end of the tether-第8章

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wharves；　its　jetties；　its　electric…light　plant；　its　steam…



power　houseswith　its　gigantic　sheer…legs；　fit　to　lift　the



heaviest　weight　ever　carried　afloat；　and　whose　head　could



be　seen　like　the　top　of　a　queer　white　monument　peeping



over　bushy　points　of　land　and　sandy　promontories；　as



you　approached　the　New　Harbor　from　the　west。







There　had　been　a　time　when　men　counted：　there　were



not　so　many　carriages　in　the　colony　then；　though　Mr。



Denham；　he　fancied；　had　a　buggy。　　And　Captain　Whal…



ley　seemed　to　be　swept　out　of　the　great　avenue　by　the



swirl　of　a　mental　backwash。　　He　remembered　muddy



shores；　a　harbor　without　quays；　the　one　solitary　wooden



pier　（but　that　was　a　public　work）　jutting　out　crookedly；



the　first　coal…sheds　erected　on　Monkey　Point；　that　caught



fire　mysteriously　and　smoldered　for　days；　so　that



amazed　ships　came　into　a　roadstead　full　of　sulphurous



smoke；　and　the　sun　hung　blood…red　at　midday。　　He　re…



membered　the　things；　the　faces；　and　something　more



besideslike　the　faint　flavor　of　a　cup　quaffed　to　the



bottom；　like　a　subtle　sparkle　of　the　air　that　was　not



to　be　found　in　the　atmosphere　of　to…day。







In　this　evocation；　swift　and　full　of　detail　like　a　flash



of　magnesium　light　into　the　niches　of　a　dark　memorial



hall；　Captain　Whalley　contemplated　things　once　impor…



tant；　the　efforts　of　small　men；　the　growth　of　a　great



place；　but　now　robbed　of　all　consequence　by　the　great…



ness　of　accomplished　facts；　by　hopes　greater　still；　and



they　gave　him　for　a　moment　such　an　almost　physical



grip　upon　time；　such　a　comprehension　of　our　unchange…



able　feelings；　that　he　stopped　short；　struck　the　ground



with　his　stick；　and　ejaculated　mentally；　〃What　the　devil



am　I　doing　here！〃　　He　seemed　lost　in　a　sort　of　surprise；



but　he　heard　his　name　called　out　in　wheezy　tones　once；



twiceand　turned　on　his　heels　slowly。







He　beheld　then；　waddling　towards　him　autocratically；



a　man　of　an　old…fashioned　and　gouty　aspect；　with　hair



as　white　as　his　own；　but　with　shaved；　florid　cheeks；　wear…



ing　a　necktiealmost　a　neckclothwhose　stiff　ends　pro…



jected　far　beyond　his　chin；　with　round　legs；　round　arms；



a　round　body；　a　round　facegenerally　producing　the



effect　of　his　short　figure　having　been　distended　by　means



of　an　air…pump　as　much　as　the　seams　of　his　clothing



would　stand。　　This　was　the　Master…Attendant　of　the



port。　　A　master…attendant　is　a　superior　sort　of　harbor…



master；　a　person；　out　in　the　East；　of　some　consequence



in　his　sphere；　a　Government　official；　a　magistrate　for



the　waters　of　the　port；　and　possessed　of　vast　but　ill…



defined　disciplinary　authority　over　seamen　of　all　classes。



This　particular　Master…Attendant　was　reported　to　con…



sider　it　miserably　inadequate；　on　the　ground　that　it



did　not　include　the　power　of　life　and　death。　　This　was



a　jocular　exaggeration。　　Captain　Eliott　was　fairly　satis…



fied　with　his　position；　and　nursed　no　inconsiderable　sense



of　such　power　as　he　had。　　His　conceited　and　tyrannical



disposition　did　not　allow　him　to　let　it　dwindle　in　his



hands　for　want　of　use。　　The　uproarious；　choleric　frank…



ness　of　his　comments　on　people's　character　and　conduct



caused　him　to　be　feared　at　bottom；　though　in　conversa…



tion　many　pretended　not　to　mind　him　in　the　least；　others



would　only　smile　sourly　at　the　mention　of　his　name；　and



there　were　even　some　who　dared　to　pronounce　him　〃a



meddlesome　old　ruffian。〃　　But　for　almost　all　of　them



one　of　Captain　Eliott's　outbreaks　was　nearly　as　distaste…



ful　to　face　as　a　chance　of　annihilation。











V











As　soon　as　he　had　come　up　quite　close　he　said；　mouth…



ing　in　a　growl







〃What's　this　I　hear；　Whalley？　　Is　it　true　you're　sell…



