"Isentwordofittotheofficers’quartersintheSailors’
　　Home，"hecontinued，whilethelimpinhisgaitseemedtogrowmoreaccentuatedwiththeincreasingirritationofhisvoice."Place’sfullofthem.Twiceasmanymenasthereareberthsgoinginthelocaltrade.Allhungryforaneasyjob.Twiceasmany——and——Whatd’youthink，Whalley？"
　　Hestoppedshort;hishandsclenchedandthrustdeeplydownwards，seemedreadytoburstthepocketsofhisjacket.AslightsighescapedCaptainWhalley.
　　"Hey？Youwouldthinktheywouldbefallingovereachother.Notabitofit.Frightenedtogohome.
　　Niceandwarmoutheretolieaboutaverandawaitingforajob.Isitandwaitinmyoffice.Nobody.Whatdidtheysuppose？ThatIwasgoingtosittherelikeadummywiththeConsul—General’scablebeforeme？
　　Notlikely.SoIlookedupalistofthemIkeepbymeandsentwordforHamilton——theworstloaferofthemall——andjustmadehimgo.Threatenedtoin—
　　structthestewardoftheSailors’Hometohavehimturnedoutneckandcrop.Hedidnotthinktheberthwasgoodenough——if——you——please.’I’veyourlittlerecordsbyme，’saidI.’Youcameashorehereeighteenmonthsago，andyouhaven’tdonesixmonths’worksince.YouareindebtforyourboardnowattheHome，andIsupposeyoureckontheMarineOfficewillpayintheend.Eh？Soitshall;butifyoudon’ttakethischance，awayyougotoEngland，assistedpassage，bythefirsthomewardsteamerthatcomesalong.Youarenobetterthanapauper.Wedon’twantanywhitepaupershere.’Iscaredhim.Butlookatthetroubleallthisgaveme."
　　"Youwouldnothavehadanytrouble，"CaptainWhal—
　　leysaidalmostinvoluntarily，"ifyouhadsentforme."
　　CaptainEliottwasimmenselyamused;heshookwithlaughterashewalked.Butsuddenlyhestoppedlaugh—
　　ing.Avaguerecollectionhadcrossedhismind.Hadn’thehearditsaidatthetimeoftheTravancoreandDeccansmashthatpoorWhalleyhadbeencleanedoutcom—
　　pletely."Fellow’shardup，byheavens！"hethought;
　　andatoncehecastasidelongupwardglanceathiscompanion.ButCaptainWhalleywassmilingausterelystraightbeforehim，withacarriageoftheheadincon—
　　ceivableinapennilessman——andhebecamereassured.
　　Impossible.Couldnothavelosteverything.Thatshiphadbeenonlyahobbyofhis.Andthereflectionthatamanwhohadconfessedtoreceivingthatverymorningapresumablylargesumofmoneywasnotlikelytospringuponhimademandforasmallloanputhimentirelyathiseaseagain.Therehadcomealongpauseintheirtalk，however，andnotknowinghowtobeginagain，hegrowledoutsoberly，"Weoldfellowsoughttotakearestnow."
　　"Thebestthingforsomeofuswouldbetodieattheoar，"CaptainWhalleysaidnegligently.
　　"Come，now.Aren’tyouabittiredbythistimeofthewholeshow？"mutteredtheothersullenly.
　　"Areyou？"
　　CaptainEliottwas.Infernallytired.Heonlyhungontohisberthsolonginordertogethispensiononthehighestscalebeforehewenthome.Itwouldbenobetterthanpoverty，anyhow;still，itwastheonlythingbe—
　　tweenhimandtheworkhouse.Andhehadafamily.
　　Threegirls，asWhalleyknew.Hegave"Harry，oldboy，"tounderstandthatthesethreegirlswereasourceofthegreatestanxietyandworrytohim.Enoughtodriveamandistracted.
　　"Why？Whathavetheybeendoingnow？"askedCaptainWhalleywithasortofamusedabsent—minded—
　　ness.
　　"Doing！Doingnothing.That’sjustit.Lawn—
　　tennisandsillynovelsfrommorningtonight"
　　Ifoneofthematleasthadbeenaboy.Butallthree！
　　And，asill—luckwouldhaveit，theredidnotseemtobeanydecentyoungfellowsleftintheworld.Whenhelookedaroundintheclubhesawonlyalotofconceitedpopinjaystooselfishtothinkofmakingagoodwomanhappy.Extremeindigencestaredhiminthefacewithallthatcrowdtokeepathome.Hehadcherishedtheideaofbuildinghimselfalittlehouseinthecountry——
　　inSurrey——toendhisdaysin，buthewasafraiditwasoutofthequestion，andhisstaringeyesrolledupwardswithsuchapatheticanxietythatCaptainWhal—
　　leycharitablynoddeddownathim，restrainingasortofsickeningdesiretolaugh.
