end of the tether-第5章

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



straw　in　the　eddy　of　a　brook　amongst　the　swarm　of



brown　and　yellow　humanity　filling　a　thoroughfare；　that



by　contrast　with　the　vast　and　empty　avenue　he　had　left



seemed　as　narrow　as　a　lane　and　absolutely　riotous　with



life。　　The　walls　of　the　houses　were　blue；　the　shops　of



the　Chinamen　yawned　like　cavernous　lairs；　heaps　of



nondescript　merchandise　overflowed　the　gloom　of　the



long　range　of　arcades；　and　the　fiery　serenity　of　sunset



took　the　middle　of　the　street　from　end　to　end　with　a



glow　like　the　reflection　of　a　fire。　　It　fell　on　the　bright



colors　and　the　dark　faces　of　the　bare…footed　crowd；　on



the　pallid　yellow　backs　of　the　half…naked　jostling　coolies；



on　the　accouterments　of　a　tall　Sikh　trooper　with　a



parted　beard　and　fierce　mustaches　on　sentry　before　the



gate　of　the　police　compound。　　Looming　very　big　above



the　heads　in　a　red　haze　of　dust；　the　tightly　packed　car



of　the　cable　tramway　navigated　cautiously　up　the　hu…



man　stream；　with　the　incessant　blare　of　its　horn；　in　the



manner　of　a　steamer　groping　in　a　fog。







Captain　Whalley　emerged　like　a　diver　on　the　other



side；　and　in　the　desert　shade　between　the　walls　of　closed



warehouses　removed　his　hat　to　cool　his　brow。　　A　certain



disrepute　attached　to　the　calling　of　a　landlady　of　a



boarding…house。　　These　women　were　said　to　be　rapacious；



unscrupulous；　untruthful；　and　though　he　contemned　no



class　of　his　fellow…creaturesGod　forbid！these　were



suspicions　to　which　it　was　unseemly　that　a　Whalley



should　lay　herself　open。　　He　had　not　expostulated　with



her；　however。　　He　was　confident　she　shared　his　feelings；



he　was　sorry　for　her；　he　trusted　her　judgment；　he　con…



sidered　it　a　merciful　dispensation　that　he　could　help　her



once　more；but　in　his　aristocratic　heart　of　hearts　he



would　have　found　it　more　easy　to　reconcile　himself　to　the



idea　of　her　turning　seamstress。　　Vaguely　he　remembered



reading　years　ago　a　touching　piece　called　the　〃Song　of



the　Shirt。〃　　It　was　all　very　well　making　songs　about



poor　women。　　The　granddaughter　of　Colonel　Whalley；



the　landlady　of　a　boarding…house！　　Pooh！　　He　replaced



his　hat；　dived　into　two　pockets；　and　stopping　a　moment



to　apply　a　flaring　match　to　the　end　of　a　cheap　cheroot；



blew　an　embittered　cloud　of　smoke　at　a　world　that　could



hold　such　surprises。







Of　one　thing　he　was　certainthat　she　was　the　own



child　of　a　clever　mother。　　Now　he　had　got　over　the



wrench　of　parting　with　his　ship；　he　perceived　clearly



that　such　a　step　had　been　unavoidable。　　Perhaps　he　had



been　growing　aware　of　it　all　along　with　an　unconfessed



knowledge。　　But　she；　far　away　there；　must　have　had



an　intuitive　perception　of　it；　with　the　pluck　to　face　that



truth　and　the　courage　to　speak　outall　the　qualities



which　had　made　her　mother　a　woman　of　such　excellent



counsel。







It　would　have　had　to　come　to　that　in　the　end！　　It　was



fortunate　she　had　forced　his　hand。　　In　another　year　or



two　it　would　have　been　an　utterly　barren　sale。　　To　keep



the　ship　going　he　had　been　involving　himself　deeper



every　year。　　He　was　defenseless　before　the　insidious　work



of　adversity；　to　whose　more　open　assaults　he　could　pre…



sent　a　firm　front；　like　a　cliff　that　stands　unmoved　the



open　battering　of　the　sea；　with　a　lofty　ignorance　of　the



treacherous　backwash　undermining　its　base。　　As　it　was；



every　liability　satisfied；　her　request　answered；　and　owing



no　man　a　penny；　there　remained　to　him　from　the　pro…



ceeds　a　sum　of　five　hundred　pounds　put　away　safely。　　In



addition　he　had　upon　his　person　some　forty　odd　dollars



enough　to　pay　his　hotel　bill；　providing　he　did　not



linger　too　long　in　the　modest　bedroom　where　he　had



taken　refuge。







