Jorgenson,standingbythetaffrail,notedthefaintreddishglowinthemassiveblacknessofthefurthershore。Jorgensonnotedthingsquickly,cursorily,perfunctorily,asphenomenaunrelatedtohisownapparitionalexistenceofavisitingghost。Theywerebutpassagesinthegameofmenwhowerestillplayingatlife。
Heknewtoowellhowmuchthatgamewasworthtobeconcernedaboutitscourse。Hehadgivenupthehabitofthinkingforsolongthatthesuddenresumptionofitirkedhimexceedingly,especiallyashehadtothinkontowardaconclusion。Inthatworldofeternaloblivion,ofwhichhehadtastedbeforeLingardmadehimstepbackintothelifeofmen,allthingsweresettledonceforall。Hewasirritatedbyhisownperplexitywhichwaslikeareminderofthatmortalitymadeupofquestionsandpassionsfromwhichhehadfanciedhehadfreedhimselfforever。
ByanaturalassociationhiscontemptuousannoyanceembracedtheexistenceofMrs。Travers,too,forhowcouldhethinkofTomLingard,ofwhatwasgoodorbadforKingTom,withoutthinkingalsoofthatwomanwhohadmanagedtoputtheghostofasparkevenintohisownextinguishedeyes?Shewasofnoaccount;butTom’sintegritywas。ItwasofTomthathehadtothink,ofwhatwasgoodorbadforTominthatabsurdanddeadlygameofhislife。FinallyhereachedtheconclusionthattobegiventheringwouldbegoodforTomLingard。Justtobegiventheringandnomore。Theringandnomore。
"Itwillhelphimtomakeuphismind,"mutteredJorgensoninhismoustache,asifcompelledbyanobscureconviction。Itwasonlythenthathestirredslightlyandturnedawayfromtheloomofthefiresonthedistantshore。Mrs。Traversheardhisfootstepspassingagainalongthesideofthedeckhouse——andthistimeneverraisedherhead。Thatmanwassleepless,mad,childish,andinflexible。Hewasimpossible。Hehauntedthedecksofthathulkaimlessly……
Itwas,however,inpursuanceofaverydistinctaimthatJorgensonhadgoneforwardagaintoseekJaffir。
ThefirstremarkhehadtooffertoJaffir’sconsiderationwasthattheonlypersonintheworldwhohadtheremotestchanceofreachingBelarab’sgateonthatnightwasthattallwhitewomantheRajahLauthadbroughtonboard,thewifeofoneofthecaptivewhitechiefs。SurprisemadeJaffirexclaim,buthewasn’tpreparedtodenythat。Itwaspossiblethatformanyreasons,somequitesimpleandothersverysubtle,thosesonsoftheEvilOnebelongingtoTenggaandDamanwouldrefrainfromkillingawhitewomanwalkingalonefromthewater’sedgetoBelarab’sgate。Yes,itwasjustpossiblethatshemightwalkunharmed。
"Especiallyifshecarriedablazingtorch,"mutteredJorgensoninhismoustache。HetoldJaffirthatshewassittingnowinthedark,mourningsilentlyinthemannerofwhitewomen。Shehadmadeagreatoutcryinthemorningtobeallowedtojointhewhitemenonshore。He,Jorgenson,hadrefusedherthecanoe。
Eversinceshehadsecludedherselfinthedeckhouseingreatdistress。
Jaffirlistenedtoitallwithoutparticularsympathy。AndwhenJorgensonadded,"Itisinmymind,OJaffir,toletherhaveherwillnow,"heansweredbya"Yes,byAllah!lethergo。Whatdoesitmatter?"ofthegreatestunconcern,tillJorgensonadded:
"Yes。AndshemaycarrytheringtotheRajahLaut。"
JorgensonsawJaffir,thegrimandimpassiveJaffir,giveaperceptiblestart。ItseemedatfirstanimpossibletasktopersuadeJaffirtopartwiththering。Thenotionwastoomonstroustoenterhismind,tomovehisheart。Butatlasthesurrenderedinanawedwhisper,"Godisgreat。Perhapsitisherdestiny。"
BeingaWajomanhedidnotregardwomenasuntrustworthyorunequaltoataskrequiringcourageandjudgment。OncehegotoverthepersonalfeelinghehandedtheringtoJorgensonwithonlyonereservation,"Youknow,Tuan,thatshemustonnoaccountputitonherfinger。"
