Andindeedonthinkingitoveritwouldhavebeenplausibleenoughiftherehadn’tbeenalwaystheessentialfalsenessofirresponsibilityinSchom—
berg’schatter。However，Iwasnotdisposedtoin—
vestigatethepsychologyofFalk。IwasengagedjustthenineatingdespondentlyapieceofstaleDutchcheese，beingtoomuchcrushedtocarewhatIswallowedmyself，letalongbotheringmyheadaboutFalk’sideasofgastronomy。Icouldexpectfromtheirstudynocluetohisconductinmattersofbusiness，whichseemedtometotallyunrestrainedbymoralityorevenbythecommonestsortofde—
cency。HowinsignificantandcontemptibleImustappear，forthefellowtodaretreatmelikethis——I
reflectedsuddenly，writhinginsilentagony。AndIconsignedFalkandallhispeculiaritiestothedevilwithsomuchmentalfervourastoforgetSchom—
berg’sexistence，tillhegrabbedmyarmurgently。
\"Well，youmaythinkandthinktilleveryhairofyourheadfallsoff，captain；butyoucan’texplainitinanyotherway。\"
ForthesakeofpeaceandquietnessIadmittedhurriedlythatIcouldn’t：persuadedthatnowhewouldleaveoff。Buttheonlyresultwastomakehismoistfaceshinewiththeprideofcunning。Heremovedhishandforamomenttoscareablackmassoffliesoffthesugar—basinandcaughtholdofmyarmagain。
\"Tobesure。Andinthesamewayeverybodyisawarehewouldliketogetmarried。Onlyhecan’t。
Letmequoteyouaninstance。Well，twoyearsagoaMissVanlo，averyladylikegirl，camefromhometokeephouseforherbrother，Fred，whohadanen—
gineeringshopforsmallrepairsbythewaterside。
SuddenlyFalktakestogoinguptotheirbunga—
lowafterdinner，andsittingforhoursintheveran—
dahsayingnothing。Thepoorgirlcouldn’ttellforthelifeofherwhattodowithsuchaman，soshewouldkeeponplayingthepianoandsingingtohimeveningaftereveningtillshewasreadytodrop。Anditwasn’tasifshehadbeenastrongyoungwomaneither。Shewasthirty，andthecli—
matehadbeenplayingthedeucewithher。Then——
don’tyouknow——Fredhadtositupwiththemforpropriety，andduringwholeweeksonendnevergotasinglechancetogettobedbeforemidnight。
Thatwasnotpleasantforatiredman——wasit？
AndbesidesFredhadworriesthenbecausehisshopdidn’tpayandhewasdroppingmoneyfast。Hejustlongedtogetawayfromhereandtryhislucksomewhereelse，butforthesakeofhissisterhehungonandontillheranhimselfintodebtoverhisears——Icantellyou。I，myself，couldshowahand—
fulofhischitsformealsanddrinksinmydrawer。
Icouldneverfindouttho’wherehefoundallthemoneyatlast。Can’tbebuthemusthavegotsome—
thingoutofthatbrotherofhis，acoalmerchantinPortSaid。Anyhowhepaideverybodybeforeheleft，butthegirlnearlybrokeherheart。Disap—
pointment，ofcourse，andatherage，don’tyouknow……Mrs。Schombergherewasveryfriendlywithher，andshecouldtellyou。Awfuldespair。
Faintingfits。Itwasascandal。Anotoriousscan—
dal。TothatextentthatoldMr。Siegers——notyourpresentcharterer，butMr。Siegersthefather，theoldgentlemanwhoretiredfrombusinessonafortuneandgotburiedatseagoinghome，HEhadtointerviewFalkinhisprivateoffice。HewasamanwhocouldspeaklikeaDutchUncle，and，be—
sides，Messrs。SiegershadbeenhelpingFalkwithagoodbitofmoneyfromthestart。Infactyoumaysaytheymadehimasfarasthatgoes。
Itsohappenedthatjustatthetimeheturneduphere，theirfirmwascharteringalotofsailingshipseveryyear，anditsuitedtheirbusinessthatthereshouldbegoodtowingfacilitiesontheriver。See？……Well——there’salwaysanearatthekeyhole——
isn’tthere？Infact，\"heloweredhistoneconfiden—
tially，\"inthiscaseagoodfriendofmine；amanyoucanseehereanyevening；onlytheyconversedratherlow。Anyhowmyfriend’scertainthatFalkwastryingtomakeallsortsofexcuses，andoldMr。
Siegerswascoughingalot。AndyetFalkwantedallthetimetobemarriedtoo。Why!It’snotoriousthemanhasbeenlongingforyearstomakeahomeforhimself。Onlyhecan’tfacetheexpense。
Whenitcomestoputtinghishandinhispocket——
itchokeshimoff。That’sthetruthandnoother。
I’vealwayssaidso，andeverybodyagreeswithmebythistime。Whatdoyouthinkofthat——eh？\"
Heappealedconfidentlytomyindignation，buthavingamindtoannoyhimIremarked，\"thatitseemedtomeverypitiful——iftrue。\"
HebouncedinhischairasifIhadrunapinintohim。Idon’tknowwhathemighthavesaid，onlyatthatmomentweheardthroughthehalfopendoorofthebilliard—roomthefootstepsoftwomenenteringfromtheverandah，amurmuroftwovoices；atthesharptappingofacoinonatableMrs。Schomberghalfroseirresolutely。\"Sitstill，\"
hehissedather，andthen，inanhospitable，jovialtone，contrastingamazinglywiththeangryglancethathadmadehiswifesinkinherchair，hecriedveryloud：\"Tiffinstillgoingoninhere，gentle—
men。\"
Therewasnoanswer，butthevoicesdroppedsud—
denly。TheheadChinamanwentout。Weheardtheclinkoficeintheglasses，pouringsounds，theshufflingoffeet，thescrapingofchairs。Schom—
berg，afterwonderinginalowmutterwhothedevilcouldbethereatthistimeoftheday，gotupnapkininhandtopeepthroughthedoorwaycautiously。
Heretreatedrapidlyontip—toe，andwhisperingbe—
hindhishandinformedmethatitwasFalk，Falkhimselfwhowasinthere，and，what’smore，hehadCaptainHermannwithhim。
ThereturnofthetugfromtheouterRoadswasunexpectedbutpossible，forFalkhadtakenawaytheDianaathalf—pastfive，anditwasnowtwoo’clock。Schombergwishedmetoobservethatneitherofthesemenwouldspendadollaronatiffin，whichtheymusthavewanted。ButbythetimeI
wasreadytoleavethedining—roomFalkhadgone。
Iheardthelastofhisbigbootsontheplanksoftheverandah。Hermannwassittingquitealoneinthelarge，woodenroomwiththetwolifelessbilliardtablesshroudedinstripedcovers，moppinghisfacediligently。Heworehisbestgo—ashoreclothes，astiffcollar，blackcoat，largewhitewaistcoat，greytrousers。Awhitecottonsunshadewithacanehan—
dlereposedbetweenhislegs，hissidewhiskerswereneatlybrushed，hischinhadbeenfreshlyshaved；
andheonlydistantlyresembledthedishevelledandterrifiedmaninasnuffynightshirtandignobleoldtrousersIhadseeninthemorninghangingontothewheeloftheDiana。
Hegaveastartatmyentrance，andaddressedmeatonceinsomeconfusion，butwithgenuineea—
gerness。Hewasanxioustomakeitclearhehadnothingtodowithwhathecalledthe\"tampiz—
ness\"ofthemorning。Itwasmostinconvenient。
Hehadreckoneduponanotherdayupintowntosettlehisbillsandsigncertainpapers。Therewerealsosomefewstorestocome，andsundrypiecesof\"myironwork，\"ashecalleditquaintly，landedforrepairs，hadbeenleftbehind。Nowhewouldhavetohireanativeboattotakeallthisouttotheship。
Itwouldcostfiveorsixdollarsperhaps。HehadhadnowarningfromFalk。Nothing……Hehitthetablewithhisdumpyfist……Derver—
fluchteKerlcameinthemorninglikea\"tam’
ropper，\"makingagreatnoise，andtookhimaway。
Hismatewasnotprepared，hisshipwasmooredfast——heprotesteditwasshamefultocomeuponamaninthatway。Shameful!YetsuchwasthepowerFalkhadontheriverthatwhenIsuggestedinachillingtonethathemighthavesimplyrefusedtohavehisshipmoved，Hermannwasquitestartledattheidea。Ineverrealisedsowellbeforethatthisisanageofsteam。TheexclusivepossessionofamarineboilerhadgivenFalkthewhiphandofusall。Hermann，recovering，putittomeappealinglythatIknewverywellhowunsafeitwastocontra—
dictthatfellow。AtthisIonlysmileddistantly。
\"DerKerl!\"hecried。Hewassorryhehadnotrefused。Hewasindeed。Thedamage!Thedam—
