第10章

"No，itisn\'t。It\'saninvitationtofight。"

"Butwhatthedevildoyouwanttofightwithmefor？"Sheldon\'sirritationwasgrowingattheother\'spersistence。"I\'venoquarrelwithyou。Andwhatquarrelcanyouhavewithme？Ihaveneverinterferedwithyou。Youweremyguest。MissLacklandismypartner。Ifyousawfittomakelovetoher，andsomehowfailedtosucceed，whyshouldyouwanttofightwithme？Thisisthetwentiethcentury，mydearfellow，andduellingwentoutoffashionbeforeyouandIwereborn。"

"Youbegantherow，"Tudordoggedlyasserted。"Yougavemetounderstandthatitwastimeformetogo。Youfiredmeoutofyourhouse，inshort。AndthenyouhavethecheektowanttoknowwhyI

amstartingtherow。Itwon\'tdo，Itellyou。Youstartedit，andIamgoingtoseeitthrough。"

Sheldonsmiledtolerantlyandproceededtolightacigarette。ButTudorwasnottobeturnedaside。

"Youstartedthisrow，"heurged。

"Thereisn\'tanyrow。Ittakestwotomakearow，andI，forone，refusetohaveanythingtodowithsuchtomfoolery。"

"Youstartedit，Isay，andI\'lltellyouwhyyoustartedit。"

"Ifancyyou\'vebeendrinking，"Sheldoninterposed。"It\'stheonlyexplanationIcanfindforyourunreasonableness。"

"AndI\'lltellyouwhyyoustartedit。Itwasn\'tsillinessonyourparttoexaggeratethislittletrifleoflove-makingintosomethingserious。Iwaspoachingonyourpreserves，andyouwantedtogetridofme。Itwasallveryniceandsnughere，youandthegirl，untilIcamealong。Andnowyou\'rejealous——that\'sit，jealousy——

andwantmeoutofit。ButIwon\'tgo。"

"Thenstayonbyallmeans。Iwon\'tquarrelwithyouaboutit。

Makeyourselfcomfortable。Stayforayear，ifyouwish。"

"She\'snotyourwife，"Tudorcontinued，asthoughtheotherhadnotspoken。"Afellowhastherighttomakelovetoherunlessshe\'syour——well，perhapsitwasanerrorafterall，duetoignorance，perfectlyexcusable，onmypart。ImighthaveseenitwithhalfaneyeifI\'dlistenedtothegossiponthebeach。AllGuvutuandTulagiwerelaughingaboutit。Iwasafool，andIcertainlymadethemistakeoftakingthesituationonitsassumedinnocentface-

value。"

SoangrywasSheldonbecomingthatthefaceandformoftheotherseemedtovibrateandoscillatebeforehiseyes。YetoutwardlySheldonwascalmandapparentlywearyofthediscussion。

"Pleasekeepheroutoftheconversation，"hesaid。

"ButwhyshouldI？"wasthedemand。"Thepairofyoutrappedmeintomakingafoolofmyself。HowwasItoknowthateverythingwasnotallright？Youandsheactedasifeverythingwereonthesquare。Butmyeyesareopennow。Why，sheplayedtheoutragedwifetoperfection，slappedthetransgressorandfledtoyou。

Prettygoodproofofwhatallthebeachhasbeensaying。Partners，eh？——abusinesspartnership？Gammonmyeye，that\'swhatitis。"

ThenitwasthatSheldonstruckout，coollyanddeliberately，withallthestrengthofhisarm，andTudor，caughtonthejaw，fellsideways，crumplingashedidsoandcrushingachairtokindlingwoodbeneaththeweightofhisfallingbody。Hepulledhimselfslowlytohisfeet，butdidnotoffertorush。

"Nowwillyoufight？"Tudorsaidgrimly。

Sheldonlaughed，andforthefirsttimewithtruespontaneity。Theintrinsicridiculousnessofthesituationwastoomuchforhissenseofhumour。Hemadeasiftorepeattheblow，butTudor，whiteofface，witharmshangingresistlesslyathissides，offerednodefence。

"Idon\'tmeanafightwithfists，"hesaidslowly。"Imeantoafinish，tothedeath。You\'reagoodshotwithrevolverandrifle。

SoamI。That\'sthewaywe\'llsettleit。"

"Youhavegonecleanmad。Youarealunatic。"

"No，I\'mnot，"Tudorretorted。"I\'mamaninlove。AndonceagainIaskyoutogooutsideandsettleit，withanyweaponsyouchoose。"

