第5章

able，settledinprosperousvillages.Hecouldspeakfrompersonalknowledge.Andeventhefewsurvivorsofthattime——oldmennow——hadchangedsomuch，thatitwouldhavebeenunkindtorememberagainstthemthattheyhadeverslitathroatintheirlives.Hehadoneespeciallyinhismind’seye：adignified，venerableheadmanofacertainlargecoastvillageaboutsixtymilessou’westofTampasuk.Itdidone’sheartgoodtoseehim——tohearthatmanspeak.Hemighthavebeenaferocioussavageonce.Whatmenwantedwastobecheckedbysuperiorintelligence，bysuperiorknowledge，bysuperiorforcetoo——yes，byforceheldintrustfromGodandsanctifiedbyitsuseinaccordancewithHisdeclaredwill.CaptainWhalleybelievedadis—

positionforgoodexistedineveryman，eveniftheworldwerenotaveryhappyplaceasawhole.Inthewisdomofmenhehadnotsomuchconfidence.Thedis—

positionhadtobehelpedupprettysharplysometimes，headmitted.Theymightbesilly，wrongheaded，un—

happy;butnaturallyevil——no.Therewasatbottomacompleteharmlessnessatleast

"Isthere？"Mr.VanWyksnappedacrimoniously.

CaptainWhalleylaughedattheinterjection，inthegoodhumoroflarge，toleratingcertitude.Hecouldlookbackathalfacentury，hepointedout.Thesmokeoozedplacidlythroughthewhitehairshidinghiskindlylips.

"Atallevents，"heresumedafterapause，"Iamgladthatthey’vehadnotimetodoyoumuchharmasyet."

ThisallusiontohiscomparativeyouthfulnessdidnotoffendMr.VanWyk，whogotupandwriggledhisshoulderswithanenigmatichalf—smile.Theywalkedouttogetheramicablyintothestarrynighttowardstheriver—side.Theirfootstepsresoundedunequallyonthedarkpath.Attheshoreendofthegangwaythelantern，hunglowtothehandrail，threwavividlightonthewhitelegsandthebigblackfeetofMr.Massywaitingaboutanxiously.Fromthewaistupwardsheremainedshadowy，witharowofbuttonsgleaminguptothevagueoutlineofhischin.

"YoumaythankCaptainWhalleyforthis，"Mr.VanWyksaidcurtlytohimbeforeturningaway.

Thelampsontheverandaflungthreelongsquaresoflightbetweentheuprightsfaroverthegrass.Abatflittedbeforehisfacelikeacirclingflakeofvelvetyblackness.Alongthejasminehedgethenightairseemedheavywiththefallofperfumeddew;flower—

bedsborderedthepath;theclippedbushesuproseindarkroundedclumpshereandtherebeforethehouse;

thedensefoliageofcreepersfilteredthesheenofthelamplightwithininasoftglowallalongthefront;

andeverythingnearandfarstoodstillinagreatim—

mobility，inagreatsweetness.

Mr.VanWyk（afewyearsbeforehehadhadoccasiontoimaginehimselftreatedmorebadlythananybodyalivehadeverbeenbyawoman）feltforCaptainWhalley’soptimisticviewsthedisdainofamanwhohadoncebeencreduloushimself.Hisdisgustwiththeworld（thewomanforatimehadfilleditforhimcom—

pletely）hadtakentheformofactivityinretirement，because，thoughcapableofgreatdepthoffeeling，hewasenergeticandessentiallypractical.Buttherewasinthatuncommonoldsailor，driftingontheoutskirtsofhisbusysolitude，somethingthatfascinatedhisskepticism.Hisverysimplicity（amusingenough）waslikeadelicaterefinementofanuprightcharacter.Thestrikingdignityofmannercouldbenothingelse，inamanreducedtosuchahumbleposition，buttheex—

pressionofsomethingessentiallynobleinthecharacter.

Withallhistrustinmankindhewasnofool;theseren—

ityofhistemperattheendofsomanyyears，sinceitcouldnotobviouslyhavebeenappeasedbysuccess，woreanairofprofoundwisdom.Mr.VanWykwasamusedatitsometimes.EventheveryphysicaltraitsoftheoldcaptainoftheSofala，hispowerfulframe，hisre—

posefulmien，hisintelligent，handsomeface，thebiglimbs，thebenigncourtesy，thetouchofruggedseverityintheshaggyeyebrows，madeupaseductiveperson—

ality.Mr.VanWykdislikedlittlenessofeverykind，buttherewasnothingsmallaboutthatman，andintheexemplaryregularityofmanytripsanintimacyhadgrownupbetweenthem，awarmfeelingatbottomunderakindlystatelinessofformsagreeabletohisfastidious—

ness.

Theykepttheirrespectiveopinionsonallworldlymatters.HisotherconvictionsCaptainWhalleyneverintruded.Thedifferenceoftheirageswaslikeanotherbondbetweenthem.Once，whentwittedwiththeun—

charitablenessofhisyouth，Mr.VanWyk，runninghiseyeoverthevastproportionsofhisinterlocutor，re—

tortedinfriendlybanter——

"Oh.You’llcometomywayofthinkingyet.You’llhaveplentyoftime.Don’tcallyourselfold：youlookgoodforaroundhundred."

Buthecouldnothelphisstingingincisiveness，andthoughmoderatingitbyanalmostaffectionatesmile，headded——

"Andbythenyouwillprobablyconsenttodiefromsheerdisgust."

CaptainWhalley，smilingtoo，shookhishead."Godforbid！"

Hethoughtthatperhapsonthewholehedeservedsomethingbetterthantodieinsuchsentiments.Thetimeofcoursewouldhavetocome，andhetrustedtohisMakertoprovideamannerofgoingoutofwhichheneednotbeashamed.Fortheresthehopedhewouldlivetoahundredifneedbe：othermenhadbeenknown;itwouldbenomiracle.Heexpectednomiracles.

Thepronounced，argumentativetonecausedMr.VanWyktoraisehisheadandlookathimsteadily.Cap—

tainWhalleywasgazingfixedlywitharaptexpression，asthoughhehadseenhisCreator’sfavorabledecreewritteninmysteriouscharactersonthewall.Hekeptperfectlymotionlessforafewseconds，thengothisvastbulkontohisfeetsoimpetuouslythatMr.VanWykwasstartled.

