end of the tether-第4章

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



thank　him　in　so　many　words；　but　he　found　it　perfectly



natural　that　she　should　tell　him　she　needed　two　hundred



pounds。







He　had　come　in　with　the　Fair　Maid　in　ballast　to　look



for　a　freight　in　the　Sofala's　port　of　registry；　and　her



letter　met　him　there。　　Its　tenor　was　that　it　was　no　use



mincing　matters。　　Her　only　resource　was　in　opening　a



boarding…house；　for　which　the　prospects；　she　judged；



were　good。　　Good　enough；　at　any　rate；　to　make　her　tell



him　frankly　that　with　two　hundred　pounds　she　could



make　a　start。　　He　had　torn　the　envelope　open；　hastily；



on　deck；　where　it　was　handed　to　him　by　the　ship…



chandler's　runner；　who　had　brought　his　mail　at　the　mo…



ment　of　anchoring。　　For　the　second　time　in　his　life　he



was　appalled；　and　remained　stock…still　at　the　cabin　door



with　the　paper　trembling　between　his　fingers。　　Open　a



boarding…house！　　Two　hundred　pounds　for　a　start！　　The



only　resource！　　And　he　did　not　know　where　to　lay　his



hands　on　two　hundred　pence。







All　that　night　Captain　Whalley　walked　the　poop　of



his　anchored　ship；　as　though　he　had　been　about　to　close



with　the　land　in　thick　weather；　and　uncertain　of　his



position　after　a　run　of　many　gray　days　without　a　sight



of　sun；　moon；　or　stars。　　The　black　night　twinkled　with



the　guiding　lights　of　seamen　and　the　steady　straight



lines　of　lights　on　shore；　and　all　around　the　Fair　Maid



the　riding　lights　of　ships　cast　trembling　trails　upon　the



water　of　the　roadstead。　　Captain　Whalley　saw　not　a



gleam　anywhere　till　the　dawn　broke　and　he　found　out



that　his　clothing　was　soaked　through　with　the　heavy



dew。







His　ship　was　awake。　　He　stopped　short；　stroked　his



wet　beard；　and　descended　the　poop　ladder　backwards；



with　tired　feet。　　At　the　sight　of　him　the　chief　officer；



lounging　about　sleepily　on　the　quarterdeck；　remained



open…mouthed　in　the　middle　of　a　great　early…morning



yawn。







〃Good　morning　to　you；〃　pronounced　Captain　Whal…



ley　solemnly；　passing　into　the　cabin。　　But　he　checked



himself　in　the　doorway；　and　without　looking　back；　〃By



the　bye；〃　he　said；　〃there　should　be　an　empty　wooden



case　put　away　in　the　lazarette。　　It　has　not　been　broken



uphas　it？〃







The　mate　shut　his　mouth；　and　then　asked　as　if　dazed；



〃What　empty　case；　sir？〃







〃A　big　flat　packing…case　belonging　to　that　painting　in



my　room。　　Let　it　be　taken　up　on　deck　and　tell　the



carpenter　to　look　it　over。　　I　may　want　to　use　it　before



long。〃







The　chief　officer　did　not　stir　a　limb　till　he　had　heard



the　door　of　the　captain's　state…room　slam　within　the



cuddy。　　Then　he　beckoned　aft　the　second　mate　with　his



forefinger　to　tell　him　that　there　was　something　〃in　the



wind。〃







When　the　bell　rang　Captain　Whalley's　authoritative



voice　boomed　out　through　a　closed　door；　〃Sit　down　and



don't　wait　for　me。〃　　And　his　impressed　officers　took　their



places；　exchanging　looks　and　whispers　across　the　table。



What！　　No　breakfast？　　And　after　apparently　knock…



ing　about　all　night　on　deck；　too！　　Clearly；　there　was



something　in　the　wind。　　In　the　skylight　above　their



heads；　bowed　earnestly　over　the　plates；　three　wire　cages



rocked　and　rattled　to　the　restless　jumping　of　the　hungry



canaries；　and　they　could　detect　the　sounds　of　their　〃old



man's〃　deliberate　movements　within　his　state…room。　　Cap…



tain　Whalley　was　methodically　winding　up　the　chro…



nometers；　dusting　the　portrait　of　his　late　wife；　getting



a　clean　white　shirt　out　of　the　drawers；　making　himself



ready　in　his　punctilious　unhurried　manner　to　go　ashore。



He　could　not　have　swallowed　a　single　mouthful　of　food



that　morning。　　He　had　made　up　his　mind　to　sell　the



Fair　Maid。