Sheldonregardedhimforthefirsttimewithgenuineseriousness，wonderingwhatstrangemaggotscouldbegnawinginhisbraintodrivehimtosuchunusualconduct。

"Butmendon\'tactthiswayinreallife，"Sheldonremarked。

"You\'llfindI\'mprettyrealbeforeyou\'redonewithme。I\'mgoingtokillyouto-day。"

"Boshandnonsense，man。"ThistimeSheldonhadlosthistemperoverthesuperficialaspectsofthesituation。"Boshandnonsense，that\'sallitis。Mendon\'tfightduelsinthetwentiethcentury。

It\'s——it\'santediluvian，Itellyou。"

"SpeakingofJoan——"

"Pleasekeephernameoutofit，"Sheldonwarnedhim。

"Iwill，ifyou\'llfight。"

Sheldonthrewuphisarmsdespairingly。

"SpeakingofJoan——"

"Lookout，"Sheldonwarnedagain。

"Oh，goahead，knockmedown。Butthatwon\'tclosemymouth。Youcanknockmedownallday，butasfastasIgettomyfeetI\'llspeakofJoanagain。Nowwillyoufight？"

"Listentome，Tudor，"Sheldonbegan，withaneffortatdecisiveness。"IamnotusedtotakingfrommenatitheofwhatI\'vealreadytakenfromyou。"

"You\'lltakealotmorebeforetheday\'sout，"wastheanswer。"I

tellyou，yousimplymustfight。I\'llgiveyouafairchancetokillme，butI\'llkillyoubeforetheday\'sout。Thisisn\'tcivilization。It\'stheSolomonIslands，andaprettyprimitivepropositionforallthat。KingEdwardandlawandorderarerepresentedbytheCommissioneratTulagiandanoccasionalvisitinggunboat。Andtwomenandonewomanisanequallyprimitiveproposition。We\'llsettleitinthegoodoldprimitiveway。"

AsSheldonlookedathimthethoughtcametohismindthatafteralltheremightbesomethingintheother\'swildadventuresovertheearth。Itrequiredamanofthatcalibre，amancapableofobtrudingaduelintoorderlytwentiethcenturylife，tofindsuchwildadventures。

"There\'sonlyonewaytostopme，"Tudorwenton。"Ican\'tinsultyoudirectly，Iknow。Youaretooeasy-going，orcowardly，orboth，forthat。ButIcannarrateforyouthetalkofthebeach——

ah，thatgrindsyou，doesn\'tit？Icantellyouwhatthebeachhastosayaboutyouandthisyounggirlrunningaplantationunderabusinesspartnership。"

"Stop!"Sheldoncried，fortheotherwasbeginningtovibrateandoscillatebeforehiseyes。"Youwantaduel。I\'llgiveittoyou。"Thenhiscommon-senseanddislikefortheridiculousassertedthemselves，andheadded，"Butit\'sabsurd，impossible。"

"JoanandDavid——partners，eh？JoanandDavid——partners，"Tudorbegantoiterateandreiterateinamaliciousandscornfulchant。

"Forheaven\'ssakekeepquiet，andI\'llletyouhaveyourway，"

Sheldoncried。"Ineversawafoolsobentonhisfolly。Whatkindofaduelshallitbe？Therearenoseconds。Whatweaponsshallweuse？"

ImmediatelyTudor\'smonkey-likeimpishnesslefthim，andhewasoncemorethecool，self-possessedmanoftheworld。

"I\'veoftenthoughtthattheidealduelshouldbesomewhatdifferentfromtheconventionalone，"hesaid。"I\'vefoughtseveralofthatsort，youknow——"

"Frenchones，"Sheldoninterrupted。

"Callthemthat。Butspeakingofthisidealduel，hereitis。Noseconds，ofcourse，andnoonlookers。Thetwoprincipalsalonearenecessary。Theymayuseanyweaponstheyplease，fromrevolversandriflestomachinegunsandpompoms。Theystartamileapart，andadvanceoneachother，takingadvantageofcover，retreating，circling，feinting——anythingandeverythingpermissible。Inshort，theprincipalsshallhunteachother——"

"LikeacoupleofwildIndians？"

"Precisely，"criedTudor，delighted。"You\'vegottheidea。AndBerandeisjusttheplace，andthisisjusttherighttime。MissLacklandwillbetakinghersiesta，andshe\'llthinkweare。We\'vegottwohoursforitbeforeshewakes。Sohurryupandcomeon。