Hestruckfirstaheavyblowonhisinflatedchest：and，throwingouthorizontallyabigarmthatremainedsteady，extendedintheairlikethelimbofatreeonawindlessday——

"Notapainoranachethere.Canyouseethisshakeintheleast？"

Hisvoicewaslow，inanawing，confidentcontrastwiththeheadlongemphasisofhismovements.Hesatdownabruptly.

"Thisisn’ttoboastofit，youknow.Iamnothing，"

hesaidinhiseffortlessstrongvoice，thatseemedtocomeoutasnaturallyasariverflows.Hepickedupthestumpofthecigarhehadlaidaside，andaddedpeace—

fully，withaslightnod，"Asithappens，mylifeisnecessary;itisn’tmyown，itisn’t——Godknows."

Hedidnotsaymuchfortherestoftheevening，butseveraltimesMr.VanWykdetectedafaintsmileofassuranceflittingundertheheavymustache.

LateronCaptainWhalleywouldnowandthenconsenttodine"atthehouse."Hecouldevenbeinducedtodrinkaglassofwine."Don’tthinkIamafraidofit，mygoodsir，"heexplained."TherewasaverygoodreasonwhyIshouldgiveitup."

Onanotheroccasion，leaningbackatease，heremarked，"Youhavetreatedmemost——mosthumanely，mydearMr.VanWyk，fromtheveryfirst."

"You’lladmittherewassomemerit，"Mr.VanWykhintedslyly."AnassociateofthatexcellentMassy

Well，well，mydearcaptain，Iwon’tsayawordagainsthim."

"Itwouldbenouseyoursayinganythingagainsthim，"CaptainWhalleyaffirmedalittlemoodily."AsI’vetoldyoubefore，mylife——mywork，isnecessary，notformyselfalone.Ican’tchoose"Hepaused，turnedtheglassbeforehimrightround"Ihaveanonlychild——adaughter."

Theampledownwardsweepofhisarmoverthetableseemedtosuggestasmallgirlatavastdistance."I

hopetoseeheroncemorebeforeIdie.Meantimeit’senoughtoknowthatshehasmesoundandsolid，thankGod.Youcan’tunderstandhowonefeels.Boneofmybone，fleshofmyflesh;theveryimageofmypoorwife.

Well，she"

Againhepaused，thenpronouncedstoicallythewords，"Shehasahardstruggle."

Andhisheadfellonhisbreast，hiseyebrowsremainedknitted，asbyaneffortofmeditation.Butgenerallyhismindseemedsteepedintheserenityofboundlesstrustinahigherpower.Mr.VanWykwonderedsometimeshowmuchofitwasduetothesplendidvitalityoftheman，tothebodilyvigorwhichseemstoimpartsome—

thingofitsforcetothesoul.Buthehadlearnedtolikehimverymuch.

XIII

ThiswasthereasonwhyMr.Sterne’sconfidentialcom—

munication，deliveredhurriedlyontheshorealongsidethedarksilentship，haddisturbedhisequanimity.Itwasthemostincomprehensibleandunexpectedthingthatcouldhappen;andtheperturbationofhisspiritwassogreatthat，forgettingallabouthisletters，heranrapidlyupthebridgeladder.

Theportabletablewasbeingputtogetherfordinnertotheleftofthewheelbytwopig—tailed"boys，"whoasusualsnarledateachotheroverthejob，whileanother，adoleful，burly，veryyellowChinaman，resemblingMr.

Massy，waitedapatheticallywiththeclothoverhisarmandapileofthickdinner—platesagainsthischest.A

commoncabinlampwithitsglobemissing，broughtupfrombelow，hadbeenhookedtothewoodenframeworkoftheawning;theside—screenshadbeenloweredallround;CaptainWhalleyfillingthedepthsofthewicker—

chairseemedtositbenumbedinacanvastentcrudelylighted，andusedforthestoringofnauticalobjects;ashabbysteering—wheel，abatteredbrassbinnacleonastoutmahoganystand，twodingylife—buoys，anoldcorkfenderlyinginacorner，dilapidateddeck—lockerswithloopsofthinropeinsteadofdoor—handles.

HeshookofftheappearanceofnumbnesstoreturnMr.VanWyk’sunusuallybriskgreeting，butrelapseddirectlyafterwards.Toacceptapressinginvitationtodinner"upatthehouse"costhimanotherveryvisiblephysicaleffort.Mr.VanWyk，perplexed，foldedhisarms，andleaningbackagainsttherail，withhislittle，black，shinyfeetwellout，examinedhimcovertly.

"I’venoticedoflatethatyouarenotquiteyourself，oldfriend."

Heputanaffectionategentlenessintothelasttwowords.Therealintimacyoftheirintercoursehadneverbeensovividlyexpressedbefore.

"Tut，tut，tut！"

Thewicker—chaircreakedheavily.

"Irritable，"commentedMr.VanWyktohimself;andaloud，"I’llexpecttoseeyouinhalfanhour，then，"hesaidnegligently，movingoff.

"Inhalfanhour，"CaptainWhalley’srigidsilveryheadrepeatedbehindhimasifoutofatrance.

Amidships，below，twovoices，closeagainsttheengine—

room，couldbeheardansweringeachother——oneangryandslow，theotheralert.

"Itellyouthebeasthaslockedhimselfintogetdrunk."

"Can’thelpitnow，Mr.Massy.Afterall，amanhasarighttoshuthimselfupinhiscabininhisowntime."

"Nottogetdrunk."

"Iheardhimswearthattheworrywiththeboilerswasenoughtodriveanymantodrink，"Sternesaidmaliciously.

Massyhissedoutsomethingaboutburstingthedoorin.Mr.VanWyk，toavoidthem，crossedinthedarktotheothersideofthedeserteddeck.Theplankingofthelittlewharfrattledfaintlyunderhishastyfeet.

"Mr.VanWyk！Mr.VanWyk！"

Hewalkedon：somebodywasrunningonthepath.

"You’veforgottentogetyourmail."

Sterne，holdingabundleofpapersinhishand，caughtupwithhim.

"Oh，thanks."

But，astheothercontinuedathiselbow，Mr.VanWykstoppedshort.Theoverhangingeaves，descend—

inglowuponthelightedfrontofthebungalow，threwtheirblackstraight—edgedshadowintothegreatbodyofthenightonthatside.Everythingwasverystill.

