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。"