Scantily　furnished；　and　with　a　waxed　floor；　it　opened



into　one　of　the　side…verandas。　　The　straggling　building



of　bricks；　as　airy　as　a　bird…cage；　resounded　with　the



incessant　flapping　of　rattan　screens　worried　by　the　wind



between　the　white…washed　square　pillars　of　the　sea…front。



The　rooms　were　lofty；　a　ripple　of　sunshine　flowed　over



the　ceilings；　and　the　periodical　invasions　of　tourists　from



some　passenger　steamer　in　the　harbor　flitted　through　the



wind…swept　dusk　of　the　apartments　with　the　tumult　of



their　unfamiliar　voices　and　impermanent　presences；　like



relays　of　migratory　shades　condemned　to　speed　headlong



round　the　earth　without　leaving　a　trace。　　The　babble



of　their　irruptions　ebbed　out　as　suddenly　as　it　had　arisen；



the　draughty　corridors　and　the　long　chairs　of　the　ve…



randas　knew　their　sight…seeing　hurry　or　their　prostrate



repose　no　more；　and　Captain　Whalley；　substantial　and



dignified；　left　wellnigh　alone　in　the　vast　hotel　by　each



light…hearted　skurry；　felt　more　and　more　like　a　stranded



tourist　with　no　aim　in　view；　like　a　forlorn　traveler　with…



out　a　home。　　In　the　solitude　of　his　room　he　smoked



thoughtfully；　gazing　at　the　two　sea…chests　which　held　all



that　he　could　call　his　own　in　this　world。　　A　thick　roll　of



charts　in　a　sheath　of　sailcloth　leaned　in　a　corner；　the



flat　packing…case　containing　the　portrait　in　oils　and



the　three　carbon　photographs　had　been　pushed　under



the　bed。　　He　was　tired　of　discussing　terms；　of　assisting



at　surveys；　of　all　the　routine　of　the　business。　　What　to



the　other　parties　was　merely　the　sale　of　a　ship　was　to



him　a　momentous　event　involving　a　radically　new　view　of



existence。　　He　knew　that　after　this　ship　there　would



be　no　other；　and　the　hopes　of　his　youth；　the　exercise　of



his　abilities；　every　feeling　and　achievement　of　his　man…



hood；　had　been　indissolubly　connected　with　ships。　　He



had　served　ships；　he　had　owned　ships；　and　even　the



years　of　his　actual　retirement　from　the　sea　had　been　made



bearable　by　the　idea　that　he　had　only　to　stretch　out　his



hand　full　of　money　to　get　a　ship。　　He　had　been　at



liberty　to　feel　as　though　he　were　the　owner　of　all　the



ships　in　the　world。　　The　selling　of　this　one　was　weary



work；　but　when　she　passed　from　him　at　last；　when　he



signed　the　last　receipt；　it　was　as　though　all　the　ships



had　gone　out　of　the　world　together；　leaving　him　on　the



shore　of　inaccessible　oceans　with　seven　hundred　pounds



in　his　hands。







Striding　firmly；　without　haste；　along　the　quay；　Captain



Whalley　averted　his　glances　from　the　familiar　roadstead。



Two　generations　of　seamen　born　since　his　first　day　at



sea　stood　between　him　and　all　these　ships　at　the　anchor…



age。　　His　own　was　sold；　and　he　had　been　asking　him…



self；　What　next？







From　the　feeling　of　loneliness；　of　inward　emptiness；



and　of　loss　too；　as　if　his　very　soul　had　been　taken



out　of　him　forcibly；there　had　sprung　at　first　a　desire



to　start　right　off　and　join　his　daughter。　　〃Here　are　the



last　pence；〃　he　would　say　to　her；　〃take　them；　my　dear。



And　here's　your　old　father：　you　must　take　him　too。〃







His　soul　recoiled；　as　if　afraid　of　what　lay　hidden　at



the　bottom　of　this　impulse。　　Give　up！　　Never！　　When



one　is　thoroughly　weary　all　sorts　of　nonsense　come　into



one's　head。　　A　pretty　gift　it　would　have　been　for　a　poor



womanthis　seven　hundred　pounds　with　the　incumbrance



of　a　hale　old　fellow　more　than　likely　to　last　for　years



and　years　to　come。　　Was　he　not　as　fit　to　die　in　harness



as　any　of　the　youngsters　in　charge　of　these　anchored



ships　out　yonder？　　He　was　as　solid　now　as　ever　he　had



been。　　But　as　to　who　would　give　him　work　to　do；　that



was　another　matter。　　Were　he；　with　his　appearance　and



antecedents；　to　go　about　looking　for　a　junior's　bert