Atinkleofcutleryandaslightjingleofglasseswereheard.Mr.VanWyk’sservantswerelayingthetablefortwoontheveranda.

"I’mafraidyougivemenocreditwhateverformygoodintentionsinthematterI’vespokentoyouabout，"

saidSterne.

"Isimplydon’tunderstandyou."

"CaptainWhalleyisaveryaudaciousman，buthewillunderstandthathisgameisup.That’sallthatanybodyneedeverknowofitfromme.Believeme，I

amveryconsiderateinthis，butdutyisduty.Idon’twanttomakeafuss.AllIaskyou，ashisfriend，istotellhimfrommethatthegame’sup.Thatwillbesufficient."

Mr.VanWykfeltaloathsomedismayatthisqueerprivilegeoffriendship.Hewouldnotdemeanhimselfbyaskingfortheslightestexplanation;todrivetheotherawaywithcontumelyhedidnotthinkprudent——

asyet，atanyrate.Somuchassurancestaggeredhim.

Whocouldtellwhattherecouldbeinit，hethought？

HisregardforCaptainWhalleyhadthetenacityofadisinterestedsentiment，andhispracticalinstinctcom—

ingtohisaid，heconcealedhisscorn.

"Igather，then，thatthisissomethinggrave."

"Verygrave，"Sterneassentedsolemnly，delightedathavingproducedaneffectatlast.Hewasreadytoaddsomeeffusiveprotestationsofregretatthe"unavoida—

blenecessity，"butMr.VanWykcuthimshort——verycivilly，however.

OnceontheverandaMr.VanWykputhishandsinhispockets，and，straddlinghislegs，stareddownatablackpantherskinlyingonthefloorbeforearocking—

chair."Itlooksasifthefellowhadnottheplucktoplayhisownpreciousgameopenly，"hethought.

Thiswastrueenough.InthefaceofMassy’slastrebuffSternedarednotdeclarehisknowledge.Hisobjectwassimplytogetchargeofthesteamerandkeepitforsometime.Massywouldneverforgivehimforforcinghimselfon;butifCaptainWhalleylefttheshipofhisownaccord，thecommandwoulddevolveuponhimfortherestofthetrip;sohehituponthebrilliantideaofscaringtheoldmanaway.Avaguemenace，amerehint，wouldbeenoughinsuchabrazencase;and，withastrangeadmixtureofcompassion，hethoughtthatBatuBeruwasaverygoodplaceforthrowingupthesponge.Theskippercouldgoashorequietly，andstaywiththatDutchmanofhis.Weren’tthesetwoasthickasthievestogether？Andonreflec—

tionheseemedtoseethattherewasawaytoworkthewholethingthroughthatgreatfriendoftheoldman’s.

Thiswasanotherbrilliantidea.Hehadaninbornpreferenceforcircuitousmethods.Inthisparticularcasehedesiredtoremaininthebackgroundasmuchaspossible，toavoidexasperatingMassyneedlessly.

Nofuss！Letitallhappennaturally.

Mr.VanWykallthroughthedinnerwasconsciousofasenseofisolationthatinvadessometimestheclose—

nessofhumanintercourse.CaptainWhalleyfailedlamentablyandobviouslyinhisattemptstoeatsome—

thing.Heseemedovercomebyastrangeabsent—

mindedness.Hishandwouldhoverirresolutely，asifleftwithoutguidancebyapreoccupiedmind.Mr.VanWykhadheardhimcomingupfromalongwayoffintheprofoundstillnessoftheriver—side，andhadnoticedtheirresolutecharacterofthefootfalls.Thetoeofhisboothadstruckthebottomstairasthoughhehadcomealongmooningwithhisheadintheairrightuptothestepsoftheveranda.HadthecaptainoftheSofalabeenanothersortofmanhewouldhavesuspectedtheworkofagethere.Butoneglanceathimwasenough.

Time——after，indeed，markinghimforitsown——hadgivenhimuptohisusefulness，inwhichhissimplefaithwouldseeaproofofDivinemercy."HowcouldIcontrivetowarnhim？"Mr.VanWykwondered，asifCaptainWhalleyhadbeenmilesandmilesaway，outofsightandearshotofallevil.HewassickenedbyanimmensedisgustofSterne.ToevenmentionhisthreattoamanlikeWhalleywouldbepositivelyinde—

cent.Therewassomethingmorevileandinsultinginitshintthaninadefinitechargeofcrime——thedebasingtaintofblackmailing."Whatcouldanyonebringagainsthim？"heaskedhimself.Thiswasalimpidpersonality."Andforwhatobject？"ThePowerthatmantrustedhadthoughtfittoleavehimnothingonearththatenvycouldlayholdof，exceptabarecrustofbread.

"Won’tyoutrysomeofthis？"heasked，pushingadishslightly.SuddenlyitseemedtoMr.VanWykthatSternemightpossiblybecovetingthecommandoftheSofala.Hiscynicismwasquitestartledbywhatlookedlikeaproofthatnomanmaycounthimselfsafefromhiskindunlessintheveryabyssofmisery.Anin—

trigueofthatsortwashardlyworthtroublingabout，hejudged;butstill，withsuchafoolasMassytodealwith，Whalleyoughttoandmustbewarned.

AtthismomentCaptainWhalley，boltupright，thedeepcavitiesoftheeyesoverhungbyabushyfrown，andonelargebrownhandrestingoneachsideofhisemptyplate，spokeacrossthetableclothabruptly——

"Mr.VanWyk，you’vealwaystreatedmewiththemosthumaneconsideration."

"Mydearcaptain，youmaketoomuchofasimplefactthatIamnotasavage."Mr.VanWyk，utterlyrevoltedbythethoughtofSterne’sobscureattempt，raisedhisvoiceincisively，asifthematehadbeenhidingsomewherewithinearshot."AnyconsiderationIhavebeenabletoshowwasnomorethantherightfuldueofacharacterI’velearnedtoregardbythistimewithanesteemthatnothingcanshake."

Aslightringofglassmadehimlifthiseyesfromthesliceofpine—applehewascuttingintosmallpiecesonhisplate.InchanginghispositionCaptainWhalleyhadcontrivedtoupsetanemptytumbler.

Withoutlookingthatway，leaningsidewaysonhiselbow，hisotherhandshadinghisbrow，hegropedshakilyforit，thendesisted.VanWykstaredblankly，asifsomethingmomentoushadhappenedallatonce.