age!Whatforallthatdamage!Therewasnooccasionfordamage。DidIknowhowmuchdam—
agehehaddone？ItgavemeacertainsatisfactiontotellhimthatIhadheardhisoldwaggonofashipcrackforeandaftasshewentby。\"Youpassedcloseenoughtome，\"Iaddedsignificantly。
Hethrewbothhishandsuptoheavenattherec—
ollection。Oneofthemgraspedbythemiddlethewhiteparasol，andheresembledcuriouslyacarica—
tureofashopkeepingcitizeninoneofhisownGer—
mancomicpapers。\"Ach!Thatwasdangerous，\"
hecried。Iwasamused。Butdirectlyheaddedwithanappearanceofsimplicity，\"Thesideofyourironshipwouldhavebeencrushedinlike——
likethismatchbox。\"
\"Wouldit？\"Igrowled，muchlessamusednow；
butbythetimeIhaddecidedthatthisremarkwasnotmeantforadigatmehehadworkedhimselfintoahighstateofresentfulnessagainstFalk。
Theinconvenience，thedamage，theexpense!Gott—
ferdam!Deviltakethefellow。BehindthebarSchombergwithacigarinhisteeth，pretendedtobewritingwithapencilonalargesheetofpaper；
andasHermann’sexcitementincreaseditmademecomfortinglyawareofmyowncalmnessandsupe—
riority。ButitoccurredtomewhileIlistenedtohisrevilings，thatafterallthegoodmanhadcomeupinthetug。Thereperhaps——sincehemustcometotown——hehadnooption。ButevidentlyhehadhadadrinkwithFalk，eitheracceptedoroffered。
Howwasthat？SoIcheckedhimbysayingloftilythatIhopedhewouldmakeFalkpayforeverypennyofthedamage。
\"That’sit!That’sit!Goforhim，\"calledoutSchombergfromthebar，flinginghispencildownandrubbinghishands。
Weignoredhisnoise。ButHermann’sexcite—
mentsuddenlywentofftheboilaswhenyouremoveasaucepanfromthefire。Iurgedonhisconsidera—
tionthathehaddonenowwithFalkandFalk’scon—
foundedtug。He，Hermann，wouldnot，perhaps，turnupagaininthispartoftheworldforyearstocome，sincehewasgoingtoselltheDianaattheendofthisverytrip（\"Gohomepassengerinamailboat，\"hemurmuredmechanically）。Hewasthere—
foresafefromFalk’smalice。AllhehadtodowastoraceofftohisconsigneesandstoppaymentofthetowagebillbeforeFalkhadthetimetogetinandliftthemoney。
Nothingcouldhavebeenlessinthespiritofmyadvicethanthethoughtfulwayinwhichhesetabouttomakehisparasolstayproppedagainsttheedgeofthetable。
WhileIwatchedhisconcentratedeffortswithas—
tonishmenthethrewatmeoneortwoperplexed，half—shyglances。Thenhesatdown。\"That’sallverywell，\"hesaidreflectively。
Itcannotbedoubtedthatthemanhadbeenthrownoffhisbalancebybeinghauledoutoftheharbouragainsthiswish。Hisstolidityhadbeenprofoundlystirred，elsehewouldneverhavemadeuphismindtoaskmeunexpectedlywhetherIhadnotremarkedthatFalkhadbeencastingeyesuponhisniece。\"Nomorethanmyself，\"Iansweredwithliteraltruth。Thegirlwasofthesortonenecessa—
rilycastseyesatinasense。Shemadenonoise，butshefilledmostsatisfactorilyagoodbitofspace。
\"Butyou，captain，arenotthesamekindofman，\"observedHermann。
Iwasnot，Iamhappytosay，inapositiontodenythis。\"Whataboutthelady？\"Icouldnothelpasking。Atthishegazedforatimeintomyface，earnestly，andmadeasiftochangethesub—
ject。Iheardhimbeginningtomuttersomethingunexpected，abouthischildrengrowingoldenoughtorequireschooling。HewouldhavetoleavethemashorewiththeirgrandmotherwhenhetookupthatnewcommandheexpectedtogetinGermany。
Thisconstantharpingonhisdomesticarrange—
mentswasfunny。Isupposeitmusthavebeenliketheprospectofacompletealterationinhislife。Anepoch。Hewasgoing，too，topartwiththeDiana!
Hehadservedinherforyears。Hehadinheritedher。Fromanuncle，ifIrememberrightly。Andthefutureloomedbigbeforehim，occupyinghisthoughtexclusivelywithallitsaspectsasontheeveofaventuresomeenterprise。Hesattherefrowningandbitinghislip，andsuddenlyhebegantofumeandfret。
IdiscoveredtomymomentaryamusementthatheseemedtoimagineIcould，shouldorought，havecausedFalkinsomewaytopronouncehim—
self。Suchahopewasincomprehensible，butfunny。
Thenthecontactwithallthisfoolishnessirritatedme。IsaidcrosslythatIhadseennosymptoms，butiftherewereany——sincehe，Hermann，wassosure——thenitwasstillworse。WhatpleasureFalkfoundinhumbuggingpeopleinjustthatwayI
couldn’tsay。Itwas，however，mysolemndutytowarnhim。Ithadlately，Isaid，cometomyknowl—
edgethattherewasaman（notaverylongtimeagoeither）whohadbeentakeninjustlikethis。
Allthispassedinundertones，andatthispointSchomberg，exasperatedatoursecrecy，wentoutoftheroomslammingthedoorwithacrashthatpositivelyliftedusinourchairs。This，orelsewhatIhadsaid，huffedmyHermann，Hesupposed，withacontemptuoustossofhisheadtowardsthedoorwhichtrembledyet，thatIhadgotholdofsomeofthatman’ssillytales。Itlooked，indeed，asthoughhismindhadbeenthoroughlypoisonedagainstSchomberg。\"Histaleswere——theywere，\"here—
peated，seekingfortheword——\"trash。\"Theyweretrash，hereiterated，andmoreoverIwasyoungyet……
Thishorridaspersion（IregretIamnolongerexposedtothatsortofinsult）mademehuffytoo。
Ifeltreadyinmyownmindtobackupeveryasser—
tionofSchomberg’sandonanysubject。Inamo—
ment，devilonlyknowswhy，HermannandIwerelookingateachothermostinimically。HecaughtuphishatwithoutmoreadoandIgavemyselfthepleasureofcallingafterhim：
\"TakemyadviceandmakeFalkpayforbreak—
ingupyourship。Youaren’tlikelytogetany—
thingelseoutofhim。\"
WhenIgotonboardmyshiplateron，theoldmate，whowasveryfulloftheeventsofthemorn—
ing，remarked：
\"IsawthetugcomingbackfromtheouterRoadsjustbeforetwoP。M。\"（Heneverbyanychanceusedthewordsmorningorafternoon。AlwaysP。M。orA。M。，log—bookstyle。）\"Smartworkthat。Man’salwaysinastateofhurry。He’saregularchucker—out，ain’the，sir？There’safewpubsI
knowofintheEast—endofLondonthatwouldbeallthebetterforoneofhissortaroundthebar。\"
Hechuckledathisjoke。\"Aregularchucker—out。
NowhehasfiredoutthatDutchmanheadoverheels，Isupposeourturn’scomingto—morrowmorning。\"
Wewereallondeckatbreakofday（eventhesick——poordevils——hadcrawledout）readytocastoffinthetwinklingofaneye。Nothingcame。
Falkdidnotcome。Atlast，whenIbegantothinkthatprobablysomethinghadgonewronginhisengine—room，weperceivedthetuggoingby，fullpelt，downtheriver，asifwehadn’texisted。ForamomentIentertainedthewildnotionthathewasgoingtoturnroundinthenextreach。AfterwardsIwatchedhissmokeappearabovetheplain，nowhere，nowthere，accordingtothewindingsoftheriver。Itdisappeared。ThenwithoutawordI
wentdowntobreakfast。Ijustsimplywentdowntobreakfast。
Notoneofusutteredasoundtillthemate，afterimbibing——bymeansofsuctionoutofasaucer——
hissecondcupoftea，exclaimed：\"Wherethedevilisthemangoneto？\"
\"Courting!\"Ishouted，withsuchafiendishlaughthattheoldchapdidn’tventuretoopenhislipsanymore。
Istartedtotheofficeperfectlycalm。Calmwithexcessiverage。Evidentlytheyknewallaboutitalready，andtheytreatedmetoashowofconster—
nation。Themanager，asoft—footed，immenselyobeseman，breathingshort，gotuptomeetme，whileallroundtheroomtheyoungclerks，bend—
ingoverthepapersontheirdesks，castupwardglancesinmydirection。Thefatman，withoutwaitingformycomplaint，wheezingheavilyandinatoneasifhehimselfwereincredulous，con—
veyedtomethenewsthatFalk——CaptainFalk——
haddeclined——hadabsolutelydeclined——totowmyship——tohaveanythingtodowithmyship——thisdayoranyotherday。Never!
