the mirror of the sea-第38章

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French　accent；　which　was　unique；　resembling　the　warbling　of　birds；



if　birds　ever　warbled　with　a　stuttering；　nasal　intonation。







Our　third　partner　was　Roger　P。　de　la　S…；　the　most　Scandinavian…



looking　of　Provencal　squires；　fair；　and　six　feet　high；　as　became　a



descendant　of　sea…roving　Northmen；　authoritative；　incisive；　wittily



scornful；　with　a　comedy　in　three　acts　in　his　pocket；　and　in　his



breast　a　heart　blighted　by　a　hopeless　passion　for　his　beautiful



cousin；　married　to　a　wealthy　hide　and　tallow　merchant。　　He　used　to



take　us　to　lunch　at　their　house　without　ceremony。　　I　admired　the



good　lady's　sweet　patience。　　The　husband　was　a　conciliatory　soul；



with　a　great　fund　of　resignation；　which　he　expended　on　〃Roger's



friends。〃　　I　suspect　he　was　secretly　horrified　at　these　invasions。



But　it　was　a　Carlist　salon；　and　as　such　we　were　made　welcome。　　The



possibility　of　raising　Catalonia　in　the　interest　of　the　REY　NETTO；



who　had　just　then　crossed　the　Pyrenees；　was　much　discussed　there。







Don　Carlos；　no　doubt；　must　have　had　many　queer　friends　（it　is　the



common　lot　of　all　Pretenders）；　but　amongst　them　none　more



extravagantly　fantastic　than　the　Tremolino　Syndicate；　which　used　to



meet　in　a　tavern　on　the　quays　of　the　old　port。　　The　antique　city　of



Massilia　had　surely　never；　since　the　days　of　the　earliest



Phoenicians；　known　an　odder　set　of　ship…owners。　　We　met　to　discuss



and　settle　the　plan　of　operations　for　each　voyage　of　the　Tremolino。



In　these　operations　a　banking…house；　too；　was　concerned　…　a　very



respectable　banking…house。　　But　I　am　afraid　I　shall　end　by　saying



too　much。　　Ladies；　too；　were　concerned　（I　am　really　afraid　I　am



saying　too　much）　…　all　sorts　of　ladies；　some　old　enough　to　know



better　than　to　put　their　trust　in　princes；　others　young　and　full　of



illusions。







One　of　these　last　was　extremely　amusing　in　the　imitations；　she　gave



us　in　confidence；　of　various　highly…placed　personages　she　was



perpetually　rushing　off　to　Paris　to　interview　in　the　interests　of



the　cause　…　POR　EL　REY！　　For　she　was　a　Carlist；　and　of　Basque　blood



at　that；　with　something　of　a　lioness　in　the　expression　of　her



courageous　face　（especially　when　she　let　her　hair　down）；　and　with



the　volatile　little　soul　of　a　sparrow　dressed　in　fine　Parisian



feathers；　which　had　the　trick　of　coming　off　disconcertingly　at



unexpected　moments。







But　her　imitations　of　a　Parisian　personage；　very　highly　placed



indeed；　as　she　represented　him　standing　in　the　corner　of　a　room



with　his　face　to　the　wall；　rubbing　the　back　of　his　head　and　moaning



helplessly；　〃Rita；　you　are　the　death　of　me！〃　were　enough　to　make



one　（if　young　and　free　from　cares）　split　one's　sides　laughing。　　She



had　an　uncle　still　living；　a　very　effective　Carlist；　too；　the



priest　of　a　little　mountain　parish　in　Guipuzcoa。　　As　the　sea…going



member　of　the　syndicate　（whose　plans　depended　greatly　on　Dona



Rita's　information）；　I　used　to　be　charged　with　humbly　affectionate



messages　for　the　old　man。　　These　messages　I　was　supposed　to　deliver



to　the　Arragonese　muleteers　（who　were　sure　to　await　at　certain



times　the　Tremolino　in　the　neighbourhood　of　the　Gulf　of　Rosas）；　for



faithful　transportation　inland；　together　with　the　various　unlawful



goods　landed　secretly　from　under　the　Tremolino's　hatches。







Well；　now；　I　have　really　let　out　too　much　（as　I　feared　I　should　in



the　end）　as　to　the　usual　contents　of　my　sea…cradle。　　But　let　it



stand。　　And　if　anybody　remarks　cynically　that　I　must　have　been　a



promising　infant　in　those　days；　let　that　stand；　too。　　I　am



concerned　but　for　the　good　name　of　the　Tremolino；　and　I　affirm　that



a　ship　is　ever　guiltless　of　the　sins；　transgressions；　and　follies



of　her　men。















XLII。















It　was　not　Tremolino's　fault　that　the　syndicate　depended　so　much　on



the　wit　and　wisdom　and　the　information　of　Dona　Rita。　　She　had　taken