Hedidnotknowwhyheshouldfeelsostartled;butheforgotSterneutterlyforthemoment.

"Why，what’sthematter？"

AndCaptainWhalley，half—averted，inadeadened，agitatedvoice，muttered——

"Esteem！"

"AndImayaddsomethingmore，"Mr.VanWyk，verysteady—eyed，pronouncedslowly.

"Hold！Enough！"CaptainWhalleydidnotchangehisattitudeorraisehisvoice."Saynomore！

Icanmakeyounoreturn.Iamtoopoorevenforthatnow.Youresteemisworthhaving.Youarenotamanthatwouldstooptodeceivethepoorestsortofdevilonearth，ormakeashipunseaworthyeverytimehetakeshertosea."

Mr.VanWyk，leaningforward，hisfacegonepinkallover，withthestarchedtable—napkinoverhisknees，wasinclinedtomistrusthissenses，hispowerofcom—

prehension，thesanityofhisguest.

"Where？Why？InthenameofGod！——what’sthis？

Whatship？Idon’tunderstandwho"

"Then，inthenameofGod，itisI！Aship’sunsea—

worthywhenhercaptaincan’tsee.Iamgoingblind."

Mr.VanWykmadeaslightmovement，andsatverystillafterwardsforafewseconds;then，withthethoughtofSterne’s"Thegame’sup，"heduckedunderthetabletopickupthenapkinwhichhadslippedoffhisknees.Thiswasthegamethatwasup.AndatthesametimethemuffledvoiceofCaptainWhalleypassedoverhim——

"I’vedeceivedthemall.Nobodyknows."

Heemergedflushedtotheeyes.CaptainWhalley，motionlessunderthefullblazeofthelamp，shadedhisfacewithhishand.

"Andyouhadthatcourage？"

"Callitbywhatnameyoulike.Butyouareahu—

maneman——a——a——gentleman，Mr.VanWyk.YoumayhaveaskedmewhatIhaddonewithmyconscience."

Heseemedtomuse，profoundlysilent，verystillinhismournfulpose.

"Ibegantotamperwithitinmypride.Youbegintoseealotofthingswhenyouaregoingblind.I

couldnotbefrankwithanoldchumeven.IwasnotfrankwithMassy——no，notaltogether.Iknewhetookmeforawealthysailorfool，andIlethim.Iwantedtokeepupmyimportance——becausetherewaspoorIvyawaythere——mydaughter.WhatdidIwanttotradeonhismiseryfor？Ididtradeonit——forher.Andnow，whatmercycouldIexpectfromhim？Hewouldtradeonmineifheknewit.Hewouldhunttheoldfraudout，andsticktothemoneyforayear.Ivy’smoney.AndIhaven’tkeptapennyformyself.HowamIgoingtoliveforayear.Ayear！Inayeartherewillbenosunintheskyforherfather."

Hisdeepvoicecameout，awfullyveiled，asthoughhehadbeenoverwhelmedbytheearthofalandslide，andtalkingtoyouofthethoughtsthathauntthedeadintheirgraves.AcoldshudderrandownMr.VanWyk’sback.

"Andhowlongisitsinceyouhave？"hebegan.

"ItwasalongtimebeforeIcouldbringmyselftobelieveinthis——thisvisitation."CaptainWhalleyspokewithgloomypatiencefromunderhishand.

Hehadnotthoughthehaddeservedit.Hehadbegunbydeceivinghimselffromdaytoday，fromweektoweek.HehadtheSerangathandthere——anoldservant.Itcameongradually，andwhenhecouldnolongerdeceivehimself

Hisvoicediedoutalmost.

"RatherthangiveherupIsetmyselftodeceiveyouall."

"It’sincredible，"whisperedMr.VanWyk.CaptainWhalley’sappallingmurmurflowedon.

"NoteventhesignofGod’sangercouldmakemeforgether.HowcouldIforsakemychild，feelingmyvigorallthetime——thebloodwarmwithinme？Warmasyours.Itseemstomethat，liketheblindedSamson，Iwouldfindthestrengthtoshakedownatempleuponmyhead.She’sastrugglingwoman——myownchildthatweusedtoprayovertogether，mypoorwifeandI.

DoyourememberthatdayIaswellastoldyouthatIbelievedGodwouldletmelivetoahundredforhersake？Whatsinisthereinlovingyourchild？Doyouseeit？Iwasreadyforhersaketoliveforever.

IhalfbelievedIwould.I’vebeenprayingfordeathsince.Ha！Presumptuousman——youwantedtolive"

Atremendous，shudderingupheavalofthatbigframe，shakenbyagaspingsob，settheglassesjinglingalloverthetable，seemedtomakethewholehousetrembletotheroof—tree.AndMr.VanWyk，whosefeelingofoutragedlovehadbeentranslatedintoaformofstrug—

glewithnature，understoodverywellthat，forthatmanwhosewholelifehadbeenconditionedbyaction，therecouldexistnootherexpressionforalltheemotions;that，tovoluntarilyceaseventuring，doing，enduring，forhischild’ssake，wouldhavebeenexactlylikepluckinghiswarmloveforheroutofhislivingheart.Somethingtoomonstrous，tooimpossible，eventoconceive.

CaptainWhalleyhadnotchangedhisattitude，thatseemedtoexpresssomethingofshame，sorrow，anddefiance.

"Ihaveevendeceivedyou.Ifithadnotbeenforthatword’esteem.’Thesearenotthewordsforme.

Iwouldhaveliedtoyou.Haven’tIliedtoyou？

Weren’tyougoingtotrustyourpropertyonboardthisverytrip？"

"Ihaveafloatingyearlypolicy，"Mr.VanWyksaidalmostunwittingly，andwasamazedatthesuddencrop—

pingupofacommercialdetail.

"Theshipisunseaworthy，Itellyou.Thepolicywouldbeinvalidifitwereknown"

"Weshallsharetheguilt，then."

"Nothingcouldmakemineless，"saidCaptainWhalley.