YoustartoutfromtheBalesunaandIstartfromtheBerande。

Thosetworiversaretheboundariesoftheplantation，aren\'tthey？

Verywell。Thefieldoftheduelwillbetheplantation。Neitherprincipalmustgooutsideitsboundaries。Areyousatisfied？"

"Quite。ButhaveyouanyobjectionsifIleavesomeorders？"

"Notatall，"Tudoracquiesced，thepinkofcourtesynowthathiswishhadbeengranted。

Sheldonclappedhishands，andtherunninghouse-boyhurriedawaytobringbackAdamuAdamandNoaNoah。

"Listen，"Sheldonsaidtothem。"Thismanandme，wehaveonebigfightto-day。Maybehedie。MaybeIdie。Ifhedie，allright。

IfIdie，youtwolookafterMissieLackalanna。Youtakerifles，andyoulookafterherdaytimeandnight-time。IfshewanttotalkwithMr。Tudor，allright。Ifshenotwanttotalk，youmakehimkeepaway。Savvee？"

Theygruntedandnodded。Theyhadhadmuchtodowithwhitemen，andhadlearnednevertoquestionthestrangewaysofthestrangebreed。Ifthesetwosawfittogooutandkilleachother，thatwastheirbusinessandnotthebusinessoftheislanders，whotookordersfromthem。Theysteppedtothegun-rack，andeachpickedarifle。

"BetterallTahitianmenhaverifles，"suggestedAdamuAdam。

"Maybebigtroublecome。"

"Allright，youtakethem，"Sheldonanswered，busywithissuingtheammunition。

Theywenttothedooranddownthesteps，carryingtheeightriflestotheirquarters。Tudor，withcartridge-beltsforrifleandpistolstrappedaroundhim，rifleinhand，stoodimpatientlywaiting。

"Comeon，hurryup；we\'reburningdaylight，"heurged，asSheldonsearchedafterextraclipsforhisautomaticpistol。

Togethertheypasseddownthestepsandoutofthecompoundtothebeach，wheretheyturnedtheirbackstoeachother，andeachproceededtowardhisdestination，theirriflesinthehollowsoftheirarms，TudorwalkingtowardtheBerandeandSheldontowardtheBalesuna。

CHAPTERXXVII——MODERNDUELLING

BarelyhadSheldonreachedtheBalesuna，whenheheardthefaintreportofadistantrifleandknewitwasthesignalofTudor，givingnoticethathehadreachedtheBerande，turnedabout，andwascomingback。Sheldonfiredhisrifleintotheairinanswer，andinturnproceededtoadvance。Hemovedasinadream，absent-

mindedlykeepingtotheopenbeach。Thethingwassopreposterousthathehadtostruggletorealizeit，andhereviewedinhismindtheconversationwithTudor，tryingtofindsomecluetothecommon-senseofwhathewasdoing。HedidnotwanttokillTudor。

Becausethatmanhadblunderedinhislove-makingwasnoreasonthathe，Sheldon，shouldtakehislife。Thenwhatwasitallabout？True，thefellowhadinsultedJoanbyhissubsequentremarksandbeenknockeddownforit，butbecausehehadknockedhimdownwasnoreasonthatheshouldnowtrytokillhim。

Inthisfashionhecoveredaquarterofthedistancebetweenthetworivers，whenitdawneduponhimthatTudorwasnotonthebeachatall。Ofcoursenot。Hewasadvancing，accordingtothetermsoftheagreement，intheshelterofthecocoanuttrees。Sheldonpromptlyswervedtothelefttoseeksimilarshelter，whenthefaintcrackofariflecametohisears，andalmostimmediatelythebullet，strikingthehardsandahundredfeetbeyondhim，ricochettedandwhinedonwardonasecondflight，convincinghimthat，preposterousandunrealasitwas，itwasneverthelesssoberfact。Ithadbeenintendedforhim。Yeteventhenitwashardtobelieve。Heglancedoverthefamiliarlandscapeandattheseadimplinginthelightbutsteadybreeze。FromthedirectionofTulagihecouldseethewhitesailsofaschoonerlayingatackacrosstowardBerande。Downthebeachahorsewasgrazing，andheidlywonderedwheretheotherswere。Thesmokerisingfromthecopra-dryingcaughthiseyes，whichrovedonoverthebarracks，thetool-houses，theboat-sheds，andthebungalow，andcametorestonJoan\'slittlegrasshouseinthecornerofthecompound。