a　little　furnished　house　on　the　Prado　for　the　good　of　the　cause　…



POR　EL　REY！　　She　was　always　taking　little　houses　for　somebody's



good；　for　the　sick　or　the　sorry；　for　broken…down　artists；　cleaned…



out　gamblers；　temporarily　unlucky　speculators　…　VIEUX　AMIS　…　old



friends；　as　she　used　to　explain　apologetically；　with　a　shrug　of　her



fine　shoulders。







Whether　Don　Carlos　was　one　of　the　〃old　friends；〃　too；　it's　hard　to



say。　　More　unlikely　things　have　been　heard　of　in　smoking…rooms。



All　I　know　is　that　one　evening；　entering　incautiously　the　salon　of



the　little　house　just　after　the　news　of　a　considerable　Carlist



success　had　reached　the　faithful；　I　was　seized　round　the　neck　and



waist　and　whirled　recklessly　three　times　round　the　room；　to　the



crash　of　upsetting　furniture　and　the　humming　of　a　valse　tune　in　a



warm　contralto　voice。







When　released　from　the　dizzy　embrace；　I　sat　down　on　the　carpet　…



suddenly；　without　affectation。　　In　this　unpretentious　attitude　I



became　aware　that　J。　M。　K。　B。　had　followed　me　into　the　room；



elegant；　fatal；　correct　and　severe　in　a　white　tie　and　large　shirt…



front。　　In　answer　to　his　politely　sinister；　prolonged　glance　of



inquiry；　I　overheard　Dona　Rita　murmuring；　with　some　confusion　and



annoyance；　〃VOUS　ETES　BETE　MON　CHER。　　VOYONS！　　CA　N'A　AUCUNE



CONSEQUENCE。〃　　Well　content　in　this　case　to　be　of　no　particular



consequence；　I　had　already　about　me　the　elements　of　some　worldly



sense。







Rearranging　my　collar；　which；　truth　to　say；　ought　to　have　been　a



round　one　above　a　short　jacket；　but　was　not；　I　observed



felicitously　that　I　had　come　to　say　good…bye；　being　ready　to　go　off



to　sea　that　very　night　with　the　Tremolino。　　Our　hostess；　slightly



panting　yet；　and　just　a　shade　dishevelled；　turned　tartly　upon　J。　M。



K。　B。；　desiring　to　know　when　HE　would　be　ready　to　go　off　by　the



Tremolino；　or　in　any　other　way；　in　order　to　join　the　royal



headquarters。　　Did　he　intend；　she　asked　ironically；　to　wait　for　the



very　eve　of　the　entry　into　Madrid？　　Thus　by　a　judicious　exercise　of



tact　and　asperity　we　re…established　the　atmospheric　equilibrium　of



the　room　long　before　I　left　them　a　little　before　midnight；　now



tenderly　reconciled；　to　walk　down　to　the　harbour　and　hail　the



Tremolino　by　the　usual　soft　whistle　from　the　edge　of　the　quay。　　It



was　our　signal；　invariably　heard　by　the　ever…watchful　Dominic；　the



PADRONE。







He　would　raise　a　lantern　silently　to　light　my　steps　along　the



narrow；　springy　plank　of　our　primitive　gangway。　　〃And　so　we　are



going　off；〃　he　would　murmur　directly　my　foot　touched　the　deck。　　I



was　the　harbinger　of　sudden　departures；　but　there　was　nothing　in



the　world　sudden　enough　to　take　Dominic　unawares。　　His　thick　black



moustaches；　curled　every　morning　with　hot　tongs　by　the　barber　at



the　corner　of　the　quay；　seemed　to　hide　a　perpetual　smile。　　But



nobody；　I　believe；　had　ever　seen　the　true　shape　of　his　lips。　　From



the　slow；　imperturbable　gravity　of　that　broad…chested　man　you　would



think　he　had　never　smiled　in　his　life。　　In　his　eyes　lurked　a　look



of　perfectly　remorseless　irony；　as　though　he　had　been　provided　with



an　extremely　experienced　soul；　and　the　slightest　distension　of　his



nostrils　would　give　to　his　bronzed　face　a　look　of　extraordinary



boldness。　　This　was　the　only　play　of　feature　of　which　he　seemed



capable；　being　a　Southerner　of　a　concentrated；　deliberate　type。



His　ebony　hair　curled　slightly　on　the　temples。　　He　may　have　been



forty　years　old；　and　he　was　a　great　voyager　on　the　inland　sea。







Astute　and　ruthless；　he　could　have　rivalled　in　resource　the



unfortunate　son　of　Laertes　and　Anticlea。　　If　he　did　not　pit　his



craft　and　audacity　against　the　very　gods；　it　is　only　because　the



Olympian　gods　are　dead。　　Certainly　no　woman　could　frighten　him。　　A



one…eyed　giant　would　not　have　had　the　ghost　of　a　chance　against



Dominic　Cervoni；　of　Corsica；　not　Ithaca；　and　no　king；　son　of　kin