第41章
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  TheabsorbinganddisastrousadventureoftheFlyingScudwasnowquiteended;wehaddashedintothesedeepwatersandwehadescapedagaintostarve,wehadbeenruinedandweresaved,hadquarrelledandmadeup;thereremainednothingbuttosingTeDeum,drawaline,andbeginonafreshpageofmyunwrittendiary。IdonotpretendthatIrecoveredallIhadlostwithMamie;itwouldhavebeenmorethanIhadmerited;andI

  hadcertainlybeenmoreuncommunicativethanbecameeitherthepartnerorthefriend。Butsheacceptedthepositionhandsomely;andduringtheweekthatInowpassedwiththem,bothsheandJimhadthegracetosparemequestions。ItwastoCalistogathatwewent;therewassomerumourofaNapaland-boomatthemoment,thepossibilityofstirattractedJim,andheinformedmehewouldfindacertainjoyinlookingon,muchasNapoleononSt。Helenatookapleasuretoreadmilitaryworks。Thefieldofhisambitionwasquiteclosed;hewasdonewithaction;andlookedforwardtoaranchinamountaindingle,apatchofcorn,apairofkine,aleisurelyandcontemplativeageinthegreenshadeofforests。“Justletmegetdownonmybackinahayfield。”saidhe,“andyou’llfindthere’snomoresnaptomethanthatmuchputty。”

  Andfortwodaystheperfervidbeingactuallyrested。Thethird,hewasobservedinconsultationwiththelocaleditor,andownedhewasintwomindsaboutpurchasingthepressandpaper。“It’sakindofaholdforanidleman。”hesaid,pleadingly;“andifthesectionwastoopenupthewayitoughtto,theremightbedollarsinthething。”Onthefourthdayhewasgonetilldinner-timealone;onthefifthwemadealongpicnicdrivetothefreshfieldofenterprise;andthesixthwaspassedentirelyinthepreparationofprospectuses。ThepioneerofMcBrideCitywasalreadyuprightandself-reliantasofyore;

  thefirerekindledinhiseye,theringrestoredtohisvoice;achargersniffingbattleandsayingha-ha,amongthespears。Ontheseventhmorningwesignedadeedofpartnership,forJimwouldnotacceptadollarofmymoneyotherwise;andhavingoncemoreengagedmyself——orthatmortalpartofme,mypurse——amongthewheelsofhismachinery,IreturnedalonetoSanFranciscoandtookquartersinthePalaceHotel。

  ThesamenightIhadNarestodinner。Hissunburntface,hisqueerandpersonalstrainoftalk,recalleddaysthatwerescarceoverandthatseemedalreadydistant。Throughthemusicofthebandoutside,andthechinkandclatterofthedining-room,itseemedtomeasifIheardthefoamingofthesurfandthevoicesofthesea-birdsaboutMidwayIsland。Thebruisesonourhandswerenotyethealed;andtherewesat,waitedonbyelaboratedarkies,eatingpompanoanddrinkingicedchampagne。

  “ThinkofourdinnersontheNorah,captain,andthenobligemebylookingroundtheroomforcontrast。”

  Hetookthesceneinslowly。“Yes,itislikeadream。”hesaid:

  “likeasifthedarkieswerereallyaboutasbigasdimes;andagreatbigscuttlemightopenupthere,andJohnsonstickinagreatbigheadandshoulders,andcry,’Eightbells!’——andthewholethingvanish。”

  “Well,it’stheotherthingthathasdonethat。”Ireplied。“It’sallbygonenow,alldeadandburied。Amen!sayI。”

  “Idon’tknowthat,Mr。Dodd;andtotellyouthefact,Idon’tbelieveit。”saidNares。“There’smoreFlyingScudintheoven;

  andthebaker’sname,Itakeit,isBellairs。Hetackledmethedaywecamein:sortofarazeeofpooroldhumanity——juryclothes——fullnewsuitofpimples:knewhimatoncefromyourdescription。IlethimpumpmetillIsawhisgame。Heknowsagooddealthatwedon’tknow,agooddealthatwedo,andsuspectsthebalance。There’stroublebrewingforsomebody。”

  IwassurprisedIhadnotthoughtofthisbefore。Bellairshadbeenbehindthescenes;hehadknownDickson;heknewtheflightofthecrew;itwashardlypossiblebutwhatheshouldsuspect;itwascertainifhesuspected,thathewouldseektotradeonthesuspicion。Andsureenough,Iwasnotyetdressedthenextmorningerethelawyerwasknockingatmydoor。Ilethimin,forIwascurious;andhe,aftersomeambiguousprolegomena,roundlyproposedIshouldgoshareswithhim。

  “Sharesinwhat?”Iinquired。

  “Ifyouwillallowmetoclothemyideainasomewhatvulgarform。”saidhe,“Imightaskyou,didyougotoMidwayforyourhealth?”