Hehadnotdaredtoconsultadoctor;themanwouldhaveperhapsaskedwhohewas，whathewasdoing;

Massymighthaveheardsomething.Hehadlivedonwithoutanyhelp，humanordivine.Theveryprayersstuckinhisthroat.Whatwastheretoprayfor？anddeathseemedasfarasever.Oncehegotintohiscabinhedarednotcomeoutagain;whenhesatdownhedarednotgetup;hedarednotraisehiseyestoanybody’sface;hefeltreluctanttolookupontheseaoruptothesky.Theworldwasfadingbeforehisgreatfearofgivinghimselfaway.Theoldshipwashislastfriend;hewasnotafraidofher;hekneweveryinchofherdeck;butathertoohehardlydaredtolook，forfearoffindinghecouldseelessthanthedaybefore.

Agreatincertitudeenvelopedhim.Thehorizonwasgone;theskymingleddarklywiththesea.Whowasthisfigurestandingoveryonder？whatwasthisthinglyingdownthere？Andafrightfuldoubtoftherealityofwhathecouldseemadeeventheremnantofsightthatremainedtohimanaddedtorment，apitfallalwaysopenforhismiserablepretense.Hewasafraidtostumbleinexcusablyoversomething——tosayafatalYesorNotoaquestion.ThehandofGodwasuponhim，butitcouldnottearhimawayfromhischild.And，asifinanightmareofhumiliation，everyfeaturelessmanseemedanenemy.

Helethishandfallheavilyonthetable.Mr.VanWyk，armsdown，chinonbreast，withagleamofwhiteteethpressingonthelowerlip，meditatedonSterne’s"Thegame’sup."

"TheSerangofcoursedoesnotknow."

"Nobody，"saidCaptainWhalley，withassurance.

"Ahyes.Nobody.Verywell.Canyoukeepituptotheendofthetrip？Thatisthelastundertheagree—

mentwithMassy."

CaptainWhalleygotupandstooderect，verystately，withthegreatwhitebeardlyinglikeasilverbreastplateovertheawfulsecretofhisheart.Yes;thatwastheonlyhopetherewasforhimofeverseeingheragain，ofsecuringthemoney，thelasthecoulddoforher，beforehecreptawaysomewhere——useless，aburden，areproachtohimself.Hisvoicefaltered.

"Thinkofit！Neverseeheranymore：theonlyhumanbeingbesidesmyselfnowonearththatcanre—

membermywife.She’sjustlikehermother.Luckythepoorwomaniswheretherearenotearsshedoverthosetheylovedonearthandthatremaintopraynottobeledintotemptation——because，Isuppose，theblessedknowthesecretofgraceinGod’sdealingswithHiscreatedchildren."

Heswayedalittle，saidwithausteredignity——

"Idon’t.IknowonlythechildHehasgivenme."

Andhebegantowalk.Mr.VanWyk，jumpingup，sawthefullmeaningoftherigidhead，thehesitatingfeet，thevaguelyextendedhand.Hisheartwasbeat—

ingfast;hemovedachairaside，andinstinctivelyad—

vancedasiftoofferhisarm.ButCaptainWhalleypassedhimby，makingforthestairsquitestraight.

"Hecouldnotseemeatalloutofhisline，"VanWykthought，withasortofawe.Thengoingtotheheadofthestairs，heaskedalittletremulously——

"Whatisitlike——likeamist——like"

CaptainWhalley，half—waydown，stopped，andturnedroundundismayedtoanswer.

"Itisasifthelightwereebbingoutoftheworld.

Haveyoueverwatchedtheebbingseaonanopenstretchofsandswithdrawingfartherandfartherawayfromyou？Itislikethis——onlytherewillbenofloodtofollow.Never.Itisasifthesunweregrowingsmaller，thestarsgoingoutonebyone.Therecan’tbemanyleftthatIcanseebythis.ButIhaven’thadthecouragetolookoflate"HemusthavebeenabletomakeoutMr.VanWyk，becausehecheckedhimbyanauthoritativegestureandastoical——

"Icangetaboutaloneyet."

Itwasasifhehadtakenhisline，andwouldacceptnohelpfrommen，afterhavingbeencastout，likeapre—

sumptuousTitan，fromhisheaven.Mr.VanWyk，ar—

rested，seemedtocountthefootstepsrightoutofear—

shot.Hewalkedbetweenthetables，tappingsmartlywithhisheels，tookupapaper—knife，droppeditafteravagueglancealongtheblade;thenhappeninguponthepiano，struckafewchordsagainandagain，vigor—

ously，standingupbeforethekeyboardwithanatten—

tivepoiseoftheheadlikeapiano—tuner;closingit，hepivotedonhisheelsbrusquely，avoidedthelittleterriersleepingtrustfullyoncrossedforepaws，cameuponthestairsnext，and，asthoughhehadlosthisbalanceonthetopstep，randownheadlongoutofthehouse.Hisservants，beginningtoclearthetable，heardhimmuttertohimself（evilwordsnodoubt）downthere，andthenafterapausegoawaywithastrollinggaitinthedirec—

tionofthewharf.

ThebulwarksoftheSofalalyingalongsidethebankmadealow，blackwallontheundulatingcontouroftheshore.Twomastsandafunneluprosefrombehinditwithagreatrake，asifabouttofall：asolid，squareelevationinthemiddleboretheghostlyshapesofwhiteboats，thecurvesofdavits，linesofrailandstanchions，allconfusedandminglingdarklyeverywhere;butlowdown，amidships，asinglelightedportstaredoutonthenight，perfectlyround，likeasmall，fullmoon，whoseyellowbeamcaughtapatchofwetmud，theedgeoftroddengrass，twoturnsofheavycablewoundroundthefootofathickwoodenpostintheground.

Mr.VanWyk，peeringalongside，heardamuzzyboastfulvoiceapparentlyjeeringatapersoncalledPrendergast.Itmouthedabusethickly，choked;thenpronouncedverydistinctlytheword"Murphy，"andchuckled.Glasstinkledtremulously.Allthesesoundscamefromthelightedport.Mr.VanWykhesitated，stooped;itwasimpossibletolookthroughunlesshewentdownintothemud.

"Sterne，"hesaid，halfaloud.

Thedrunkenvoicewithinsaidgladly——

"Sterne——ofcourse.Lookathimblink.Lookathim！Sterne，Whalley，Massy.Massy，Whalley，Sterne.ButMassy’sthebest.Youcan’tcomeoverhim.Hewouldjustlovetoseeyoustarve."

Mr.VanWykmovedaway，madeoutfartherforwardashadowyheadstuckoutfromundertheawningsasifonthewatch，andspokequietlyinMalay，"Isthemateasleep？"

"No.Here，atyourservice."