III











Just　at　that　time　the　Japanese　were　casting　far　and



wide　for　ships　of　European　build；　and　he　had　no　diffi…



culty　in　finding　a　purchaser；　a　speculator　who　drove　a



hard　bargain；　but　paid　cash　down　for　the　Fair　Maid；



with　a　view　to　a　profitable　resale。　　Thus　it　came　about



that　Captain　Whalley　found　himself　on　a　certain　after…



noon　descending　the　steps　of　one　of　the　most　important



post…offices　of　the　East　with　a　slip　of　bluish　paper　in　his



hand。　　This　was　the　receipt　of　a　registered　letter　en…



closing　a　draft　for　two　hundred　pounds；　and　addressed



to　Melbourne。　　Captain　Whalley　pushed　the　paper　into



his　waistcoat…pocket；　took　his　stick　from　under　his　arm；



and　walked　down　the　street。







It　was　a　recently　opened　and　untidy　thoroughfare　with



rudimentary　side…walks　and　a　soft　layer　of　dust　cushion…



ing　the　whole　width　of　the　road。　　One　end　touched　the



slummy　street　of　Chinese　shops　near　the　harbor；　the　other



drove　straight　on；　without　houses；　for　a　couple　of　miles；



through　patches　of　jungle…like　vegetation；　to　the　yard



gates　of　the　new　Consolidated　Docks　Company。　　The



crude　frontages　of　the　new　Government　buildings　alter…



nated　with　the　blank　fencing　of　vacant　plots；　and　the



view　of　the　sky　seemed　to　give　an　added　spaciousness　to



the　broad　vista。　　It　was　empty　and　shunned　by　natives



after　business　hours；　as　though　they　had　expected　to



see　one　of　the　tigers　from　the　neighborhood　of　the　New



Waterworks　on　the　hill　coming　at　a　loping　canter　down



the　middle　to　get　a　Chinese　shopkeeper　for　supper。　　Cap…



tain　Whalley　was　not　dwarfed　by　the　solitude　of　the



grandly　planned　street。　　He　had　too　fine　a　presence　for



that。　　He　was　only　a　lonely　figure　walking　purposefully；



with　a　great　white　beard　like　a　pilgrim；　and　with　a　thick



stick　that　resembled　a　weapon。　　On　one　side　the　new



Courts　of　Justice　had　a　low　and　unadorned　portico　of



squat　columns　half　concealed　by　a　few　old　trees　left　in



the　approach。　　On　the　other　the　pavilion　wings　of　the



new　Colonial　Treasury　came　out　to　the　line　of　the　street。



But　Captain　Whalley；　who　had　now　no　ship　and　no



home；　remembered　in　passing　that　on　that　very　site



when　he　first　came　out　from　England　there　had　stood　a



fishing　village；　a　few　mat　huts　erected　on　piles　between



a　muddy　tidal　creek　and　a　miry　pathway　that　went



writhing　into　a　tangled　wilderness　without　any　docks　or



waterworks。







No　shipno　home。　　And　his　poor　Ivy　away　there　had



no　home　either。　　A　boarding…house　is　no　sort　of　home



though　it　may　get　you　a　living。　　His　feelings　were



horribly　rasped　by　the　idea　of　the　boarding…house。　　In



his　rank　of　life　he　had　that　truly　aristocratic　tempera…



ment　characterized　by　a　scorn　of　vulgar　gentility　and



by　prejudiced　views　as　to　the　derogatory　nature　of　cer…



tain　occupations。　　For　his　own　part　he　had　always　pre…



ferred　sailing　merchant　ships　（which　is　a　straight…



forward　occupation）　to　buying　and　selling　merchandise；



of　which　the　essence　is　to　get　the　better　of　somebody　in　a



bargainan　undignified　trial　of　wits　at　best。　　His　father



had　been　Colonel　Whalley　（retired）　of　the　H。　E。　I。　Com…



pany's　service；　with　very　slender　means　besides　his　pen…



sion；　but　with　distinguished　connections。　　He　could　re…



member　as　a　boy　how　frequently　waiters　at　the　inns；　coun…



try　tradesmen　and　small　people　of　that　sort；　used　to　〃My



lord〃　the　old　warrior　on　the　strength　of　his　appear…



ance。







Captain　Whalley　himself　（he　would　have　entered　the



Navy　if　his　father　had　not　died　before　he　was　fourteen）



had　something　of　a　grand　air　which　would　have　suited



an　old　and　glorious　admiral；　but　he　became　lost　like　a



straw　in　the　eddy　of　a　brook　amongst　the　swarm　of



brown　and　ye