第17章

"Icouldneverhaveexpectedtohearsuchaspeechfromyou。AstowhatIdidexpect!……Imusthavebeenverystupid。"

"No,youareanythingbutthat,"declaredMr。Travers,conscientiously。"Itisn’tstupidity。"Hehesitatedforamoment。

"It’sakindofwilfulness,Ithink。Ipreferrednottothinkaboutthisgrievousdifferenceinourpointsofview,which,youwilladmit,Icouldnothavepossiblyforeseenbeforewe……"

AsortofsolemnembarrassmenthadcomeoverMr。Travers。Mrs。

Travers,leaningherchinonthepalmofherhand,staredatthebarematchboardsideofthehut。

"Doyouchargemewithprofoundgirlishduplicity?"sheasked,verysoftly。

TheinsideofthedeckhousewasfullofstagnantheatperfumedbyaslightscentwhichseemedtoemanatefromtheloosemassofMrs。Travers’hair。Mr。Traversevadedthedirectquestionwhichstruckhimaslackingfinenesseventothepointofimpropriety。

"ImustsupposethatIwasnotinthecalmpossessionofmyinsightandjudgmentinthosedays,"hesaid。"I——Iwasnotinacriticalstateofmindatthetime,"headmittedfurther;butevenaftergoingsofarhedidnotlookupathiswifeandthereforemissedsomethingliketheghostofasmileonMrs。

Travers’lips。Thatsmilewastingedwithscepticismwhichwastoodeep—seatedforanythingbutthefaintestexpression。

Thereforeshesaidnothing,andMr。Traverswentonasifthinkingaloud:

"Yourconductwas,ofcourse,abovereproach;butyoumadeforyourselfadetestablereputationofmentalsuperiority,expressedironically。Youinspiredmistrustinthebestpeople。Youwereneverpopular。"

"Iwasbored,"murmuredMrs。Traversinareminiscenttoneandwithherchinrestinginthehollowofherhand。

Mr。Traversgotupfromtheseaman’schestasunexpectedlyasifhehadbeenstungbyawasp,but,ofcourse,withamuchslowerandmoresolemnmotion。

"Thematterwithyou,Edith,isthatatheartyouareperfectlyprimitive。"Mrs。Traversstoodup,too,withasupple,leisurelymovement,andraisingherhandstoherhairturnedhalfawaywithapensiveremark:

"Imperfectlycivilized。"

"Imperfectlydisciplined,"correctedMr。Traversafteramomentofdrearymeditation。

Sheletherarmsfallandturnedherhead。

"No,don’tsaythat,"sheprotestedwithstrangeearnestness。"I

amthemostseverelydisciplinedpersonintheworld。Iamtemptedtosaythatmydisciplinehasstoppedatnothingshortofkillingmyself。IsupposeyoucanhardlyunderstandwhatImean。"

Mr。Traversmadeaslightgrimaceatthefloor。

"Ishallnottry,"hesaid。"Itsoundslikesomethingthatabarbarian,hatingthedelicatecomplexitiesandtherestraintsofanoblerlife,mighthavesaid。Fromyouitstrikesmeaswilfulbadtaste……Ihaveoftenwonderedatyourtastes。Youhavealwayslikedextremeopinions,exoticcostumes,lawlesscharacters,romanticpersonalities——liked’Alcacer……"

"PoorMr。d’Alcacer,"murmuredMrs。Travers。

"Amanwithoutanyideasofdutyorusefulness,"saidMr。

Travers,acidly。"Whatareyoupityinghimfor?"