Keepingnowtotheshelterofthetrees，hewentforwardanotherquarterofamile。IfTudorhadadvancedwithequalspeedtheyshouldhavecometogetheratthatpoint，andSheldonconcludedthattheotherwascircling。Thedifficultywastolocatehim。Therowsoftrees，runningatrightangles，enabledhimtoseealongonlyonenarrowavenueatatime。Hisenemymightbecomingalongthenextavenue，orthenext，torightorleft。Hemightbeahundredfeetawayorhalfamile。Sheldonploddedon，anddecidedthattheoldstereotypedduelwasfarsimplerandeasierthanthisprotractedhide-and-seekaffair。He，too，triedcircling，inthehopeofcuttingtheother\'scircle；but，withoutcatchingaglimpseofhim，hefinallyemergeduponafreshclearingwheretheyoungtrees，waist-high，affordedlittleshelterandlesshiding。Justasheemerged，steppingoutapace，ariflecrackedtohisright，andthoughhedidnothearthebulletinpassing，thethudofitcametohisearswhenitstruckapalm-trunkfartheron。

Hesprangbackintotheprotectionofthelargertrees。Twicehehadexposedhimselfandbeenfiredat，whilehehadfailedtocatchasingleglimpseofhisantagonist。Aslowangerbegantoburninhim。Itwasdeucedlyunpleasant，hedecided，thisbeingpepperedat；andnonsensicalasitreallywas，itwasnonethelessdeadlyserious。Therewasnoavoidingtheissue，nofiringintheairandgettingoverwithitasintheold-fashionedduel。Thismutualman-huntmustkeepupuntilonegottheother。Andifoneneglectedachancetogettheother，thatincreasedtheother\'schancetogethim。Therecouldbenofalsesentimentaboutit。

Tudorhadbeenacunningdevilwhenheproposedthissortofduel，Sheldonconcluded，ashebegantoworkalongcautiouslyinthedirectionofthelastshot。

Whenhearrivedatthespot，Tudorwasgone，andonlyhisfoot-

printsremained，pointingoutthecoursehehadtakenintothedepthsoftheplantation。Once，tenminuteslater，hecaughtaglimpseofTudor，ahundredyardsaway，crossingthesameavenueashimselfbutgoingintheoppositedirection。Hisriflehalf-leapedtohisshoulder，buttheotherwasgone。Moreinwhimthaninhopeofresult，grinningtohimselfashedidso，SheldonraisedhisautomaticpistolandintwosecondssenteightshotsscatteringthroughthetreesinthedirectioninwhichTudorhaddisappeared。

Wishinghehadashot-gun，Sheldondroppedtothegroundbehindatree，slippedafreshclipupthehollowbuttofthepistol，threwacartridgeintothechamber，shovedthesafetycatchintoplace，andreloadedtheemptyclip。

ItwasbutashorttimeafterthatthatTudortriedthesametrickonhim，thebulletspatteringabouthimlikespitefulrain，thuddingintothepalmtrunks，orglancingoffinwhiningricochets。Thelastbulletofall，makingadoublericochetfromtwodifferenttreesandlosingmostofitsmomentum，struckSheldonasharpblowontheforeheadanddroppedathisfeet。Hewaspartlystunnedforthemoment，butoninvestigationfoundnogreaterharmthananastylumpthatsoonrosetothesizeofapigeon\'segg。

Thehuntwenton。Once，comingtotheedgeofthegrovenearthebungalow，hesawthehouse-boysandthecook，clusteredonthebackverandaandpeeringcuriouslyamongthetrees，talkingandlaughingwithoneanotherintheirqueerfalsettovoices。Anothertimehecameuponaworking-gangbusyathoeingweeds。Theyscarcelynoticedhimwhenhecameup，thoughtheyknewthoroughlywellwhatwasgoingon。Itwasnoaffairoftheirsthattheenigmaticalwhitemenshouldbeouttryingtokilleachother，andwhateverinterestintheproceedingsmightbetheirstheywerecarefultoconcealitfromSheldon。Heorderedthemtocontinuehoeingweedsinadistantandout-of-the-waycorner，andwentonwiththepursuitofTudor。