ing　the　Fair　Maid？〃







Captain　Whalley；　looking　away；　said　the　thing　was



donemoney　had　been　paid　that　morning；　and　the　other



expressed　at　once　his　approbation　of　such　an　extremely



sensible　proceeding。　　He　had　got　out　of　his　trap　to



stretch　his　legs；　he　explained；　on　his　way　home　to　dinner。



Sir　Frederick　looked　well　at　the　end　of　his　time。　　Didn't



he？







Captain　Whalley　could　not　say；　had　only　noticed　the



carriage　going　past。







The　Master…Attendant；　plunging　his　hands　into　the



pockets　of　an　alpaca　jacket　inappropriately　short　and



tight　for　a　man　of　his　age　and　appearance；　strutted



with　a　slight　limp；　and　with　his　head　reaching　only　to



the　shoulder　of　Captain　Whalley；　who　walked　easily；



staring　straight　before　him。　　They　had　been　good　com…



rades　years　ago；　almost　intimates。　　At　the　time　when



Whalley　commanded　the　renowned　Condor；　Eliott　had



charge　of　the　nearly　as　famous　Ringdove　for　the　same



owners；　and　when　the　appointment　of　Master…Attendant



was　created；　Whalley　would　have　been　the　only　other



serious　candidate。　　But　Captain　Whalley；　then　in　the



prime　of　life；　was　resolved　to　serve　no　one　but　his　own



auspicious　Fortune。　　Far　away；　tending　his　hot　irons；



he　was　glad　to　hear　the　other　had　been　successful。　　There



was　a　worldly　suppleness　in　bluff　Ned　Eliott　that　would



serve　him　well　in　that　sort　of　official　appointment。　　And



they　were　so　dissimilar　at　bottom　that　as　they　came



slowly　to　the　end　of　the　avenue　before　the　Cathedral；　it



had　never　come　into　Whalley's　head　that　he　might　have



been　in　that　man's　placeprovided　for　to　the　end　of



his　days。







The　sacred　edifice；　standing　in　solemn　isolation　amongst



the　converging　avenues　of　enormous　trees；　as　if　to　put



grave　thoughts　of　heaven　into　the　hours　of　ease；　pre…



sented　a　closed　Gothic　portal　to　the　light　and　glory　of



the　west。　　The　glass　of　the　rosace　above　the　ogive　glowed



like　fiery　coal　in　the　deep　carvings　of　a　wheel　of　stone。



The　two　men　faced　about。







〃I'll　tell　you　what　they　ought　to　do　next；　Whalley；〃



growled　Captain　Eliott　suddenly。







〃Well？〃







〃They　ought　to　send　a　real　live　lord　out　here　when



Sir　Frederick's　time　is　up。　　Eh？〃







Captain　Whalley　perfunctorily　did　not　see　why　a　lord



of　the　right　sort　should　not　do　as　well　as　anyone　else。



But　this　was　not　the　other's　point　of　view。







〃No；　no。　　Place　runs　itself。　　Nothing　can　stop　it　now。



Good　enough　for　a　lord；〃　he　growled　in　short　sentences。



〃Look　at　the　changes　in　our　time。　　We　need　a　lord



here　now。　　They　have　got　a　lord　in　Bombay。〃







He　dined　once　or　twice　every　year　at　the　Government



Housea　many…windowed；　arcaded　palace　upon　a　hill



laid　out　in　roads　and　gardens。　　And　lately　he　had　been



taking　about　a　duke　in　his　Master…Attendant's　steam…



launch　to　visit　the　harbor　improvements。　　Before　that



he　had　〃most　obligingly〃　gone　out　in　person　to　pick



out　a　good　berth　for　the　ducal　yacht。　　Afterwards　he



had　an　invitation　to　lunch　on　board。　　The　duchess　her…



self　lunched　with　them。　　A　big　woman　with　a　red　face。



Complexion　quite　sunburnt。　　He　should　think　ruined。



Very　gracious　manners。　　They　were　going　on　to



Japan。　。　。　。







He　ejaculated　these　details　for　Captain　Whalley's　edi…



fication；　pausing　to　blow　out　his　cheeks　as　if　with　a



pent…up　sense　of　importance；　and　repeatedly　protruding



his　thick　lips　till　the　blunt　crimson　end　of　his　nose　seemed



to　dip　into　the　milk　of　his　mustache。　　The　place　ran



itself；　it　was　fit　for　any　lord；　it　gave　no　trouble　except



in　its　Marine　departmentin　its　Marine　department　he



repeated　twice；　and　after　a　heavy　snort　began　to　relate



how　the　other　day　her　Majesty's　Consul…General　in



French　Cochin…China　had　cabled　to　hi