Hesatdownandtookupthesculls。Wasubheldontothegunwaleastoalasthopeofafurtherconfidence。Hehadservedinthebrigfiveyears。Lingardrememberedthatverywell。Thisagedfigurehadbeenintimatelyassociatedwiththebrig’slifeandwithhisown，appearingsilentlyreadyforeveryincidentandemergencyinanunquestioningexpectationoforders；symbolicofblindtrustinhisstrength，ofanunlimitedobediencetohiswill。Wasitunlimited？
\"Weshallrequirecourageandfidelity，\"addedLingard，inatentativetone。
\"Therearethosewhoknowme，\"snappedtheoldman，readily，asifthewordshadbeenwaitingforalongtime。\"Observe，Tuan。I
havefilledwithfreshwaterthelittlebreakerinthebows。\"
\"Iknowyou，too，\"saidLingard。
\"Andthewind——andthesea，\"ejaculatedtheserang，jerkily。
\"Thesealsoarefaithfultothestrong。ByAllah！Iwhoamapilgrimandhavelistenedtowordsofwisdominmanyplaces，I
tellyou，Tuan，thereisstrengthintheknowledgeofwhatishiddeninthingswithoutlife，aswellasinthelivingmen。
WillTuanbegonelong？\"
\"Icomebackinashorttime——togetherwiththerestofthewhitesfromoverthere。Thisisthebeginningofmanystratagems。
Wasub！Daman，thesonofadog，hassuddenlymadeprisonerstwoofmyownpeople。Myfaceismadeblack。\"
\"Tse！Tse！Whatferocityisthat！Oneshouldnotoffershametoafriendortoafriend’sbrotherlestrevengecomesweepinglikeaflood。YetcananIllanunchiefbeotherthantyrannical？Myoldeyeshaveseenmuchbuttheyneversawatigerchangeitsstripes。Ya—wa！Thetigercannot。ThisisthewisdomofusignorantMalaymen。ThewisdomofwhiteTuansisgreat。Theythinkthatbythepowerofmanyspeechesthetigermay——\"Hebrokeoffandinacrisp，busytonesaid：\"TherudderdwellssafelyundertheaftermostseatshouldTuanbepleasedtosailtheboat。Thisbreezewillnotdieawaybeforesunrise。\"Againhisvoicechangedasiftwodifferentsoulshadbeenflittinginandoutofhisbody。\"No，no，killthetigerandthenthestripesmaybecountedwithoutfear——onebyone，thus。\"
Hepointedafrailbrownfingerand，abruptly，madeamirthlessdrysoundasifarattlehadbeensprunginhisthroat。
\"Thewretchesaremany，\"saidLingard。
\"Nay，Tuan。Theyfollowtheirgreatmenevenasweinthebrigfollowyou。Thatisright。\"
Lingardreflectedforamoment。
\"Mymenwillfollowmethen，\"hesaid。
\"Theyarepoorcalasheswithoutsense，\"commentedWasubwithpityingsuperiority。\"Somewithnomorecomprehensionthanmenofthebushfreshlycaught。ThereisSali，thefoolishsonofmysisterandbyyourgreatfavourappointedtomindthetillerofthisship。Hisstupidityisextreme，buthiseyesaregood——nearlyasgoodasminethatbyprayingandmuchexercisecanseefarintothenight。\"
Lingardlaughedlowandthenlookedearnestlyattheserang。
Abovetheirheadsamanshookaflareoverthesideandathinshowerofsparksfloateddownwardandexpiredbeforetouchingthewater。
\"Soyoucanseeinthenight，Oserang！Well，then，lookandspeak。Speak！Fight——ornofight？Weaponsorwords？Whichfolly？
Well，whatdoyousee？\"
\"Adarkness，adarkness，\"whisperedWasubatlastinafrightenedtone。\"Therearenights——\"Heshookhisheadandmuttered。\"Look。
Thetidehasturned。Ya，Tuan。Thetidehasturned。\"
Lingardlookeddownwardwherethewatercouldbeseen，glidingpasttheship’sside，movingsmoothly，streakedwithlinesoffroth，acrosstheilluminedcirclethrownroundthebrigbythelightsonherpoop。Airbubblessparkled，linesofdarkness，ripplesofglitterappeared，glided，wentasternwithoutasplash，withoutatrickle，withoutaplaint，withoutabreak。Theuncheckedgentlenessoftheflowcapturedtheeyebyasubtlespell，fastenedinsidiouslyuponthemindadisturbingsenseoftheirretrievable。Theebbingoftheseaathwartthelonelysheenofflamesresembledtheeternalebb—tideoftime；andwhenatlastLingardlookedup，theknowledgeofthatnoiselesspassageofthewatersproducedonhismindabewilderingeffect。Foramomentthespeckoflightlostinvastobscuritythebrig，theboat，thehiddencoast，theShallows，theverywallsandroofofdarkness——theseenandtheunseenalikeseemedtobeglidingsmoothlyonwardthroughtheenormousgloomofspace。Then，withagreatmentaleffort，hebroughteverythingtoasuddenstandstill；andonlythefrothandbubbleswentonstreamingpastceaselessly，uncheckedbythepowerofhiswill。