Tiringoftheendlesscircling，Sheldontriedoncemoretoadvancedirectlyonhisfoe，butthelatterwastoocrafty，takingadvantageofhisboldnesstofireacoupleofshotsathim，andslippingawayonsomechangedandcontinuallychangingcourse。Foranhourtheydodgedandturnedandtwistedbackandforthandaround，andhuntedeachotheramongtheorderlypalms。Theycaughtfleetingglimpsesofeachotherandchancedflyingshotswhichwerewithoutresult。Onagrassyshelterbehindatree，SheldoncameuponwhereTudorhadrestedandsmokedacigarette。Thepressedgrassshowedwherehehadsat。Toonesidelaythecigarettestumpandthecharredmatchwhichhadlightedit。Infrontlayascatteringofbrightmetallicfragments。Sheldonrecognizedtheirsignificance。Tudorwasnotchinghissteel-jacketedbullets，orcuttingthemblunt，sothattheywouldspreadonstriking——inshort，hewasmakingthemintotheviciousdum-dumprohibitedinmodernwarfare。Sheldonknewnowwhatwouldhappentohimifabulletstruckhisbody。Itwouldleaveatinyholewhereitentered，buttheholewhereitemergedwouldbethesizeofasaucer。

Hedecidedtogiveupthepursuit，andlaydowninthegrass，protectedrightandleftbytherowofpalms，withoneitherhandthelongavenueextending。Thishecouldwatch。Tudorwouldhavetocometohimorelsetherewouldbenoterminationoftheaffair。

Hewipedthesweatfromhisfaceandtiedthehandkerchiefaroundhisnecktokeepoffthestinginggnatsthatlurkedinthegrass。

Neverhadhefeltsogreatadisgustforthethingcalled"adventure。"Joanhadbeenbadenough，withherBaden-Powellandlong-barrelledColt\'s；butherewasthisnewcomeralsolookingforadventure，andfindingitinnootherwaythanbyluggingapeace-

lovingplanterintoanabsurdandpreposterousbush-whackingduel。

Ifeveradventurewaswelldamned，itwasbySheldon，sweatinginthewindlessgrassandfightinggnats，thewhilehekeptclosewatchupanddowntheavenue。

ThenTudorcame。Sheldonhappenedtobelookinginhisdirectionatthemomenthecameintoview，peeringquicklyupanddowntheavenuebeforehesteppedintotheopen。Midwayhestopped，asifdebatingwhatcoursetopursue。Hemadeasplendidmark，facinghisconcealedenemyattwohundredyards\'distance。Sheldonaimedatthecentreofhischest，thendeliberatelyshiftedtheaimtohisrightshoulder，and，withthethought，"Thatwillputhimoutofbusiness，"pulledthetrigger。Thebullet，drivingwithmomentumsufficienttoperforateaman\'sbodyamiledistant，struckTudorwithsuchforceastopivothim，whirlinghimhalfaroundbytheshockofitsimpactandknockinghimdown。

"\'HopeIhaven\'tkilledthebeggar，"Sheldonmutteredaloud，springingtohisfeetandrunningforward。

AhundredfeetawayallanxietyonthatscorewasrelievedbyTudor，whomadeshiftwithhislefthand，andfromhisautomaticpistolhurledarainofbulletsallaroundSheldon。Thelatterdodgedbehindapalmtrunk，countingtheshots，andwhentheeighthhadbeenfiredherushedinonthewoundedman。Hekickedthepistoloutoftheother\'shand，andthensatdownonhiminordertokeephimdown。

"Bequiet，"hesaid。"I\'vegotyou，sothere\'snousestruggling。"

Tudorstillattemptedtostruggleandtothrowhimoff。

"Keepquiet，Itellyou，"Sheldoncommanded。"I\'msatisfiedwiththeoutcome，andyou\'vegottobe。Soyoumightaswellgiveinandcallthisaffairclosed。"

Tudorreluctantlyrelaxed。

"Ratherfunny，isn\'tit，thesemodernduels？"Sheldongrinneddownathimasheremovedhisweight。"Notabitdignified。Ifyou\'dstruggledamomentlongerI\'dhaverubbedyourfaceintheearth。

I\'veagoodmindtodoitanyway，justtoteachyouthatduellinghasgoneoutoffashion。Nowletusseetoyourinjuries。"

"Youonlygotmethatlast，"Tudorgruntedsullenly，"lyinginambushlike——"

"LikeawildIndian。Precisely。You\'vecaughttheidea，oldman。"

Sheldonceasedhismockingandstoodup。"YoulietherequietlyuntilIsendbacksomeoftheboystocarryyouin。You\'renotseriouslyhurt，andit\'sluckyforyouIdidn\'tfollowyourexample。Ifyouhadbeenstruckwithoneofyourownbullets，acarriageandpairwouldhavebeennonetoolargetodrivethroughtheholeitwouldhavemade。Asitis，you\'redrilledclean——anicelittleperforation。Allyouneedisantisepticwashinganddressing，andyou\'llbearoundinamonth。Nowtakeiteasy，andI\'llsendastretcherforyou。"