"Why!Forfindinghimselfinthispositionoutofmeregood—nature。Hehadnothingtoexpectfromjoiningourvoyage,noadvantageforhispoliticalambitionsoranythingofthekind。I

supposeyouaskedhimonboardtobreakourtete—a—tetewhichmusthavegrownwearisometoyou。"

"Iamneverbored,"declaredMr。Travers。"D’Alcacerseemedgladtocome。And,beingaSpaniard,thehorriblewasteoftimecannotmattertohimintheleast。"

"Wasteoftime!"repeatedMrs。Travers,indignantly。

"Hemayyethavetopayforhisgoodnaturewithhislife。"

Mr。Traverscouldnotconcealamovementofanger。

"Ah!Iforgotthoseassumptions,"hesaidbetweenhisclenchedteeth。"HeisamereSpaniard。Hetakesthisfarcicalconspiracywithperfectnonchalance。Decayedraceshavetheirownphilosophy。"

"Hetakesitwithadignityofhisown。"

"Idon’tknowwhatyoucallhisdignity。Ishouldcallitlackofself—respect。"

"Why?Becauseheisquietandcourteous,andreserveshisjudgment。Andallowmetotellyou,Martin,thatyouarenottakingourtroublesverywell。"

"Youcan’texpectfrommeallthoseforeignaffectations。Iamnotinthehabitofcompromisingwithmyfeelings。"

Mrs。Traversturnedcompletelyroundandfacedherhusband。"Yousulk,"shesaid……Mr。Traversjerkedhisheadbackalittleasiftoletthewordgopast。——"Iamoutraged,"hedeclared。

Mrs。Traversrecognizedtheresomethinglikerealsuffering。——"I

assureyou,"shesaid,seriously(forshewasaccessibletopity),"IassureyouthatthisstrangeLingardhasnoideaofyourimportance。Hedoesn’tknowanythingofyoursocialandpoliticalpositionandstilllessofyourgreatambitions。"Mr。

Traverslistenedwithsomeattention。——"Couldn’tyouhaveenlightenedhim?"heasked。——"Itwouldhavebeennouse;hismindisfixeduponhisownpositionanduponhisownsenseofpower。

Heisamanofthelowerclasses……"——"Heisabrute,"saidMr。Travers,obstinately,andforamomentthosetwolookedstraightintoeachother’seyes。——"Oh,"saidMrs。Travers,slowly,"youaredeterminednottocompromisewithyourfeelings!"Anundertoneofscorncreptintohervoice。"ButshallItellyouwhatIthink?Ithink,"andsheadvancedherheadslightlytowardthepale,unshavenfacethatconfrontedherdarkeyes,"Ithinkthatforallyourblindscornyoujudgethemanwellenoughtofeelthatyoucanindulgeyourindignationwithperfectsafety。Doyouhear?Withperfectsafety!"Directlyshehadspokensheregrettedthesewords。ReallyitwasunreasonabletotakeMr。Travers’tricksofcharactermorepassionatelyonthisspotoftheEasternArchipelagofullofobscureplotsandwarringmotivesthaninthemoreartificialatmosphereofthetown。Afterallwhatshewantedwassimplytosavehislife,nottomakehimunderstandanything。Mr。Traversopenedhismouthandwithoututteringawordshutitagain。Hiswifeturnedtowardthelooking—glassnailedtothewall。Sheheardhisvoicebehindher。

"Edith,where’sthetruthinallthis?"

Shedetectedtheanguishofaslowmindwithaninstinctivedreadofobscureplaceswhereinnewdiscoveriescanbemade。Shelookedoverhershouldertosay:

"It’sonthesurface,Iassureyou。Altogetheronthesurface。"

Sheturnedagaintothelooking—glasswhereherownfacemetherwithdarkeyesandafairmistofhairabovethesmoothforehead;

butherwordshadproducednosoothingeffect。

"Butwhatdoesitmean?"criedMr。Travers。"Whydoesn’tthefellowapologize?Whyarewekepthere?Arewebeingkepthere?

Whydon’twegetaway?Whydoesn’thetakemebackonboardmyyacht?Whatdoeshewantfromme?Howdidheprocureourreleasefromthesepeopleonshorewhohesaysintendedtocutourthroats?Whydidtheygiveusuptohiminstead?"