"Letherhangitroundherneck,"suggestedJorgenson,readily。
AsJorgensonmovedtowardthedeckhouseitoccurredtohimthatperhapsnowthatwomanTomLingardhadtakenintowmighttakeitintoherheadtorefusetoleavetheEmma。Thisdidnotdisturbhimverymuch。Allthosepeoplemovedinthedark。Hehimselfatthatparticularmomentwasmovinginthedark。BeyondthesimplewishtoguideLingard’sthoughtinthedirectionofHassimandImmada,tohelphimtomakeuphismindatlasttoaruthlessfidelitytohispurposeJorgensonhadnootheraim。Theexistenceofthosewhiteshadnomeaningonearth。Theywerethesortofpeoplethatpasswithoutleavingfootprints。Thatwomanwouldhavetoactinignorance。Andifsherefusedtogotheninignoranceshewouldhavetostayonboard。Hewouldtellhernothing。
Asamatteroffact,hediscoveredthatMrs。Traverswouldsimplyhavenothingtodowithhim。Shewouldnotlistentowhathehadtosay。Shedesiredhim,amerewearyvoiceconfinedinthedarknessofthedeckcabin,togoawayandtroublehernomore。
ButtheghostofJorgensonwasnoteasilyexorcised。He,too,wasamerevoiceintheouterdarkness,inexorable,insistingthatsheshouldcomeoutondeckandlisten。Atlasthefoundtherightwordstosay。
"ItissomethingaboutTomthatIwanttotellyou。Youwishhimwell,don’tyou?"
Afterthisshecouldnotrefusetocomeoutondeck,andoncethereshelistenedpatientlytothatwhiteghostmutteringandmumblingaboveherdroopinghead。
"Itseemstome,CaptainJorgenson,"shesaidafterhehadceased,"thatyouaresimplytriflingwithme。Afteryourbehaviourtomethismorning,Icanhavenothingtosaytoyou。"
"Ihaveacanoeforyounow,"mumbledJorgenson。
"Youhavesomenewpurposeinviewnow,"retortedMrs。Traverswithspirit。"Butyouwon’tmakeitcleartome。Whatisitthatyouhaveinyourmind?"
"Tom’sinterest。"
"Areyoureallyhisfriend?"
"Hebroughtmehere。Youknowit。Hehastalkedalottoyou。"
"Hedid。ButIaskmyselfwhetheryouarecapableofbeinganybody’sfriend。"
"Youaskyourself!"repeatedJorgenson,veryquietandmorose。
"IfIamnothisfriendIshouldliketoknowwhois。"
Mrs。Traversasked,quickly:"What’sallthisaboutaring?Whatring?"
"Tom’sproperty。Hehashaditforyears。"
"Andhegaveittoyou?Doesn’thecareforit?"
"Don’tknow。It’sjustathing。"
"Butithasameaningasbetweenyouandhim。Isthatso?"
"Yes。Ithas。Hewillknowwhatitmeans。"
"Whatdoesitmean?"
"Iamtoomuchhisfriendnottoholdmytongue。"
"What!Tome!"
"Andwhoareyou?"wasJorgenson’sunexpectedremark。"Hehastoldyoutoomuchalready。"
"Perhapshehas,"whisperedMrs。Travers,asiftoherself。"Andyouwantthatringtobetakentohim?"sheasked,inaloudertone。
"Yes。Atonce。Forhisgood。"
"Areyoucertainitisforhisgood?Whycan’tyou……"
Shecheckedherself。Thatmanwashopeless。Hewouldnevertellanythingandtherewasnomeansofcompellinghim。Hewasinvulnerable,unapproachable……Hewasdead。
"Justgiveittohim,"mumbledJorgensonasthoughpursuingamerefixedidea。"Justslipitquietlyintohishand。Hewillunderstand。"
"Whatisit?Advice,warning,signalforaction?"
"Itmaybeanything,"utteredJorgenson,morosely,butasitwereinamollifiedtone。"It’smeantforhisgood。"
"Oh,ifIonlycouldtrustthatman!"musedMrs。Travers,halfaloud。
Jorgenson’sslightnoiseinthethroatmighthavebeentakenforanexpressionofsympathy。Butheremainedsilent。
"Really,thisismostextraordinary!"criedMrs。Travers,suddenlyaroused。"Whydidyoucometome?Whyshoulditbemytask?Whyshouldyouwantmespeciallytotakeittohim?"