CHAPTERXXVIII——CAPITULATION

WhenSheldonemergedfromamongthetreeshefoundJoanwaitingatthecompoundgate，andhecouldnotfailtoseethatshewasvisiblygladdenedatthesightofhim。

"Ican\'ttellyouhowgladIamtoseeyou，"washergreeting。

"What\'sbecomeofTudor？Thatlastflutteroftheautomaticwasn\'tnicetolistento。WasityouorTudor？"

"Soyouknowallaboutit，"heansweredcoolly。"Well，itwasTudor，buthewasdoingitleft-handed。He\'sdownwithaholeinhisshoulder。"Helookedatherkeenly。"Disappointing，isn\'tit？"hedrawled。

"Howdoyoumean？"

"Why，thatIdidn\'tkillhim。"

"ButIdidn\'twanthimkilledjustbecausehekissedme，"shecried。

"Oh，hedidkissyou!"Sheldonretorted，inevidentsurprise。"I

thoughtyousaidhehurtyourarm。"

"Onecouldcallitakiss，thoughitwasonlyontheendofthenose。"Shelaughedattherecollection。"ButIpaidhimbackforthatmyself。Iboxedhisfaceforhim。Andhedidhurtmyarm。

It\'sblackandblue。Lookatit。"

Shepulleduptheloosesleeveofherblouse，andhesawthebruisedimprintsoftwofingers。

Justthenagangofblackscameoutfromamongthetreescarryingthewoundedmanonaroughstretcher。

"Romantic，isn\'tit？"Sheldonsneered，followingJoan\'sstartledgaze。"AndnowI\'llhavetoplaysurgeonanddoctorhimup。

Funny，thistwentieth-centuryduelling。Firstyoudrillaholeinaman，andnextyousetaboutpluggingtheholeup。"

Theyhadsteppedasidetoletthestretcherpass，andTudor，whohadheardtheremark，liftedhimselfupontheelbowofhissoundarmandsaidwithadefiantgrin，-

"Ifyou\'dgotoneofmineyou\'dhavehadtoplugwithadinner-

plate。"

"Oh，youwretch!"Joancried。"You\'vebeencuttingyourbullets。"

"Itwasaccordingtoagreement，"Tudoranswered。"Everythingwent。

Wecouldhaveuseddynamiteifwewantedto。"

"He\'sright，"Sheldonassuredher，astheyswunginbehind。"Anyweaponwaspermissible。Ilayinthegrasswherehecouldn\'tseeme，andbushwhackedhimintrulynoblefashion。That\'swhatcomesofhavingwomenontheplantation。Andnowit\'santisepticsanddrainagetubes，Isuppose。It\'sanastymess，andI\'llhavetoreaduponitbeforeItacklethejob。"

"Idon\'tseethatit\'smyfault，"shebegan。"Icouldn\'thelpitbecausehekissedme。Ineverdreamedhewouldattemptit。"

"Wedidn\'tfightforthatreason。Butthereisn\'ttimetoexplain。

Ifyou\'llgetdressingsandbandagesreadyI\'lllookup\'gun-shotwounds\'andseewhat\'stobedone。"

"Ishebleedingseriously？"sheasked。

"No；thebulletseemstohavemissedtheimportantarteries。Butthatwouldhavebeenapickle。"

"Thenthere\'snoneedtobotheraboutreadingup，"Joansaid。"AndI\'mjustdyingtohearwhatitwasallabout。TheApostleislyingbecalmedinsidethepoint，andherboatsareouttowing。She\'llbeatanchorinfiveminutes，andDoctorWelshmereissuretobeonboard。Soallwe\'vegottodoistomakeTudorcomfortable。We\'dbetterputhiminyourroomunderthemosquito-netting，andsendaboatofftotellDr。Welshmeretobringhisinstruments。"

Anhourafterward，Dr。Welshmereleftthepatientcomfortableandattendedto，andwentdowntothebeachtogoonboard，promisingtocomebacktodinner。JoanandSheldon，standingontheveranda，watchedhimdepart。

"I\'llneverhaveitinforthemissionariesagainsinceseeingthemhereintheSolomons，"shesaid，seatingherselfinasteamer-

chair。

ShelookedatSheldonandbegantolaugh。

"That\'sright，"hesaid。"It\'sthewayIfeel，playingthefoolandtryingtomurderaguest。"

"Butyouhaven\'ttoldmewhatitwasallabout。"