　　"Youmustknowwhatitisyourself，Harry.Girlsaretheverydevilforworryandanxiety."
　　"Ay！Butmineisdoingwell，"CaptainWhalleypro—
　　nouncedslowly，staringtotheendoftheavenue.
　　TheMaster—Attendantwasgladtohearthis.Uncom—
　　monlyglad.Herememberedherwell.Aprettygirlshewas.
　　CaptainWhalley，steppingoutcarelessly，assentedasifinadream.
　　"Shewaspretty."
　　Theprocessionofcarriageswasbreakingup.
　　Oneafteranothertheyleftthefiletogooffatatrot，animatingthevastavenuewiththeirscatteredlifeandmovement;butsoontheaspectofdignifiedsolitudere—
　　turnedandtookpossessionofthestraightwideroad.
　　AsyceinwhitestoodattheheadofaBurmahponyhar—
　　nessedtoavarnishedtwo—wheelcart;andthewholethingwaitingbythecurbseemednobiggerthanachild’stoyforgottenunderthesoaringtrees.CaptainEliottwaddleduptoitandmadeasiftoclamberin，butre—
　　frained;andkeepingonehandrestingeasilyontheshaft，hechangedtheconversationfromhispension，hisdaughters，andhispovertybackagaintotheonlyothertopicintheworld——theMarineOffice，themenandtheshipsoftheport.
　　Heproceededtogiveinstancesofwhatwasexpectedofhim;andhisthickvoicedrowsedinthestillairliketheobstinatedroningofanenormousbumble—bee.Cap—
　　tainWhalleydidnotknowwhatwastheforceortheweaknessthatpreventedhimfromsayinggood—nightandwalkingaway.Itwasasthoughhehadbeentootiredtomaketheeffort.Howqueer.MorequeerthananyofNed’sinstances.Orwasitthatoverpoweringsenseofidlenessalonethatmadehimstandthereandlistentothesestories.NothingveryrealhadevertroubledNedEliott;andgraduallyheseemedtodetectdeepin，asifwrappedupinthegrosswheezyrumble，somethingoftheclearheartyvoiceoftheyoungcaptainoftheRingdove.Hewonderedifhetoohadchangedtothesameextent;anditseemedtohimthatthevoiceofhisoldchumhadnotchangedsoverymuch——thatthemanwasthesame.Notabadfellowthepleasant，jollyNedEliott，friendly，welluptohisbusiness——andalwaysabitofahumbug.Herememberedhowheusedtoamusehispoorwife.Shecouldreadhimlikeanopenbook.WhentheCondorandtheRingdovehappenedtobeinporttogether，shewouldfrequentlyaskhimtobringCaptainEliotttodinner.Theyhadnotmetoftensincethoseolddays.Notonceinfiveyears，perhaps.
　　Heregardedfromunderhiswhiteeyebrowsthismanhecouldnotbringhimselftotakeintohisconfidenceatthisjuncture;andtheotherwentonwithhisintimateoutpourings，andasremotefromhishearerasthoughhehadbeentalkingonahill—topamileaway.
　　HewasinabitofaquandarynowastothesteamerSofala.Ultimatelyeveryhitchintheportcameintohishandstoundo.Theywouldmisshimwhenhewasgoneinanothereighteenmonths，andmostlikelysomeretirednavalofficerhadbeenpitchforkedintotheap—
　　pointment——amanthatwouldunderstandnothingandcareless.ThatsteamerwasacoastingcrafthavingasteadytradeconnectionasfarnorthasTenasserim;butthetroublewasshecouldgetnocaptaintotakeheronherregulartrip.Nobodywouldgoinher.Hereallyhadnopower，ofcourse，toorderamantotakeajob.Itwasallverywelltostretchapointonthedemandofaconsul—general，but
　　"What’sthematterwiththeship？"CaptainWhalleyinterruptedinmeasuredtones.
　　"Nothing’sthematter.Soundoldsteamer.Herownerhasbeeninmyofficethisafternoontearinghishair."
　　"Isheawhiteman？"askedWhalleyinaninterestedvoice.
　　"Hecallshimselfawhiteman，"answeredtheMaster—
　　Attendantscornfully;"butifso，it’sjustskin—deepandnomore.Itoldhimthattohisfacetoo."
　　"Butwhoishe，then？"
　　"He’sthechiefengineerofher.SeeTHAT，Harry？"
　　"Isee，"CaptainWhalleysaidthoughtfully."Theengineer.Isee."