  “Idon’tknowthatIdid。”Ireplied。

  “Similarly,Mr。Dodd,youmaybesureIwouldneverhavetakenthepresentstepwithoutinfluentialgrounds。”pursuedthelawyer。“Intrusionisforeigntomycharacter。ButyouandI,sir,areengagedonthesameends。Ifwecancontinuetoworkthethingincompany,Iplaceatyourdisposalmyknowledgeofthelawandaconsiderablepracticeindelicatenegotiationssimilartothis。Shouldyourefusetoconsent,youmightfindinmeaformidableand“——hehesitated——“andtomyownregret,perhapsadangerouscompetitor。”

  “Didyougetthisbyheart?”Iasked,genially。

  “IadviseYOUto!”hesaid,withasuddensparkleoftemperandmenace,instantlygone,instantlysucceededbyfreshcringing。“Iassureyou,sir,Iarriveinthecharacterofafriend;

  andIbelieveyouunderestimatemyinformation。IfImayinstanceanexample,Iamacquaintedtothelastdimewithwhatyoumadeorratherlost,andIknowyouhavesincecashedaconsiderabledraftonLondon。”

  “Whatdoyouinfer?”Iasked。

  “Iknowwherethatdraftcamefrom。”hecried,wincingbacklikeonewhohasgreatlydared,andinstantlyregretstheventure。

  “So?”saidI。

  “YouforgetIwasMr。Dickson’sconfidentialagent。”heexplained。“Youhadhisaddress,Mr。Dodd。WeweretheonlytwothathecommunicatedwithinSanFrancisco。Youseemydeductionsarequiteobvious:youseehowopenandfrankI

  dealwithyou,asIshouldwishtodowithanygentlemanwithwhomIwasconjoinedinbusiness。YouseehowmuchI

  know;anditcanscarcelyescapeyourstrongcommon-sense,howmuchbetteritwouldbeifIknewall。Youcannothopetogetridofmeatthistimeofday,Ihavemyplaceintheaffair,I

  cannotbeshakenoff;Iam,ifyouwillexcusearathertechnicalpleasantry,anencumbranceontheestate。TheactualharmI

  cando,Ileaveyoutovaluateforyourself。Butwithoutgoingsofar,Mr。Dodd,andwithoutinanywayinconveniencingmyself,Icouldmakethingsveryuncomfortable。Forinstance,Mr。Pinkerton’sliquidation。YouandIknow,sir——andyoubetterthanI——onwhatalargefundyoudraw。IsMr。Pinkertoninthethingatall?Itwasyouonlywhoknewtheaddress,andyouwereconcealingit。SupposeIshouldcommunicatewithMr。Pinkerton——“

  “Lookhere!”Iinterrupted,“communicatewithhimifyouwillpermitmetoclothemyideainavulgarshapetillyouareblueintheface。ThereisonlyonepersonwithwhomIrefusetoallowyoutocommunicatefurther,andthatismyself。Goodmorning。”

  Hecouldnotconcealhisrage,disappointment,andsurprise;

  andinthepassageIhavenodoubtwasshakenbySt。Vitus。

  Iwasdisgustedbythisinterview;itstruckmehardtobesuspectedonallhands,andtohearagainfromthistraffickerwhatIhadheardalreadyfromJim’swife;andyetmystrongestimpressionwasdifferentandmightratherbedescribedasanimpersonalfear。Therewassomethingagainstnatureintheman’scravenimpudence;itwasasthoughalambhadbuttedme;suchdaringatthehandsofsuchadastard,impliedunchangeableresolve,agreatpressureofnecessity,andpowerfulmeans。IthoughtoftheunknownCarthew,anditsickenedmetoseethisferretonhistrail。

  UponinquiryIfoundthelawyerwasbutjustdisbarredforsomemalpractice;andthediscoveryaddedexcessivelytomydisquiet。Herewasarascalwithoutmoneyorthemeansofmakingit,thrustoutofthedoorsofhisowntrade,publiclyshamed,anddoubtlessinadeuceofabadtemperwiththeuniverse。Here,ontheotherhand,wasamanwithasecret;

  rich,terrified,practicallyinhiding;whohadbeenwillingtopaytenthousandpoundsforthebonesoftheFlyingScud。I

  slippedinsensiblyintoamentalalliancewiththevictim;thebusinessweighedonme;alldaylong,Iwaswonderinghowmuchthelawyerknew,howmuchheguessed,andwhenhewouldopenhisattack。