InamomentSterneappeared，walkingasnoiselesslyasacatonthewharf.

"It’ssojollydark，andIhadnoideayouwouldbedownto—night."

"What’sthishorribleraving？"askedMr.VanWyk，asiftoexplainthecauseofashudderthanranoverhimaudibly.

"Jack’sbrokenoutonadrunk.That’soursecond.

It’shisway.Hewillberightenoughbyto—morrowafternoon，onlyMr.Massywillkeeponworryingupanddownthedeck.Wehadbettergetaway."

Hemutteredsuggestivelyofatalk"upatthehouse."

Hehadlongdesiredtoeffectanentrancethere，butMr.

VanWyknonchalantlydemurred：itwouldnot，hefeared，bequiteprudent，perhaps;andtheopaqueblackshadowunderoneofthetwobigtreesleftatthelanding—placeswallowedthemup，impenetrablydense，bythesideofthewideriver，thatseemedtospinintothreadsofglitterthelightofafewbigstarsdroppedhereandthereuponitsoutspreadandflowingstillness.

"Thesituationisgravebeyonddoubt，"Mr.VanWyksaid.Ghost—likeintheirwhiteclothestheycouldnotdistinguisheachothers’features，andtheirfeetmadenosoundonthesoftearth.Asortofpurringwasheard.Mr.Sternefeltgratifiedbysuchabeginning.

"Ithought，Mr.VanWyk，agentlemanofyoursortwouldseeatoncehowawkwardlyIwassituated."

"Yes，very.Obviouslyhishealthisbad.Perhapshe’sbreakingup.Isee，andhehimselfiswellaware——

IassumeIamspeakingtoamanofsense——heiswellawarethathislegsaregivingout."

"Hislegs——ah！"Mr.Sternewasdisconcerted，andthenturnedsulky."Youmaycallithislegsifyoulike;whatIwanttoknowiswhetherheintendstoclearoutquietly.That’sagoodone，too！Hislegs！

Pooh！"

"Why，yes.Onlylookatthewayhewalks."Mr.

VanWyktookhimupinaperfectlycoolandundoubt—

ingtone."Thequestion，however，iswhetheryoursenseofdutydoesnotcarryyoutoofarfromyourtrueinterest.Afterall，Itoocoulddosomethingtoserveyou.YouknowwhoIam."

"EverybodyalongtheStraitshasheardofyou，sir."

Mr.VanWykpresumedthatthismeantsomethingfavorable.Sternehadasoftlaughatthispleasantry.

Heshouldthinkso！Totheopeningstatement，thatthepartnershipagreementwastoexpireattheendofthisverytrip，hegaveanattentiveassent.Hewasaware.Oneheardofnothingelseonboardalltheblesseddaylong.AstoMassy，itwasnosecretthathewasinajollydeepholewiththeseworn—outboilers.

Hewouldhavetoborrowsomewhereacoupleofhun—

dredfirstofalltopayoffthecaptain;andthenhewouldhavetoraisemoneyonmortgageupontheshipforthenewboilers——thatis，ifhecouldfindalenderatall.Atbestitmeantlossoftime，abreakinthetrade，shortearningsfortheyear——andtherewasalwaysthedangerofhavinghisconnectionfilchedawayfromhimbytheGermans.Itwaswhisperedaboutthathehadalreadytriedtwofirms.Neitherwouldhaveanythingtodowithhim.Shiptooold，andthemantoowellknownintheplaceMr.Sterne’sfinalrapidwink—

ingremainedburiedinthedeepdarknesssibilatingwithhiswhispers.

"Supposing，then，hegottheloan，"Mr.VanWykresumedinadeliberateundertone，"onyourownshow—

inghe’smorethanlikelytogetamortgagee’smanthrustuponhimascaptain.Formypart，IknowthatIwouldmakethatverystipulationmyselfifIhadtofindthemoney.AndasamatteroffactIamthinkingofdoingso.Itwouldbeworthmywhileinmanyways.

Doyouseehowthiswouldbearonthecaseunderdis—

cussion？"

"Thankyou，sir.Iamsureyoucouldn’tgetany—

bodythatwouldcaremoreforyourinterests."

"Well，itsuitsmyinterestthatCaptainWhalleyshouldfinishhistime.IshallprobablytakeapassagewithyoudowntheStraits.Ifthatcanbedone，I’llbeonthespotwhenallthesechangestakeplace，andinapositiontolookafterYOURinterests."

"Mr.VanWyk，Iwantnothingbetter.IamsureIaminfinitely"

"Itakeit，then，thatthismaybedonewithoutanytrouble."

"Well，sir，whatriskthereiscan’tbehelped;but（speakingtoyouasmyemployernow）thethingismoresafethanitlooks.IfanybodyhadtoldmeofitIwouldn’thavebelievedit，butIhavebeenlookingonmyself.ThatoldSeranghasbeentraineduptothegame.There’snothingthematterwithhis——his——

limbs，sir.He’sgotusedtodoingthingshimselfinaremarkableway.Andletmetellyou，sir，thatCap—

tainWhalley，poorman，isbynomeansuseless.Fact.

Letmeexplaintoyou，sir.HestiffensupthatoldmonkeyofaMalay，whoknowswellenoughwhattodo.

Why，hemusthavekeptcaptain’swatchesinallsortsofcountryshipsoffandonforthelastfive—and—twentyyears.Thesenatives，sir，aslongastheyhaveawhitemancloseattheback，willgoondoingtherightthingmostsurprisinglywell——evenifleftquitetothemselves.

Onlythewhitemanmustbeofthesorttoputstarchintothem，andthecaptainisjusttheoneforthat.

Why，sir，hehasdrilledhimsowellthatnowheneedshardlyspeakatall.IhaveseenthatlittlewrinkledapemadetotaketheshipoutofPanguBayonablowymorningandonallthroughtheislands;takeheroutfirst—rate，sir，dodgingundertheoldman’selbow，andinsuchquietstylethatyoucouldnothavetoldforthelifeofyouwhichofthetwowasdoingtheworkupthere.That’swhereourpoorfriendwouldbestillofusetotheshipevenif——if——hecouldnolongerliftafoot，sir.ProvidedtheSerangdoesnotknowthatthere’sanythingwrong."

"Hedoesn’t."

"Naturallynot.Quitebeyondhisapprehension.

Theyaren’tcapableoffindingoutanythingaboutus，sir."