Ididmybesttopreserveacoolappearance，but，allthesame，ImusthaveshownhowmuchtakenabackIwas。Weweretalkinginthemiddleoftheroom。Suddenlybehindmybacksomeassblewhisnosewithgreatforce，andatthesametimean—
otherquill—driverjumpedupandwentoutonthelandinghastily。ItoccurredtomeIwascuttingafoolishfigurethere。Idemandedangrilytoseetheprincipalinhisprivateroom。
TheskinofMr。Siegers’headshoweddeadwhitebetweentheirongreystreaksofhairlyingplas—
teredcross—wisefromeartoearoverthetopofhisskullinthemannerofabandage。Hisnarrowsunkenfacewasofanuniformandpermanentter—
ra—cottacolour，likeapieceofpottery。Hewassickly，thin，andshort，withwristslikeaboyoften。
Butfromthatdebilebodythereissuedabullyingvoice，tremendouslyloud，harshandresonant，asifproducedbysomepowerfulmechanicalcontriv—
anceinthenatureofafog—horn。Idonotknowwhathedidwithitintheprivatelifeofhishome，butinthelargersphereofbusinessitpresentedtheadvantageofovercomingargumentswithouttheslightestmentaleffort，bythemerevolumeofsound。Wehadhadseveralpassagesofarms。IttookmeallIknewtoguardtheinterestsofmyowners——whom，notabene，Ihadneverseen——whileSiegers（whohadmadetheiracquaintancesomeyearsbefore，duringabusinesstourinAustralia）
pretendedtotheknowledgeoftheirinnermostminds，and，inthecharacterof\"ourverygoodfriends，\"threwthemperpetuallyatmyhead。
Helookedatmewithajaundicedeye（therewasnolovelostbetweenus），anddeclaredatoncethatitwasstrange，verystrange。HispronunciationofEnglishwassoextravagantthatIcan’tevenattempttoreproduceit。Forinstance，hesaid\"Fferiestrantch。\"Combinedwiththebellowingintonationitmadethelanguageofone’schildhoodsoundweirdlystartling，andevenifconsideredpurelyasakindofunmeaningnoiseitfilledyouwithastonishmentatfirst。\"Theyhad，\"hecon—
tinued，\"beenacquaintedwithCaptainFalkforverymanyyears，andneverhadanyreason……\"
\"That’swhyIcometoyou，ofcourse，\"Iinter—
rupted。\"I’vetherighttoknowthemeaningofthisinfernalnonsense。\"Inthehalflightoftheroom，whichwasgreenish，becauseofthetree—topsscreeningthewindow，Isawhimwrithehismeagreshoulders。Itcameintomyhead，asdisconnectedideaswillcomeatallsortsoftimesintoone’shead，thatthis，mostlikely，wastheveryroomwhere，ifthetaleweretrue，FalkhadbeenlecturedbyMr。
Siegers，thefather。Mr。Siegers’（theson’s）over—
whelmingvoice，inbrassyblasts，asthoughhehadbeentryingtoarticulatehiswordsthroughatrom—
bone，wasexpressinghisgreatregretataconductcharacterisedbyaverymarkedwantofdiscre—
tion……AsIlivedIwasbeinglecturedtoo!Hisdeafeninggibberishwasdifficulttofollow，butitwasMYconduct——mine!——that……Damn!I
wasn’tgoingtostandthis。
\"Whatonearthareyoudrivingat？\"Iaskedinapassion。Iputmyhatonmyhead（heneverofferedaseattoanybody），andasheseemedforthemomentstruckdumbbymyirreverence，I
turnedmybackonhimandmarchedout。Hisvo—
calarrangementsblaredaftermeafewthreatsofcomingdownontheshipforthedemurrageofthelighters，andalltheotherexpensesconsequentuponthedelaysarisingfrommyfrivolity。
Onceoutsideinthesunshinemyheadswam。Itwasnolongeraquestionofmeredelay。Iper—
ceivedmyselfinvolvedinhopelessandhumiliatingabsurditiesthatwereleadingmetosomethingverylikeadisaster。\"Letusbecalm，\"Imutteredtomyself，andranintotheshadeofaleprouswall。
Fromthatshortside—streetIcouldseethebroadmainthoroughfareruinousandgay，runningaway，awaybetweenstretchesofdecayingmason—
ry，bamboofences，rangesofarcadesofbrickandplaster，hovelsoflathandmud，loftytemplegatesofcarvedtimber，hutsofrottenmats——anim—
menselywidethoroughfare，looselypackedasfarastheeyecouldreachwithabarefootedandbrownmultitudepaddlingankledeepinthedust。ForamomentIfeltmyselfabouttogooutofmymindwithworryanddesperation。
Someallowancemustbemadeforthefeelingsofayoungmannewtoresponsibility。Ithoughtofmycrew。Halfofthemwereill，andIreallybegantothinkthatsomeofthemwouldendbydy—
ingonboardifIcouldn’tgetthemouttoseasoon。
ObviouslyIshouldhavetotakemyshipdowntheriver，eitherworkingundercanvasordredgingwiththeanchordown；operationswhich，incom—
monwithmanymodernsailors，Ionlyknewtheo—
retically。AndIalmostshrankfromundertakingthemshorthandedandwithoutlocalknowledgeoftheriverbed，whichissonecessaryforthecon—
fidenthandlingoftheship。Therewerenopilots，nobeacons，nobuoysofanysort；buttherewasaverydevilofacurrentforanybodytosee，noendofshoalplaces，andatleasttwoobviouslyawkwardturnsofthechannelbetweenmeandthesea。ButhowdangeroustheseturnswereIwouldnottell。I
didn’tevenknowwhatmyshipwascapableof!