"You，"heansweredshortly。

"Me？Butyoujustsaiditwasn\'t。"

"Oh，itwasn\'tthekiss。"Hewalkedovertotherailingandleanedagainstit，facingher。"Butitwasaboutyouallthesame，andI

mayaswelltellyou。Youremember，IwarnedyoulongagowhatwouldhappenwhenyouwantedtobecomeapartnerinBerande。Well，allthebeachisgossipingaboutit；andTudorpersistedinrepeatingthegossiptome。Soyouseeitwon\'tdoforyoutostayonhereunderpresentconditions。Itwouldbebetterifyouwentaway。"

"ButIdon\'twanttogoaway，"sheobjectedwithruefulcountenance。

"Achaperone，then——"

"No，norachaperone。"

"Butyousurelydon\'texpectmetogoaroundshootingeveryslandererintheSolomonsthatopenshismouth？"hedemandedgloomily。

"No，northateither，"sheansweredwithquickimpulsiveness。

"I\'lltellyouwhatwe\'lldo。We\'llgetmarriedandputastoptoitall。There!"

Helookedatherinamazement，andwouldhavebelievedthatshewasmakingfunofhimhaditnotbeenforthewarmbloodthatsuddenlysuffusedhercheeks。

"Doyoumeanthat？"heaskedunsteadily。"Why？"

"Toputastoptoallthenastygossipofthebeach。That\'saprettygoodreason，isn\'tit？"

Thetemptationwasstrongenoughandsuddenenoughtomakehimwaver，butallthedisgustcamebacktohimthatwashiswhenhelayinthegrassfightinggnatsandcursingadventure，andheanswered，-

"No；itisworsethannoreasonatall。Idon\'tcaretomarryyouasamatterofexpedience——"

"Youarethemostridiculouscreature!"shebrokein，withaflashofherold-timeanger。"Youtalkloveandmarriagetome，verymuchagainstmywish，andgomooningaroundovertheplantationweekafterweekbecauseyoucan\'thaveme，andlookatmewhenyouthinkI\'mnotnoticingandwhenallthetimeI\'mwonderingwhenyouhadyourlastsquaremealbecauseofthehungrylookinyoureyes，andmakeeyesatmyrevolver-belthangingonanail，andfightduelsaboutme，andalltherest——and——andnow，whenIsayI\'llmarryyou，youdoyourselfthehonourofrefusingme。"

"Youcan\'tmakemeanymoreridiculousthanIfeel，"heanswered，rubbingthelumponhisforeheadreflectively。"Andifthisistheacceptedromanticprogramme——adueloveragirl，andthegirlrushingintothearmsofthewinner——why，Ishallnotmakeabiggerassofmyselfbygoinginforit。"

"Ithoughtyou\'djumpatit，"sheconfessed，withanaivetehecouldnotbutquestion，forhethoughthesawaroguishgleaminhereyes。

"Myconceptionoflovemustdifferfromyoursthen，"hesaid。"I

shouldwantawomantomarrymeforloveofme，andnotoutofromanticadmirationbecauseIwasluckyenoughtodrillaholeinaman\'sshoulderwithsmokelesspowder。ItellyouIamdisgustedwiththisadventuretom-fooleryandrot。Idon\'tlikeit。Tudorisasampleoftheadventure-kind——pickingaquarrelwithmeandbehavinglikeamonkey，insistingonfightingwithme——\'tothedeath，\'hesaid。Itwaslikeapennydreadful。"

Shewasbitingherlip，andthoughhereyeswerecoolandlevel-

lookingasever，thetell-taleangryredwasinhercheeks。

"Ofcourse，ifyoudon\'twanttomarryme——"

"ButIdo，"hehastilyinterposed。

"Oh，youdo——"

"Butdon\'tyousee，littlegirl，Iwantyoutoloveme，"hehurriedon。"Otherwise，itwouldbeonlyhalfamarriage。Idon\'twantyoutomarrymesimplybecausebysodoingastopisputtothebeachgossip，nordoIwantyoutomarrymeoutofsomefoolishromanticnotion。Ishouldn\'twantyou……thatway。"

"Oh，inthatcase，"shesaidwithassumeddeliberateness，andhecouldhavesworntotheroguishgleam，"inthatcase，sinceyouarewillingtoconsidermyoffer，letmemakeafewremarks。Inthefirstplace，youneedn\'tsneeratadventurewhenyouarelivingityourself；andyouwerecertainlylivingitwhenIfoundyoufirst，downwithfeveronalonelyplantationwithacoupleofhundredwildcannibalsthirstingforyourlife。ThenIcamealong——"

