end of the tether-第9章

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



French　Cochin…China　had　cabled　to　himin　his　official



capacityasking　for　a　qualified　man　to　be　sent　over



to　take　charge　of　a　Glasgow　ship　whose　master　had　died



in　Saigon。







〃I　sent　word　of　it　to　the　officers'　quarters　in　the　Sailors'



Home；〃　he　continued；　while　the　limp　in　his　gait　seemed



to　grow　more　accentuated　with　the　increasing　irritation



of　his　voice。　　〃Place's　full　of　them。　　Twice　as　many



men　as　there　are　berths　going　in　the　local　trade。　　All



hungry　for　an　easy　job。　　Twice　as　manyandWhat



d'you　think；　Whalley？　。　。　。〃







He　stopped　short；　his　hands　clenched　and　thrust　deeply



downwards；　seemed　ready　to　burst　the　pockets　of　his



jacket。　　A　slight　sigh　escaped　Captain　Whalley。







〃Hey？　　You　would　think　they　would　be　falling　over



each　other。　　Not　a　bit　of　it。　　Frightened　to　go　home。



Nice　and　warm　out　here　to　lie　about　a　veranda　waiting



for　a　job。　　I　sit　and　wait　in　my　office。　　Nobody。　　What



did　they　suppose？　　That　I　was　going　to　sit　there　like



a　dummy　with　the　Consul…General's　cable　before　me？



Not　likely。　　So　I　looked　up　a　list　of　them　I　keep　by



me　and　sent　word　for　Hamiltonthe　worst　loafer　of



them　alland　just　made　him　go。　　Threatened　to　in…



struct　the　steward　of　the　Sailors'　Home　to　have　him



turned　out　neck　and　crop。　　He　did　not　think　the　berth



was　good　enoughifyouplease。　　'I've　your　little



records　by　me；'　said　I。　　'You　came　ashore　here　eighteen



months　ago；　and　you　haven't　done　six　months'　work



since。　　You　are　in　debt　for　your　board　now　at　the　Home；



and　I　suppose　you　reckon　the　Marine　Office　will　pay　in



the　end。　　Eh？　　So　it　shall；　but　if　you　don't　take　this



chance；　away　you　go　to　England；　assisted　passage；　by



the　first　homeward　steamer　that　comes　along。　　You　are



no　better　than　a　pauper。　　We　don't　want　any　white



paupers　here。'　　I　scared　him。　　But　look　at　the　trouble



all　this　gave　me。〃







〃You　would　not　have　had　any　trouble；〃　Captain　Whal…



ley　said　almost　involuntarily；　〃if　you　had　sent　for



me。〃







Captain　Eliott　was　immensely　amused；　he　shook　with



laughter　as　he　walked。　　But　suddenly　he　stopped　laugh…



ing。　　A　vague　recollection　had　crossed　his　mind。　　Hadn't



he　heard　it　said　at　the　time　of　the　Travancore　and　Deccan



smash　that　poor　Whalley　had　been　cleaned　out　com…



pletely。　　〃Fellow's　hard　up；　by　heavens！〃　he　thought；



and　at　once　he　cast　a　sidelong　upward　glance　at　his



companion。　　But　Captain　Whalley　was　smiling　austerely



straight　before　him；　with　a　carriage　of　the　head　incon…



ceivable　in　a　penniless　manand　he　became　reassured。



Impossible。　　Could　not　have　lost　everything。　　That　ship



had　been　only　a　hobby　of　his。　　And　the　reflection　that



a　man　who　had　confessed　to　receiving　that　very　morning



a　presumably　large　sum　of　money　was　not　likely　to



spring　upon　him　a　demand　for　a　small　loan　put　him



entirely　at　his　ease　again。　　There　had　come　a　long　pause



in　their　talk；　however；　and　not　knowing　how　to　begin



again；　he　growled　out　soberly；　〃We　old　fellows　ought



to　take　a　rest　now。〃







〃The　best　thing　for　some　of　us　would　be　to　die　at　the



oar；〃　Captain　Whalley　said　negligently。







〃Come；　now。　　Aren't　you　a　bit　tired　by　this　time　of



the　whole　show？〃　muttered　the　other　sullenly。







〃Are　you？〃







Captain　Eliott　was。　　Infernally　tired。　　He　only　hung



on　to　his　berth　so　long　in　order　to　get　his　pension　on　the



highest　scale　before　he　went　home。　　It　would　be　no　better



than　poverty；　anyhow；　still；　it　was　the　only　thing　be…



tween　him　and　the　workhouse。　　And　he　had　a　family。



Three　girls；　as　Whalley　knew。　　He　gave　〃Harry；　old



boy；〃　to　understand　that　these　three　girls　were　a　source