Mrs。Traversbegantotwistherhaironherhead。

"Mattersofhighpolicyandoflocalpolitics。Conflictofpersonalinterests,mistrustbetweentheparties,intriguesofindividuals——yououghttoknowhowthatsortofthingworks。Hisdiplomacymadeuseofallthat。Thefirstthingtodowasnottoliberateyoubuttogetyouintohiskeeping。Heisaverygreatmanhereandletmetellyouthatyoursafetydependsonhisdexterityintheuseofhisprestigeratherthanonhispowerwhichhecannotuse。IfyouwouldlethimtalktoyouIamsurehewouldtellyouasmuchasitispossibleforhimtodisclose。"

"Idon’twanttobetoldaboutanyofhisrascalities。Buthaven’tyoubeentakenintohisconfidence?"

"Completely,"admittedMrs。Travers,peeringintothesmalllooking—glass。

"Whatistheinfluenceyoubroughttobearuponthisman?Itlookstomeasifourfatewereinyourhands。"

"Yourfateisnotinmyhands。Itisnoteveninhishands。Thereisamoralsituationherewhichmustbesolved。"

"Ethicsofblackmail,"commentedMr。Traverswithunexpectedsarcasm。Itflashedthroughhiswife’smindthatperhapsshedidn’tknowhimsowellasshehadsupposed。Itwasasifthepolishedandsolemncrustofhardproprietieshadcrackedslightly,hereandthere,underthestrain,disclosingthemerewrongheadednessofacommonmortal。Butitwasonlymannerthathadcrackedalittle;themarvellousstupidityofhisconceitremainedthesame。Shethoughtthatthisdiscussionwasperfectlyuseless,andasshefinishedputtingupherhairshesaid:"I

thinkwehadbettergoondecknow。"

"Youproposetogooutondecklikethis?"mutteredMr。Traverswithdowncasteyes。

"Likethis?Certainly。It’snolongeranovelty。Whoisgoingtobeshocked?"

Mr。Traversmadenoreply。Whatshehadsaidofhisattitudewasverytrue。Hesulkedattheenormousoffensivenessofmen,things,andevents;ofwordsandevenofglanceswhichheseemedtofeelphysicallyrestingonhisskinlikeapain,likeadegradingcontact。Hemanagednottowince。Buthesulked。Hiswifecontinued,"Andletmetellyouthatthoseclothesarefitforaprincess——Imeantheyareofthequality,materialandstylecustomprescribesforthehighestintheland,afar—distantlandwhereIaminformedwomenruleasmuchasthemen。Infacttheyweremeanttobepresentedtoanactualprincessinduecourse。TheywereselectedwiththegreatestcareforthatchildImmada。CaptainLingard……"

Mr。Traversmadeaninarticulatenoisepartakingofagroanandagrunt。

"Well,ImustcallhimbysomenameandthisIthoughtwouldbetheleastoffensiveforyoutohear。Afterall,themanexists。

Butheisknownalsoonacertainportionoftheearth’ssurfaceasKingTom。D’Alcacerisgreatlytakenbythatname。Itseemstohimwonderfullywelladaptedtotheman,initsfamiliarityanddeference。Andifyouprefer……"

"Iwouldprefertohearnothing,"saidMr。Travers,distinctly。

"Notasingleword。Notevenfromyou,tillIamafreeagentagain。Butwordsdon’ttouchme。Nothingcantouchme;neitheryoursinisterwarningsnorthemoodsoflevitywhichyouthinkpropertodisplaybeforeamanwhoselife,accordingtoyou,hangsonathread。"

"Ineverforgetitforamoment,"saidMrs。Travers。"AndInotonlyknowthatitdoesbutIalsoknowthestrengthofthethread。Itisawonderfulthread。Youmaysayifyoulikeithasbeenspunbythesamefatewhichmadeyouwhatyouare。"

Mr。Traversfeltawfullyoffended。Hehadneverheardanybody,letalonehisownself,addressedinsuchterms。Thetoneseemedtoquestionhisveryquality。Hereflectedwithshockedamazementthathehadlivedwiththatwomanforeightyears!Andhesaidtohergloomily:

"Youtalklikeapagan。"

ItwasaverystrongcondemnationwhichapparentlyMrs。Travershadfailedtohearforshepursuedwithanimation:

"Butreally,youcan’texpectmetomeditateonitallthetimeorshutmyselfuphereandmournthecircumstancesfrommorningtonight。Itwouldbemorbid。Letusgoondeck。"

"Andyoulooksimplyheathenishinthiscostume,"Mr。Traverswentonasthoughhehadnotbeeninterrupted,andwithanaccentofdeliberatedisgust。

Herheartwasheavybuteverythinghesaidseemedtoforcethetoneoflevityontoherlips。"AslongasIdon’tlooklikeaguy,"sheremarked,negligently,andthencaughtthedirectionofhisluridstarewhichasamatteroffactwasfastenedonherbarefeet。Shecheckedherself,"Oh,yes,ifyoupreferitIwillputonmystockings。ButyouknowImustbeverycarefulofthem。

It’stheonlypairIhavehere。Ihavewashedthemthismorninginthatbathroomwhichisbuiltoverthestern。Theyarenowdryingovertherailjustoutside。Perhapsyouwillbegoodenoughtopassthemtomewhenyougoondeck。"

Mr。Traversspunroundandwentondeckwithoutaword。AssoonasshewasaloneMrs。Traverspressedherhandstohertemples,agestureofdistresswhichrelievedherbyitssincerity。Themeasuredfootstepsoftwomencametoherplainlyfromthedeck,rhythmicanddoublewithasuggestionoftranquilandfriendlyintercourse。Shedistinguishedparticularlythefootfallsofthemanwhoselife’sorbitwasmostremotefromherown。Andyettheorbitshadcut!Afewdaysagoshecouldnothaveevenconceivedofhisexistence,andnowhewasthemanwhosefootsteps,itseemedtoher,herearscouldsingleunerringlyinthetrampofacrowd。Itwas,indeed,afabulousthing。Inthehalflightofherover—heatedsheltersheletanirresolute,frightenedsmilepassoffherlipsbeforeshe,too,wentondeck。

II

AningeniouslyconstructedframeworkoflightpostsandthinlathsoccupiedthegreaterpartofthedeckamidshipsoftheEmma。Thefourwallsofthatairystructureweremadeofmuslin。

Itwascomparativelylofty。Adoor—likearrangementoflightbattensfilledwithcalicowasfurtherprotectedbyasystemofcurtainscalculatedtobafflethepursuitofmosquitoesthathauntedtheshoresofthelagooningreatsingingcloudsfromsunsettillsunrise。AlotoffinematscoveredthedeckspacewithinthetransparentshelterdevisedbyLingardandJorgensontomakeMrs。Travers’existencepossibleduringthetimewhenthefateofthetwomen,andindeedprobablyofeverybodyelseonboardtheEmma,hadtohanginthebalance。VerysoonLingard’sunbiddenandfatalguestshadlearnedthetrickofsteppinginandoutoftheplacequickly。Mr。d’Alcacerperformedthefeatwithoutapparenthaste,almostnonchalantly,yetaswellasanybody。Itwasgenerallyconcededthathehadneverletamosquitointogetherwithhimself。Mr。Traversdodgedinandoutwithoutgraceandwasobviouslymuchirritatedatthenecessity。

Mrs。Traversdiditinamannerallherown,withmarkedclevernessandanunconsciousair。TherewasanimprovisedtableinthereandsomewickerarmchairswhichJorgensonhadproducedfromsomewhereinthedepthsoftheship。ItwashardtosaywhattheinsideoftheEmmadidnotcontain。Itwascrammedwithallsortsofgoodslikeageneralstore。Thatoldhulkwasthearsenalandthewar—chestofLingard’spoliticalaction;shewasstockedwithmusketsandgunpowder,withbalesoflongcloth,ofcottonprints,ofsilks;withbagsofriceandcurrencybrassguns。Shecontainedeverythingnecessaryfordealingdeathanddistributingbribes,toactonthecupidityanduponthefearsofmen,tomarchandtoorganize,tofeedthefriendsandtocombattheenemiesofthecause。Sheheldwealthandpowerinherflanks,thatgroundedshipthatwouldswimnomore,withoutmastsandwiththebestpartofherdeckcumberedbythetwostructuresofthinboardsandoftransparentmuslin。