\"Thetidehasturned——yousay，serang？Hasit——？Well，perhapsithas，perhapsithas，\"hefinished，mutteringtohimself。
\"Trulyithas。CannotTuanseeitrununderhisowneyes？\"saidWasubwithanalarmedearnestness。\"Look。Nowitisinmymindthatapraucomingfromamongstthesouthernislands，ifsteeredcunninglyinthefreesetofthecurrent，wouldapproachthebowsofthis，ourbrig，driftingsilentlyasashapewithoutasubstance。\"
\"Andboardsuddenly——isthatit？\"saidLingard。
\"DamaniscraftyandtheIllanunsareverybloodthirsty。Nightisnothingtothem。Theyarecertainlyvalorous。Aretheynotborninthemidstoffightingandaretheynotinspiredbytheeviloftheirheartsevenbeforetheycanspeak？Andtheirchiefswouldbeleadingthemwhileyou，Tuan，aregoingfromusevennow——\"
\"Youdon’twantmetogo？\"askedLingard。
ForatimeWasublistenedattentivelytotheprofoundsilence。
\"Canwefightwithoutaleader？\"hebeganagain。\"Itisthebeliefinvictorythatgivescourage。Andwhatwouldpoorcalashesdo，sonsofpeasantsandfishermen，freshlycaught——withoutknowledge？Theybelieveinyourstrength——andinyourpower——orelse——Willthosewhitesthatcamesosuddenlyavengeyou？Theyareherelikefishwithinthestakes。Ya—wa！Whowillbringthenewsandwhowillcometofindthetruthandperchancetocarryoffyourbody？Yougoalone，Tuan！\"
\"Theremustbenofighting。Itwouldbeacalamity，\"insistedLingard。\"Thereisbloodthatmustnotbespilt。\"
\"Hear，Tuan！\"exclaimedWasubwithheat。\"Thewatersarerunningoutnow。\"Hepunctuatedhisspeechbyslightjerksatthedinghy。
\"Thewatersgoandattheappointedtimetheyshallreturn。Andifbetweentheirgoingandcomingthebloodofallthemenintheworldwerepouredintoit，theseawouldnotrisehigheratthefullbythebreadthofmyfingernail。\"
\"Buttheworldwouldnotbethesame。Youdonotseethat，serang。Givetheboatagoodshove。\"
\"Directly，\"saidtheoldMalayandhisfacebecameimpassive。
\"Tuanknowswhenitisbesttogo，anddeathsometimesretreatsbeforeafirmtreadlikeastartledsnake。Tuanshouldtakeafollowerwithhim，notasillyyouth，butonewhohaslived——whohasasteadyheart——whowouldwalkclosebehindwatchfully——andquietly。Yes。Quietlyandwithquickeyes——likemine——perhapswithaweapon——Iknowhowtostrike。\"
Lingardlookedatthewrinkledvisageverynearhisownandintothepeeringoldeyes。Theyshonestrangely。Atenseeagernesswasexpressedinthesquattingfigureleaningouttowardhim。Ontheotherside，withinreachofhisarm，thenightstoodlikeawall—discouraging——opaque——impenetrable。Nohelpwouldavail。Thedarknesshehadtocombatwastooimpalpabletobecleftbyablow——toodensetobepiercedbytheeye；yetasifbysomeenchantmentinthewordsthatmadethisvainofferoffidelity，itbecamelessoverpoweringtohissight，lesscrushingtohisthought。Hehadamomentofpridewhichsoothedhisheartforthespaceoftwobeats。Hisunreasonableandmisjudgedheart，shrinkingbeforethemenaceoffailure，expandedfreelywithasenseofgenerousgratitude。Inthethreateningdimnessofhisemotionsthisman’soffermadeapointofclearness，theglimmerofatorchheldaloftinthenight。Itwaspriceless，nodoubt，butineffectual；toosmall，toofar，toosolitary。Itdidnotdispelthemysteriousobscuritythathaddescendeduponhisfortunessothathiseyescouldnolongerseetheworkofhishands。Thesadnessofdefeatpervadedtheworld。
