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。