ThePlanterofMalataThePartnerTheInnoftheTwoWitchesBecauseoftheDollarsTHEPLANTEROFMALATA
　　CHAPTERI
　　Intheprivateeditorialofficeoftheprincipalnewspaperinagreatcolonialcitytwomenweretalking。Theywerebothyoung。
　　Thestouterofthetwo，fair，andwithmoreofanurbanlookabouthim，wastheeditorandpart-owneroftheimportantnewspaper。
　　Theother'snamewasRenouard。Thathewasexercisedinhismindaboutsomethingwasevidentonhisfinebronzedface。Hewasalean，lounging，activeman。Thejournalistcontinuedtheconversation。
　　"AndsoyouwerediningyesterdayatoldDunster's。"
　　Heusedthewordoldnotintheendearingsenseinwhichitissometimesappliedtointimates，butasamatterofsoberfact。TheDunsterinquestionwasold。Hehadbeenaneminentcolonialstatesman，buthadnowretiredfromactivepoliticsafteratourinEuropeandalengthystayinEngland，duringwhichhehadhadaverygoodpressindeed。Thecolonywasproudofhim。
　　"Yes。Idinedthere，"saidRenouard。"YoungDunsteraskedmejustasIwasgoingoutofhisoffice。Itseemedtobelikeasuddenthought。AndyetIcan'thelpsuspectingsomepurposebehindit。
　　Hewasverypressing。Hesworethathisunclewouldbeverypleasedtoseeme。SaidhisunclehadmentionedlatelythatthegrantingtomeoftheMalataconcessionwasthelastactofhisofficiallife。"
　　"Verytouching。Theoldboysentimentalisesoverthepastnowandthen。"
　　"Ireallydon'tknowwhyIaccepted，"continuedtheother。
　　"Sentimentdoesnotmovemeveryeasily。OldDunsterwasciviltomeofcourse，buthedidnoteveninquirehowIwasgettingonwithmysilkplants。Forgottherewassuchathingprobably。ImustsaythereweremorepeopletherethanIexpectedtomeet。Quiteabigparty。"
　　"Iwasasked，"remarkedthenewspaperman。"OnlyIcouldn'tgo。
　　ButwhendidyouarrivefromMalata？"
　　"Iarrivedyesterdayatdaylight。Iamanchoredoutthereinthebay-offGardenPoint。IwasinDunster'sofficebeforehehadfinishedreadinghisletters。HaveyoueverseenyoungDunsterreadinghisletters？Ihadaglimpseofhimthroughtheopendoor。
　　Heholdsthepaperinbothhands，huncheshisshouldersuptohisuglyears，andbringshislongnoseandhisthicklipsontoitlikeasuckingapparatus。Acommercialmonster。"
　　"Herewedon'tconsiderhimamonster，"saidthenewspapermanlookingathisvisitorthoughtfully。
　　"Probablynot。Youareusedtoseehisfaceandtoseeotherfaces。Idon'tknowhowitisthat，whenIcometotown，theappearanceofthepeopleinthestreetstrikemewithsuchforce。
　　Theyseemsoawfullyexpressive。"
　　"Andnotcharming。"
　　"Well-no。Notasarule。Theeffectisforciblewithoutbeingclear……Iknowthatyouthinkit'sbecauseofmysolitarymanneroflifeawaythere。"
　　"Yes。Idothinkso。Itisdemoralising。Youdon'tseeanyoneformonthsatastretch。You'releadinganunhealthylife。"
　　Theotherhardlysmiledandmurmuredtheadmissionthattrueenoughitwasagoodelevenmonthssincehehadbeenintownlast。
　　"Yousee，"insistedtheother。"Solitudeworkslikeasortofpoison。Andthenyouperceivesuggestionsinfaces-mysteriousandforcible，thatnosoundmanwouldbebotheredwith。Ofcourseyoudo。"
　　GeoffreyRenouarddidnottellhisjournalistfriendthatthesuggestionsofhisownface，thefaceofafriend，botheredhimasmuchastheothers。Hedetectedadegradingqualityinthetouchesofagewhicheverydayaddstoahumancountenance。Theymovedanddisturbedhim，likethesignsofahorribleinwardtravailwhichwasfrightfullyapparenttothefresheyehehadbroughtfromhisisolationinMalata，wherehehadsettledafterfivestrenuousyearsofadventureandexploration。
　　"It'safact，"hesaid，"thatwhenIamathomeinMalataIseenooneconsciously。Itaketheplantationboysforgranted。"
　　"Well，andweheretakethepeopleinthestreetsforgranted。Andthat'ssanity。"
　　Thevisitorsaidnothingtothisforfearofengagingadiscussion。
　　Whathehadcometoseekintheeditorialofficewasnotcontroversy，butinformation。Yetsomehowhehesitatedtoapproachthesubject。Solitarylifemakesamanreticentinrespectofanythinginthenatureofgossip，whichthosetowhomchattingabouttheirkindisaneverydayexerciseregardasthecommonestuseofspeech。
　　"Youverybusy？"heasked。
　　TheEditormakingredmarksonalongslipofprintedpaperthrewthepencildown。
　　"No。Iamdone。Socialparagraphs。Thisofficeistheplacewhereeverythingisknownabouteverybody-includingevenagreatdealofnobodies。Queerfellowsdriftinandoutofthisroom。
　　Waifsandstraysfromhome，fromup-country，fromthePacific。
　　And，bytheway，lasttimeyouwerehereyoupickeduponeofthatsortforyourassistant-didn'tyou？"
　　"Iengagedanassistantonlytostopyourpreachingabouttheevilsofsolitude，"saidRenouardhastily；andthepressmanlaughedatthehalf-resentfultone。Hislaughwasnotveryloud，buthisplumppersonshookallover。Hewasawarethathisyoungerfriend'sdeferencetohisadvicewasbasedonlyonanimperfectbeliefinhiswisdom-orhissagacity。ButitwashewhohadfirsthelpedRenouardinhisplansofexploration:thefive-years'
