Hesatdownandtookupthesculls。Wasubheldontothegunwaleastoalasthopeofafurtherconfidence。Hehadservedinthebrigfiveyears。Lingardrememberedthatverywell。Thisagedfigurehadbeenintimatelyassociatedwiththebrig’slifeandwithhisown，appearingsilentlyreadyforeveryincidentandemergencyinanunquestioningexpectationoforders；symbolicofblindtrustinhisstrength，ofanunlimitedobediencetohiswill。Wasitunlimited？
　　"Weshallrequirecourageandfidelity，"addedLingard，inatentativetone。
　　"Therearethosewhoknowme，"snappedtheoldman，readily，asifthewordshadbeenwaitingforalongtime。"Observe，Tuan。I
　　havefilledwithfreshwaterthelittlebreakerinthebows。"
　　"Iknowyou，too，"saidLingard。
　　"Andthewind——andthesea，"ejaculatedtheserang，jerkily。
　　"Thesealsoarefaithfultothestrong。ByAllah！Iwhoamapilgrimandhavelistenedtowordsofwisdominmanyplaces，I
　　tellyou，Tuan，thereisstrengthintheknowledgeofwhatishiddeninthingswithoutlife，aswellasinthelivingmen。
　　WillTuanbegonelong？"
　　"Icomebackinashorttime——togetherwiththerestofthewhitesfromoverthere。Thisisthebeginningofmanystratagems。
　　Wasub！Daman，thesonofadog，hassuddenlymadeprisonerstwoofmyownpeople。Myfaceismadeblack。"
　　"Tse！Tse！Whatferocityisthat！Oneshouldnotoffershametoafriendortoafriend’sbrotherlestrevengecomesweepinglikeaflood。YetcananIllanunchiefbeotherthantyrannical？Myoldeyeshaveseenmuchbuttheyneversawatigerchangeitsstripes。Ya—wa！Thetigercannot。ThisisthewisdomofusignorantMalaymen。ThewisdomofwhiteTuansisgreat。Theythinkthatbythepowerofmanyspeechesthetigermay——"Hebrokeoffandinacrisp，busytonesaid："TherudderdwellssafelyundertheaftermostseatshouldTuanbepleasedtosailtheboat。Thisbreezewillnotdieawaybeforesunrise。"Againhisvoicechangedasiftwodifferentsoulshadbeenflittinginandoutofhisbody。"No，no，killthetigerandthenthestripesmaybecountedwithoutfear——onebyone，thus。"
　　Hepointedafrailbrownfingerand，abruptly，madeamirthlessdrysoundasifarattlehadbeensprunginhisthroat。
　　"Thewretchesaremany，"saidLingard。
　　"Nay，Tuan。Theyfollowtheirgreatmenevenasweinthebrigfollowyou。Thatisright。"
　　Lingardreflectedforamoment。
　　"Mymenwillfollowmethen，"hesaid。
　　"Theyarepoorcalasheswithoutsense，"commentedWasubwithpityingsuperiority。"Somewithnomorecomprehensionthanmenofthebushfreshlycaught。ThereisSali，thefoolishsonofmysisterandbyyourgreatfavourappointedtomindthetillerofthisship。Hisstupidityisextreme，buthiseyesaregood——nearlyasgoodasminethatbyprayingandmuchexercisecanseefarintothenight。"
　　Lingardlaughedlowandthenlookedearnestlyattheserang。
　　Abovetheirheadsamanshookaflareoverthesideandathinshowerofsparksfloateddownwardandexpiredbeforetouchingthewater。
　　"Soyoucanseeinthenight，Oserang！Well，then，lookandspeak。Speak！Fight——ornofight？Weaponsorwords？Whichfolly？
　　Well，whatdoyousee？"
　　"Adarkness，adarkness，"whisperedWasubatlastinafrightenedtone。"Therearenights——"Heshookhisheadandmuttered。"Look。
　　Thetidehasturned。Ya，Tuan。Thetidehasturned。"
