下载辰思小说免费APP
hadneverseenJimlooksograve，soself-possessed，inanimpenetrable，impressiveway。Inthemidstofthesedark-facedmen，hisstalwartfigureinwhiteapparel，thegleamingclustersofhisfairhair，seemedtocatchallthesunshinethattrickledthroughthecracksintheclosedshuttersofthatdimhall，withitswallsofmatsandaroofofthatch。Heappearedlikeacreaturenotonlyofanotherkindbutofanotheressence。Hadtheynotseenhimcomeupinacanoetheymighthavethoughthehaddescendeduponthemfromtheclouds。Hedid，however，comeinacrazydug-out，sitting(verystillandwithhiskneestogether，forfearofoverturningthething)——sittingonatinbox——whichIhadlenthim——nursingonhislaparevolveroftheNavypattern——presentedbymeonparting——which，throughaninterpositionofProvidence，orthroughsomewrong-headednotion，thatwasjustlikehim，orelsefromsheerinstinctivesagacity，hehaddecidedtocarryunloaded。
That’showheascendedthePatusanriver。Nothingcouldhavebeenmoreprosaicandmoreunsafe，moreextravagantlycasual，morelonely。Strange，thisfatalitythatwouldcastthecomplexionofaflightuponallhisacts，ofimpulsiveunreflectingdesertion——ofajumpintotheunknown。
`Itispreciselythecasualnessofitthatstrikesmemost。NeitherSteinnorIhadaclearconceptionofwhatmightbeontheothersidewhenwe，metaphoricallyspeaking，tookhimupandhovehimoverthewallwithscantceremony。AtthemomentImerelywishedtoachievehisdisappearance。
Steincharacteristicallyenoughhadasentimentalmotive。Hehadanotionofpayingoff(inkind，Isuppose)theolddebthehadneverforgotten。
IndeedhehadbeenallhislifeespeciallyfriendlytoanybodyfromtheBritishIsles。Hislatebenefactor，itistrue，wasaScot——eventothelengthofbeingcalledAlexanderM’Neil——andJimcamefromalongwaysouthoftheTweed；butatthedistanceofsixorseventhousandmilesGreatBritain，thoughneverdiminished，looksforeshortenedenougheventoitsownchildrentorobsuchdetailsoftheirimportance。Steinwasexcusable，andhishintedintentionsweresogenerousthatIbeggedhimmostearnestlytokeepthemsecretforatime。IfeltthatnoconsiderationofpersonaladvantageshouldbeallowedtoinfluenceJim；thatnoteventheriskofsuchinfluenceshouldberun。Wehadtodealwithanothersortofreality。
Hewantedarefuge，andarefugeatthecostofdangershouldbeofferedhim——nothingmore。
`UponeveryotherpointIwasperfectlyfrankwithhim，andIeven(asIbelievedatthetime)exaggeratedthedangeroftheundertaking。AsamatteroffactIdidnotdoitjustice；hisfirstdayinPatusanwasnearlyhislast——wouldhavebeenhislastifhehadnotbeensorecklessorsohardonhimselfandhadcondescendedtoloadthatrevolver。Iremember，asIunfoldedourpreciousschemeforhisretreat，howhisstubbornbutwearyresignationwasgraduallyreplacedbysurprise，interest，wonder，andbyboyisheagerness。Thiswasachancehehadbeendreamingof。Hecouldn’tthinkhowhemeritedthatI……Hewouldbeshotifhecouldseetowhatheowed……AnditwasStein，Steinthemerchant，who……butofcourseitwasmehehadto……Icuthimshort。Hewasnotarticulate，andhisgratitudecausedmeinexplicablepain。Itoldhimthatifheowedthischancetoanyoneespecially，itwastoanoldScotofwhomhehadneverheard，whohaddiedmanyyearsago，ofwhomlittlewasrememberedbesidesaroaringvoiceandaroughsortofhonesty。Therewasreallynoonetoreceivehisthanks。Steinwaspassingontoayoungmanthehelphehadreceivedinhisownyoungdays，andIhaddonenomorethantomentionhisname。Uponthishecoloured，and，twistingabitofpaperinhisfingers，heremarkedbashfullythatIhadalwaystrustedhim。
`Iadmittedthatsuchwasthecase，andaddedafterapausethatIwishedhehadbeenabletofollowmyexample。“YouthinkIdon’t？“heaskeduneasily，andremarkedinamutterthatonehadtogetsomesortofshowfirst；thenbrighteningup，andinaloudvoice，heprotestedhewouldgivemenooccasiontoregretmyconfidence，which——which……
“`Donotmisapprehend，“Iinterrupted。“Itisnotinyourpowertomakemeregretanything。“Therewouldbenoregrets；butiftherewere，itwouldbealtogethermyownaffair：ontheotherhand，Iwishedhimtounderstandclearlythatthisarrangement，this——this——experiment，washisowndoing；
hewasresponsibleforitandnooneelse。“Wh
