end of the tether-第3章

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her　black　skirts。







He　was　not　likely　to　forget；　but　you　cannot　dam　up



life　like　a　sluggish　stream。　　It　will　break　out　and　flow



over　a　man's　troubles；　it　will　close　upon　a　sorrow　like



the　sea　upon　a　dead　body；　no　matter　how　much　love　has



gone　to　the　bottom。　　And　the　world　is　not　bad。　　People



had　been　very　kind　to　him；　especially　Mrs。　Gardner；　the



wife　of　the　senior　partner　in　Gardner；　Patteson；　&　Co。；



the　owners　of　the　Condor。　　It　was　she　who　volunteered



to　look　after　the　little　one；　and　in　due　course　took　her



to　England　（something　of　a　journey　in　those　days；



even　by　the　overland　mail　route）　with　her　own　girls　to



finish　her　education。　　It　was　ten　years　before　he　saw　her



again。







As　a　little　child　she　had　never　been　frightened　of　bad



weather；　she　would　beg　to　be　taken　up　on　deck　in　the



bosom　of　his　oilskin　coat　to　watch　the　big　seas　hurling



themselves　upon　the　Condor。　　The　swirl　and　crash　of　the



waves　seemed　to　fill　her　small　soul　with　a　breathless　de…



light。　　〃A　good　boy　spoiled；〃　he　used　to　say　of　her　in



joke。　　He　had　named　her　Ivy　because　of　the　sound　of



the　word；　and　obscurely　fascinated　by　a　vague　associa…



tion　of　ideas。　　She　had　twined　herself　tightly　round　his



heart；　and　he　intended　her　to　cling　close　to　her　father　as



to　a　tower　of　strength；　forgetting；　while　she　was　little；



that　in　the　nature　of　things　she　would　probably　elect



to　cling　to　someone　else。　　But　he　loved　life　well　enough



for　even　that　event　to　give　him　a　certain　satisfaction；



apart　from　his　more　intimate　feeling　of　loss。







After　he　had　purchased　the　Fair　Maid　to　occupy　his



loneliness；　he　hastened　to　accept　a　rather　unprofitable



freight　to　Australia　simply　for　the　opportunity　of　seeing



his　daughter　in　her　own　home。　　What　made　him　dis…



satisfied　there　was　not　to　see　that　she　clung　now　to　some…



body　else；　but　that　the　prop　she　had　selected　seemed　on



closer　examination　〃a　rather　poor　stick〃even　in　the



matter　of　health。　　He　disliked　his　son…in…law's　studied



civility　perhaps　more　than　his　method　of　handling　the



sum　of　money　he　had　given　Ivy　at　her　marriage。　　But



of　his　apprehensions　he　said　nothing。　　Only　on　the　day



of　his　departure；　with　the　hall…door　open　already；　hold…



ing　her　hands　and　looking　steadily　into　her　eyes；　he



had　said；　〃You　know；　my　dear；　all　I　have　is　for　you　and



the　chicks。　　Mind　you　write　to　me　openly。〃　　She　had



answered　him　by　an　almost　imperceptible　movement　of



her　head。　　She　resembled　her　mother　in　the　color　of　her



eyes；　and　in　characterand　also　in　this；　that　she　under…



stood　him　without　many　words。







Sure　enough　she　had　to　write；　and　some　of　these　letters



made　Captain　Whalley　lift　his　white　eye…brows。　　For



the　rest　he　considered　he　was　reaping　the　true　reward　of



his　life　by　being　thus　able　to　produce　on　demand　what…



ever　was　needed。　　He　had　not　enjoyed　himself　so　much



in　a　way　since　his　wife　had　died。　　Characteristically



enough　his　son…in…law's　punctuality　in　failure　caused　him



at　a　distance　to　feel　a　sort　of　kindness　towards　the　man。



The　fellow　was　so　perpetually　being　jammed　on　a　lee



shore　that　to　charge　it　all　to　his　reckless　navigation



would　be　manifestly　unfair。　　No；　no！　　He　knew　well



what　that　meant。　　It　was　bad　luck。　　His　own　had　been



simply　marvelous；　but　he　had　seen　in　his　life　too　many



good　menseamen　and　othersgo　under　with　the　sheer



weight　of　bad　luck　not　to　recognize　the　fatal　signs。　　For



all　that；　he　was　cogitating　on　the　best　way　of　tying　up



very　strictly　every　penny　he　had　to　leave；　when；　with　a



preliminary　rumble　of　rumors　（whose　first　sound　reached



him　in　Shanghai　as　it　happened）；　the　shock　of　the　big



failure　came；　and；　after　passing　through　the　phases　of