"Youseemtobeashrewdman，"saidMr.VanWykinachokedmutter，asthoughhewerefeelingsick.

"You’llfindmeagoodenoughservant，sir."

Mr.Sternehopednowforahandshakeatleast，butunexpectedly，witha"What’sthis？Betternottobeseentogether，"Mr.VanWyk’swhiteshapewavered，andinstantlyseemedtomeltawayintheblackairundertheroofofboughs.Thematewasstartled.Yes.

Therewasthatfaintthumpingclatter.

Hestoleoutsilentlyfromundertheshade.Thelightedport—holeshonefromafar.Hisheadswamwiththeintoxicationofsuddensuccess.Whatathingitwastohaveagentlemantodealwith！Hecreptaboard，andtherewassomethingweirdintheshadowystretchofemptydecks，echoingwithshoutsandblowsproceed—

ingfromadarkerpartamidships.Mr.Massywasragingbeforethedooroftheberth：thedrunkenvoicewithinflowedonundisturbedintheviolentracketofkicks.

"Shutup！Putyourlightoutandturnin，youconfoundedswillingpig——you！D’youhearme，youbeast？"

Thekickingstopped，andinthepausethemuzzyoracularvoiceannouncedfromwithin——

"Ah！Massy，now——that’sanotherthing.Massy’sdeep."

"Who’sthataftthere？You，Sterne？He’lldrinkhimselfintoafitofhorrors."Thechiefengineerap—

pearedvagueandbigatthecorneroftheengine—

room.

"Hewillbegoodenoughfordutyto—morrow.Iwouldlethimbe，Mr.Massy."

Sterneslippedawayintohisberth，andatoncehadtositdown.Hisheadswamwithexultation.Hegotintohisbunkasifinadream.Afeelingofprofoundpeace，ofpacificjoy，cameoverhim.Ondeckallwasquiet.

Mr.Massy，withhisearagainstthedoorofJack’scabin，listenedcriticallytoadeepstertorousbreathingwithin.Thiswasadead—drunksleep.Theboutwasover：tranquilizedonthatscore，hetoowentin，andwithslowwrigglesgotoutofhisoldtweedjacket.Itwasagarmentwithmanypockets，whichheusedtoputonatoddtimesoftheday，beingsubjecttosuddenchillyfits，andwhenhefeltwarmedhewouldtakeitoffandhangitaboutanywhereallovertheship.Itwouldbeseenswingingonbelaying—pins，thrownovertheheadsofwinches，suspendedonpeople’sverydoor—

handlesforthatmatter.Washenottheowner？Buthisfavoriteplacewasahookonawoodenawningstanchiononthebridge，almostagainstthebinnacle.

HehadevenintheearlydaysmorethanonetussleonthatpointwithCaptainWhalley，whodesiredthebridgetobekepttidy.Hehadbeenoverawedthen.

Oflate，though，hehadbeenabletodefyhispartnerwithimpunity.CaptainWhalleyneverseemedtonoticeanythingnow.AstotheMalays，intheiraweofthatscowlingmannotoneofthecrewwoulddreamoflayingahandonthething，nomatterwhereorwhatitswungfrom.

WithanunexpectednesswhichmadeMr.Massyjumpanddropthecoatathisfeet，therecamefromthenextberththecrashandthudofaheadlong，jingling，clat—

teringfall.ThefaithfulJackmusthavedroppedtosleepsuddenlyashesatathisrevels，andnowhadgoneoverchairandall，breaking，asitseemedbythesound，everysingleglassandbottleintheplace.Aftertheterrificsmashallwasstillforatimeinthere，asthoughhehadkilledhimselfoutrightonthespot.Mr.

Massyheldhisbreath.Atlastasleepyuneasygroan—

ingsighwasexhaledslowlyontheothersideofthebulkhead.

"Ihopetogoodnesshe’stoodrunktowakeupnow，"

mutteredMr.Massy.

Thesoundofasoftlyknowinglaughnearlydrovehimtodespair.Hesworeviolentlyunderhisbreath.

Thefoolwouldkeephimawakeallnightnowforcer—

tain.Hecursedhisluck.Hewantedtoforgethismaddeningtroublesinsleepsometimes.Hecoulddetectnomovements.Withoutapparentlymakingtheslight—

estattempttogetup，Jackwentonsniggeringtohim—

selfwherehelay;thenbegantospeak，wherehehadleftoffasitwere——

"Massy！Ilovethedirtyrascal.HewouldliketoseehispooroldJackstarve——butjustyoulookwherehehasclimbedto."Hehiccoughedinasuperior，leisurelymanner"Ship—owningitwiththebest.

Alotteryticketyouwant.Ha！ha！Iwillgiveyoulotterytickets，myboy.Lettheoldshipsinkandtheoldchumstarve——that’sright.Hedon’tgowrong——

Massydon’t.Nothe.He’sagenius——thatmanis.

That’sthewaytowinyourmoney.Shipandchummustgo."

"Thesillyfoolhastakenittoheart，"mutteredMassytohimself.And，listeningwithasoftenedexpressionoffaceforanyslightsignofreturningdrowsiness，hewasdiscouragedprofoundlybyaburstoflaughterfullofjoyfulirony.

"Wouldliketoseeheratthebottomofthesea！Oh，youclever，cleverdevil！Wishhersunk，eh？Ishouldthinkyouwould，myboy;thedamnedoldthingandallyourtroubleswithher.Rakeintheinsurancemoney——turnyourbackonyouroldchum——all’swell——gentle—

managain."

AgrimstillnesshadcomeoverMassy’sface.Onlyhisbigblackeyesrolleduneasily.Theravingfool.

Andyetitwasalltrue.Yes.Lotterytickets，too.

Alltrue.What？Beginningagain？Hewishedhewouldn’t

Butitwasevenso.Theimaginativedrunkardontheothersideofthebulkheadshookoffthedeathlikestillnessthatafterhislastwordshadfallenonthedarkshipmooredtoasilentshore.

"Don’tyoudaretosayanythingagainstGeorgeMassy，Esquire.Whenhe’stiredofwaitinghewilldoawaywithher.Lookout！Downshegoes——chumandall.He’llknowhowto"

Thevoicehesitated，weary，dreamy，lost，asifdyingawayinavastopenspace.