　　Lingardlookeddownwardwherethewatercouldbeseen，glidingpasttheship’sside，movingsmoothly，streakedwithlinesoffroth，acrosstheilluminedcirclethrownroundthebrigbythelightsonherpoop。Airbubblessparkled，linesofdarkness，ripplesofglitterappeared，glided，wentasternwithoutasplash，withoutatrickle，withoutaplaint，withoutabreak。Theuncheckedgentlenessoftheflowcapturedtheeyebyasubtlespell，fastenedinsidiouslyuponthemindadisturbingsenseoftheirretrievable。Theebbingoftheseaathwartthelonelysheenofflamesresembledtheeternalebb—tideoftime；andwhenatlastLingardlookedup，theknowledgeofthatnoiselesspassageofthewatersproducedonhismindabewilderingeffect。Foramomentthespeckoflightlostinvastobscuritythebrig，theboat，thehiddencoast，theShallows，theverywallsandroofofdarkness——theseenandtheunseenalikeseemedtobeglidingsmoothlyonwardthroughtheenormousgloomofspace。Then，withagreatmentaleffort，hebroughteverythingtoasuddenstandstill；andonlythefrothandbubbleswentonstreamingpastceaselessly，uncheckedbythepowerofhiswill。
　　"Thetidehasturned——yousay，serang？Hasit——？Well，perhapsithas，perhapsithas，"hefinished，mutteringtohimself。
　　"Trulyithas。CannotTuanseeitrununderhisowneyes？"saidWasubwithanalarmedearnestness。"Look。Nowitisinmymindthatapraucomingfromamongstthesouthernislands，ifsteeredcunninglyinthefreesetofthecurrent，wouldapproachthebowsofthis，ourbrig，driftingsilentlyasashapewithoutasubstance。"
　　"Andboardsuddenly——isthatit？"saidLingard。
　　"DamaniscraftyandtheIllanunsareverybloodthirsty。Nightisnothingtothem。Theyarecertainlyvalorous。Aretheynotborninthemidstoffightingandaretheynotinspiredbytheeviloftheirheartsevenbeforetheycanspeak？Andtheirchiefswouldbeleadingthemwhileyou，Tuan，aregoingfromusevennow——"
　　"Youdon’twantmetogo？"askedLingard。
　　ForatimeWasublistenedattentivelytotheprofoundsilence。
　　"Canwefightwithoutaleader？"hebeganagain。"Itisthebeliefinvictorythatgivescourage。Andwhatwouldpoorcalashesdo，sonsofpeasantsandfishermen，freshlycaught——withoutknowledge？Theybelieveinyourstrength——andinyourpower——orelse——Willthosewhitesthatcamesosuddenlyavengeyou？Theyareherelikefishwithinthestakes。Ya—wa！Whowillbringthenewsandwhowillcometofindthetruthandperchancetocarryoffyourbody？Yougoalone，Tuan！"
　　"Theremustbenofighting。Itwouldbeacalamity，"insistedLingard。"Thereisbloodthatmustnotbespilt。"
　　"Hear，Tuan！"exclaimedWasubwithheat。"Thewatersarerunningoutnow。"Hepunctuatedhisspeechbyslightjerksatthedinghy。
　　"Thewatersgoandattheappointedtimetheyshallreturn。Andifbetweentheirgoingandcomingthebloodofallthemenintheworldwerepouredintoit，theseawouldnotrisehigheratthefullbythebreadthofmyfingernail。"
　　"Buttheworldwouldnotbethesame。Youdonotseethat，serang。Givetheboatagoodshove。"
　　"Directly，"saidtheoldMalayandhisfacebecameimpassive。
　　"Tuanknowswhenitisbesttogo，anddeathsometimesretreatsbeforeafirmtreadlikeastartledsnake。Tuanshouldtakeafollowerwithhim，notasillyyouth，butonewhohaslived——whohasasteadyheart——whowouldwalkclosebehindwatchfully——andquietly。Yes。Quietlyandwithquickeyes——likemine——perhapswithaweapon——Iknowhowtostrike。"
