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，theyearsbeforeandtheyearsnotsomanyafterCloetecameuponthescene。Whenhebegantospeakagain，I
discernedhisintentiontopointouttome，inhisobscureandgraphicmanner，theinfluenceonGeorgeDunbaroflongassociationwithCloete\'seasymoralstandards，unscrupulouslypersuasivegiftofhumourfunnyfellow，andadventurouslyrecklessdisposition。
Hedesiredmeanxiouslytoelaboratethisview，andIassuredhimitwasquitewithinmypowers。HewishedmealsotounderstandthatGeorge\'sbusinesshaditsupsanddownstheotherbrotherwasmeantimesailingtoandfroserenely；thathegotintolowwaterattimes，whichworriedhimrather，becausehehadmarriedayoungwifewithexpensivetastes。Hewashavingaprettyanxioustimeofitgenerally；andjustthenCloeteranupinthecitysomewhereagainstamanworkingapatentmedicinethefellow\'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。TheblamedthingwantstomahawkingseemsthenameSagamoremeansanIndianchieforsomething。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。