\"Andwhatcouldyoudo，OWasub？\"hesaid。
\"Icouldalwayscallout——’Takecare，Tuan。’\"
\"Andthenforthesecharm—wordsofmine。Hey？Turndangeraside？
What？Butperchanceyouwoulddieallthesame。Treacheryisastrongmagic，too——asyousaid。\"
\"Yes，indeed！Theordermightcometoyourservant。ButI——Wasub—
—thesonofafreeman，afollowerofRajahs，afugitive，aslave，apilgrim——diverforpearls，serangofwhitemen’sships，Ihavehadtoomanymasters。Toomany。Youarethelast。\"Afterasilencehesaidinanalmostindifferentvoice：\"Ifyougo，Tuan，letusgotogether。\"
ForatimeLingardmadenosound。
\"Nouse，\"hesaidatlast。\"Nouse，serang。Onelifeisenoughtopayforaman’sfolly——andyouhaveahousehold。\"
\"Ihavetwo——Tuan；butitisalongtimesinceIsatontheladderofahousetotalkateasewithneighbours。Yes。Twohouseholds；onein——\"Lingardsmiledfaintly。\"Tuan，letmefollowyou。\"
\"No。Youhavesaidit，serang——Iamalone。Thatistrue，andaloneIshallgoonthisverynight。ButfirstImustbringallthewhitepeoplehere。Push。\"
\"Ready，Tuan？Lookout！\"
Wasub’sbodyswungovertheseawithextendedarms。Lingardcaughtupthesculls，andasthedinghydartedawayfromthebrig’ssidehehadacompleteviewofthelightedpoop——Shawleaningmassivelyoverthetaffrailinsulkydejection，theflarebearerserectandrigid，theheadsalongtherail，theeyesstaringafterhimabovethebulwarks。Thefore—endofthebrigwaswrappedinaluridandsombremistiness；thesullenminglingofdarknessandoflight；hermastspointingstraightupcouldbetrackedbytorngleamsandvanishedaboveasifthetruckshadbeentallenoughtopiercetheheavymassofvapoursmotionlessoverhead。Shewasbeautifullyprecious。Hislovingeyessawherfloatingatrestinawaveringhalo，betweenaninvisibleskyandaninvisiblesea，likeamiraculouscraftsuspendedintheair。
Heturnedhisheadawayasifthesighthadbeentoomuchforhimatthemomentofseparation，and，assoonashislittleboathadpassedbeyondthelimitofthelightthrownuponthewater，heperceivedverylowintheblackvoidofthewestthesternlanternoftheyachtshiningfeeblylikeastarabouttoset，unattainable，infinitelyremote——belongingtoanotheruniverse。
PARTIV。THEGIFTOFTHESHALLOWS
I
LingardbroughtMrs。Traversawayfromtheyacht，goingalonewithherinthelittleboat。Duringthebustleoftheembarkment，andtillthelastofthecrewhadlefttheschooner，hehadremainedtoweringandsilentbyherside。Itwasonlywhenthemurmuringanduneasyvoicesofthesailorsgoingawayintheboatshadbeencompletelylostinthedistancethathisvoicewasheard，graveinthesilence，pronouncingthewords——\"Followme。\"
Shefollowedhim；theirfootstepsranghollowandloudontheemptydeck。Atthebottomofthestepsheturnedroundandsaidverylow：
\"Takecare。\"
Hegotintotheboatandheldon。Itseemedtohimthatshewasintimidatedbythedarkness。Shefeltherarmgrippedfirmly——\"I’vegotyou，\"hesaid。Shesteppedin，headlong，trustingherselfblindlytohisgrip，andsankonthesternseatcatchingherbreathalittle。Sheheardaslightsplash，andtheindistinctsideofthedesertedyachtmeltedsuddenlyintothebodyofthenight。
Rowing，hefacedher，ahoodedandcloakedshape，andaboveherheadhehadbeforehiseyesthegleamofthesternlanternexpiringslowlyontheabandonedvessel。Whenitwentoutwithoutawarningflickerhecouldseenothingofthestrandedyacht’soutline。Shehadvanishedutterlylikeadream；andtheoccurrencesofthelasttwenty—fourhoursseemedalsotobeapartofavanisheddream。Thehoodedandcloakedfigurewaspartofit，too。Itspokenot；itmovednot；itwouldvanishpresently。LingardtriedtorememberMrs。Travers’features，evenasshesatwithintwofeetofhimintheboat。Heseemedtohavetakenfromthatvanishedschoonernotawomanbutamemory——thetormentingrecollectionofahumanbeinghewouldseenomore。