"Iwilltellyouwhy,"saidJorgenson’sblankvoice。"It’sbecausethereisnooneonboardthishulkthatcanhopetogetaliveinsidethatstockade。Thismorningyoutoldmeyourselfthatyouwerereadytodie——forTom——orwithTom。Well,riskitthen。Youaretheonlyonethathashalfachancetogetthrough—
—andTom,maybe,iswaiting。"
"Theonlyone,"repeatedMrs。TraverswithanabruptmovementforwardandanextendedhandbeforewhichJorgensonsteppedbackapace。"Riskit!Certainly!Where’sthatmysteriousring?"
"Ihavegotitinmypocket,"saidJorgenson,readily;yetnearlyhalfaminuteelapsedbeforeMrs。Traversfeltthecharacteristicshapebeingpressedintoherhalf—openpalm。"Don’tletanybodyseeit,"Jorgensonadmonishedherinamurmur。"Hideitsomewhereaboutyou。Whynothangitroundyourneck?"
Mrs。Travers’handremainedfirmlyclosedonthering。"Yes,thatwilldo,"shemurmured,hastily。"I’llbebackinamoment。Geteverythingready。"Withthosewordsshedisappearedinsidethedeckhouseandpresentlythreadsoflightappearedintheintersticesoftheboards。Mrs。Travershadlightedacandleinthere。Shewasbusyhangingthatringroundherneck。Shewasgoing。Yes——takingtheriskforTom’ssake。
"Nobodycanresistthatman,"Jorgensonmutteredtohimselfwithincreasingmoroseness。"_I_couldn’t。"
IV
Jorgenson,afterseeingthecanoeleavetheship’sside,ceasedtoliveintellectually。Therewasnoneedformorethinking,foranydisplayofmentalingenuity。Hehaddonewithitall。AllhisnotionswereperfectlyfixedandhecouldgoovertheminthesameghostlywayinwhichhehauntedthedeckoftheEmma。AtthesightoftheringLingardwouldreturntoHassimandImmada,nowcaptives,too,thoughJorgensoncertainlydidnotthinktheminanyseriousdanger。WhathadhappenedreallywasthatTenggawasnowholdinghostages,andthoseJorgensonlookeduponasLingard’sownpeople。Theywerehis。Hehadgoneinwiththemdeep,verydeep。TheyhadaholdandaclaimonKingTomjustasmanyyearsagopeopleofthatveryracehadhadaholdandaclaimonhim,Jorgenson。OnlyTomwasamuchbiggerman。Averybigman。Nevertheless,Jorgensondidn’tseewhyheshouldescapehisownfate——Jorgenson’sfate——tobeabsorbed,captured,madetheirowneitherinfailureorinsuccess。ItwasanunavoidablefatalityandJorgensonfeltcertainthattheringwouldcompelLingardtofaceitwithoutflinching。WhathereallywantedLingardtodowastoceasetotaketheslightestinterestinthosewhites——whowerethesortofpeoplethatleftnofootprints。
Perhapsatfirstsight,sendingthatwomantoLingardwasnotthebestwaytowardthatend。Jorgenson,however,hadadistinctimpressioninwhichhismorningtalkwithMrs。Travershadonlyconfirmedhim,thatthosetwohadquarrelledforgood。As,indeed,wasunavoidable。WhatdidTomLingardwantwithanywoman?TheonlywomaninJorgenson’slifehadcomeinbywayofexchangeforalotofcottonstuffsandseveralbrassguns。ThisfactcouldnotbutaffectJorgenson’sjudgmentsinceobviouslyinthiscasesuchatransactionwasimpossible。Thereforethecasewasnotserious。Itdidn’texist。WhatdidexistwasLingard’srelationtotheWajoexiles,agreatandwarlikeadventuresuchasnoroverinthoseseashadeverattempted。
ThatTenggawasmuchmorereadytonegotiatethantofight,theoldadventurerhadnottheslightestdoubt。HowLingardwoulddealwithhimwasnotaconcernofJorgenson’s。Thatwouldbeeasyenough。NothingpreventedLingardfromgoingtoseeTenggaandtalkingtohimwithauthority。AllthatambitiouspersonreallywantedwastohaveashareinLingard’swealth,inLingard’spower,inLingard’sfriendship。AyearbeforeTenggahadonceinsinuatedtoJorgenson,"InwhatwayamIlessworthyofbeingafriendthanBelarab?"