　　programmeofscientificadventure，ofwork，ofdangerandendurance，carriedoutwithsuchdistinctionandrewardedmodestlywiththeleaseofMalataislandbythefrugalcolonialgovernment。
　　Andthisreward，too，hadbeenduetothejournalist'sadvocacywithwordandpen-forhewasaninfluentialmaninthecommunity。
　　DoubtingverymuchifRenouardreallylikedhim，hewashimselfwithoutgreatsympathyforacertainsideofthatmanwhichhecouldnotquitemakeout。Heonlyfeltitobscurelytobehisrealpersonality-thetrue-and，perhaps，theabsurd。As，forinstance，inthatcaseoftheassistant。Renouardhadgivenwaytotheargumentsofhisfriendandbacker-theargumentagainsttheunwholesomeeffectofsolitude，theargumentforthesafetyofcompanionshipevenifquarrelsome。Verywell。Inthisdocilityhewassensibleandevenlikeable。Butwhatdidhedonext？Insteadoftakingcounselastothechoicewithhisoldbackerandfriend，andaman，besides，knowingeverybodyemployedandunemployedonthepavementsofthetown，thisextraordinaryRenouardsuddenlyandalmostsurreptitiouslypickedupafellow-Godknowswho-andsailedawaywithhimbacktoMalatainahurry；aproceedingobviouslyrashandatthesametimenotquitestraight。Thatwasthesortofthing。Thesecretlyunforgivingjournalistlaughedalittlelongerandthenceasedtoshakeallover。
　　"Oh，yes。Aboutthatassistantofyours……"
　　"Whatabouthim，"saidRenouard，afterwaitingawhile，withashadowofuneasinessonhisface。
　　"Haveyounothingtotellmeofhim？"
　　"Nothingexcept……"IncipientgrimnessvanishedoutofRenouard'saspectandhisvoice，whilehehesitatedasifreflectingseriouslybeforehechangedhismind。"No。Nothingwhatever。"
　　"Youhaven'tbroughthimalongwithyoubychance-forachange。"
　　ThePlanterofMalatastared，thenshookhishead，andfinallymurmuredcarelessly:"Ithinkhe'sverywellwhereheis。ButI
　　wishyoucouldtellmewhyyoungDunsterinsistedsomuchonmydiningwithhisunclelastnight。EverybodyknowsIamnotasocietyman。"
　　TheEditorexclaimedatsomuchmodesty。Didn'thisfriendknowthathewastheironeandonlyexplorer-thathewasthemanexperimentingwiththesilkplant……
　　"Still，thatdoesn'ttellmewhyIwasinvitedyesterday。ForyoungDunsterneverthoughtofthiscivilitybefore……"
　　"OurWillie，"saidthepopularjournalist，"neverdoesanythingwithoutapurpose，that'safact。"
　　"Andtohisuncle'shousetoo!"
　　"Helivesthere。"
　　"Yes。Buthemighthavegivenmeafeedsomewhereelse。Theextraordinarypartisthattheoldmandidnotseemtohaveanythingspecialtosay。Hesmiledkindlyonmeonceortwice，andthatwasall。Itwasquiteaparty，sixteenpeople。"
　　TheEditorthen，afterexpressinghisregretthathehadnotbeenabletocome，wantedtoknowifthepartyhadbeenentertaining。
　　Renouardregrettedthathisfriendhadnotbeenthere。Beingamanwhosebusinessoratleastwhoseprofessionwastoknoweverythingthatwentoninthispartoftheglobe，hecouldprobablyhavetoldhimsomethingofsomepeoplelatelyarrivedfromhome，whowereamongsttheguests。YoungDunsterWillie，withhislargeshirt-
　　frontandstreaksofwhiteskinshiningunpleasantlythroughthethinblackhairplasteredoverthetopofhishead，boredownonhimandintroducedhimtothatparty，asifhehadbeenatraineddogorachildphenomenon。Decidedly，hesaid，hedislikedWillie-oneoftheselargeoppressivemen……
　　Asilencefell，anditwasasifRenouardwerenotgoingtosayanythingmorewhen，suddenly，hecameoutwiththerealobjectofhisvisittotheeditorialroom。
　　"Theylookedtomelikepeopleunderaspell。"
　　TheEditorgazedathimappreciatively，thinkingthat，whethertheeffectofsolitudeornot，thiswasaproofofasensitiveperceptionoftheexpressionoffaces。
　　"Youomittedtotellmetheirname，butIcanmakeaguess。YoumeanProfessorMoorsom，hisdaughterandsister-don'tyou？"
　　Renouardassented。Yes，awhite-hairedlady。Butfromhissilence，withhiseyesfixed，yetavoidinghisfriend，itwaseasytoguessthatitwasnotinthewhite-hairedladythathewasinterested。
　　"Uponmyword，"hesaid，recoveringhisusualbearing。"ItlookstomeasifIhadbeenaskedthereonlyforthedaughtertotalktome。"
　　Hedidnotconcealthathehadbeengreatlystruckbyherappearance。Nobodycouldhavehelpedbeingimpressed。Shewasdifferentfromeverybodyelseinthathouse，anditwasnotonlytheeffectofherLondonclothes。Hedidnottakeherdowntodinner。Williedidthat。Itwasafterwards，ontheterrace……
　　Theeveningwasdelightfullycalm。Hewassittingapartandalone，andwishinghimselfsomewhereelse-onboardtheschoonerforchoice，withthedinner-harnessoff。Hehadn'texchangedfortywordsaltogetherduringtheeveningwiththeotherguests。Hesawhersuddenlyallbyherselfcomingtowardshimalongthedimlylightedterrace，quitefromadistance。