WithinthelatterlivedtheEuropeans,visibleinthedaytimetothefewMalaysonboardasifthroughawhitehaze。Intheeveningthelightingofthehurricanelampsinsideturnedthemintodarkphantomssurroundedbyashiningmist,againstwhichtheinsectworldrushinginitsmillionsoutoftheforestonthebankwasbaffledmysteriouslyinitsassault。Rigidlyenclosedbytransparentwalls,likecaptivesofanenchantedcobweb,theymovedabout,sat,gesticulated,conversedpubliclyduringtheday;andatnightwhenallthelanternsbutonewereextinguished,theirslumberingshapescoveredalloverbywhitecottonsheetsonthecampbedsteads,whichwerebroughtineveryevening,conveyedthegruesomesuggestionofdeadbodiesreposingonstretchers。Thefood,suchasitwas,wasservedwithinthatglorifiedmosquitonetwhicheverybodycalledthe"Cage"withoutanyhumorousintention。AtmealtimesthepartyfromtheyachthadthecompanyofLingardwhoattachedtothisordealasenseofdutyperformedatthealtarofcivilityandconciliation。HecouldhavenoconceptionhowmuchhispresenceaddedtotheexasperationofMr。TraversbecauseMr。Travers’mannerwastoointenselyconsistenttopresentanyshades。Itwasdeterminedbyanineradicableconvictionthathewasavictimheldtoransomonsomeincomprehensibletermsbyanextraordinaryandoutrageousbandit。Thisconviction,strungtothehighestpitch,neverlefthimforamoment,beingtheobjectofindignantmeditationtohismind,andevenclinging,asitwere,tohisverybody。Itlurkedinhiseyes,inhisgestures,inhisungraciousmutters,andinhissinistersilences。TheshocktohismoralbeinghadendedbyaffectingMr。Travers’physicalmachine。Hewasawareofhepaticpains,sufferedfromaccessesofsomnolenceandsuppressedgustsoffurywhichfrightenedhimsecretly。Hiscomplexionhadacquiredayellowtinge,whilehisheavyeyeshadbecomebloodshotbecauseofthesmokeoftheopenwoodfiresduringhisthreedays’detentioninsideBelarab’sstockade。Hiseyeshadbeenalwaysverysensitivetooutwardconditions。D’Alcacer’sfineblackeyesweremoreenduringandhisappearancedidnotdifferverymuchfromhisordinaryappearanceonboardtheyacht。

HehadacceptedwithsmilingthankstheofferofathinblueflanneltunicfromJorgenson。Thosetwomenweremuchofthesamebuild,thoughofcoursed’Alcacer,quietlyaliveandspirituallywatchful,didnotresembleJorgenson,who,withoutbeingexactlymacabre,behavedmorelikeanindifferentbutrestlesscorpse。

Thosetwocouldnotbesaidtohaveeverconversedtogether。

ConversationwithJorgensonwasanimpossiblething。EvenLingardneverattemptedthefeat。HepropoundedquestionstoJorgensonmuchasamagicianwouldinterrogateanevokedshade,orgavehimcurtdirectionsasonewouldmakeuseofsomemarvellousautomaton。AndthatwasapparentlythewayinwhichJorgensonpreferredtobetreated。Lingard’srealcompanyonboardtheEmmawasd’Alcacer。D’AlcacerhadmetLingardontheeasytermsofamanaccustomedallhislifetogoodsocietyinwhichtheveryaffectationsmustbecarriedonwithouteffort。Whetheraffectation,ornature,orinspireddiscretion,d’Alcacerneverlettheslightestcuriositypiercethesmoothnessofhislevel,gravecourtesylightenedfrequentlybyslightsmileswhichoftenhadnotmuchconnectionwiththewordsheuttered,exceptthatsomehowtheymadethemsoundkindlyandasitweretactful。Intheircharacter,however,thosewordswerestrictlyneutral。