Itwasadistinctoverture,adisclosureoftheman’sinnermostmind。Jorgenson,ofcourse,hadmetitwithaprofoundsilence。
Histaskwasnotdiplomacybutthecareofstores。
AftertheeffortofconnectedmentalprocessesinordertobringaboutMrs。Travers’departurehewasanxioustodismissthewholematterfromhismind。Thelastthoughthegavetoitwasseverelypractical。ItoccurredtohimthatitwouldbeadvisabletoattractinsomewayorotherLingard’sattentiontothelagoon。
Inthelanguageoftheseaasinglerocketisproperlyasignalofdistress,but,inthecircumstances,agroupofthreesentupsimultaneouslywouldconveyawarning。Hegavehisordersandwatchedtherocketsgoupfinelywithatrailofredsparks,aburstingofwhitestarshighupintheair,andthreeloudreportsinquicksuccession。Thenheresumedhispacingofthewholelengthofthehulk,confidentthatafterthisTomwouldguessthatsomethingwasupandsetaclosewatchoverthelagoon。NodoubtthesemysteriousrocketswouldhaveadisturbingeffectonTenggaandhisfriendsandcauseagreatexcitementintheSettlement;butforthatJorgensondidnotcare。TheSettlementwasalreadyinsuchaturmoilthatalittlemoreexcitementdidnotmatter。WhatJorgensondidnotexpect,however,wasthesoundofamusket—shotfiredfromthejunglefacingthebowsoftheEmma。Itcausedhimtostopdeadshort。Hehadhearddistinctlythebulletstrikethecurveofthebowforward。"Somehot—headedassfiredthat,"hesaidtohimself,contemptuously。ItsimplydisclosedtohimthefactthathewasalreadybesiegedontheshoresideandsetatresthisdoubtsastothelengthTenggawaspreparedtogo。Anylength!OfcoursetherewasstilltimeforTomtoputeverythingrightwithsixwords,unless……Jorgensonsmiled,grimly,inthedarkandresumedhistirelesspacing。
WhatamusedhimwastoobservethefirewhichhadbeenburningnightanddaybeforeTengga’sresidencesuddenlyextinguished。Hepicturedtohimselfthewildrushwithbamboobucketstothelagoonshore,theconfusion,thehurryandjostlinginagreathissingofwatermidstcloudsofsteam。TheimageofthefatTengga’sconsternationappealedtoJorgenson’ssenseofhumourforaboutfiveseconds。Thenhetookupthebinocularsfromtheroofofthedeckhouse。
TheburstingofthethreewhitestarsoverthelagoonhadgivenhimamomentaryglimpseoftheblackspeckofthecanoetakingoverMrs。Travers。Hecouldn’tfinditagainwiththeglass,itwastoodark;butthepartoftheshoreforwhichitwassteeredwouldbesomewhereneartheangleofBelarab’sstockadenearesttothebeach。ThisJorgensoncouldmakeoutinthefaintrosyglareoffiresburninginside。JorgensonwascertainthatLingardwaslookingtowardtheEmmathroughthemostconvenientloopholehecouldfind。
AsobviouslyMrs。Traverscouldnothavepaddledherselfacross,twomenweretakingherover;andforthesteersmanshehadJaffir。ThoughhehadassentedtoJorgenson’splanJaffirwasanxioustoaccompanytheringasnearaspossibletoitsdestination。Nothingbutdirenecessityhadinducedhimtopartwiththetalisman。Crouchinginthesternandflourishinghispaddlefromsidetosideheglaredatthebackofthecanvasdeck—chairwhichhadbeenplacedinthemiddleforMrs。Travers。
Wrappedupinthedarknessshereclinedinitwithhereyesclosed,faintlyawareoftheringhunglowonherbreast。Asthecanoewasratherlargeitwasmovingveryslowly。Thetwomendippedtheirpaddleswithoutasplash:andsurrenderingherselfpassively,inatemporaryrelaxationofallherlimbs,tothisadventureMrs。Travershadnosenseofmotionatall。She,too,likeJorgenson,wastiredofthinking。Sheabandonedherselftothesilenceofthatnightfullofrousedpassionsanddeadlypurposes。Sheabandonedherselftoanillusoryfeeling;totheimpressionthatshewasreallyresting。Forthefirsttimeinmanydaysshecouldtastethereliefofbeingalone。Themenwithherwerelessthannothing。Shecouldnotspeaktothem;shecouldnotunderstandthem;thecanoemighthavebeenmovingbyenchantment——ifitdidmoveatall。Likeahalf—conscioussleepershewasonthevergeofsayingtoherself,"WhatastrangedreamIamhaving。"