　　Shewastallandsupple，carryingnoblyonherstraightbodyaheadofacharacterwhichtohimappearedpeculiar，something-well-
　　pagan，crownedwithagreatwealthofhair。Hehadbeenabouttorise，butherdecidedapproachcausedhimtoremainontheseat。
　　Hehadnotlookedmuchatherthatevening。Hehadnotthatfreedomofgazeacquiredbythehabitofsocietyandthefrequentmeetingswithstrangers。Itwasnotshyness，butthereserveofamannotusedtotheworldandtothepracticeofcovertstaring，withcarelesscuriosity。Allhehadcapturedbyhisfirst，keen，instantlylowered，glancewastheimpressionthatherhairwasmagnificentlyredandhereyesveryblack。Itwasatroublingeffect，butithadbeenevanescent；hehadforgottenitalmosttillveryunexpectedlyhesawhercomingdowntheterraceslowandeager，asifshewererestrainingherself，andwitharhythmicupwardundulationofherwholefigure。Thelightfromanopenwindowfellacrossherpath，andsuddenlyallthatmassofarrangedhairappearedincandescent，chiselledandfluid，withthedaringsuggestionofahelmetofburnishedcopperandtheflowinglinesofmoltenmetal。Itkindledinhimanastonishedadmiration。ButhesaidnothingofittohisfriendtheEditor。Neitherdidhetellhimthatherapproachwokeupinhisbraintheimageoflove'sinfinitegraceandthesenseoftheinexhaustiblejoythatlivesinbeauty。No!WhatheimpartedtotheEditorwerenoemotions，butmerefactsconveyedinadeliberatevoiceandinuninspiredwords。
　　"Thatyoungladycameandsatdownbyme。Shesaid:'AreyouFrench，Mr。Renouard？'"
　　Hehadbreathedawhiffofperfumeofwhichhesaidnothingeither-ofsomeperfumehedidnotknow。Hervoicewaslowanddistinct。
　　Hershouldersandherbarearmsgleamedwithanextraordinarysplendour，andwhensheadvancedherheadintothelighthesawtheadmirablecontouroftheface，thestraightfinenosewithdelicatenostrils，theexquisitecrimsonbrushstrokeofthelipsonthisovalwithoutcolour。Theexpressionoftheeyeswaslostinashadowymysteriousplayofjetandsilver，stirringundertheredcopperygoldofthehairasthoughshehadbeenabeingmadeofivoryandpreciousmetalschangedintolivingtissue。
　　"……ItoldhermypeoplewerelivinginCanada，butthatIwasbroughtupinEnglandbeforecomingouthere。Ican'timaginewhatinterestshecouldhaveinmyhistory。"
　　"Andyoucomplainofherinterest？"
　　Theaccentoftheall-knowingjournalistseemedtojaronthePlanterofMalata。
　　"No!"hesaid，inadeadenedvoicethatwasalmostsullen。Butafterashortsilencehewenton。"Veryextraordinary。ItoldherIcameouttowanderatlargeintheworldwhenIwasnineteen，almostdirectlyafterIleftschool。Itseemsthatherlatebrotherwasinthesameschoolacoupleofyearsbeforeme。ShewantedmetotellherwhatIdidatfirstwhenIcameouthere；
　　whatothermenfoundtodowhentheycameout-wheretheywent，whatwaslikelytohappentothem-asifIcouldguessandforetellfrommyexperiencethefatesofmenwhocomeoutherewithahundreddifferentprojects，forhundredsofdifferentreasons-
　　fornoreasonbutrestlessness-whocome，andgo，anddisappear!
　　Preposterous。Sheseemedtowanttoheartheirhistories。Itoldherthatmostofthemwerenotworthtelling。"
　　Thedistinguishedjournalistleaningonhiselbow，hisheadrestingagainsttheknucklesofhislefthand，listenedwithgreatattention，butgavenosignofthatsurprisewhichRenouard，pausing，seemedtoexpect。
　　"Youknowsomething，"thelattersaidbrusquely。Theall-knowingmanmovedhisheadslightlyandsaid，"Yes。Butgoon。"
　　"It'sjustthis。Thereisnomoretoit。Ifoundmyselftalkingtoherofmyadventures，ofmyearlydays。Itcouldn'tpossiblyhaveinterestedher。Really，"hecried，"thisismostextraordinary。Thosepeoplehavesomethingontheirminds。Wesatinthelightofthewindow，andherfatherprowledabouttheterrace，withhishandsbehindhisbackandhisheaddrooping。Thewhite-hairedladycametothedining-roomwindowtwice-tolookatusIamcertain。Theotherguestsbegantogoaway-andstillwesatthere。ApparentlythesepeoplearestayingwiththeDunsters。
　　ItwasoldMrs。Dunsterwhoputanendtothething。Thefatherandtheauntcircledaboutasiftheywereafraidofinterferingwiththegirl。Thenshegotupallatonce，gavemeherhand，andsaidshehopedshewouldseemeagain。"
　　WhilehewasspeakingRenouardsawagaintheswayofherfigureinamovementofgraceandstrength-feltthepressureofherhand-
　　heardthelastaccentsofthedeepmurmurthatcamefromherthroatsowhiteinthelightofthewindow，andrememberedtheblackraysofhersteadyeyespassingoffhisfacewhensheturnedaway。Herememberedallthisvisually，anditwasnotexactlypleasurable。
　　Itwasratherstartlinglikethediscoveryofanewfacultyinhimself。Therearefacultiesonewouldratherdowithout-such，forinstance，asseeingthroughastonewallorrememberingapersonwiththisuncannyvividness。Andwhataboutthosetwopeoplebelongingtoherwiththeirairofexpectantsolicitude!