Ihadneverhandledherinmylife。Amisunder—
standingbetweenamanandhisshipinadifficultriverwithnoroomtomakeitup，isboundtoendintroublefortheman。Ontheotherhand，itmustbeownedIhadnotmuchreasontocountuponageneralrunofgoodluck。AndsupposeIhadthemisfortunetopileheruphighanddryonsomebeastlyshoal？Thatwouldhavebeenthefinalun—
doingofthatvoyage。ItwasplainthatifFalkrefusedtotowmeouthewouldalsorefusetopullmeoff。Thismeant——what？Adaylostattheverybest；butmorelikelyawholefortnightoffrizzlingonsomepestilentialmudflat，ofdesperatework，ofdischargingcargo；morethanlikelyitmeantborrowingmoneyatanexorbitantrateofinterest——fromtheSiegers’gangtooatthat。Theywereapowerintheport。Andthatelderlyseamanofmine，Gambril，hadlookedprettyghastlywhenIwentforwardtodosehimwithquininethatmorn—
ing。HEwouldcertainlydie——nottospeakoftwoorthreeothersthatseemednearlyasbad，andoftherestofthemjustreadytocatchanytropicaldiseasegoing。Horror，ruinandeverlastingre—
morse。Andnohelp。None。Ihadfallenamongstalotofunfriendlylunatics!
Atanyrate，ifImusttakemyshipdownmyselfitwasmydutytoprocureifpossiblesomelocalknowledge。Butthatwasnoteasy。Theonlyper—
sonIcouldthinkofforthatservicewasacertainJohnson，formerlycaptainofacountryship，butnowsplicedtoacountrywifeandgoneutterlytothebad。Ihadonlyheardofhiminthevaguestway，aslivingconcealedinthethickoftwohundredthousandnatives，andonlyemergingintothelightofdayforthepurposeofhuntingupsomebrandy。
IhadanotionthatifIcouldlaymyhandsonhimIwouldsoberhimonboardmyshipandusehimforapilot。Betterthannothing。Onceasailoralwaysasailor——andhehadknowntheriverforyears。ButinourConsulate（whereIarriveddrip—
pingafterasharpwalk）theycouldtellmenoth—
ing。Theexcellentyoungmenonthestaff，thoughwillingtohelpme，belongedtoasphereofthewhitecolonyforwhichthatsortofJohnsondoesnotexist。TheirsuggestionwasthatIshouldhuntthemanupmyselfwiththehelpoftheConsulate’sconstable——anex—sergeant—majorofaregimentofHussars。
Thisman，whoseusualdutyapparentlyconsistedinsittingbehindalittletableinanouterroomofConsularoffices，whenorderedtoassistmeinmysearchforJohnsondisplayedlotsofenergyandamarvellousamountoflocalknowledgeofasort。Buthedidnotconcealanimmenseandscep—
ticalcontemptforthewholebusiness。Weexploredtogetheronthatafternoonaninfinityofinfamousgrogshops，gamblingdens，opiumdens。Wewalkedupnarrowlaneswhereourgharry——atinyboxofathingonwheels，attachedtoajibbingBur—
mahpony——couldbynomeanshavepassed。Theconstableseemedtobeontermsofscornfulinti—
macywithMaltese，withEurasians，withChina—
men，withKlings，andwiththesweepersattachedtoatemple，withwhomhetalkedatthegate。WeinterviewedalsothroughagratinginamudwallclosingablindalleyanimmenselycorpulentItal—
ian，who，theex—sergeant—majorremarkedtomeperfunctorily，had\"killedanothermanlastyear。\"
Thereuponheaddressedhimas\"Antonio\"and\"OldBuck，\"thoughthatbloatedcarcase，appar—
entlymorethanhalffillingthesortofcellwhere—
initsat，recalledratherafatpiginastye。Fa—
miliarandneverunbending，thesergeantchucked——absolutelychucked——underthechinahorriblywrinkledandshrivelledoldhagproppedonastick，whohadvolunteeredsomesortofinformation：andwiththesamestolidfacehekeptupananimatedconversationwiththegroupsofswathedbrownwomen，whosatsmokingcherootsonthedoor—stepsofalongrangeofclayhovels。Wegotoutofthegharryandclamberedintodwellingsairylikepackingcrates，ordescendedintoplacessinisterlikecellars。Wegotin，wedroveon，wegotoutagainforthesolepurpose，asitseemed，oflookingbehindaheapofrubble。Thesundeclined；mycompanionwascurtandsardonicinhisanswers，butitappearswewerejustmissingJohnsonallalong。Atlastourconveyancestoppedoncemorewithajerk，andthedriverjumpingdownopenedthedoor。
Ablackmudholeblockedthelane。Amoundofgarbagecrownedwiththedeadbodyofadogar—
restedusnot。AnemptyAustralianbeeftinboundedcheerilybeforethetoeofmyboot。Sud—
denlyweclamberedthroughagapinapricklyfence……
Itwasaverycleannativecompound：andthebignativewoman，withbarebrownlegsasthickasbedposts，pursuingonallfoursasilverdollarthatcamerollingoutfromsomewhere，wasMrs。
Johnsonherself。\"Yourman’sathome，\"saidtheex—sergeant，andsteppedasideincompleteandmarkedindifferencetoanythingthatmightfollow。
Johnson——athome——stoodwithhisbacktoanativehousebuiltonpostsandwithitswallsmadeofmats。Inhislefthandheheldabanana。Outoftherighthedealtanotherdollarintospace。Thewomancapturedthisoneonthewing，andthereandthenplumpeddownonthegroundtolookatuswithgreatercomfort。
Mymanwassallowofface，grizzled，unshaven，muddyonelbowsandback；wheretheseamsofhissergecoatyawnedyoucouldseehiswhitenaked—
ness。Thevestigesofapapercollarencircledhisneck。Helookedatuswithagrave，swayingsur—
prise。\"Wheredoyoucomefrom？\"heasked。
Myheartsank。HowcouldIhavebeenstupidenoughtowasteenergyandtimeforthis？
ButhavingalreadygonesofarIapproachedalittleneareranddeclaredthepurposeofmyvisit。
Hewouldhavetocomeatoncewithme，sleeponboardmyship，andto—morrow，withthefirstoftheebb，hewouldgivemehisassistanceingettingmyshipdowntothesea，withoutsteam。Asix—hun—
dred—tonbarque，drawingninefeetaft。Ipro—
posedtogivehimeighteendollarsforhislocalknowledge；andallthetimeIwasspeakinghekeptonconsideringattentivelythevariousaspectsofthebanana，holdingfirstonesideuptohiseye，thentheother。
\"You’veforgottentoapologise，\"hesaidatlastwithextremeprecision。\"Notbeingagentlemanyourself，youdon’tknowapparentlywhenyouin—
trudeuponagentleman。Iamone。IwishyoutounderstandthatwhenIaminfundsIdon’twork，andnow……\"
Iwouldhavepronouncedhimperfectlysoberhadn’thepausedingreatconcerntotryandbrushaholeoffthekneeofhistrousers。
\"Ihavemoney——andfriends。Everygentle—
manhas。Perhapsyouwouldliketoknowmyfriend？HisnameisFalk。Youcouldborrowsomemoney。Trytoremember。F—A—L—K，Falk。\"
Abruptlyhistonechanged。\"Anobleheart，\"hesaidmuzzily。
\"HasFalkbeengivingyousomemoney？\"I
asked，appalledbythedetailedfinishofthedarkplot。
\"Lentme，mygoodman，notgivenme。Lent，\"
hecorrectedsuavely。\"Metmetakingtheairlastevening，andbeingasusualanxioustooblige——Hadn’tyoubettergotothedeviloutofmycompound？\"
Anduponthis，withoutotherwarning，heletflywiththebananawhichmissedmyhead，andtooktheconstablejustunderthelefteye。HerushedatthemiserableJohnson，stammeringwithfury。
Theyfell……Butwhydwellonthewretched—
ness，thebreathlessness，thedegradation，thesense—
lessness，theweariness，theridiculeandhumiliationand——and——theperspiration，ofthesemoments？I
draggedtheex—hussaroff。Hewaslikeawildbeast。Itseemshehadbeengreatlyannoyedatlosinghisfreeafternoononmyaccount。Thegar—
denofhisbungalowrequiredhispersonalatten—
tion，andattheslightblowofthebananathebruteinhimhadbrokenloose。WeleftJohnsononhisback，stillblackintheface，butbeginningtokickfeebly。Meantime，thebigwomanhadremainedsittingontheground，apparentlyparalysedwithextremeterror。
Forhalfanhourwejoltedinsideourrollingbox，sidebyside，inprofoundsilence。Theex—ser—