TheonlytimewhenLingardhaddetectedsomethingofadeepercomprehensionind’AlcacerwasthedayafterthelongnegotiationsinsideBelarab’sstockadeforthetemporarysurrenderoftheprisoners。Thatmovehadbeensuggestedtohim,exactlyasMrs。Travershadtoldherhusband,bytherivalriesofthepartiesandthestateofpublicopinionintheSettlementdeprivedofthepresenceofthemanwho,theoreticallyatleast,wasthegreatestpowerandthevisibleruleroftheShoreofRefuge。Belarabstilllingeredathisfather’stomb。Whetherthatmanoftheembitteredandpacifichearthadwithdrawntheretomeditateupontheunrulinessofmankindandthethanklessnatureofhistask;orwhetherhehadgonetheresimplytobatheinaparticularlyclearpoolwhichwasafeatureoftheplace,givehimselfuptotheenjoymentofacertainfruitwhichgrewinprofusionthereandindulgeforatimeinascrupulousperformanceofreligiousexercises,hisabsencefromtheSettlementwasafactoftheutmostgravity。Itistruethattheprestigeofalong—unquestionedrulershipandthelong—settledmentalhabitsofthepeoplehadcausedthecaptivestobetakenstraighttoBelarab’sstockadeasamatterofcourse。Belarab,atadistance,couldstilloutweighthepoweronthespotofTengga,whosesecretpurposeswerenobetterknown,whowasjovial,talkative,outspokenandpugnacious;butwhowasnotaprofessedservantofGodfamedformanycharitiesandascrupulousperformanceofpiouspractices,andwhoalsohadnofatherwhohadachievedalocalsaintship。ButBelarab,withhisglamourofasceticismandmelancholytogetherwithareputationforseverity(foramansopiouswouldbenaturallyruthless),wasnotonthespot。Theonlyfavourablepointinhisabsencewasthefactthathehadtakenwithhimhislatestwife,thesameladywhomJorgensonhadmentionedinhislettertoLingardasanxioustobringaboutbattle,murder,andthelootingoftheyacht,notbecauseofinbornwickednessofheartbutfromasimpledesireforsilks,jewelsandotherobjectsofpersonaladornment,quitenaturalinagirlsoyoungandelevatedtosuchahighposition。

BelarabhadselectedhertobethecompanionofhisretirementandLingardwasgladofit。HewasnotafraidofherinfluenceoverBelarab。Heknewhisman。Nowords,noblandishments,nosulks,scoldings,orwhisperingsofafavouritecouldaffecteithertheresolvesortheirresolutionsofthatArabwhoseactioneverseemedtohanginmysticsuspensebetweenthecontradictoryspeculationsandjudgmentsdisputingthepossessionofhiswill。ItwasnotwhatBelarabwouldeithersuddenlydoorleisurelydetermineuponthatLingardwasafraidof。Thedangerwasthatinhistaciturnhesitation,whichhadsomethinghopelesslygodlikeinitsremotecalmness,themanwoulddonothingandleavehiswhitefriendfacetofacewithunrulyimpulsesagainstwhichLingardhadnomeansofactionbutforcewhichhedarednotusesinceitwouldmeanthedestructionofhisplansandthedownfallofhishopes;andworsestillwouldwearanaspectoftreacherytoHassimandImmada,thosefugitiveswhomhehadsnatchedawayfromthejawsofdeathonanightofstormandhadpromisedtoleadbackintriumphtotheirowncountryhehadseenbutonce,sleepingunmovedunderthewrathandfireofheaven。