　　Really，thosefiguresfromhomegotinfrontofone。Infact，theirpersistenceingettingbetweenhimandthesolidformsoftheeverydaymaterialworldhaddrivenRenouardtocallonhisfriendattheoffice。Hehopedthatalittlecommon，gossipyinformationwouldlaytheghostofthatunexpecteddinner-party。OfcoursetheproperpersontogotowouldhavebeenyoungDunster，but，hecouldn'tstandWillieDunster-notatanyprice。
　　InthepausetheEditorhadchangedhisattitude，facedhisdesk，andsmiledafaintknowingsmile。
　　"Strikinggirl-eh？"hesaid。
　　Theincongruityofthewordwasenoughtomakeonejumpoutofthechair。Striking!Thatgirlstriking!Stri……!ButRenouardrestrainedhisfeelings。Hisfriendwasnotapersontogiveoneselfawayto。And，afterall，thissortofspeechwaswhathehadcometheretohear。As，however，hehadmadeamovementhere-
　　settledhimselfcomfortablyandsaid，withverycreditableindifference，thatyes-shewas，rather。Especiallyamongstalotofover-dressedfrumps。Therewasn'tonewomanunderfortythere。
　　"Isthatthewaytospeakofthecreamofoursociety；the'topofthebasket，'astheFrenchsay，"theEditorremonstratedwithmockindignation。"Youaren'tmoderateinyourexpressions-youknow。"
　　"Iexpressmyselfverylittle，"interjectedRenouardseriously。
　　"Iwilltellyouwhatyouare。Youareafellowthatdoesn'tcountthecost。Ofcourseyouaresafewithme，butwillyouneverlearn……"
　　"Whatstruckmemost，"interruptedtheother，"isthatsheshouldpickmeoutforsuchalongconversation。"
　　"That'sperhapsbecauseyouwerethemostremarkableofthementhere。"
　　Renouardshookhishead。
　　"Thisshotdoesn'tseemtometohitthemark，"hesaidcalmly。
　　"Tryagain。"
　　"Don'tyoubelieveme？Oh，youmodestcreature。Well，letmeassureyouthatunderordinarycircumstancesitwouldhavebeenagoodshot。Youaresufficientlyremarkable。Butyouseemaprettyacutecustomertoo。Thecircumstancesareextraordinary。ByJovetheyare!"
　　Hemused。AfteratimethePlanterofMalatadroppedanegligent-
　　"Andyouknowthem。"
　　"AndIknowthem，"assentedtheall-knowingEditor，soberly，asthoughtheoccasionweretoospecialforadisplayofprofessionalvanity；avanitysowellknowntoRenouardthatitsabsenceaugmentedhiswonderandalmostmadehimuneasyasifportendingbadnewsofsomesort。
　　"Youhavemetthosepeople？"heasked。
　　"No。Iwastohavemetthemlastnight，butIhadtosendanapologytoWillieinthemorning。Itwasthenthathehadthebrightideatoinviteyoutofilltheplace，fromamuddlednotionthatyoucouldbeofuse。Willieisstupidsometimes。Foritisclearthatyouarethelastmanabletohelp。"
　　"HowonearthdoIcometobemixedupinthis-whateveritis？"
　　Renouard'svoicewasslightlyalteredbynervousirritation。"I
　　onlyarrivedhereyesterdaymorning。"
　　CHAPTERII
　　HisfriendtheEditorturnedtohimsquarely。"Willietookmeintoconsultation，andsinceheseemstohaveletyouinImayjustaswelltellyouwhatisup。IshalltrytobeasshortasIcan。
　　Butinconfidence-mind!"
　　Hewaited。Renouard，hisuneasinessgrowingonhimunreasonably，assentedbyanod，andtheotherlostnotimeinbeginning。
　　ProfessorMoorsom-physicistandphilosopher-fineheadofwhitehair，tojudgefromthephotographs-plentyofbrainsintheheadtoo-allthesefamousbooks-surelyevenRenouardwouldknow……
　　Renouardmutteredmoodilythatitwasn'thissortofreading，andhisfriendhastenedtoassurehimearnestlythatneitherwasithissort-exceptasamatterofbusinessandduty，fortheliterarypageofthatnewspaperwhichwashispropertyandtheprideofhislife。TheonlyliterarynewspaperintheAntipodescouldnotignorethefashionablephilosopheroftheage。NotthatanybodyreadMoorsomattheAntipodes，buteverybodyhadheardofhim-
　　women，children，docklabourers，cabmen。TheonlypersonbesideshimselfwhohadreadMoorsom，asfarasheknew，wasoldDunster，whousedtocallhimselfaMoorsomianorwasitMoorsomiteyearsandyearsago，longbeforeMoorsomhadworkedhimselfupintothegreatswellhewasnow，ineveryway……Sociallytoo。Quitethefashioninthehighestworld。
　　Renouardlistenedwithprofoundlyconcealedattention。"A
　　charlatan，"hemutteredlanguidly。
　　"Well-no。Ishouldsaynot。Ishouldn'twonderthoughifmostofhiswritinghadbeendonewithhistongueinhischeek。Ofcourse。That'stobeexpected。Itellyouwhat:theonlyreallyhonestwritingistobefoundinnewspapersandnowhereelse-anddon'tyouforgetit。"
　　TheEditorpausedwithabasiliskstaretillRenouardhadconcededacasual:"Idaresay，"andonlythenwentontoexplainthatoldDunster，duringhisEuropeantour，hadbeenmaderatheralionofinLondon，wherehestayedwiththeMoorsoms-hemeantthefatherandthegirl。Theprofessorhadbeenawidowerforalongtime。
　　"Shedoesn'tlookjustagirl，"mutteredRenouard。Theotheragreed。Verylikelynot。HadbeenplayingtheLondonhostesstotip-toppeopleeversincesheputherhairup，probably。
　　"Idon'texpecttoseeanygirlishbloomonherwhenIdohavetheprivilege，"hecontinued。"ThosepeoplearestayingwiththeDunster'sINCOG。，inamanner，youunderstand-somethinglikeroyalties。Theydon'tdeceiveanybody，buttheywanttobelefttothemselves。Wehaveevenkeptthemoutofthepaper-toobligeoldDunster。Butweshallputyourarrivalin-ourlocalcelebrity。"
　　"Heavens!"