"Findatrickthatwillwork.He’suptoit——

neverfear"

Hemusthavebeenverydrunk，foratlasttheheavysleepgrippedhimwiththesuddennessofamagicspell，andthelastwordlengtheneditselfintoaninterminable，noisy，in—drawnsnore.Andtheneventhesnoringstopped，andallwasstill.

ButitseemedasthoughMr.Massyhadsuddenlycometodoubttheefficacyofsleepasagainstaman’stroubles;

orperhapshehadfoundthereliefheneededinthestillnessofacalmcontemplationthatmaycontainthevividthoughtsofwealth，ofastrokeofluck，oflongidleness，andmaybringbeforeyoutheimaginedformofeverydesire;for，turningaboutandthrowinghisarmsovertheedgeofhisbunk，hestoodtherewithhisfeetonhisfavoriteoldcoat，lookingoutthroughtheroundportintothenightovertheriver.Sometimesabreathofwindwouldenterandtouchhisface，acoolbreathchargedwiththedamp，freshfeelfromavastbodyofwater.Aglimmerhereandtherewasallhecouldseeofit;andoncehemightafterallsupposehehaddozedoff，sincethereappearedbeforehisvision，unexpectedlyandconnectedwithnodream，arowofflamingandgiganticfigures——threenaughtsevenonetwo——makingupanumbersuchasyoumayseeonalotteryticket.Andthenallatoncetheportwasnolongerblack：itwaspearlygray，framingashorecrowdedwithhouses，thatchedroofbeyondthatchedroof，wallsofmatsandbamboo，gablesofcarvedteaktimber.Rowsofdwellingsraisedonaforestofpileslinedthesteelybandoftheriver，brimfulandstill，withthetideattheturn.ThiswasBatuBeru——andthedayhadcome.

Mr.Massyshookhimself，putonthetweedcoat，and，shiveringnervouslyasiffromsomegreatshock，madeanoteofthenumber.Afortunate，rarehintthat.

Yes;buttopursuefortuneonewantedmoney——readycash.

Thenhewentoutandpreparedtodescendintotheengine—room.Severalsmalljobshadtobeseento，andJackwaslyingdeaddrunkonthefloorofhiscabin，withthedoorlockedatthat.Hisgorgeroseatthethoughtofwork.Ay！Butifyouwantedtodonoth—

ingyouhadtogetfirstagoodbitofmoney.A

shipwon’tsaveyou.HecursedtheSofala.True，alltrue.Hewastiredofwaitingforsomechancethatwouldridhimatlastofthatshipthathadturnedoutacurseonhislife.

XIV

Thedeep，interminablehootofthesteam—whistlehad，initsgrave，vibratingnote，somethingintolerable，whichsentaslightshudderdownMr.VanWyk’sback.

Itwastheearlyafternoon;theSofalawasleavingBatuBeruforPangu，thenextplaceofcall.Sheswunginthestream，scantilyattendedbyafewcanoes，and，glid—

ingonthebroadriver，becamelosttoviewfromtheVanWykbungalow.

Itsownerhadnotgonethistimetoseeheroff.Gen—

erallyhecamedowntothewharf，exchangedafewwordswiththebridgewhileshecastoff，andwavedhishandtoCaptainWhalleyatthelastmoment.Thisdayhedidnotevengoasfarasthebalustradeoftheveranda."Hecouldn’tseemeifIdid，"hesaidtohimself."Iwonderwhetherhecanmakeoutthehouseatall."Andthisthoughtsomehowmadehimfeelmorealonethanhehadeverfeltforalltheseyears.Whatwasit？sixorseven？Seven.Alongtime.

Hesatontheverandawithaclosedbookonhisknee，and，asitwere，lookedoutuponhissolitude，asifthefactofCaptainWhalley’sblindnesshadopenedhiseyestohisown.Thereweremanysortsofheartachesandtroubles，andtherewasnoplacewheretheycouldnotfindamanout.Andhefeltashamed，asthoughhehadforsixyearsbehavedlikeapeevishboy.

HisthoughtfollowedtheSofalaonherway.Onthespurofthemomenthehadactedimpulsively，turningtothethingmostpressing.Andwhatelsecouldhehavedone？Lateronheshouldsee.Itseemedneces—

sarythatheshouldcomeoutintotheworld，foratimeatleast.Hehadmoney——somethingcouldbear—

ranged;hewouldgrudgenotime，notrouble，nolossofhissolitude.Itweighedonhimnow——andCaptainWhalleyappearedtohimashehadsatshadinghiseyes，asif，beingdeceivedinthetrustofhisfaith，hewerebeyondallthegoodandevilthatcanbewroughtbythehandsofmen.

Mr.VanWyk’sthoughtsfollowedtheSofaladowntheriver，windingaboutthroughthebeltofthecoastforest，betweenthebuttressedshaftsofthebigtrees，throughthemangrovestrip，andoverthebar.Theshipcrossediteasilyinbroaddaylight，piloted，asithappened，byMr.Sterne，whotookthewatchfromfourtosix，andthenwentbelowtohughimselfwithdelightatthepros—

pectofbeingvirtuallyemployedbyarichman——likeMr.VanWyk.Hecouldnotseehowanyhitchcouldoccurnow.Hedidnotseemabletogetoverthefeelingofbeing"fixedupatlast."Fromsixtoeight，inthecourseofduty，theSeranglookedaloneaftertheship.

Shehadaclearroadbeforehernowtillaboutthreeinthemorning，whenshewouldclosewiththePangugroup.AteightMr.Sternecameoutcheerilytotakechargeagaintillmidnight.Attenhewasstillchir—

rupingandhummingtohimselfonthebridge，andaboutthattimeMr.VanWyk’sthoughtabandonedtheSofala.Mr.VanWykhadfallenasleepatlast.

Massy，blockingtheengine—roomcompanion，jerkedhimselfintohistweedjacketsurlily，whilethesecondwaitedwithascowl.

"Oh.Youcameout？Yousot！Well，whathaveyougottosayforyourself？"

Hehadbeeninchargeoftheenginestillthen.A

somberfurydarkenedhismind：ahotangeragainsttheship，againstthefactsoflife，againstthemenfortheircheating，againsthimselftoo——becauseofanin—

wardtremorofhisheart.

Anincomprehensiblegrowlansweredhim.

"What？Can’tyouopenyourmouthnow？Youyelpoutyourinfernalrotloudenoughwhenyouaredrunk.