　　Lingardlookedatthewrinkledvisageverynearhisownandintothepeeringoldeyes。Theyshonestrangely。Atenseeagernesswasexpressedinthesquattingfigureleaningouttowardhim。Ontheotherside，withinreachofhisarm，thenightstoodlikeawall—discouraging——opaque——impenetrable。Nohelpwouldavail。Thedarknesshehadtocombatwastooimpalpabletobecleftbyablow——toodensetobepiercedbytheeye；yetasifbysomeenchantmentinthewordsthatmadethisvainofferoffidelity，itbecamelessoverpoweringtohissight，lesscrushingtohisthought。Hehadamomentofpridewhichsoothedhisheartforthespaceoftwobeats。Hisunreasonableandmisjudgedheart，shrinkingbeforethemenaceoffailure，expandedfreelywithasenseofgenerousgratitude。Inthethreateningdimnessofhisemotionsthisman’soffermadeapointofclearness，theglimmerofatorchheldaloftinthenight。Itwaspriceless，nodoubt，butineffectual；toosmall，toofar，toosolitary。Itdidnotdispelthemysteriousobscuritythathaddescendeduponhisfortunessothathiseyescouldnolongerseetheworkofhishands。Thesadnessofdefeatpervadedtheworld。
　　"Andwhatcouldyoudo，OWasub？"hesaid。
　　"Icouldalwayscallout——’Takecare，Tuan。’"
　　"Andthenforthesecharm—wordsofmine。Hey？Turndangeraside？
　　What？Butperchanceyouwoulddieallthesame。Treacheryisastrongmagic，too——asyousaid。"
　　"Yes，indeed！Theordermightcometoyourservant。ButI——Wasub—
　　—thesonofafreeman，afollowerofRajahs，afugitive，aslave，apilgrim——diverforpearls，serangofwhitemen’sships，Ihavehadtoomanymasters。Toomany。Youarethelast。"Afterasilencehesaidinanalmostindifferentvoice："Ifyougo，Tuan，letusgotogether。"
　　ForatimeLingardmadenosound。
　　"Nouse，"hesaidatlast。"Nouse，serang。Onelifeisenoughtopayforaman’sfolly——andyouhaveahousehold。"
　　"Ihavetwo——Tuan；butitisalongtimesinceIsatontheladderofahousetotalkateasewithneighbours。Yes。Twohouseholds；onein——"Lingardsmiledfaintly。"Tuan，letmefollowyou。"
　　"No。Youhavesaidit，serang——Iamalone。Thatistrue，andaloneIshallgoonthisverynight。ButfirstImustbringallthewhitepeoplehere。Push。"
　　"Ready，Tuan？Lookout！"
　　Wasub’sbodyswungovertheseawithextendedarms。Lingardcaughtupthesculls，andasthedinghydartedawayfromthebrig’ssidehehadacompleteviewofthelightedpoop——Shawleaningmassivelyoverthetaffrailinsulkydejection，theflarebearerserectandrigid，theheadsalongtherail，theeyesstaringafterhimabovethebulwarks。Thefore—endofthebrigwaswrappedinaluridandsombremistiness；thesullenminglingofdarknessandoflight；hermastspointingstraightupcouldbetrackedbytorngleamsandvanishedaboveasifthetruckshadbeentallenoughtopiercetheheavymassofvapoursmotionlessoverhead。Shewasbeautifullyprecious。Hislovingeyessawherfloatingatrestinawaveringhalo，betweenaninvisibleskyandaninvisiblesea，likeamiraculouscraftsuspendedintheair。
　　Heturnedhisheadawayasifthesighthadbeentoomuchforhimatthemomentofseparation，and，assoonashislittleboathadpassedbeyondthelimitofthelightthrownuponthewater，heperceivedverylowintheblackvoidofthewestthesternlanternoftheyachtshiningfeeblylikeastarabouttoset，unattainable，infinitelyremote——belongingtoanotheruniverse。
　　PARTIV。THEGIFTOFTHESHALLOWS
　　I