　　"Yes。Mr。G。Renouard，theexplorer，whoseindomitableenergy，etc。，andwhoisnowworkingfortheprosperityofourcountryinanotherwayonhisMalataplantation……And，bytheby，how'sthesilkplant-flourishing？"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Didyoubringanyfibre？"
　　"Schooner-full。"
　　"Isee。TobetranshippedtoLiverpoolforexperimentalmanufacture，eh？Eminentcapitalistsathomeverymuchinterested，aren'tthey？"
　　"Theyare。"
　　Asilencefell。ThentheEditorutteredslowly-"Youwillbearichmansomeday。"
　　Renouard'sfacedidnotbetrayhisopinionofthatconfidentprophecy。Hedidn'tsayanythingtillhisfriendsuggestedinthesamemeditativevoice-
　　"YououghttointerestMoorsomintheaffairtoo-sinceWilliehasletyouin。"
　　"Aphilosopher!"
　　"Isupposeheisn'tabovemakingabitofmoney。Andhemaybecleveratitforallyouknow。Ihaveanotionthathe'safairlypracticaloldcove……Anyhow，"andherethetoneofthespeakertookonatingeofrespect，"hehasmadephilosophypay。"
　　Renouardraisedhiseyes，repressedanimpulsetojumpup，andgotoutofthearm-chairslowly。"Itisn'tperhapsabadidea，"hesaid。"I'llhavetocallthereinanycase。"
　　Hewonderedwhetherhehadmanagedtokeephisvoicesteady，itstoneunconcernedenough；forhisemotionwasstrongthoughithadnothingtodowiththebusinessaspectofthissuggestion。Hemovedintheroominvaguepreparationfordeparture，whenheheardasoftlaugh。Hespunaboutquicklywithafrown，buttheEditorwasnotlaughingathim。Hewaschucklingacrossthebigdeskatthewall:apreliminaryofsomespeechforwhichRenouard，recalledtohimself，waitedsilentandmistrustful。
　　"No!Youwouldneverguess!Noonewouldeverguesswhatthesepeopleareafter。Willie'seyesbulgedoutwhenhecametomewiththetale。"
　　"Theyalwaysdo，"remarkedRenouardwithdisgust。"He'sstupid。"
　　"Hewasstartled。AndsowasIafterhetoldme。It'sasearchparty。Theyareoutlookingforaman。Willie'ssoftheart'senlistedinthecause。"
　　Renouardrepeated:"Lookingforaman。"
　　Hesatdownsuddenlyasifonpurposetostare。"DidWilliecometoyoutoborrowthelantern，"heaskedsarcastically，andgotupagainfornoapparentreason。
　　"Whatlantern？"snappedthepuzzledEditor，andhisfacedarkenedwithsuspicion。"You，Renouard，arealwaysalludingtothingsthataren'tcleartome。Ifyouwereinpolitics，I，asapartyjournalist，wouldn'ttrustyoufurtherthanIcouldseeyou。Notaninchfurther。Youaresuchasophisticatedbeggar。Listen:
　　themanisthemanMissMoorsomwasengagedtoforayear。Hecouldn'thavebeenanobody，anyhow。Buthedoesn'tseemtohavebeenverywise。Hardluckfortheyounglady。"
　　Hespokewithfeeling。Itwasclearthatwhathehadtotellappealedtohissentiment。Yet，asanexperiencedmanoftheworld，hemarkedhisamusedwonder。Youngmanofgoodfamilyandconnections，goingeverywhere，yetnotmerelyamanabouttown，butwithafootinthetwobigF's。
　　Renouardloungingaimlesslyintheroomturnedround:"Andwhatthedevil'sthat？"heaskedfaintly。
　　"WhyFashionandFinance，"explainedtheEditor。"That'showI
　　callit。TherearethethreeR'satthebottomofthesocialedificeandthetwoF'sonthetop。See？"
　　"Ha!Ha!Excellent!Ha!Ha!"Renouardlaughedwithstonyeyes。
　　"Andyouproceedfromonesettotheotherinthisdemocraticage，"
　　theEditorwentonwithunperturbedcomplacency。"Thatisifyouarecleverenough。Theonlydangerisinbeingtooclever。AndI
　　thinksomethingofthesorthappenedhere。ThatswellIamspeakingofgothimselfintoamess。Apparentlyaveryuglymessofafinancialcharacter。YouwillunderstandthatWilliedidnotgointodetailswithme。Theywerenotimpartedtohimwithverygreatabundanceeither。Butabadmess-somethingofthecriminalorder。Ofcoursehewasinnocent。Buthehadtoquitallthesame。"
　　"Ha!Ha!"Renouardlaughedagainabruptly，staringasbefore。"Sothere'sonemorebigFinthetale。"
　　"Whatdoyoumean？"inquiredtheEditorquickly，withanairasifhispatentwerebeinginfringed。
　　"Imean-Fool。"
　　"No。Iwouldn'tsaythat。Iwouldn'tsaythat。"
　　"Well-lethimbeascoundrelthen。WhatthedevildoIcare。"
　　"Butholdon!Youhaven'theardtheendofthestory。"
　　Renouard，hishatonhisheadalready，satdownwiththedisdainfulsmileofamanwhohaddiscountedthemoralofthestory。StillhesatdownandtheEditorswunghisrevolvingchairrightround。Hewasfullofunction。
　　"Imprudent，Ishouldsay。Inmanywaysmoneyisasdangeroustohandleasgunpowder。Youcan'tbetoocarefuleitherastowhoyouareworkingwith。Anyhowtherewasamightyflashyburstup，asensation，and-hisfamiliarhauntsknewhimnomore。ButbeforehevanishedhewenttoseeMissMoorsom。Thatveryfactarguesforhisinnocence-don'tit？Whatwassaidbetweenthemnomanknows-unlesstheprofessorhadtheconfidencefromhisdaughter。Therecouldn'thavebeenmuchtosay。Therewasnothingforitbuttolethimgo-wasthere？-fortheaffairhadgotintothepapers。