"Andwhatwithyourarrivinginagale，"hebrokein，"freshfromthewreckoftheschooner，landingonthebeachinawhale-boatfullofpicturesqueTahitiansailors，andcomingintothebungalowwithaBaden-Powellonyourhead，sea-bootsonyourfeet，andawhackingbigColt\'sdanglingonyourhip——why，Iamonlytooreadytoadmitthatyouwerethequintessenceofadventure。"

"Verygood，"shecriedexultantly。"It\'smeresimplearithmetic——

theaddingofyouradventureandmyadventuretogether。Sothat\'ssettled，andyouneedn\'tjeeratadventureanymore。Next，Idon\'tthinktherewasanythingromanticinTudor\'sattemptingtokissme，noranythinglikeadventureinthisabsurdduel。ButIdothink，now，thatitwasromanticforyoutofallinlovewithme。Andfinally，anditisaddingromancetoromance，Ithink……IthinkIdoloveyou，Dave——oh，Dave!"

Thelastwasasighingdove-cryashecaughtherupinhisarmsandpressedhertohim。

"ButIdon\'tloveyoubecauseyouplayedthefoolto-day，"shewhisperedonhisshoulder。"Whitemenshouldn\'tgoaroundkillingeachother。"

"Thenwhydoyouloveme？"hequestioned，enthralledafterthemannerofallloversintheeverlastingquerythatforeverhasremainedunanswered。

"Idon\'tknow——justbecauseIdo，Iguess。Andthat\'sallthesatisfactionyougavemewhenwehadthatman-talk。ButIhavebeenlovingyouforweeks——duringallthetimeyouhavebeensodeliciouslyandunobtrusivelyjealousofTudor。"

"Yes，yes，goon，"heurgedbreathlessly，whenshepaused。

"Iwonderedwhenyou\'dbreakout，andbecauseyoudidn\'tIlovedyouallthemore。YouwerelikeDad，andVon。Youcouldholdyourselfincheck。Youdidn\'tmakeafoolofyourself。"

"Notuntilto-day，"hesuggested。

"Yes，andIlovedyouforthat，too。Itwasabouttime。Ibegantothinkyouwerenevergoingtobringupthesubjectagain。AndnowthatIhaveofferedmyselfyouhaven\'tevenaccepted。"

Withbothhandsonhershouldersheheldheratarm\'s-lengthfromhimandlookedlongintohereyes，nolongercoolbutseeminglypervadedwithagoldenflush。Thelidsdroopedandyetbravelydidnotdroopasshereturnedhisgaze。Thenhefondlyandsolemnlydrewhertohim。

"Andhowaboutthathearthandsaddleofyourown？"heasked，amomentlater。

"Iwell-nighwontothem。Thegrasshouseismyhearth，andtheMarthamysaddle，and——andlookatallthetreesI\'veplanted，tosaynothingofthesweetcorn。Andit\'sallyourfaultanyway。I

mightneverhavelovedyouifyouhadn\'tputtheideaintomyhead。"

"There\'stheNongasslacominginaroundthepointwithherboatsout，"Sheldonremarkedirrelevantly。"AndtheCommissionerisonboard。He\'sgoingdowntoSanCristovaltoinvestigatethatmissionarykilling。We\'reinluck，Imustsay。"

"Idon\'tseewheretheluckcomesin，"shesaiddolefully。"Weoughttohavethiseveningalltoourselvesjusttotalkthingsover。I\'veathousandquestionstoaskyou。"

"Anditwouldn\'thavebeenaman-talkeither，"sheadded。

"Butmyplanisbetterthanthat。"Hedebatedwithhimselfamoment。"Yousee，theCommissioneristheoneofficialintheislandswhocangiveusalicense。And——there\'stheluckofit——

DoctorWelshmereisheretoperformtheceremony。We\'llgetmarriedthisevening。"

Joanrecoiledfromhiminpanic，tearingherselffromhisarmsandgoingbackwardseveralsteps。Hecouldseethatshewasreallyfrightened。

"I……Ithought……"shestammered。

Then，slowly，thechangecameoverher，andthebloodfloodedintoherfaceinthesameamazingblushhehadseenoncebeforethatday。Hercool，level-lookingeyeswerenolongerlevel-lookingnorcool，butwarmlydroopingandjustunabletomeethis，asshecametowardhimandnestledinthecircleofhisarms，sayingsoftly，almostinawhisper，-

"Iamready，"Dave。"