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。