　　Andperhapsthekindestthingwouldhavebeentoforgethim。
　　Anywaytheeasiest。Forgivenesswouldhavebeenmoredifficult，I
　　fancy，forayoungladyofspiritandpositiondrawnintoanuglyaffairlikethat。Anyordinaryyounglady，Imean。Well，thefellowaskednothingbetterthantobeforgotten，onlyhedidn'tfinditeasytodosohimself，becausehewouldwritehomenowandthen。Nottoanyofhisfriendsthough。Hehadnonearrelations。
　　Theprofessorhadbeenhisguardian。No，thepoordevilwrotenowandthentoanoldretiredbutlerofhislatefather，somewhereinthecountry，forbiddinghimatthesametimetoletanyoneknowofhiswhereabouts。SothatworthyoldasswouldgoupanddodgeabouttheMoorsom'stownhouse，perhapswaylayMissMoorsom'smaid，andthenwouldwriteto'MasterArthur'thattheyoungladylookedwellandhappy，orsomesuchcheerfulintelligence。Idaresayhewantedtobeforgotten，butIshouldn'tthinkhewasmuchcheeredbythenews。Whatwouldyousay？"
　　Renouard，hislegsstretchedoutandhischinonhisbreast，saidnothing。Asensationwhichwasnotcuriosity，butratheravaguenervousanxiety，distinctlyunpleasant，likeamysterioussymptomofsomemalady，preventedhimfromgettingupandgoingaway。
　　"Mixedfeelings，"theEditoropined。"Manyfellowsoutherereceivenewsfromhomewithmixedfeelings。ButwhatwillhisfeelingsbewhenhehearswhatIamgoingtotellyounow？Forweknowhehasnotheardyet。Sixmonthsagoacityclerk，justacommondrudgeoffinance，getshimselfconvictedofacommonembezzlementorsomethingofthatkind。Thenseeinghe'sinforalongsentencehethinksofmakinghisconsciencecomfortable，andmakesacleanbreastofanoldstoryoftamperedwith，orelsesuppressed，documents，astorywhichclearsaltogetherthehonestyofourruinedgentleman。Thatembezzlingfellowwasinapositiontoknow，havingbeenemployedbythefirmbeforethesmash。Therewasnodoubtaboutthecharacterbeingcleared-butwheretheclearedmanwasnobodycouldtell。Anothersensationinsociety。
　　AndthenMissMoorsomsays:'Hewillcomebacktoclaimme，andI'llmarryhim。'Buthedidn'tcomeback。BetweenyouandmeI
　　don'tthinkhewasmuchwanted-exceptbyMissMoorsom。Iimagineshe'susedtohaveherownway。Shegrewimpatient，anddeclaredthatifsheknewwherethemanwasshewouldgotohim。Butallthatcouldbegotoutoftheoldbutlerwasthatthelastenvelopeborethepostmarkofourbeautifulcity；andthatthiswastheonlyaddressof'MasterArthur'thatheeverhad。Thatandnomore。Infactthefellowwasathislastgasp-withabadheart。MissMoorsomwasn'tallowedtoseehim。Shehadgoneherselfintothecountrytolearnwhatshecould，butshehadtostaydownstairswhiletheoldchap'swifewentuptotheinvalid。ShebroughtdownthescrapofintelligenceI'vetoldyouof。Hewasalreadytoofargonetobecross-examinedonit，andthatverynighthedied。Hedidn'tleavebehindhimmuchtogoby，didhe？OurWilliehintedtomethattherehadbeenprettystormydaysintheprofessor'shouse，but-heretheyare。Ihaveanotionsheisn'tthekindofeverydayyoungladywhomaybepermittedtogallopabouttheworldallbyherself-eh？Well，Ithinkitratherfineofher，butI
　　quiteunderstandthattheprofessorneededallhisphilosophyunderthecircumstances。Sheishisonlychildnow-andbrilliant-
　　what？Williepositivelysplutteredtryingtodescribehertome；
　　andIcouldseedirectlyyoucameinthatyouhadanuncommonexperience。"
　　Renouard，withanirritatedgesture，tiltedhishatmoreforwardonhiseyes，asthoughhewerebored。TheEditorwentonwiththeremarkthattobesureneitherheRenouardnoryetWillieweremuchusedtomeetgirlsofthatremarkablesuperiority。WilliewhenlearningbusinesswithafirminLondon，yearsbefore，hadseennonebutboarding-housesociety，heguessed。Astohimselfinthegoodolddays，whenhetrodthegloriousflagsofFleetStreet，heneitherhadaccessto，noryetwouldhavecaredfortheswells。
　　NothinginterestedhimthenbutparliamentarypoliticsandtheoratoryoftheHouseofCommons。
　　Hepaidtothisnotverydistantpastthetributeofatender，reminiscentsmile，andreturnedtohisfirstideathatforasocietygirlheractionwasratherfine。Allthesametheprofessorcouldnotbeverypleased。Thefellowifhewasaspureasalilynowwasjustaboutasdevoidofthegoodsoftheearth。
　　Andthereweremisfortunes，howeverundeserved，whichdamagedaman'sstandingpermanently。Ontheotherhand，itwasdifficulttoopposecynicallyanobleimpulse-nottospeakofthegreatloveattherootofit。Ah!Love!Andthentheladywasquitecapableofgoingoffbyherself。Shewasofage，shehadmoneyofherown，plentyofplucktoo。Moorsommusthaveconcludedthatitwasmoretrulypaternal，moreprudenttoo，andgenerallysaferallroundtolethimselfbedraggedintothischase。Theauntcamealongforthesamereasons。Itwasgivenoutathomeasatriproundtheworldoftheusualkind。