　　LingardbroughtMrs。Traversawayfromtheyacht，goingalonewithherinthelittleboat。Duringthebustleoftheembarkment，andtillthelastofthecrewhadlefttheschooner，hehadremainedtoweringandsilentbyherside。Itwasonlywhenthemurmuringanduneasyvoicesofthesailorsgoingawayintheboatshadbeencompletelylostinthedistancethathisvoicewasheard，graveinthesilence，pronouncingthewords——"Followme。"
　　Shefollowedhim；theirfootstepsranghollowandloudontheemptydeck。Atthebottomofthestepsheturnedroundandsaidverylow：
　　"Takecare。"
　　Hegotintotheboatandheldon。Itseemedtohimthatshewasintimidatedbythedarkness。Shefeltherarmgrippedfirmly——"I’vegotyou，"hesaid。Shesteppedin，headlong，trustingherselfblindlytohisgrip，andsankonthesternseatcatchingherbreathalittle。Sheheardaslightsplash，andtheindistinctsideofthedesertedyachtmeltedsuddenlyintothebodyofthenight。
　　Rowing，hefacedher，ahoodedandcloakedshape，andaboveherheadhehadbeforehiseyesthegleamofthesternlanternexpiringslowlyontheabandonedvessel。Whenitwentoutwithoutawarningflickerhecouldseenothingofthestrandedyacht’soutline。Shehadvanishedutterlylikeadream；andtheoccurrencesofthelasttwenty—fourhoursseemedalsotobeapartofavanisheddream。Thehoodedandcloakedfigurewaspartofit，too。Itspokenot；itmovednot；itwouldvanishpresently。LingardtriedtorememberMrs。Travers’features，evenasshesatwithintwofeetofhimintheboat。Heseemedtohavetakenfromthatvanishedschoonernotawomanbutamemory——thetormentingrecollectionofahumanbeinghewouldseenomore。
　　AteverystrokeoftheshortscullsMrs。Traversfelttheboatleapforwardwithher。Lingard，tokeephisdirection，hadtolookoverhisshoulderfrequently——"Youwillbesafeinthebrig，"hesaid。Shewassilent。Adream！Adream！Helaybackvigorously；thewaterslappedloudlyagainstthebluntbows。Theruddyglowthrownafarbytheflareswasreflecteddeepwithinthehood。Thedreamhadapalevisage，thememoryhadlivingeyes。
　　"Ihadtocomeforyoumyself，"hesaid。
　　"Iexpecteditofyou。"Thesewerethefirstwordshehadheardhersaysincetheyhadmetforthethirdtime。
　　"AndIswore——beforeyou，too——thatIwouldneverputmyfootonboardyourcraft。"
　　"Itwasgoodofyouto——"shebegan。
　　"Iforgotsomehow，"hesaid，simply。
　　"Iexpecteditofyou，"sherepeated。Hegavethreequickstrokesbeforeheaskedverygently：
　　"Whatmoredoyouexpect？"
　　"Everything，"shesaid。Hewasroundingthenthesternofthebrigandhadtolookaway。Thenheturnedtoher。
　　"Andyoutrustmeto——"heexclaimed。
　　"Iwouldliketotrustyou，"sheinterrupted，"because——"
　　AbovethemastartledvoicecriedinMalay，"Captaincoming。"Thestrangesoundsilencedher。Lingardlaidinhisscullsandshesawherselfglidingunderthehighsideofthebrig。Adark，staringfaceappearedverynearhereyes，blackfingerscaughtthegunwaleoftheboat。Shestoodupswaying。"Takecare，"saidLingardagain，butthistime，inthelight，didnotoffertohelpher。Shewentupaloneandhefollowedherovertherail。
　　Thequarter—deckwasthrongedbymenoftworaces。LingardandMrs。Traverscrosseditrapidlybetweenthegroupsthatmovedoutofthewayontheirpassage。Lingardthrewopenthecabindoorforher，butremainedondecktoinquireabouthisboats。Theyhadreturnedwhilehewasonboardtheyacht，andthetwomeninchargeofthemcameafttomaketheirreports。Theboatsentnorthhadseennothing。TheboatwhichhadbeendirectedtoexplorethebanksandisletstothesouthhadactuallybeeninsightofDaman’spraus。Themaninchargereportedthatseveralfireswereburningontheshore，thecrewsofthetwoprausbeingencampedonasandbank。Cookingwasgoingon。Theyhadbeennearenoughtohearthevoices。Therewasamankeepingwatchontheridge；theyknewthisbecausetheyheardhimshoutingtothepeoplebelow，bythefires。Lingardwantedtoknowhowtheyhadmanagedtoremainunseen。"Thenightwasourhidingplace，"