geantwasbusystaunchingthebloodofalongscratchonhischeek。\"Ihopeyou’resatisfied，\"hesaidsuddenly。\"That’swhatcomesofallthattomfoolbusiness。Ifyouhadn’tquarrelledwiththattugboatskipperoversomegirlorother，allthiswouldn’thavehappened。\"
\"YouheardTHATstory？\"Isaid。
\"OfcourseIheard。AndIshouldn’twonderiftheConsul—Generalhimselfdoesn’tcometohearofit。HowamItogobeforehimto—morrowwiththatthingonmycheek——Iwanttoknow。ItsYOUwhooughttohavegotthis!\"
Afterthat，tillthegharrystoppedandhejumpedoutwithoutleave—taking，hesworetohim—
selfsteadily，horribly；mutteringgreat，purpose—
ful，trooperoaths，towhichtheworstasailorcandoisliketheprattleofachild。FormypartIhadjustthestrengthtocrawlintoSchomberg’scoffee—
room，whereIwroteatalittletableanotetothemateinstructinghimtogeteverythingreadyfordroppingdowntherivernextday。Icouldn’tfacemyship。Well!shehadacleversortofskip—
perandnomistake——poorthing!Whatahorridmess!Itookmyheadbetweenmyhands。Attimestheobviousnessofmyinnocencewouldreducemetodespair。WhathadIdone？IfIhaddonesomethingtobringaboutthesituationIshouldatleasthavelearnednottodoitagain。ButIfeltguiltlesstothepointofimbecility。Theroomwasemptyyet；onlySchombergprowledroundmegoggle—eyedandwithasortofawedrespectfulcu—
riosity。Nodoubthehadsetthestorygoinghim—
self；buthewasagood—heartedchap，andIamreallypersuadedheparticipatedinallmytroubles。
Hedidwhathecouldforme。Herangedasidetheheavymatchstand，setachairstraight，pushedaspittoonslightlywithhisfoot——asyoushowsmallattentionstoafriendunderagreatsorrow——
sighed，andatlast，unabletoholdhistongue：
\"Well!Iwarnedyou，captain。That’swhatcomesofrunningyourheadagainstMr。Falk。
Man’llstickatnothing。\"
Isatwithoutstirring，andaftersurveyingmewithasortofcommiserationinhiseyesheburstoutinahoarsewhisper：\"Butforafinelumpofagirl，she’safinelumpofagirl。\"Hemadealoudsmackingnoisewithhisthicklips。\"ThefinestlumpofagirlthatIever……\"hewasgoingonwithgreatunction，butforsomereasonorotherbrokeoff。Ifanciedmyselfthrowingsomethingathishead。\"Idon’tblameyou，captain。HangmeifIdo，\"hesaidwithapatronisingair。
\"Thankyou，\"Isaidresignedly。Itwasnousefightingagainstthisfalsefate。Idon’tknowevenifIwassuremyselfwherethetruthofthematterbegan。Theconvictionthatitwouldenddisas—
trouslyhadbeendrivenintomebyallthesucces—
siveshocksmysenseofsecurityhadreceived。I
begantoascribeanextraordinarypotencytoagentsinthemselvespowerless。ItwasasifSchomberg’sbaselessgossiphadthepowertobringaboutthethingitselfortheabstractenmityofFalkcouldputmyshipashore。
Ihavealreadyexplainedhowfatalthislastwouldhavebeen。Formyfurtheraction，myyouth，myinexperience，myveryrealconcernforthehealthofmycrewmustbemyexcuse。Theac—
tionitself，whenitcame，waspurelyimpulsive。ItwassetinmovementquiteundiplomaticallyandsimplybyFalk’sappearanceinthedoorway。
Theroomwasfullbythenandbuzzingwithvoices。Ihadbeenlookedatwithcuriositybyeveryone，buthowamItodescribethesensationproducedbytheappearanceofFalkhimselfblock—
ingthedoorway？Thetensionofexpectationcouldbemeasuredbytheprofundityofthesilencethatfellupontheveryclickofthebilliardballs。
AstoSchomberg，helookedextremelyfrightened；
hehatedmortallyanysortofrow（fracashecalledit）inhisestablishment。Fracaswasbadforbusi—
ness，heaffirmed；but，intruth，thisspecimenofportly，middle—agedmanhoodwasofatimiddis—
position。Idon’tknowwhat，consideringmypres—
enceintheplace，theyallhopedwouldcomeofit。
Asortofstagfight，perhaps。OrtheymayhavesupposedFalkhadcomeinonlytoannihilatemecompletely。Asamatteroffact，FalkhadcomeinbecauseHermannhadaskedhimtoinquireafterthepreciouswhitecottonparasolwhich，intheworryandexcitementofthepreviousday，hehadforgot—
tenatthetablewherewehadheldourlittlediscus—
sion。
Itwasthisthatgavememyopportunity。I
don’tthinkIwouldhavegonetoseekFalkout。
No。Idon’tthinkso。Therearelimits。ButtherewasanopportunityandIseizedit——Ihavealreadytriedtoexplainwhy。NowIwillmerelystatethat，inmyopinion，togethissicklycrewintotheseaairandsecureaquickdespatchforhisshipaskip—
perwouldbejustifiedingoingtoanylength，shortofabsolutecrime。Heshouldputhisprideinhispocket；hemayacceptconfidences；explainhisin—
nocenceasifitwereasin；hemaytakeadvantageofmisconceptions，ofdesiresandofweaknesses；heoughttoconcealhishorrorandotheremotions，and，ifthefateofahumanbeing，andthathumanbeingamagnificentyounggirl，isstrangelyin—
volved——why，heshouldcontemplatethatfate（whateveritmightseemtobe）withoutturningahair。AndallthesethingsIhavedone；theex—
plaining，thelistening，thepretending——eventothediscretion——andnobody，notevenHermann’sniece，Ibelieve，needthrowstonesatmenow。
Schombergatalleventsneedn’t，sincefromfirsttolast，Iamhappytosay，therewasnottheslightest\"fracas。\"
Overcominganervouscontractionofthewind—
pipe，Ihadmanagedtoexclaim\"CaptainFalk!\"
Hisstartofsurprisewasperfectlygenuine，butafterwardsheneithersmilednorscowled。Hesim—
plywaited。Then，whenIhadsaid，\"Imusthaveatalkwithyou，\"andhadpointedtoachairatmytable，hemoveduptome，thoughhedidn’tsitdown。Schomberg，however，withalongtumblerinhishand，wasmakingtowardsusprudently，andIdiscoveredthentheonlysignofweaknessinFalk。
HehadforSchombergarepulsionresemblingthatsortofphysicalfearsomepeopleexperienceatthesightofatoad。Perhapstoamansoessentiallyandsilentlyconcentrateduponhimself（thoughhecouldtalkwellenough，asIwastofindoutpresently）theother’sirrepressibleloquacity，em—
bracingeveryhumanbeingwithinrangeofthetongue，mighthaveappearedunnatural，disgust—
ing，andmonstrous。Hesuddenlygavesignsofrestiveness——positivelylikeahorseabouttorear，and，mutteringhurriedlyasifingreatpain，\"No。
Ican’tstandthatfellow，\"seemedreadytobolt。
Thisweaknessofhisgavemetheadvantageattheverystart。\"Verandah，\"Isuggested，asifren—
deringhimaservice，andwalkedhimoutbythearm。Westumbledoverafewchairs；wehadthefeelingofopenspacebeforeus，andfeltthefreshbreathoftheriver——fresh，buttainted。TheChi—
nesetheatresacrossthewatermade，inthesparselytwinklingmassesofgloomanEasterntownpre—
sentsatnight，blazingcentresoflight，andofadistantandhowlinguproar。Ifelthimbecomesuddenlytractableagainlikeananimal，likeagood—temperedhorsewhentheobjectthatscareshimisremoved。Yes。Ifeltinthedarknesstherehowtractablehewas，withoutmyconvictionofhisinflexibility——tenacity，rather，perhaps——beingintheleastweakened。Hisveryarmabandoningit—
selftomygraspwasashardasmarble——likealimbofiron。ButIheardatumultuousscufflingofboot—soleswithin。Theunspeakableidiotsinsidewerecrowdingtothewindows，climbingovereachother’sbacksbehindtheblinds，billiardcuesandall。
Somebodybrokeawindowpane，andwiththesoundoffallingglass，sosuggestiveofriotanddevasta—
tion，Schombergreeledoutafterusinastateoffunkwhichhadpreventedhispartingwithhisbrandyandsoda。Hemusthavetrembledlikeanaspenleaf。Thepieceoficeinthelongtumblerheheldinhishandtinkledwithaneffectofchat—
teringteeth。\"Ibegyou，gentlemen，\"heexpost—
ulatedthickly。\"Come!Really，now，Imustin—
sist……\"
HowproudIamofmypresenceofmind!