　　Renouardhadrisenandremainedstandingwithhisheartbeating，andstrangelyaffectedbythistale，robbedasitwasofallglamourbytheprosaicpersonalityofthenarrator。TheEditoradded:"I'vebeenaskedtohelpinthesearch-youknow。"
　　Renouardmutteredsomethingaboutanappointmentandwentoutintothestreet。Hisinbornsanitycouldnotdefendhimfromamistycreepingjealousy。Hethoughtthatobviouslynomanofthatsortcouldbeworthyofsuchawoman'sdevotedfidelity。Renouard，however，hadlivedlongenoughtoreflectthataman'sactivities，hisviews，andevenhisideasmaybeveryinferiortohischaracter；andmovedbyadelicateconsiderationforthatsplendidgirlhetriedtothinkoutforthemanacharacterofinwardexcellenceandoutwardgifts-someextraordinaryseduction。Butinvain。Freshfrommonthsofsolitudeandfromdaysatsea，hersplendourpresenteditselftohimabsolutelyunconquerableinitsperfection，unlessbyherownfolly。Itwaseasiertosuspectherofthisthantoimagineinthemanqualitieswhichwouldbeworthyofher。Easierandlessdegrading。Becausefollymaybegenerous-couldbenothingelsebutgenerosityinher；whereastoimaginehersubjugatedbysomethingcommonwasintolerable。
　　Becauseoftheforceofthephysicalimpressionhehadreceivedfromherpersonalityandsuchimpressionsaretherealoriginsofthedeepestmovementsofoursoulthisconceptionofherwaseveninconceivable。ButnoPrinceCharminghaseverlivedoutofafairytale。Hedoesn'twalktheworldsofFashionandFinance-
　　andwithastumblinggaitatthat。Generosity。Yes。Itwashergenerosity。Butthisgenerositywasaltogetherregalinitssplendour，almostabsurdinitslavishness-or，perhaps，divine。
　　Intheevening，onboardhisschooner，sittingontherail，hisarmsfoldedonhisbreastandhiseyesfixedonthedeck，heletthedarknesscatchhimunawaresinthemidstofameditationonthemechanismofsentimentandthespringsofpassion。Andallthetimehehadanabidingconsciousnessofherbodilypresence。Theeffectonhissenseshadbeensopenetratingthatinthemiddleofthenight，rousingupsuddenly，wide-eyedinthedarknessofhiscabin，hedidnotcreateafaintmentalvisionofherpersonforhimself，but，moreintimatelyaffected，hescenteddistinctlythefaintperfumesheused，andcouldalmosthaveswornthathehadbeenawakenedbythesoftrustleofherdress。Heevensatuplisteninginthedarkforatime，thensighedandlaydownagain，notagitatedbut，onthecontrary，oppressedbythesensationofsomethingthathadhappenedtohimandcouldnotbeundone。
　　CHAPTERIII
　　Intheafternoonheloungedintotheeditorialoffice，carryingwithaffectednonchalancethatweightoftheirremediablehehadfeltlaidonhimsuddenlyinthesmallhoursofthenight-thatconsciousnessofsomethingthatcouldnolongerbehelped。HispatronisingfriendinformedhimatoncethathehadmadetheacquaintanceoftheMoorsompartylastnight。AttheDunsters，ofcourse。Dinner。
　　"Veryquiet。Nobodythere。Itwasmuchbetterforthebusiness。
　　Isay……"
　　Renouard，hishandgraspingthebackofachair，stareddownathimdumbly。
　　"Phew!That'sastunninggirl……Whydoyouwanttositonthatchair？It'suncomfortable!"
　　"Iwasn'tgoingtositonit。"Renouardwalkedslowlytothewindow，gladtofindinhimselfenoughself-controltoletgothechairinsteadofraisingitonhighandbringingitdownontheEditor'shead。
　　"Williekeptongazingatherwithtearsinhisboiledeyes。Youshouldhaveseenhimbendingsentimentallyoverheratdinner。"
　　"Don't，"saidRenouardinsuchananguishedtonethattheEditorturnedrightroundtolookathisback。
　　"YoupushyourdislikeofyoungDunstertoofar。It'spositivelymorbid，"hedisapprovedmildly。"Wecan'tbeallbeautifulafterthirty……Italkedalittle，aboutyoumostly，totheprofessor。Heappearedtobeinterestedinthesilkplant-ifonlyasachangefromthegreatsubject。MissMoorsomdidn'tseemtomindwhenIconfessedtoherthatIhadtakenyouintotheconfidenceofthething。OurWillieapprovedtoo。OldDunsterwithhiswhitebeardseemedtogivemehisblessing。Allthosepeoplehaveagreatopinionofyou，simplybecauseItoldthemthatyou'veledeverysortoflifeonecanthinkofbeforeyougotstruckonexploration。Theywantyoutomakesuggestions。Whatdoyouthink'MasterArthur'islikelytohavetakento？"
　　"Somethingeasy，"mutteredRenouardwithoutunclenchinghisteeth。
　　"Huntingman。Athlete。Don'tbehardonthechap。Hemayberidingboundaries，ordrovingcattle，orhumpinghisswagabouttheback-blocksawaytothedevil-somewhere。Hemaybeevenprospectingatthebackofbeyond-thisverymoment。"
　　"Orlyingdeaddrunkinaroadsidepub。It'slateenoughinthedayforthat。"
　　TheEditorlookedupinstinctively。Theclockwaspointingataquartertofive。"Yes，itis，"headmitted。"Butitneedn'tbe。
　　AndhemayhavelitoutintotheWesternPacificallofasudden-
　　sayinatradingschooner。ThoughIreallydon'tseeinwhatcapacity。Still……"
　　"Orhemaybepassingatthisverymomentunderthisverywindow。"