AteverystrokeoftheshortscullsMrs。Traversfelttheboatleapforwardwithher。Lingard，tokeephisdirection，hadtolookoverhisshoulderfrequently——\"Youwillbesafeinthebrig，\"hesaid。Shewassilent。Adream！Adream！Helaybackvigorously；thewaterslappedloudlyagainstthebluntbows。Theruddyglowthrownafarbytheflareswasreflecteddeepwithinthehood。Thedreamhadapalevisage，thememoryhadlivingeyes。
\"Ihadtocomeforyoumyself，\"hesaid。
\"Iexpecteditofyou。\"Thesewerethefirstwordshehadheardhersaysincetheyhadmetforthethirdtime。
\"AndIswore——beforeyou，too——thatIwouldneverputmyfootonboardyourcraft。\"
\"Itwasgoodofyouto——\"shebegan。
\"Iforgotsomehow，\"hesaid，simply。
\"Iexpecteditofyou，\"sherepeated。Hegavethreequickstrokesbeforeheaskedverygently：
\"Whatmoredoyouexpect？\"
\"Everything，\"shesaid。Hewasroundingthenthesternofthebrigandhadtolookaway。Thenheturnedtoher。
\"Andyoutrustmeto——\"heexclaimed。
\"Iwouldliketotrustyou，\"sheinterrupted，\"because——\"
AbovethemastartledvoicecriedinMalay，\"Captaincoming。\"Thestrangesoundsilencedher。Lingardlaidinhisscullsandshesawherselfglidingunderthehighsideofthebrig。Adark，staringfaceappearedverynearhereyes，blackfingerscaughtthegunwaleoftheboat。Shestoodupswaying。\"Takecare，\"saidLingardagain，butthistime，inthelight，didnotoffertohelpher。Shewentupaloneandhefollowedherovertherail。
Thequarter—deckwasthrongedbymenoftworaces。LingardandMrs。Traverscrosseditrapidlybetweenthegroupsthatmovedoutofthewayontheirpassage。Lingardthrewopenthecabindoorforher，butremainedondecktoinquireabouthisboats。Theyhadreturnedwhilehewasonboardtheyacht，andthetwomeninchargeofthemcameafttomaketheirreports。Theboatsentnorthhadseennothing。TheboatwhichhadbeendirectedtoexplorethebanksandisletstothesouthhadactuallybeeninsightofDaman’spraus。Themaninchargereportedthatseveralfireswereburningontheshore，thecrewsofthetwoprausbeingencampedonasandbank。Cookingwasgoingon。Theyhadbeennearenoughtohearthevoices。Therewasamankeepingwatchontheridge；theyknewthisbecausetheyheardhimshoutingtothepeoplebelow，bythefires。Lingardwantedtoknowhowtheyhadmanagedtoremainunseen。\"Thenightwasourhidingplace，\"
answeredthemaninhisdeepgrowlingvoice。HeknewnothingofanywhitemenbeinginDaman’scamp。Whyshouldtherebe？RajahHassimandtheLady，hissister，appearedunexpectedlynearhisboatintheircanoe。RajahHassimhadorderedhimtheninwhisperstogobacktothebrigatonce，andtellTuanwhathehadobserved。RajahHassimsaidalsothathewouldreturntothebrigwithmorenewsverysoon。HeobeyedbecausetheRajahwastohimapersonofauthority，\"havingtheperfectknowledgeofTuan’smindasweallknow。\"——\"Enough，\"criedLingard，suddenly。
Themanlookedupheavilyforamoment，andretreatedforwardwithoutanotherword。Lingardfollowedhimwithirritatedeyes。A
newpowerhadcomeintotheworld，hadpossesseditselfofhumanspeech，hadimpartedtoitasinisterironyofallusion。Tobetoldthatsomeonehad\"aperfectknowledgeofhismind\"startledhimandmadehimwince。Itmadehimawarethatnowhedidnotknowhismindhimself——thatitseemedimpossibleforhimevertoregainthatknowledge。Andthenewpowernotonlyhadcastitsspelluponthewordshehadtohear，butalsouponthefactsthatassailedhim，uponthepeoplehesaw，uponthethoughtshehadtoguide，uponthefeelingshehadtobear。Theyremainedwhattheyhadeverbeen——thevisiblesurfaceoflifeopeninthesuntotheconqueringtreadofanunfetteredwill。Yesterdaytheycouldhavebeendiscernedclearly，masteredanddespised；butnowanotherpowerhadcomeintotheworld，andhadcastoverthemallthewaveringgloomofadarkandinscrutablepurpose。
II