ThelowtonesofJaffir’svoicestoleintoitquietlytellingthementoceasepaddling,andthelongcanoecametoarestslowly,nomorethantenyardsfromthebeach。Thepartyhadbeenprovidedwithatorchwhichwastobelightedbeforethecanoetouchedtheshore,thusgivingacharacterofopennesstothisdesperateexpedition。"Andifitdrawsfireonus,"JaffirhadcommentedtoJorgenson,"well,then,weshallseewhosefateitistodieonthisnight。"
"Yes,"hadmutteredJorgenson。"Weshallsee。"
Jorgensonsawatlastthesmalllightofthetorchagainsttheblacknessofthestockade。Hestrainedhishearingforapossiblevolleyofmusketryfirebutnosoundcametohimoverthebroadsurfaceofthelagoon。Overtherethemanwiththetorch,theotherpaddler,andJaffirhimselfimpellingwithagentlemotionofhispaddlethecanoetowardtheshore,hadtheglisteningeyeballsandthetensefacesofsilentexcitement。TheruddyglaresmoteMrs。Travers’closedeyelidsbutshedidn’topenhereyestillshefeltthecanoetouchthestrand。Thetwomenleapedinstantlyoutofit。Mrs。Traversrose,abruptly。Nobodymadeasound。Shestumbledoutofthecanoeontothebeachandalmostbeforeshehadrecoveredherbalancethetorchwasthrustintoherhand。Theheat,thenearnessoftheblazeconfusedandblindedhertill,instinctively,sheraisedthetorchhighaboveherhead。Foramomentshestoodstill,holdingaloftthefierceflamefromwhichafewsparkswerefallingslowly。
AnakedbronzearmlightedfromabovepointedoutthedirectionandMrs。Traversbegantowalktowardthefeaturelessblackmassofthestockade。Whenafterafewstepsshelookedbackoverhershoulder,thelagoon,thebeach,thecanoe,themenshehadjustlefthadbecomealreadyinvisible。Shewasalonebearingupablazingtorchonanearththatwasadumbshadowshiftingunderherfeet。Atlastshereachedfirmergroundandthedarklengthofthepalisadeuntouchedasyetbythelightofthetorchseemedtoherimmense,intimidating。Shefeltreadytodropfromsheeremotion。Butshemovedon。
"Alittlemoretotheleft,"shoutedastrongvoice。
Itvibratedthroughallherfibres,rousinglikethecallofatrumpet,wentfarbeyondher,filledallthespace。Mrs。Traversstoodstillforamoment,thencastingfarawayfromhertheburningtorchranforwardblindlywithherhandsextendedtowardthegreatsoundofLingard’svoice,leavingbehindherthelightflaringandsplutteringontheground。Shestumbledandwasonlysavedfromafallbyherhandscomingincontactwiththeroughstakes。Thestockaderosehighaboveherheadandsheclungtoitwithwidelyopenarms,pressingherwholebodyagainsttheruggedsurfaceofthatenormousandunscalablepalisade。Sheheardthroughitlowvoicesinside,heavythuds;andfeltateveryblowaslightvibrationofthegroundunderherfeet。Sheglancedfearfullyoverhershoulderandsawnothinginthedarknessbuttheexpiringglowofthetorchshehadthrownawayandthesombreshimmerofthelagoonborderingtheopaquedarknessoftheshore。
Herstrainedeyeballsseemedtodetectmysteriousmovementsinthedarknessandshegavewaytoirresistibleterror,toashrinkingagonyofapprehension。Wasshetobetransfixedbyabroadblade,tothehigh,immovablewallofwoodagainstwhichshewasflatteningherselfdesperately,asthoughshecouldhopetopenetrateitbythemereforceofherfear?Shehadnoideawhereshewas,butasamatteroffactshewasalittletotheleftoftheprincipalgateandalmostexactlyunderoneoftheloopholesofthestockade。Herexcessiveanguishpassedintoinsensibility。Sheceasedtohear,tosee,andeventofeelthecontactofthesurfacetowhichsheclung。Lingard’svoicesomewherefromtheskyaboveherheadwasdirectingher,distinct,veryclose,fullofconcern。