　　answeredthemaninhisdeepgrowlingvoice。HeknewnothingofanywhitemenbeinginDaman’scamp。Whyshouldtherebe？RajahHassimandtheLady，hissister，appearedunexpectedlynearhisboatintheircanoe。RajahHassimhadorderedhimtheninwhisperstogobacktothebrigatonce，andtellTuanwhathehadobserved。RajahHassimsaidalsothathewouldreturntothebrigwithmorenewsverysoon。HeobeyedbecausetheRajahwastohimapersonofauthority，"havingtheperfectknowledgeofTuan’smindasweallknow。"——"Enough，"criedLingard，suddenly。
　　Themanlookedupheavilyforamoment，andretreatedforwardwithoutanotherword。Lingardfollowedhimwithirritatedeyes。A
　　newpowerhadcomeintotheworld，hadpossesseditselfofhumanspeech，hadimpartedtoitasinisterironyofallusion。Tobetoldthatsomeonehad"aperfectknowledgeofhismind"startledhimandmadehimwince。Itmadehimawarethatnowhedidnotknowhismindhimself——thatitseemedimpossibleforhimevertoregainthatknowledge。Andthenewpowernotonlyhadcastitsspelluponthewordshehadtohear，butalsouponthefactsthatassailedhim，uponthepeoplehesaw，uponthethoughtshehadtoguide，uponthefeelingshehadtobear。Theyremainedwhattheyhadeverbeen——thevisiblesurfaceoflifeopeninthesuntotheconqueringtreadofanunfetteredwill。Yesterdaytheycouldhavebeendiscernedclearly，masteredanddespised；butnowanotherpowerhadcomeintotheworld，andhadcastoverthemallthewaveringgloomofadarkandinscrutablepurpose。
　　II
　　RecoveringhimselfwithaslightstartLingardgavetheordertoextinguishallthelightsinthebrig。Nowthetransferofthecrewfromtheyachthadbeeneffectedtherewaseveryadvantageinthedarkness。Hegavetheorderfrominstinct，itbeingtherightthingtodointhecircumstances。Histhoughtswereinthecabinofhisbrig，wheretherewasawomanwaiting。Heputhishandoverhiseyes，collectinghimselfasifbeforeagreatmentaleffort。Hecouldhearabouthimtheexcitedmurmursofthewhitemenwhominthemorninghehadsoardentlydesiredtohavesafeinhiskeeping。Hehadthemtherenow；butaccident，ill—luck，acursedfolly，hadtrickedhimoutofthesuccessofhisplan。HewouldhavetogoinandtalktoMrs。Travers。Theideadismayedhim。Ofnecessityhewasnotoneofthosemenwhohavethemasteryofexpression。Toliberatehissoulwasforhimagiganticundertaking，amatterofdesperateeffort，ofdoubtfulsuccess。"Imusthaveitoutwithher，"hemurmuredtohimselfasthoughattheprospectofastruggle。Hewasuncertainofhimself，ofher；hewasuncertainofeverythingandeverybody；
　　buthewasverycertainhewantedtolookather。
　　Atthemomentheturnedtothedoorofthecabinbothflareswentouttogetherandtheblackvaultofthenightupheldabovethebrigbythefierceflamesfellbehindhimandburiedthedeckinsuddendarkness。Thebuzzofstrangevoicesinstantlyhummedlouderwithastartlednote。"Hallo！"——"Can’tseeamortalthing"——"Well，whatnext？"——insistedavoice——"Iwanttoknowwhatnext？"