\"Hallo，\"Isaidinstantlyinaloudandnaivetone，\"somebody’sbreakingyourwindows，Schomberg。
Wouldyoupleasetelloneofyourboystobringouthereapackofcardsandacoupleoflights？
Andtwolongdrinks。Willyou？\"
Toreceiveanordersoothedhimatonce。Itwasbusiness。\"Certainly，\"hesaidinanimmenselyrelievedtone。Thenightwasrainy，withwander—
inggustsofwind，andwhilewewaitedforthecan—
dlesFalksaid，asiftojustifyhispanic，\"Idon’tinterfereinanybody’sbusiness。Idon’tgiveanyoccasionfortalk。Iamarespectableman。Butthisfellowisalwaysmakingoutsomethingwrong，andcanneverresttillhegetssomebodytobelievehim。\"
ThiswasthefirstofmyknowledgeofFalk。
Thisdesireofrespectability，ofbeinglikeevery—
bodyelse，wastheonlyrecognitionhevouchsafedtotheorganisationofmankind。Fortheresthemighthavebeenthememberofaherd，notofaso—
ciety。Self—preservationwashisonlyconcern。
Notselfishness，butmereself—preservation。Sel—
fishnesspresupposesconsciousness，choice，thepres—
enceofothermen；buthisinstinctactedasthoughhewerethelastofmankindnursingthatlawliketheonlysparkofasacredfire。Idon’tmeantosaythatlivingnakedinacavernwouldhavesatis—
fiedhim。Obviouslyhewasthecreatureoftheconditionstowhichhewasborn。Nodoubtself—
preservationmeantalsothepreservationoftheseconditions。Butessentiallyitmeantsomethingmuchmoresimple，natural，andpowerful。HowshallIexpressit？Itmeantthepreservationofthefivesensesofhisbody——letussay——takingitinitsnarrowestaswellasinitswidestmeaning。Ithinkyouwilladmitbeforelongthejusticeofthisjudg—
ment。However，aswestoodtheretogetherinthedarkverandahIhadjudgednothingasyet——andIhadnodesiretojudge——whichisanidlepracticeanyhow。Thelightwaslongincoming。
\"Ofcourse，\"Isaidinatoneofmutualunder—
standing，\"itisn’texactlyagameofcardsIwantwithyou。\"
Isawhimdrawhishandsdownhisface——thevaguestirofthepassionateandmeaninglessges—
ture；buthewaitedinsilentpatience。Itwasonlywhenthelightshadbeenbroughtoutthatheopenedhislips。Iunderstoodhismumbletomeanthat\"hedidn’tknowanygame。\"
\"LikethisSchombergandalltheotherfoolswillhavetokeepoff，\"Isaidtearingopenthepack。
\"Haveyouheardthatweareuniversallysupposedtobequarrellingaboutagirl？Youknowwho——
ofcourse。Iamreallyashamedtoask，butisitpossiblethatyoudomethehonourtothinkmedan—
gerous？\"
AsIsaidthesewordsIfelthowabsurditwasandalsoIfeltflattered——for，really，whatelsecoulditbe？Hisanswer，spokeninhisusualdis—
passionateundertone，madeitclearthatitwasso，butnotpreciselyasflatteringasIsupposed。HethoughtmedangerouswithHermann，morethanwiththegirlherself；but，astoquarrelling，Isawatoncehowinappropriatethewordwas。Wehadnoquarrel。Naturalforcesarenotquarrelsome。
Youcan’tquarrelwiththewindthatinconveniencesandhumiliatesyoubyblowingoffyourhatinastreetfullofpeople。Hehadnoquarrelwithme。
Neitherwouldaboulder，fallingonmyhead，havehad。Hefelluponmeinaccordancewiththelawbywhichhewasmoved——notofgravitation，likeadetachedstone，butofself—preservation。Ofcoursethisisgivingitaratherwideinterpretation。
Strictlyspeaking，hehadexistedandcouldhaveexistedwithoutbeingmarried。Yethetoldmethathehadfounditmoreandmoredifficulttolivealone。Yes。Hetoldmethisinhislow，carelessvoice，tosuchapitchofconfidencehadwearrivedattheendofhalfanhour。
IttookmejustaboutthattimetoconvincehimthatIhadneverdreamedofmarryingHermann’sniece。Couldanynecessityhavebeenmoreextrava—
gant？Andthedifficultywasthegreaterbecausehewassohardhitthathecouldn’timagineany—
bodybeingabletoremaininastateofindifference。
Anymanwitheyesinhishead，heseemedtothink，couldnothelpcovetingsomuchbodilymagnifi—
cence。ThisprofoundbeliefwasconveyedbythemannerhelistenedsittingsidewaystothetableandplayingabsentlywithafewcardsIhaddealttohimatrandom。AndthemoreIsawintohimthemoreIsawofhim。Thewindswayedthelightssothathissunburntface，whiskeredtotheeyes，seemedtosuccessivelyflickercrimsonatmeandtogoout。Isawtheextraordinarybreadthofthehighcheek—bones，theperpendicularstyleofthefeatures，themassiveforehead，steeplikeacliff，denudedatthetop，largelyuncoveredatthetem—
ples。ThefactisIhadneverbeforeseenhimwith—
outhishat；butnow，asifmyfervourhadmadehimhot，hehadtakenitoffandlaiditgentlyonthefloor。Somethingpeculiarintheshapeandsettingofhisyelloweyesgavethemtheprovokingsilentintensitywhichcharacterisedhisglance。
Butthefacewasthin，furrowed，worn；Idiscov—
eredthatthroughthebushofhishair，asyoumaydetectthegnarledshapeofatreetrunklostinadenseundergrowth。Theseovergrowncheeksweresunken。Itwasananchorite’sbonyheadfittedwithaCapuchin’sbeardandadjustedtoaherculeanbody。Idon’tmeanathletic。Hercules，Itakeit，wasnotanathlete。Hewasastrongman，suscep—
tibletofemalecharms，andnotafraidofdirt。
AndthuswithFalk，whowasastrongman。Hewasextremelystrong，justasthegirl（sinceI
mustthinkofthemtogether）wasmagnificentlyat—
tractivebythemasterfulpoweroffleshandblood，expressedinshape，insize，inattitude——thatisbyastraightappealtothesenses。Hismindmean—
time，preoccupiedwithrespectability，quailedbe—
foreSchomberg’stongueandseemedabsolutelyimpervioustomyprotestations；andIwentsofarastoprotestthatIwouldjustassoonthinkofmarryingmymother’s（dearoldlady!）faithfulfemalecookasHermann’sniece。Sooner，Ipro—
tested，inmydesperation，muchsooner；butitdidnotappearthathesawanythingoutrageousintheproposition，andinhisscepticalimmobilityheseemedtonursetheargumentthatatalleventsthecookwasvery，veryfaraway。Itmustbesaidthat，justbefore，IhadgonewrongbyappealingtotheevidenceofmymannerwheneverIcalledonboardtheDiana。Ihadneverattemptedtoapproachthegirl，ortospeaktoher，oreventolookatherinanymarkedway。Nothingcouldbeclearer。But，ashisownideaof——letussay——courting，seemedtoconsistpreciselyinsittingsilentlyforhoursinthevicinityofthebelovedobject，thatlineofargu—
mentinspiredhimwithdistrust。Staringdownhisextendedlegsheletoutagrunt——asmuchastosay，\"That’sallveryfine，butyoucan’tthrowdustinMYeyes。\"
AtlastIwasexasperatedintosaying，\"Whydon’tyouputthematteratrestbytalkingtoHer—
mann？\"andIaddedsneeringly：\"Youdon’tex—
pectmeperhapstospeakforyou？\"
Tothishesaid，veryloudforhim，\"Wouldyou？\"
