CHAPTERFOUR
HismeditationwhichresembledslowdriftingintosuicidewasinterruptedbyLingard，who，withaloud\"I’vegotyouatlast！\"
droppedhishandheavilyonWillems’shoulder。Thistimeitwastheoldseamanhimselfgoingoutofhiswaytopickuptheuninterestingwaif——allthattherewasleftofthatsuddenandsordidshipwreck。ToWillems，therough，friendlyvoicewasaquickandfleetingrelieffollowedbyasharperpangofangerandunavailingregret。Thatvoicecarriedhimbacktothebeginningofhispromisingcareer，theendofwhichwasveryvisiblenowfromthejettywheretheybothstood。Heshookhimselffreefromthefriendlygrasp，sayingwithreadybitterness——
\"It’sallyourfault。Givemeapushnow，do，andsendmeover。
Ihavebeenstandingherewaitingforhelp。Youaretheman——ofallmen。Youhelpedatthebeginning；yououghttohaveahandintheend。\"