　　Lingardcheckedhimselfreadytoopenthedoorandwaitedabsurdlyfortheanswerasthoughinthehopeofsomesuggestion。
　　"What’supwithyou？Thinkyourselflucky，"saidsomebody。——"It’sallverywell——forto—night，"beganthevoice。——"Whatareyoufashingyourselffor？"remonstratedtheother，reasonably，"we’llgethomerightenough。"——"Iamnotsosure；thesecondmatehesays——""Nevermindwhathesays；that’eremanwhohasgotthisbrigwillseeusthrough。Theowner’swifewilltalktohim——shewill。Moneycandoalot。"Thetwovoicescamenearer，andspokemoredistinctly，closebehindLingard。"Supposethembloomingsavagessetfiretotheyacht。What’stopreventthem？"——"Andsupposetheydo。This’erebrig’sgoodenoughtogetawayin。
　　Ain’tshe？Gunsandall。We’llgethomeyetallright。Whatdoyousay，John？"
　　"Isaynothingandcareless，"saidathirdvoice，peacefulandfaint。
　　"D’youmeantosay，John，youwouldgotothebottomassoonasyouwouldgohome？Comenow！"——"Tothebottom，"repeatedthewanvoice，composedly。"Aye！That’swhereweallaregoingto，inonewayoranother。Thewaydon’tmatter。"
　　"Ough！Youwouldgivethebluestothefunnymanofabloomingcircus。WhatwouldmymissussayifIwasn’ttoturnupneveratall？"——"Shewouldgetanotherman；there’salwaysplentyoffoolsabout。"Aquietandmirthlesschucklewasheardinthepauseofshockedsilence。Lingard，withhishandonthedoor，remainedstill。Furtheroffagrowlburstout："Idohatetobechuckedinthedarkaboardastrangeship。Iwonderwheretheykeeptheirfreshwater。Can’tgetanysenseoutofthemsillyniggers。Wedon’tseemtobemoreaccountherethanalotofcattle。Likelyasnotwe’llhavetoberthonthisbloomingquarter—deckforGodknowshowlong。"ThenagainverynearLingardthefirstvoicesaid，deadeneddiscreetly——"There’ssomethingcuriousaboutthisherebrigturningupsudden—like，ain’tthere？Andthatskipperofher——now？Whatkindofamanishe——anyhow？"
　　"Oh，he’soneofthemskippersgoingaboutloose。Thebrig’shisown，Iamthinking。Hejustgoesaboutinherlookingforwhathemaypickuphonestordishonest。Mybrother—in—lawhasservedtwocommissionsintheseseas，andwastellingmeawfulyarnsaboutwhat’sgoingoninthemGod—forsakenparts。Likelyhelied，though。Themman—of—war’smenareaholyterrorforyarns。Blessyou，whatdoIcarewhothisskipperis？Lethimdohisbestanddon’ttroubleyourhead。Youwon’tseehimagaininyourlifeoncewegetclear。"
　　"Andcanhedoanythingfortheowner？"askedthefirstvoiceagain。——"Canhe！Wecandonothing——that’sonethingcertain。Theownermaybelyingclubbedtodeaththisveryminuteforallweknow。Byallaccountsthesesavageshereareacroolmurderinglot。Mindyou，Iamsorryforhimasmuchasanybody。"——"Aye，aye，"mutteredtheother，approvingly。——"Hemaynothavebeenready，poorman，"beganagainthereasonablevoice。Lingardheardadeepsigh。——"Ifthere’sanythingascanbedoneforhim，theowner’swifeshe’sgottofixitupwiththis’ereskipper。UnderProvidencehemayserveherturn。"
　　Lingardflungopenthecabindoor，entered，and，withaslam，shutthedarknessout。
　　"Iam，underProvidence，toserveyourturn，"hesaidafterstandingverystillforawhile，withhiseyesuponMrs。Travers。
　　Thebrig’sswing—lamplightedthecabinwithanextraordinarybrilliance。Mrs。Travershadthrownbackherhood。Theradiantbrightnessofthelittleplaceenfoldedhersoclose，clungtoherwithsuchforcethatitmighthavebeenpartofherveryessence。Therewerenoshadowsonherface；itwasfiercelylighted，hermeticallyclosed，ofimpenetrablefairness。