　　"Nothe……andIwishyouwouldgetawayfromittowhereonecanseeyourface。Ihatetalkingtoaman'sback。Youstandtherelikeahermitonasea-shoregrowlingtoyourself。Itellyouwhatitis，Geoffrey，youdon'tlikemankind。"
　　"Idon'tmakemylivingbytalkingaboutmankind'saffairs，"
　　Renouarddefendedhimself。Buthecameawayobedientlyandsatdowninthearmchair。"Howcanyoubesocertainthatyourmanisn'tdownthereinthestreet？"heasked。"It'sneithermorenorlessprobablethaneverysingleoneofyourothersuppositions。"
　　PlacatedbyRenouard'sdocilitytheEditorgazedathimforawhile。"Aha!I'lltellyouhow。Learnthenthatwehavebegunthecampaign。Wehavetelegraphedhisdescriptiontothepoliceofeverytownshipupanddowntheland。Andwhat'smorewe'veascertaineddefinitelythathehasn'tbeeninthistownforthelastthreemonthsatleast。Howmuchlongerhe'sbeenawaywecan'ttell。"
　　"That'sverycurious。"
　　"It'sverysimple。MissMoorsomwrotetohim，tothepostofficeheredirectlyshereturnedtoLondonafterherexcursionintothecountrytoseetheoldbutler。Well-herletterisstilllyingthere。Ithasnotbeencalledfor。Ergo，thistownisnothisusualabode。Personally，Ineverthoughtitwas。Buthecannotfailtoturnupsometimeorother。Ourmainhopeliesjustinthecertitudethathemustcometotownsoonerorlater。Rememberhedoesn'tknowthatthebutlerisdead，andhewillwanttoinquireforaletter。Well，he'llfindanotefromMissMoorsom。"
　　Renouard，silent，thoughtthatitwaslikelyenough。Hisprofounddistasteforthisconversationwasbetrayedbyanairofwearinessdarkeninghisenergeticsun-tannedfeatures，andbytheaugmenteddreaminessofhiseyes。TheEditornoteditasafurtherproofofthatimmoraldetachmentfrommankind，ofthatcallousnessofsentimentfosteredbytheunhealthyconditionsofsolitude-
　　accordingtohisownfavouritetheory。Aloudheobservedthataslongasamanhadnotgivenupcorrespondencehecouldnotbelookeduponaslost。Fugitivecriminalshadbeentrackedinthatwaybyjustice，heremindedhisfriend；thensuddenlychangedthebearingofthesubjectsomewhatbyaskingifRenouardhadheardfromhispeoplelately，andifeverymemberofhislargetribewaswellandhappy。
　　"Yes，thanks。"
　　Thetonewascurt，asifrepellingaliberty。Renouarddidnotlikebeingaskedabouthispeople，forwhomhehadaprofoundandremorsefulaffection。Hehadnotseenasinglehumanbeingtowhomhewasrelated，formanyyears，andhewasextremelydifferentfromthemall。
　　Ontheverymorningofhisarrivalfromhisislandhehadgonetoasetofpigeon-holesinWillieDunster'souterofficeandhadtakenoutfromacompartmentlabelled"Malata"averysmallaccumulationofenvelopes，afewaddressedtohimself，andoneaddressedtohisassistant，alltothecareofthefirm，W。DunsterandCo。Asopportunityoffered，thefirmusedtosendthemontoMalataeitherbyaman-of-warschoonergoingonacruise，orbysometradingcraftproceedingthatway。Butforthelastfourmonthstherehadbeennoopportunity。
　　"Yougoingtostayheresometime？"askedtheEditor，afteralongishsilence。
　　Renouard，perfunctorily，didseenoreasonwhyheshouldmakealongstay。
　　"Forhealth，foryourmentalhealth，myboy，"rejoinedthenewspaperman。"Togetusedtohumanfacessothattheydon'thityouintheeyesohardwhenyouwalkaboutthestreets。Togetfriendlywithyourkind。Isupposethatassistantofyourscanbetrustedtolookafterthings？"
　　"There'sthehalf-castetoo。ThePortuguese。Heknowswhat'stobedone。"
　　"Aha!"TheEditorlookedsharplyathisfriend。"What'shisname？"
　　"Who'sname？"
　　"Theassistant'syoupickedupontheslybehindmyback。"
　　Renouardmadeaslightmovementofimpatience。
　　"Imethimunexpectedlyoneevening。Ithoughthewoulddoaswellasanother。Hehadcomefromupcountryanddidn'tseemhappyinatown。HetoldmehisnamewasWalter。Ididnotaskhimforproofs，youknow。"
　　"Idon'tthinkyougetonverywellwithhim。"
　　"Why？Whatmakesyouthinkso。"
　　"Idon'tknow。Somethingreluctantinyourmannerwhenhe'sinquestion。"
　　"Really。Mymanner!Idon'tthinkhe'sagreatsubjectforconversation，perhaps。Whynotdrophim？"
　　"Ofcourse!Youwouldn'tconfesstoamistake。Notyou。
　　NeverthelessIhavemysuspicionsaboutit。"
　　Renouardgotuptogo，buthesitated，lookingdownattheseatedEditor。
　　"Howfunny，"hesaidatlastwiththeutmostseriousness，andwasmakingforthedoor，whenthevoiceofhisfriendstoppedhim。
　　"Youknowwhathasbeensaidofyou？Thatyoucouldn'tgetonwithanybodyyoucouldn'tkick。Now，confess-isthereanytruthinthesoftimpeachment？"
　　"No，"saidRenouard。"Didyouprintthatinyourpaper。"
　　"No。Ididn'tquitebelieveit。ButIwilltellyouwhatI
　　believe。Ibelievethatwhenyourheartissetonsomeobjectyouareamanthatdoesn'tcountthecosttoyourselforothers。Andthisshallgetprintedsomeday。"
　　"Obituarynotice？"Renouarddroppednegligently。
　　"Certain-someday。"