of　the　greatest　anxiety　and　worry　to　him。　　Enough　to



drive　a　man　distracted。







〃Why？　　What　have　they　been　doing　now？〃　asked



Captain　Whalley　with　a　sort　of　amused　absent…minded…



ness。







〃Doing！　　Doing　nothing。　　That's　just　it。　　Lawn…



tennis　and　silly　novels　from　morning　to　night。　。　。　。〃







If　one　of　them　at　least　had　been　a　boy。　　But　all　three！



And；　as　ill…luck　would　have　it；　there　did　not　seem　to　be



any　decent　young　fellows　left　in　the　world。　　When　he



looked　around　in　the　club　he　saw　only　a　lot　of　conceited



popinjays　too　selfish　to　think　of　making　a　good　woman



happy。　　Extreme　indigence　stared　him　in　the　face　with



all　that　crowd　to　keep　at　home。　　He　had　cherished　the



idea　of　building　himself　a　little　house　in　the　country



in　Surreyto　end　his　days　in；　but　he　was　afraid　it　was



out　of　the　question；　。　。　。　and　his　staring　eyes　rolled



upwards　with　such　a　pathetic　anxiety　that　Captain　Whal…



ley　charitably　nodded　down　at　him；　restraining　a　sort　of



sickening　desire　to　laugh。







〃You　must　know　what　it　is　yourself；　Harry。　　Girls



are　the　very　devil　for　worry　and　anxiety。〃







〃Ay！　　But　mine　is　doing　well；〃　Captain　Whalley　pro…



nounced　slowly；　staring　to　the　end　of　the　avenue。







The　Master…Attendant　was　glad　to　hear　this。　　Uncom…



monly　glad。　　He　remembered　her　well。　　A　pretty　girl



she　was。







Captain　Whalley；　stepping　out　carelessly；　assented　as



if　in　a　dream。







〃She　was　pretty。〃







The　procession　of　carriages　was　breaking　up。







One　after　another　they　left　the　file　to　go　off　at　a　trot；



animating　the　vast　avenue　with　their　scattered　life　and



movement；　but　soon　the　aspect　of　dignified　solitude　re…



turned　and　took　possession　of　the　straight　wide　road。



A　syce　in　white　stood　at　the　head　of　a　Burmah　pony　har…



nessed　to　a　varnished　two…wheel　cart；　and　the　whole　thing



waiting　by　the　curb　seemed　no　bigger　than　a　child's　toy



forgotten　under　the　soaring　trees。　　Captain　Eliott



waddled　up　to　it　and　made　as　if　to　clamber　in；　but　re…



frained；　and　keeping　one　hand　resting　easily　on　the



shaft；　he　changed　the　conversation　from　his　pension；　his



daughters；　and　his　poverty　back　again　to　the　only　other



topic　in　the　worldthe　Marine　Office；　the　men　and　the



ships　of　the　port。







He　proceeded　to　give　instances　of　what　was　expected



of　him；　and　his　thick　voice　drowsed　in　the　still　air　like



the　obstinate　droning　of　an　enormous　bumble…bee。　　Cap…



tain　Whalley　did　not　know　what　was　the　force　or　the



weakness　that　prevented　him　from　saying　good…night



and　walking　away。　　It　was　as　though　he　had　been　too



tired　to　make　the　effort。　　How　queer。　　More　queer　than



any　of　Ned's　instances。　　Or　was　it　that　overpowering



sense　of　idleness　alone　that　made　him　stand　there　and



listen　to　these　stories。　　Nothing　very　real　had　ever



troubled　Ned　Eliott；　and　gradually　he　seemed　to　detect



deep　in；　as　if　wrapped　up　in　the　gross　wheezy　rumble；



something　of　the　clear　hearty　voice　of　the　young　captain



of　the　Ringdove。　　He　wondered　if　he　too　had　changed　to



the　same　extent；　and　it　seemed　to　him　that　the　voice　of



his　old　chum　had　not　changed　so　very　muchthat　the



man　was　the　same。　　Not　a　bad　fellow　the　pleasant；　jolly



Ned　Eliott；　friendly；　well　up　to　his　businessand　always



a　bit　of　a　humbug。　　He　remembered　how　he　used　to



amuse　his　poor　wife。　　She　could　read　him　like　an　open



book。　　When　the　Condor　and　the　Ringdove　happened　to



be　in　port　together；　she　would　frequently　ask　him　to



bring　Captain　Eliott　to　dinner。　　They　had　not　met　often



since　those　old　days。　　Not　once　in　five　years；　perhaps。



He　regarded　from　under　his　white　eyebrows　this　man



he　could　not　bring　himself　to　take　into　his　confidence



at　this　juncture；　and　the　other　went　on　wi