georgegivesupthattime；butCloetewon"tlethimrest。Sohetriesagain；andtheCaptainfrowns。Hefrownsbecausehe"spuzzled。Hecan"tmakeitout。HehasnonotionoflivingawayfromhisSagamore……

"Ah!"Icried。"NowIunderstand。"

"No，youdon"t，"hegrowled，hisblack，contemptuousstareturningonmecrushingly。

"Ibegyourpardon，"Imurmured。