　　Lingardlookedinunconsciousecstasyatthisvision，soamazingthatitseemedtohavestrayedintohisexistencefrombeyondthelimitsoftheconceivable。Itwasimpossibletoguessherthoughts，toknowherfeelings，tounderstandhergrieforherjoy。Butsheknewallthatwasatthebottomofhisheart。Hehadtoldherhimself，impelledbyasuddenthought，goingtoherindarkness，indesperation，inabsurdhope，inincredibletrust。Hehadtoldherwhathehadtoldnooneonearth，exceptperhaps，attimes，himself，butwithoutwords——lessclearly。Hehadtoldherandshehadlistenedinsilence。Shehadlistenedleaningovertherailtillatlastherbreathwasonhisforehead。Herememberedthisandhadamomentofsoaringprideandofunutterabledismay。Hespoke，withaneffort。
　　"You’veheardwhatIsaidjustnow？HereIam。"
　　"Doyouexpectmetosaysomething？"sheasked。"Isitnecessary？
　　Isitpossible？"
　　"No，"heanswered。"Itissaidalready。Iknowwhatyouexpectfromme。Everything。"
　　"Everything，"sherepeated，paused，andaddedmuchlower，"Itistheveryleast。"Heseemedtolosehimselfinthought。
　　"Itisextraordinary，"hereflectedhalfaloud，"howIdislikethatman。"Sheleanedforwardalittle。
　　"Rememberthosetwomenareinnocent，"shebegan。
　　"SoamI——innocent。Soiseverybodyintheworld。Haveyouevermetamanorawomanthatwasnot？They’vegottotaketheirchancesallthesame。"
　　"Iexpectyoutobegenerous，"shesaid。
　　"Toyou？"
　　"Well——tome。Yes——ifyouliketomealone。"
　　"Toyoualone！Andyouknoweverything！"Hisvoicedropped。"Youwantyourhappiness。"
　　Shemadeanimpatientmovementandhesawherclenchthehandthatwaslyingonthetable。
　　"Iwantmyhusbandback，"shesaid，sharply。
　　"Yes。Yes。It’swhatIwassaying。Samething，"hemutteredwithstrangeplacidity。Shelookedathimsearchingly。Hehadalargesimplicitythatfilledone’svision。Shefoundherselfslowlyinvadedbythismasterfulfigure。Hewasnotmediocre。Whateverhemighthavebeenhewasnotmediocre。Theglamourofalawlesslifestretchedoverhimliketheskyovertheseadownonallsidestoanunbrokenhorizon。Within，hemovedverylonely，dangerousandromantic。Therewasinhimcrime，sacrifice，tenderness，devotion，andthemadnessofafixedidea。Shethoughtwithwonderthatofallthemenintheworldhewasindeedtheonesheknewthebestandyetshecouldnotforeseethespeechortheactofthenextminute。Shesaiddistinctly：
　　"You’vegivenmeyourconfidence。NowIwantyoutogivemethelifeofthesetwomen。Thelifeoftwomenwhomyoudonotknow，whomto—morrowyouwillforget。Itcanbedone。Itmustbedone。
　　Youcannotrefusethemtome。"Shewaited。
　　"Whycan’tIrefuse？"hewhispered，gloomily，withoutlookingup。
　　"Youask！"sheexclaimed。Hemadenosign。Heseemedatalossforwords。
　　"Youask……Ah！"shecried。"Don’tyouseethatIhavenokingdomstoconquer？"
　　III
　　AslightchangeofexpressionwhichpassedawayalmostdirectlyshowedthatLingardheardthepassionatecrywrungfromherbythedistressofhermind。Hemadenosign。Sheperceivedclearlytheextremedifficultyofherposition。Thesituationwasdangerous；notsomuchthefactsofitasthefeelingofit。Attimesitappearednomoreactualthanatradition；andshethoughtofherselfasofsomewomaninaballad，whohastobegforthelivesofinnocentcaptives。TosavethelivesofMr。