OntheafternoonoftheverydayhehadarrivedwithheronboardtheEmma——totheinfinitedisgustofJorgenson——LingardheldwithMrs。Travers(aftershehadhadacoupleofhours’rest)along,fiery,andperplexedconversation。Fromthenatureoftheproblemitcouldnotbeexhaustive;buttowardtheendofittheywerebothfeelingthoroughlyexhausted。Mrs。Travershadnolongertobeinstructedastofactsandpossibilities。Shewasawareofthemonlytoowellanditwasnotherparttoadviseorargue。Shewasnotcalledupontodecideortoplead。Thesituationwasfarbeyondthat。Butshewaswornoutwithwatchingthepassionateconflictwithinthemanwhowasbothsodesperatelyrecklessandsorigidlyrestrainedintheveryardourofhisheartandthegreatnessofhissoul。Itwasaspectaclethatmadeherforgettheactualquestionsatissue。Thiswasnostageplay;andyetshehadcaughtherselflookingathimwithbatedbreathasatagreatactoronadarkenedstageinsomesimpleandtremendousdrama。Heextortedfromheraresponsetotheforcesthatseemedtotearathissingle—mindedbrain,athisguilelessbreast。Heshookherwithhisownstruggles,hepossessedherwithhisemotionsandimposedhispersonalityasifitstragedyweretheonlythingworthconsideringinthismatter。

Andyetwhathadshetodowithallthoseobscureandbarbarousthings?Obviouslynothing。Unluckilyshehadbeentakenintotheconfidenceofthatman’spassionateperplexity,aconfidenceprovokedapparentlybynothingbutthepowerofherpersonality。

Shewasflattered,andevenmore,shewastouchedbyit;shewasawareofsomethingthatresembledgratitudeandprovokedasortofemotionalreturnasbetweenequalswhohadsecretlyrecognizedeachother’svalue。Yetatthesametimesheregrettednothavingbeenleftinthedark;asmuchinthedarkasMr。Travershimselford’Alcacer,thoughastothelatteritwasimpossibletosayhowmuchprecise,unaccountable,intuitiveknowledgewasburiedunderhisunruffledmanner。

D’Alcacerwasthesortofmanwhomitwouldbemucheasiertosuspectofanythingintheworldthanignorance——orstupidity。

Naturallyhecouldn’tknowanythingdefiniteorevenguessatthebareoutlineofthefactsbutsomehowhemusthavescentedthesituationinthosefewdaysofcontactwithLingard。HewasanacuteandsympatheticobserverinallhissecretaloofnessfromthelifeofmenwhichwassoverydifferentfromJorgenson’ssecretdivorcefromthepassionsofthisearth。Mrs。Traverswouldhavelikedtosharewithd’Alcacertheburden(foritwasaburden)ofLingard’sstory。Afterall,shehadnotprovokedthoseconfidences,neitherhadthatunexpectedadventurerfromthesealaidonheranobligationofsecrecy。No,notevenbyimplication。HehadneversaidtoherthatshewastheONLY

personwhomhewishedtoknowthatstory。

No。WhathehadsaidwasthatshewastheonlypersontowhomheCOULDtellthetalehimself,asifnooneelseonearthhadthepowertodrawitfromhim。Thatwasthesenseandnothingmore。

Yes,itwouldhavebeenarelieftotelld’Alcacer。ItwouldhavebeenarelieftoherfeelingofbeingshutofffromtheworldalonewithLingardasifwithinthefourwallsofaromanticpalaceandinanexoticatmosphere。Yes,thatreliefandalsoanother:thatofsharingtheresponsibilitywithsomebodyfittounderstand。Yetsheshrankfromit,withunaccountablereserve,asifbytalkingofLingardwithd’Alcacershewasboundtogivehimaninsightintoherself。Itwasavagueuneasinessandyetsopersistentthatshefeltit,too,whenshehadtoapproachandtalktoLingardunderd’Alcacer’seyes。NotthatMr。d’Alcacerwouldeverdreamofstaringorevencastingglances。Butwasheavertinghiseyesonpurpose?Thatwouldbeevenmoreoffensive。