stupor；　of　incredulity；　of　indignation；　he　had　to　accept



the　fact　that　he　had　nothing　to　speak　of　to　leave。







Upon　that；　as　if　he　had　only　waited　for　this　catas…



trophe；　the　unlucky　man；　away　there　in　Melbourne；　gave



up　his　unprofitable　game；　and　sat　downin　an　invalid's



bath…chair　at　that　too。　　〃He　will　never　walk　again；〃



wrote　the　wife。　　For　the　first　time　in　his　life　Captain



Whalley　was　a　bit　staggered。







The　Fair　Maid　had　to　go　to　work　in　bitter　earnest　now。



It　was　no　longer　a　matter　of　preserving　alive　the　memory



of　Dare…devil　Harry　Whalley　in　the　Eastern　Seas；　or



of　keeping　an　old　man　in　pocket…money　and　clothes；　with；



perhaps；　a　bill　for　a　few　hundred　first…class　cigars



thrown　in　at　the　end　of　the　year。　　He　would　have　to



buckle…to；　and　keep　her　going　hard　on　a　scant　allowance



of　gilt　for　the　ginger…bread　scrolls　at　her　stem　and



stern。







This　necessity　opened　his　eyes　to　the　fundamental



changes　of　the　world。　　Of　his　past　only　the　familiar



names　remained；　here　and　there；　but　the　things　and　the



men；　as　he　had　known　them；　were　gone。　　The　name　of



Gardner；　Patteson；　&　Co。　was　still　displayed　on　the



walls　of　warehouses　by　the　waterside；　on　the　brass　plates



and　window…panes　in　the　business　quarters　of　more　than



one　Eastern　port；　but　there　was　no　longer　a　Gardner



or　a　Patteson　in　the　firm。　　There　was　no　longer　for　Cap…



tain　Whalley　an　arm…chair　and　a　welcome　in　the　private



office；　with　a　bit　of　business　ready　to　be　put　in　the　way



of　an　old　friend；　for　the　sake　of　bygone　services。　　The



husbands　of　the　Gardner　girls　sat　behind　the　desks　in



that　room　where；　long　after　he　had　left　the　employ；　he



had　kept　his　right　of　entrance　in　the　old　man's　time。



Their　ships　now　had　yellow　funnels　with　black　tops；



and　a　time…table　of　appointed　routes　like　a　confounded



service　of　tramways。　　The　winds　of　December　and　June



were　all　one　to　them；　their　captains　（excellent　young



men　he　doubted　not）　were；　to　be　sure；　familiar　with



Whalley　Island；　because　of　late　years　the　Government



had　established　a　white　fixed　light　on　the　north　end　（with



a　red　danger　sector　over　the　Condor　Reef）；　but　most　of



them　would　have　been　extremely　surprised　to　hear　that



a　flesh…and…blood　Whalley　still　existedan　old　man



going　about　the　world　trying　to　pick　up　a　cargo　here



and　there　for　his　little　bark。







And　everywhere　it　was　the　same。　　Departed　the　men



who　would　have　nodded　appreciatively　at　the　mention



of　his　name；　and　would　have　thought　themselves　bound



in　honor　to　do　something　for　Dare…devil　Harry　Whalley。



Departed　the　opportunities　which　he　would　have　known



how　to　seize；　and　gone　with　them　the　white…winged　flock



of　clippers　that　lived　in　the　boisterous　uncertain　life　of



the　winds；　skimming　big　fortunes　out　of　the　foam　of



the　sea。　　In　a　world　that　pared　down　the　profits　to　an



irreducible　minimum；　in　a　world　that　was　able　to　count



its　disengaged　tonnage　twice　over　every　day；　and　in



which　lean　charters　were　snapped　up　by　cable　three



months　in　advance；　there　were　no　chances　of　fortune　for



an　individual　wandering　haphazard　with　a　little　bark



hardly　indeed　any　room　to　exist。







He　found　it　more　difficult　from　year　to　year。　　He　suf…



fered　greatly　from　the　smallness　of　remittances　he　was



able　to　send　his　daughter。　　Meantime　he　had　given　up



good　cigars；　and　even　in　the　matter　of　inferior　cheroots



limited　himself　to　six　a　day。　　He　never　told　her　of　his



difficulties；　and　she　never　enlarged　upon　her　struggle



to　live。　　Their　confidence　in　each　other　needed　no　ex…



planations；　and　their　perfect　understanding　endured



without　protestations　of　gratitude　or　regret。　　He　would



have　been　shocked　if　she　had　taken　it　into　her　head　to



thank　him　in　so　many