"Youmuststooplow。Loweryet。"
Thestagnantbloodofherbodybegantopulsatelanguidly。Shestoopedlow——loweryet——solowthatshehadtosinkonherknees,andthenbecameawareofafaintsmellofwoodsmokemingledwiththeconfusedmurmurofagitatedvoices。Thiscametoherthroughanopeningnohigherthanherheadinherkneelingposture,andnowiderthanthebreadthoftwostakes。Lingardwassayinginatoneofdistress:
"Icouldn’tgetanyofthemtounbarthegate。"
Shewasunabletomakeasound。——"Areyouthere?"Lingardasked,anxiously,soclosetohernowthatsheseemedtofeeltheverybreathofhiswordsonherface。Itrevivedhercompletely;sheunderstoodwhatshehadtodo。Sheputherheadandshouldersthroughtheopening,wasatonceseizedunderthearmsbyaneagergripandfeltherselfpulledthroughwithanirresistibleforceandwithsuchhastethatherscarfwasdraggedoffherhead,itsfringeshavingcaughtintheroughtimber。Thesameeagergripliftedherup,stoodheronherfeetwithoutherhavingtomakeanyexertiontowardthatend。ShebecameawarethatLingardwastryingtosaysomething,butsheheardonlyaconfusedstammeringexpressiveofwonderanddelightinwhichshecaughtthewords"You……you……"deliriouslyrepeated。
Hedidn’treleasehisholdofher;hishelpfulandirresistiblegriphadchangedintoacloseclasp,acrushingembrace,theviolenttakingpossessionbyanembodiedforcethathadbrokenlooseandwasnottobecontrolledanylonger。Ashisgreatvoicehaddoneamomentbefore,hisgreatstrength,too,seemedabletofillallspaceinitsenvelopingandundeniableauthority。Everytimeshetriedinstinctivelytostiffenherselfagainstitsmight,itreacted,affirmingitsfiercewill,itsupliftingpower。Severaltimesshelostthefeelingofthegroundandhadasensationofhelplessnesswithoutfear,oftriumphwithoutexultation。Theinevitablehadcometopass。Shehadforeseenit——andallthetimeinthatdarkplaceandagainsttheredglowofcampfireswithinthestockadethemaninwhosearmsshestruggledremainedshadowytohereyes——toherhalf—closedeyes。
Shethoughtsuddenly,"Hewillcrushmetodeathwithoutknowingit。"
Hewaslikeablindforce。Sheclosedhereyesaltogether。Herheadfellbackalittle。Notinstinctivelybutwithwilfulresignationandasitwerefromasenseofjusticesheabandonedherselftohisarms。Theeffectwasasthoughshehadsuddenlystabbedhimtotheheart。Helethergososuddenlyandcompletelythatshewouldhavefallendowninaheapifshehadnotmanagedtocatchholdofhisforearm。Heseemedpreparedforitandforamomentallherweighthungonitwithoutmovingitsrigiditybyahair’sbreadth。BehindherMrs。Traversheardtheheavythudofblowsonwood,theconfusedmurmursandmovementsofmen。
Avoicesaidsuddenly,"It’sdone,"withsuchemphasisthatthough,ofcourse,shedidn’tunderstandthewordsithelpedhertoregainpossessionofherself;andwhenLingardaskedherverylittleaboveawhisper:"Whydon’tyousaysomething?"sheansweredreadily,"Letmegetmybreathfirst。"
Roundthemallsoundshadceased。Themenhadsecuredagaintheopeningthroughwhichthosearmshadsnatchedherintoamomentofself—forgetfulnesswhichhadleftheroutofbreathbutuncrushed。Asifsomethingimperativehadbeensatisfiedshehadamomentofinwardserenity,aperiodofpeacewithoutthoughtwhile,holdingtothatarmthattremblednomorethananarmofiron,shefeltstealthilyoverthegroundforoneofthesandalswhichshehadlost。Oh,yes,therewasnodoubtofit,shehadbeencarriedofftheearth,withoutshame,withoutregret。Butshewouldnothavelethimknowofthatdroppedsandalforanythingintheworld。Thatlostsandalwasassymbolicasadroppedveil。Buthedidnotknowofit。Hemustneverknow。