  Someoftheseproblemsareunsolvedtothisday;othersweresoonmadeclear。WherehegotCarthew’snameisstillamystery;perhapssomesailorontheTempest,perhapsmyownsea-lawyerservedhimforatool;butIwasactuallyathiselbowwhenhelearnedtheaddress。Itfellso。Oneevening,whenIhadanengagementandwaskillingtimeuntilthehour,Ichancedtowalkinthecourtofthehotelwhilethebandplayed。Theplacewasbrightasdaywiththeelectriclight;andIrecognised,atsomedistanceamongtheloiterers,thepersonofBellairsintalkwithagentlemanwhosefaceappearedfamiliar。ItwascertainlysomeoneIhadseen,andseenrecently;butwhoorwhere,Iknewnot。Aporterstandinghardby,gavemethenecessaryhint。ThestrangerwasanEnglishnavyman,invalidedhomefromHonolulu,wherehehadlefthisship;indeed,itwasonlyfromthechangeofclothesandtheeffectsofsickness,thatIhadnotimmediatelyrecognisedmyfriendandcorrespondent,LieutenantSebright。

  Theconjunctionoftheseplanetsseemingominous,Idrewnear;butitseemedBellairshaddonehisbusiness;hevanishedinthecrowd,andIfoundmyofficeralone。

  “Doyouknowwhomyouhavebeentalkingto,Mr。Sebright?”

  Ibegan。

  “No。”saidhe;“Idon’tknowhimfromAdam。Anythingwrong?”

  “Heisadisreputablelawyer,recentlydisbarred。”saidI。“I

  wishIhadseenyouintime。ItrustyoutoldhimnothingaboutCarthew?”

  Heflushedtohisears。“I’mawfullysorry。”hesaid。“Heseemedcivil,andIwantedtogetridofhim。Itwasonlytheaddressheasked。”

  “Andyougaveit?”Icried。

  “I’mreallyawfullysorry。”saidSebright。“I’mafraidIdid。”

  “Godforgiveyou!”wasmyonlycomment,andIturnedmybackupontheblunderer。

  Thefatwasinthefirenow:Bellairshadtheaddress,andIwasthemoredeceivedorCarthewwouldhavenewsofhim。Sostrongwasthisimpression,andsopainful,thatthenextmorningIhadthecuriositytopaythelawyer’sdenavisit。Anoldwomanwasscrubbingthestair,andtheboardwasdown。

  “LawyerBellairs?”saidtheoldwoman。“GoneEastthismorning。There’sLawyerDeannextblockup。”

  IdidnottroubleLawyerDean,butwalkedslowlybacktomyhotel,ruminatingasIwent。Theimageoftheoldwomanwashingthatdesecratedstairhadstruckmyfancy;itseemedthatallthewater-supplyofthecityandallthesoapintheStatewouldscarcesufficetocleanseit,ithadbeensolongaclearing-houseofdingysecretsandafactoryofsordidfraud。Andnowthecornerwasuntenanted;somejudge,likeacarefulhousewife,hadknockeddowntheweb,andthebloatedspiderwasscuttlingelsewhereafternewvictims。IhadoflateasI

  havesaidinsensiblytakensideswithCarthew;nowwhenhisenemywasathisheels,myinterestgrewmorewarm;andI

  begantowonderifIcouldnothelp。ThedramaoftheFlyingScudwasenteringonanewphase。Ithadbeensingularfromthefirst:itpromisedanextraordinaryconclusion;andI,whohadpaidsomuchtolearnthebeginning,mightpayalittlemoreandseetheend。IlingeredinSanFrancisco,indemnifyingmyselfafterthehardshipsofthecruise,spendingmoney,regrettingit,continuallypromisingdepartureforthemorrow。Whynotgoindeed,andkeepawatchuponBellairs?

  IfImissedhim,therewasnoharmdone,IwasthenearerParis。IfIfoundandkepthistrail,itwashardifIcouldnotputsomestickinhismachinery,andattheworstIcouldpromisemyselfinterestingscenesandrevelations。

  Insuchamixedhumour,Imadeupwhatitpleasesmetocallmymind,andoncemoreinvolvedmyselfinthestoryofCarthewandtheFlyingScud。ThesamenightIwrotealetteroffarewelltoJim,andoneofanxiouswarningtoDr。UrquartbegginghimtosetCarthewonhisguard;themorrowsawmeintheferry-boat;andtendayslater,IwaswalkingthehurricanedeckontheCityofDenver。Bythattimemymindwasprettymuchmadedownagain,itsnaturalcondition:ItoldmyselfthatIwasboundforParisorFontainebleautoresumethestudyofthearts;andIthoughtnomoreofCartheworBellairs,oronlytosmileatmyownfondness。TheoneIcouldnotserve,evenifIwanted;theotherIhadnomeansoffinding,evenifIcouldhaveatallinfluencedhimafterhewasfound。

  Andforallthat,Iwascloseontheheelsofanabsurdadventure。Myneighbourattablethateveningwasa’FriscomanwhomIknewslightly。Ifoundhehadcrossedtheplainstwodaysinfrontofme,andthiswasthefirststeamerthathadleftNewYorkforEuropesincehisarrival。TwodaysbeforememeantadaybeforeBellairs;anddinnerwasscarcedonebeforeIwasclosetedwiththepurser。

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