　　Howthefellowcametobeashipowneratthesametimewasquiteatale.Hecameoutthirdinahomeshipnearlyfifteenyearsago，CaptainEliottremem—
　　bered，andgotpaidoffafterabadsortofrowbothwithhisskipperandhischief.Anyway，theyseemedjollygladtogetridofhimatallcosts.Clearlyamu—
　　tinoussortofchap.Well，heremainedouthere，aper—
　　fectnuisance，everlastinglyshippedandunshipped，un—
　　abletokeepaberthverylong;prettynighwentthrougheveryengine—roomafloatbelongingtothecolony.Thensuddenly，"Whatdoyouthinkhap—
　　pened，Harry？"
　　CaptainWhalley，whoseemedlostinamentaleffortasofdoingasuminhishead，gaveaslightstart.Hereallycouldn’timagine.TheMaster—Attendant’svoicevibrateddullywithhoarseemphasis.ThemanactuallyhadthelucktowinthesecondprizeintheManillalot—
　　tery.Alltheseengineersandofficersofshipstookticketsinthatgamble.Itseemedtobeaperfectmaniawiththemall.
　　Everybodyexpectednowthathewouldtakehimselfoffhomewithhismoney，andgotothedevilinhisownway.Notatall.TheSofala，judgedtoosmallandnotquitemodernenoughforthesortoftradeshewasin，couldbegotforamoderatepricefromherowners，whohadorderedanewsteamerfromEurope.Herushedinandboughther.Thismanhadnevergivenanysignsofthatsortofmentalintoxicationthemerefactofgettingholdofalargesumofmoneymaypro—
　　duce——nottillhegotashipofhisown;butthenhewentoffhisbalanceallatonce：camebouncingintotheMarineOfficeonsometransferbusiness，withhishathangingoverhislefteyeandswitchingalittlecaneinhishand，andtoldeachoneoftheclerksseparatelythat"Nobodycouldputhimoutnow.Itwashisturn.
　　Therewasnooneoverhimonearth，andthereneverwouldbeeither."Heswaggeredandstruttedbetweenthedesks，talkingatthetopofhisvoice，andtremblinglikealeafallthewhile，sothatthecurrentbusinessoftheofficewassuspendedforthetimehewasinthere，andeverybodyinthebigroomstoodopen—mouthedlookingathisantics.Afterwardshecouldbeseenduringthehottesthoursofthedaywithhisfaceasredasfirerushingalongupanddownthequaystolookathisshipfromdifferentpointsofview：heseemedinclinedtostopeverystrangerhecameacrossjusttoletthemknow"thattherewouldbenolongeranyoneoverhim;hehadboughtaship;nobodyonearthcouldputhimoutofhisengine—roomnow."
　　Goodbargainasshewas，thepriceoftheSofalatookupprettynearallthelottery—money.Hehadlefthim—
　　selfnocapitaltoworkwith.Thatdidnotmattersomuch，forthesewerethehalcyondaysofsteamcoastingtrade，beforesomeofthehomeshippingfirmshadthoughtofestablishinglocalfleetstofeedtheirmainlines.These，whenonceorganized，tookthebiggestslicesoutofthatcake，ofcourse;andby—and—byasquadofconfoundedGermantrampsturnedupeastofSuezCanalandsweptupallthecrumbs.Theyprowledonthecheaptoandfroalongthecoastandbetweentheislands，likealotofsharksinthewaterreadytosnapupanythingyouletdrop.Andthenthehigholdtimeswereoverforgood;foryearstheSofalahadmadenomore，hejudged，thanafairliving.CaptainEliottlookeduponitashisdutyineverywaytoassistanEnglishshiptoholdherown;anditstoodtoreasonthatifforwantofacaptaintheSofalabegantomisshertripsshewouldverysoonlosehertrade.Therewasthequandary.Themanwastooimpracticable."Toomuchofabeggaronhorsebackfromthefirst，"heex—
　　plained."Seemedtogrowworseasthetimewenton.
　　Inthelastthreeyearshe’srunthroughelevenskippers;
　　hehadtriedeverysinglemanhere，outsideoftheregu—
　　larlines.Ihadwarnedhimbeforethatthiswouldnotdo.Andnow，ofcourse，noonewilllookattheSofala.
　　Ihadoneortwomenupatmyofficeandtalkedtothem;but，astheysaidtome，whatwasthegoodoftakingtheberthtoleadaregulardog’slifeforamonthandthengetthesackattheendofthefirsttrip？
　　Thefellow，ofcourse，toldmeitwasallnonsense;therehasbeenaplothatchingforyearsagainsthim.Andnowithadcome.Allthehorridsailorsintheporthadconspiredtobringhimtohisknees，becausehewasanengineer."
