`Idon’tknowwhetheritwasthedemoralizationofmyutterdefeatinmyencounterwithaspectreoffearlessthananhourago，butIlethimcapturemewithoutevenashowofresistance。Iwasdoomedtobetherecipientofconfidences，andtobeconfrontedwithunanswerablequestions。Itwastrying；butthecontempt，theunreasonedcontempt，theman’sappearanceprovoked，madeiteasiertobear。Hecouldn’tpossiblymatter。Nothingmattered，sinceIhadmadeupmymindthatJim，forwhomaloneIcared，hadatlastmasteredhisfate。Hehadtoldmehewassatisfied……nearly。
Thisisgoingfurtherthanmostofusdare。I——whohavetherighttothinkmyselfgoodenough——darenot。Neitherdoesanyofyouhere，Isuppose？……’
Marlowpaused，asifexpectingananswer。Nobodyspoke。
`Quiteright，’hebeganagain。`Letnosoulknow，sincethetruthcanbewrungoutofusonlybysomecruel，little，awfulcatastrophe。Butheisoneofus，andhecouldsayhewassatisfied……nearly。Justfancythis!Nearlysatisfied。Onecouldalmostenvyhimhiscatastrophe。Nearlysatisfied。Afterthisnothingcouldmatter。Itdidnotmatterwhosuspectedhim，whotrustedhim，wholovedhim，whohatedhim——especiallyasitwasCorneliuswhohatedhim。
`Yetafterallthiswasakindofrecognition。Youshalljudgeofamanbyhisfoesaswellasbyhisfriends，andthisenemyofJimwassuchasnodecentmanwouldbeashamedtoown，without，however，makingtoomuchofhim。ThiswastheviewJimtook，andinwhichIshared；butJimdisregardedhimongeneralgrounds。“MydearMarlow，“hesaid，“IfeelthatifIgostraightnothingcantouchme。IndeedIdo。Nowyouhavebeenlongenoughheretohaveagoodlookround——and，frankly，don’tyouthinkIamprettysafe？Italldependsuponme，and，byJove!Ihavelotsofconfidenceinmyself。Theworstthinghecoulddowouldbetokillme，Isuppose。Idon’tthinkforamomenthewould。Hecouldn’t，youknow——notifIweremyselftohandhimaloadedrifleforthepurpose，andthenturnmybackonhim。That’sthesortofthingheis。Andsupposehewould——supposehecould？Well——whatofthat？Ididn’tcomehereflyingformylife——didI？Icameheretosetmybackagainstthewall，andIamgoingtostayhere……