Andforthefirsttimeheliftedhisheadtolookatmewithwonderandincredulity。Heliftedhisheadsosharplythattherecouldbenomistake。I
hadtouchedaspring。Isawthewholeextentofmyopportunity，andcouldhardlybelieveinit。
\"Why。Speakto……Well，ofcourse，\"I
proceededveryslowly，watchinghimwithgreatat—
tention，for，onmyword，Ifearedajoke。\"Not，perhaps，totheyoungladyherself。Ican’tspeakGerman，youknow。But……\"
HeinterruptedmewiththeearnestassurancethatHermannhadthehighestopinionofme；andatonceIfelttheneedforthegreatestpossiblediplomacyatthisjuncture。SoIdemurredjustenoughtodrawhimon。Falksatup，butexceptforaverynoticeableenlargementofthepupils，tilltheirisesofhiseyeswerereducedtotwonarrowyellowrings，hisface，Ishouldjudge，wasincapa—
bleofexpressingexcitement。\"Oh，yes!Hermanndidhavethegreatest……\"
\"Takeupyourcards。Here’sSchombergpeep—
ingatusthroughtheblind!\"Isaid。
Wewentthroughthemotionsofwhatmighthavebeenagameofe’carte’。Presentlytheintoler—
ablescandalmongerwithdrew，probablytoinformthepeopleinthebilliard—roomthatwetwoweregamblingontheverandahlikemad。
Wewerenotgambling，butitwasagame；agameinwhichIfeltIheldthewinningcards。Thestake，roughlyspeaking，wasthesuccessofthevoy—
age——forme；andhe，Iapprehended，hadnothingtolose。Ourintimacymaturedrapidly，andbeforemanywordshadbeenexchangedIperceivedthattheexcellentHermannhadbeenmakinguseofme。
ThatsimpleandastuteTeutonhadbeen，itseems，holdingmeuptoFalkinthelightofarival。I
wasyoungenoughtobeshockedatsomuchduplic—
ity。\"Didhetellyouthatinsomanywords？\"I
askedwithindignation。
Hermannhadnot。Hehadgivenhintsonly；
andofcourseithadnottakenverymuchtoalarmFalk；but，insteadofdeclaringhimself，hehadtakenstepstoremovethefamilyfromundermyin—
fluence。Hewasperfectlystraightforwardaboutit——asstraightforwardasatilefallingonyourhead。Therewasnoduplicityinthatman；andwhenIcongratulatedhimontheperfectionofhisarrangements——eventothebribingofthewretchedJohnsonagainstme——hehadagenuinemovementofprotest。Neverbribed。Heknewthemanwouldn’tworkaslongashehadafewcentsinhispockettogetdrunkon，and，naturally（hesaid——
\"NATURALLY\"）helethimhaveadollarortwo。Hewashimselfasailor，hesaid，andanticipatedtheviewanothersailor，likemyself，wasboundtotake。
Ontheotherhand，hewassurethatIshouldhavetocometogrief。Hehadn’tbeenknockingaboutforthelastsevenyearsupanddownthatriverfornothing。Itwouldhavebeennodisgracetome——
butheassertedconfidentlyIwouldhavehadmyshipveryawkwardlyashoreataspottwomilesbelowtheGreatPagoda……
Andwithallthathehadnoill—will。Thatwasevident。Thiswasacrisisinwhichhisonlyobjecthadbeentogaintime——Ifancy。Andpresentlyhementionedthathehadwrittenforsomejewel—
lery，realgoodjewellery——hadwrittentoHong—
Kongforit。Itwouldarriveinadayortwo。
\"Well，then，\"Isaidcheerily，\"everythingisallright。Allyou’vegottodoistopresentittotheladytogetherwithyourheart，andlivehappyeverafter。\"
Uponthewholeheseemedtoacceptthatviewasfarasthegirlwasconcerned，buthiseyelidsdrooped。Therewasstillsomethingintheway。
ForonethingHermanndislikedhimsomuch。Astome，onthecontrary，itseemedasthoughhecouldnotpraisemeenough。Mrs。Hermanntoo。Hedidn’tknowwhytheydislikedhimso。Itmadeeverythingmostdifficult。
Ilistenedimpassive，feelingmoreandmoredip—
lomatic。Hisspeechwasnottransparentlyclear。
Hewasoneofthosemenwhoseemtolive，feel，sufferinasortofmentaltwilight。Butastobeingfascinatedbythegirlandpossessedbythedesireofhomelifewithher——itwasasclearasdaylight。
Somuchbeingatstake，hewasafraidofputtingittothehazardofdeclaration。Besides，therewassomethingelse。AndwithHermannbeingsosetagainsthim……
\"Isee，\"Isaidthoughtfully，whilemyheartbeatfastwiththeexcitementofmydiplomacy。\"I
don’tmindsoundingHermann。Infact，toshowyouhowmistakenyouwere，IamreadytodoallI
canforyouinthatway。\"
Alightsighescapedhim。Hedrewhishandsdownhisface，anditemerged，bony，unchangedofexpression，asifallthetissueshadbeenossified。
Allthepassionwasinthosebigbrownhands。Hewassatisfied。Thentherewasthatothermatter。
IftherewereanybodyonearthitwasIwhocouldpersuadeHermanntotakeareasonableview!I
hadaknowledgeoftheworldandlotsofexpe—
rience。Hermannadmittedthishimself。AndthenIwasasailortoo。Falkthoughtthatasail—
orwouldbeabletounderstandcertainthingsbest……
HetalkedasiftheHermannshadbeenlivingalltheirlifeinaruralhamlet，andIalonehadbeencapable，withmypracticeinlife，ofalargeandindulgentviewofcertainoccurrences。Thatwaswhatmydiplomacywasleadingmeto。Ibegansuddenlytodislikeit。
\"Isay，Falk，\"Iaskedquitebrusquely，\"youhaven’talreadyawifeputawaysomewhere？\"
Thepainanddisgustofhisdenialwereverystriking。Couldn’tIunderstandthathewasasrespectableasanywhitemanhereabouts；earninghislivinghonestly。Hewassufferingfrommysus—
picion，andthelowundertoneofhisvoicemadehisprotestationssoundverypathetic。Foramomentheshamedme，but，mydiplomacynotwithstanding，Iseemedtodevelopaconscience，asifinverytruthitwereinmypowertodecidethesuccessofthismatrimonialenterprise。Bypretendinghardenoughwecometobelieveanything——anythingtoouradvantage。AndIhadbeenpretendingveryhard，becauseImeantyettobetowedsafelydowntheriver。Butthroughconscienceorstupidity，I
couldn’thelpalludingtotheVanloaffair。\"Youactedratherbadlythere。Didn’tyou？\"waswhatIventuredactuallytosay——forthelogicofourconductisalwaysatthemercyofobscureandun—
foreseenimpulses。
Hisdilatedpupilsswervedfrommyface，glan—
cingatthewindowwithasortofscaredfury。Weheardbehindtheblindsthecontinuousandsuddenclickingofivory，ajovialmurmurofmanyvoices，andSchomberg’sdeepmanlylaugh。
\"Thatconfoundedoldwomanofahotel—keeperthenwouldnever，neverletitrest!\"Falkex—
claimed。\"Well，yes!Ithadhappenedtwoyearsago。\"Whenitcametothepointheownedhecouldn’tmakeuphismindtotrustFredVanlo——
nosailor，abitofafooltoo。Hecouldnottrusthim，but，tostophisrow，hehadlenthimenoughmoneytopayallhisdebtsbeforeheleft。Iwasgreatlysurprisedtohearthis。ThenFalkcouldnotbesuchamiserafterall。Somuchthebetterforthegirl。Foratimehesatsilent；thenhepickedupacard，andwhilelookingatithesaid：
\"Youneednotthinkofanythingbad。Itwasanaccident。I’vebeenunfortunateonce。\"
\"Theninheaven’snamesaynothingaboutit。\"