　　CaptainEliottemittedathroatychuckle.
　　"Andthefactis，thatifhemissesacouplemoretripsheneednevertroublehimselftostartagain.Hewon’tfindanycargoinhisoldtrade.There’stoomuchcom—
　　petitionnowadaysforpeopletokeeptheirstufflyingaboutforashipthatdoesnotturnupwhenshe’sex—
　　pected.It’sabadlookoutforhim.Heswearshewillshuthimselfonboardandstarvetodeathinhiscabinratherthansellher——evenifhecouldfindabuyer.Andthat’snotlikelyintheleast.NoteventheJapswouldgiveherinsuredvalueforher.Itisn’tlikesellingsailing—ships.SteamersDOgetoutofdate，besidesget—
　　tingold."
　　"Hemusthavelaidbyagoodbitofmoneythough，"
　　observedCaptainWhalleyquietly.
　　TheHarbor—masterpuffedouthispurplecheekstoanamazingsize.
　　"Notastiver，Harry.Not——a——single——sti—ver."
　　Hewaited;butasCaptainWhalley，strokinghisbeardslowly，lookeddownonthegroundwithoutaword，hetappedhimontheforearm，tiptoed，andsaidinahoarsewhisper——
　　"TheManillalotteryhasbeeneatinghimup."
　　Hefrownedalittle，noddingintinyaffirmativejerks.
　　Theyallweregoinginforit;athirdofthewagespaidtoships’officers（"inmyport，"hesnorted）wenttoManilla.Itwasamania.ThatfellowMassyhadbeenbittenbyitliketherestofthemfromthefirst;
　　butafterwinningonceheseemedtohavepersuadedhimselfhehadonlytotryagaintogetanotherbigprize.Hehadtakendozensandscoresofticketsforeverydrawingsince.Whatwiththisviceandhisig—
　　noranceofaffairs，eversincehehadimprovidentlyboughtthatsteamerhehadbeenmoreorlessshortofmoney.
　　This，inCaptainEliott’sopinion，gaveanopeningforasensiblesailor—manwithafewpoundstostepinandsavethatfoolfromtheconsequencesofhisfolly.
　　Itwashiscrazetoquarrelwithhiscaptains.Hehadhadsomereallygoodmentoo，whowouldhavebeentoogladtostayifhewouldonlyletthem.Butno.Heseemedtothinkhewasnoownerunlesshewaskickingsomebodyoutinthemorningandhavingarowwiththenewmanintheevening.Whatwaswantedforhimwasamasterwithacoupleofhundredorsototakeaninterestintheshiponproperconditions.Youdon’tdischargeamanfornofault，onlybecauseofthefunoftellinghimtopackuphistrapsandgoashore，whenyouknowthatinthatcaseyouareboundtobuybackhisshare.Ontheotherhand，afellowwithaninterestintheshipisnotlikelytothrowuphisjobinahuffaboutatrifle.HehadtoldMassythat.Hehadsaid：
　　"’Thiswon’tdo，Mr.Massy.WearegettingverysickofyouhereintheMarineOffice.Whatyoumustdonowistotrywhetheryoucouldgetasailortojoinyouaspartner.Thatseemstobetheonlyway.’Andthatwassoundadvice，Harry."
　　CaptainWhalley，leaningonhisstick，wasperfectlystillallover，andhishand，arrestedintheactofstrok—
　　ing，graspedhiswholebeard.Andwhatdidthefellowsaytothat？
　　ThefellowhadtheaudacitytoflyoutattheMaster—
　　Attendant.Hehadreceivedtheadviceinamostim—
　　pudentmanner."Ididn’tcomeheretobelaughedat，"
　　hehadshrieked."IappealtoyouasanEnglishmanandashipownerbroughttothevergeofruinbyanillegalconspiracyofyourbeggarlysailors，andallyoucondescendtodoformeistotellmetogoandgetapartner！"Thefellowhadpresumedtostampwithrageontheflooroftheprivateoffice.Wherewashegoingtogetapartner？Washebeingtakenforafool？Notasingleoneofthatcontemptiblelotashoreatthe"Home"hadtwopenceinhispockettoblesshimselfwith.Theverynativecursinthebazaarknewthatmuch"Andit’strueenough，Harry，"rum—
　　bledCaptainEliottjudicially."TheyaremuchmorelikelyoneandalltoowemoneytotheChinameninDenhamRoadfortheclothesontheirbacks.’Well，’
　　saidI，’youmaketoom...剩余内容请长按扫描二维码或下载丁香书院APP继续免费看：

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