　　TraversandMr。d’Alcacerwasmorethanaduty。Itwasanecessity，itwasanimperativeneed，itwasanirresistiblemission。Yetshehadtoreflectuponthehorrorsofacruelandobscuredeathbeforeshecouldfeelforthemthepitytheydeserved。ItwaswhenshelookedatLingardthatherheartwaswrungbyanextremityofcompassion。Theotherswerepitiful，buthe，thevictimofhisownextravagantimpulses，appearedtragic，fascinating，andculpable。Lingardliftedhishead。WhisperswereheardatthedoorandHassimfollowedbyImmadaenteredthecabin。
　　Mrs。TraverslookedatLingard，becauseofallthefacesinthecabinhiswastheonlyonethatwasintelligibletoher。Hassimbegantospeakatonce，andwhenheceasedImmada’sdeepsighwasheardinthesuddensilence。ThenLingardlookedatMrs。Traversandsaid：
　　"Thegentlemenarealive。RajahHassimherehasseenthemlessthantwohoursago，andsohasthegirl。Theyarealiveandunharmed，sofar。Andnow……"
　　Hepaused。Mrs。Travers，leaningonherelbow，shadedhereyesundertheglintofsuspendedthunderbolts。
　　"Youmusthateus，"shemurmured。
　　"Hateyou，"herepeatedwith，asshefancied，atingeofdisdaininhistone。"No。Ihatemyself。"
　　"Whyyourself？"sheasked，verylow。
　　"Fornotknowingmymind，"heanswered。"Fornotknowingmymind。
　　Fornotknowingwhatitisthat’sgotholdofmesince——sincethismorning。Iwasangrythen……Nothingbutveryangry……"
　　"Andnow？"shemurmured。
　　"Iam……unhappy，"hesaid。AfteramomentofsilencewhichgavetoMrs。Traversthetimetowonderhowitwasthatthismanhadsucceededinpenetratingintotheverydepthsofhercompassion，hehitthetablesuchablowthatalltheheavymusketsseemedtojumpalittle。
　　Mrs。TraversheardHassimpronounceafewwordsearnestly，andamoanofdistressfromImmada。
　　"Ibelievedinyoubeforeyou……beforeyougavemeyourconfidence，"shebegan。"Youcouldseethat。Couldyounot？"
　　Helookedatherfixedly。"Youarenotthefirstthatbelievedinme，"hesaid。
　　Hassim，loungingwithhisbackagainstthecloseddoor，kepthiseyeonhimwatchfullyandImmada’sdarkandsorrowfuleyesrestedonthefaceofthewhitewoman。Mrs。Traversfeltasthoughshewereengagedinacontestwiththem；inastruggleforthepossessionofthatman’sstrengthandofthatman’sdevotion。
　　WhenshelookedupatLingardshesawonhisface——whichshouldhavebeenimpassiveorexalted，thefaceofasternleaderorthefaceofapitilessdreamer——anexpressionofutterforgetfulness。
　　Heseemedtobetastingthedelightofsomeprofoundandamazingsensation。Andsuddenlyinthemidstofherappealtohisgenerosity，inthemiddleofaphrase，Mrs。Traversfaltered，becomingawarethatshewastheobjectofhiscontemplation。
　　"Donot！Donotlookatthatwoman！"criedImmada。"O！
　　Master——lookaway……"Hassimthrewonearmroundthegirl’sneck。Hervoicesank。"O！Master——lookatus。"Hassim，drawinghertohimself，coveredherlipswithhishand。Shestruggledalittlelikeasnaredbirdandsubmitted，hidingherfaceonhisshoulder，veryquiet，sobbingwithoutnoise。
　　"Whatdotheysaytoyou？"askedMrs。Traverswithafaintandpainedsmile。"Whatcantheysay？Itisintolerabletothinkthattheirwordswhichhavenomeaningformemaygostraighttoyourheart……"
　　"Lookaway，"whisperedLingardwithoutmakingtheslightestmovement。
　　Mrs。Traverssighed。