AssoonasthesewordswereoutofmymouthI
fanciedIhadsaidsomethingimmoral。Heshookhisheadnegatively。Ithadtobetold。Hecon—
sidereditproperthattherelationsoftheladyshouldknow。Nodoubt——Ithoughttomyself——
hadMissVanlonotbeenthirtyanddamagedbytheclimatehewouldhavefounditpossibletoentrustFredVanlowiththisconfidence。Andthenthefig—
ureofHermann’snieceappearedbeforemymind’seye，withthewealthofheropulentform，herrichyouth，herlavishstrength。Withthatpowerfulandimmaculatevitality，hergirlishformmusthaveshoutedaloudoflifetothatman，whereaspoorMissVanlocouldonlysingsentimentalsongstothestrummingofapiano。
\"AndthatHermannhatesme，Iknowit!\"hecriedinhisundertone，withasuddenrecrudescenceofanxiety。\"Imusttellthem。Itisproperthattheyshouldknow。Youwouldsaysoyourself。\"
Hethenmurmuredanutterlymysteriousallu—
siontothenecessityforpeculiardomesticarrange—
ments。ThoughmycuriositywasexcitedIdidnotwanttohearanyofhisconfidences。Ifearedhemightgivemeapieceofinformationthatwouldmakemyassumedroleofmatch—makerodious——
howeverunrealitwas。Iwasawarethathecouldhavethegirlfortheasking；andkeepingdownadesiretolaughinhisface，IexpressedaconfidentbeliefinmyabilitytoargueawayHermann’sdis—
likeforhim。\"IamsureIcanmakeitallright，\"
Isaid。Helookedverypleased。
Andwhenwerosenotawordhadbeensaidabouttowage!Notaword!Thegamewaswonandthehonourwassafe。Oh!blessedwhitecottonum—
brella!Weshookhands，andIwasholdingmyselfwithdifficultyfrombreakingintoastepdanceofjoywhenhecameback，stridingallthelengthoftheverandah，andsaiddoubtfully：
\"Isay，captain，Ihaveyourword？You——you——won’tturnround？\"
Heavens!Thefrighthegaveme。Behindhistoneofdoubttherewassomethingdesperateandmenacing。Theinfatuatedass。ButIwasequaltothesituation。
\"MydearFalk，\"Isaid，beginningtoliewithaglibnessandeffronterythatamazedmeevenatthetime——\"confidenceforconfidence。\"（Hehadmadenoconfidences。）\"IwilltellyouthatIamalreadyengagedtoanextremelycharminggirlathome，andsoyouunderstand……\"
Hecaughtmyhandandwrungitinacrushinggrip。
\"Pardonme。Ifeeliteverydaymoredifficulttolivealone……\"
\"Onriceandfish，\"Iinterruptedsmartly，gig—
glingwiththesheernervousnessofadangeres—
caped。
Hedroppedmyhandasifithadbecomesud—
denlyredhot。Amomentofprofoundsilenceen—
sued，asthoughsomethingextraordinaryhadhap—
pened。
\"IpromiseyoutoobtainHermann’sconsent，\"
Ifalteredoutatlast，anditseemedtomethathecouldnothelpseeingthroughthathumbug—
gingpromise。\"Ifthere’sanythingelsetogetoverIshallendeavourtostandbyyou，\"Iconcededfurther，feelingsomehowdefeatedandoverborne；
\"butyoumustdoyourbestyourself。\"
\"Ihavebeenunfortunateonce，\"hemutteredunemotionally，andturninghisbackonmehewentaway，thumpingslowlytheplankfloorasifhisfeethadbeenshodwithiron。
Nextmorning，however，hewaslivelyenoughasman—boat，acombinationofsplashingandshout—
ing；oftheinsolentcommotionbelowwiththesteadyoverbearingglareofthesilenthead—pieceabove。Heturnedusoutmostunnecessarilyatanungodlyhour，butitwasnearlyeleveninthemorn—
ingbeforehebroughtmeupacable’slengthfromHermann’sship。Andhediditverybadlytoo，inahurry，andnearlycontrivingtomissaltogetherthepatchofgoodholdingground，because，for—
sooth，hehadcaughtsightofHermann’snieceonthepoop。AndsodidI；andprobablyassoonashehadseenherhimself。Isawthemodest，sleekgloryofthetawnyhead，andthefull，greyshapeofthegirlishprintfrockshefilledsoperfectly，sosatisfactorily，withtheseductionofunfalteringcurves——averynymphofDianatheHuntress。
AndDianatheshipsat，high—walledandassolidasaninstitution，onthesmoothlevelofthewater，themostuninspiringandrespectablecraftupontheseas，usefulandugly，devotedtothesupportofdomesticvirtueslikeanygrocer’sshoponshore。
AtonceFalksteamedaway；fortherewassomeworkforhimtodo。Hewouldreturnintheeven—
ing。
Herangedclosebyus，passingoutdeadslow，withoutahail。Thebeatofthepaddle—wheelsre—
verberatingamongstthestonyislets，asiffromtheruinedwallsofavastarena，filledtheanchorageconfusedlywiththeclappingsoundsofamightyandleisurelyapplause。AbreastofHermann’sshiphestoppedtheengines；andaprofoundsi—
lencereignedovertherocks，theshoreandthesea，forthetimeittookhimtoraisehishataloftbeforethenymphofthegreyprintfrock。Ihadsnatchedupmybinoculars，andIcananswerforitshedidn’tstiralimb，standingbytherailshapelyanderect，withoneofherhandsgraspingaropeattheheightofherhead，whilethewayofthetugcarriedslowlypastherthelingeringandprofoundhomageoftheman。Therewasformeanenormoussignificanceinthescene，thesenseofhavingwitnessedasolemndeclaration。Thediewascast。Aftersuchaman—
ifestationhecouldn’tbackout。AndIreflectedthatitwasnothingwhatevertomenow。Witharushofblacksmokebelchingsuddenlyoutofthefunnel，andamadswirlofpaddle—wheelsprovokingaburstofweirdandprecipitatedclapping，thetugshotoutofthedesolatearena。Therockyisletslayonthesealiketheheapsofacyclopeanruinonaplain；thecentipedesandscorpionslurkedun—
derthestones；therewasnotasinglebladeofgrassinsightanywhere，notasinglelizardsunninghim—
selfonaboulderbytheshore。WhenIlookedagainatHermann’sshipthegirlhaddisappeared。
Icouldnotdetectthesmallestdotofabirdontheimmensesky，andtheflatnessofthelandcontinuedtheflatnessoftheseatothenakedlineofthehori—
zon。
ThisisthesettingnowinseparablyconnectedwithmyknowledgeofFalk’smisfortune。Mydi—
plomacyhadbroughtmethere，andnowIhadonlytowaitthetimefortakinguptheroleofanambas—
sador。Mydiplomacywasasuccess；myshipwassafe；oldGambrilwouldprobablylive；afeeblesoundofatappinghammercameintermittentlyfromtheDiana。DuringtheafternoonIlookedattimesattheoldhomelyship，thefaithfulnurseofHermann’sprogeny，oryawnedtowardsthedis—
tanttempleofBuddha，likealonelyhillockontheplain，whereshavenpriestscherishthethoughtsofthatAnnihilationwhichistheworthyrewardofusall。Unfortunate!Hehadbeenunfortunateonce。
Well，thatwasnotsobadaslifegoes。Andwhatthedevilcouldbethenatureofthatmisfortune？
IrememberedthatIhadknownamanbeforewhohaddeclaredhimselftohavefallen，yearsago，avictimtomisfortune；butthismisfortune，whoseeffectsappearedpermanent（helookeddesper—
atelyhardup）whenconsidereddispassionately，seemedindistinguishablefromabreachoftrust。