RecoveringhimselfwithaslightstartLingardgavetheordertoextinguishallthelightsinthebrig。Nowthetransferofthecrewfromtheyachthadbeeneffectedtherewaseveryadvantageinthedarkness。Hegavetheorderfrominstinct，itbeingtherightthingtodointhecircumstances。Histhoughtswereinthecabinofhisbrig，wheretherewasawomanwaiting。Heputhishandoverhiseyes，collectinghimselfasifbeforeagreatmentaleffort。Hecouldhearabouthimtheexcitedmurmursofthewhitemenwhominthemorninghehadsoardentlydesiredtohavesafeinhiskeeping。Hehadthemtherenow；butaccident，ill—luck，acursedfolly，hadtrickedhimoutofthesuccessofhisplan。HewouldhavetogoinandtalktoMrs。Travers。Theideadismayedhim。Ofnecessityhewasnotoneofthosemenwhohavethemasteryofexpression。Toliberatehissoulwasforhimagiganticundertaking，amatterofdesperateeffort，ofdoubtfulsuccess。\"Imusthaveitoutwithher，\"hemurmuredtohimselfasthoughattheprospectofastruggle。Hewasuncertainofhimself，ofher；hewasuncertainofeverythingandeverybody；
buthewasverycertainhewantedtolookather。
Atthemomentheturnedtothedoorofthecabinbothflareswentouttogetherandtheblackvaultofthenightupheldabovethebrigbythefierceflamesfellbehindhimandburiedthedeckinsuddendarkness。Thebuzzofstrangevoicesinstantlyhummedlouderwithastartlednote。\"Hallo！\"——\"Can’tseeamortalthing\"——\"Well，whatnext？\"——insistedavoice——\"Iwanttoknowwhatnext？\"
Lingardcheckedhimselfreadytoopenthedoorandwaitedabsurdlyfortheanswerasthoughinthehopeofsomesuggestion。
\"What’supwithyou？Thinkyourselflucky，\"saidsomebody。——\"It’sallverywell——forto—night，\"beganthevoice。——\"Whatareyoufashingyourselffor？\"remonstratedtheother，reasonably，\"we’llgethomerightenough。\"——\"Iamnotsosure；thesecondmatehesays——\"\"Nevermindwhathesays；that’eremanwhohasgotthisbrigwillseeusthrough。Theowner’swifewilltalktohim——shewill。Moneycandoalot。\"Thetwovoicescamenearer，andspokemoredistinctly，closebehindLingard。\"Supposethembloomingsavagessetfiretotheyacht。What’stopreventthem？\"——\"Andsupposetheydo。This’erebrig’sgoodenoughtogetawayin。
Ain’tshe？Gunsandall。We’llgethomeyetallright。Whatdoyousay，John？\"
\"Isaynothingandcareless，\"saidathirdvoice，peacefulandfaint。
\"D’youmeantosay，John，youwouldgotothebottomassoonasyouwouldgohome？Comenow！\"——\"Tothebottom，\"repeatedthewanvoice，composedly。\"Aye！That’swhereweallaregoingto，inonewayoranother。Thewaydon’tmatter。\"
\"Ough！Youwouldgivethebluestothefunnymanofabloomingcircus。WhatwouldmymissussayifIwasn’ttoturnupneveratall？\"——\"Shewouldgetanotherman；there’salwaysplentyoffoolsabout。\"Aquietandmirthlesschucklewasheardinthepauseofshockedsilence。Lingard，withhishandonthedoor，remainedstill。Furtheroffagrowlburstout：\"Idohatetobechuckedinthedarkaboardastrangeship。Iwonderwheretheykeeptheirfreshwater。Can’tgetanysenseoutofthemsillyniggers。Wedon’tseemtobemoreaccountherethanalotofcattle。Likelyasnotwe’llhavetoberthonthisbloomingquarter—deckforGodknowshowlong。\"ThenagainverynearLingardthefirstvoicesaid，deadeneddiscreetly——\"There’ssomethingcuriousaboutthisherebrigturningupsudden—like，ain’tthere？Andthatskipperofher——now？Whatkindofamanishe——anyhow？\"
\"Oh，he’soneofthemskippersgoingaboutloose。Thebrig’shisown，Iamthinking。Hejustgoesaboutinherlookingforwhathemaypickuphonestordishonest。Mybrother—in—lawhasservedtwocommissionsintheseseas，andwastellingmeawfulyarnsaboutwhat’sgoingoninthemGod—forsakenparts。Likelyhelied，though。Themman—of—war’smenareaholyterrorforyarns。Blessyou，whatdoIcarewhothisskipperis？Lethimdohisbestanddon’ttroubleyourhead。Youwon’tseehimagaininyourlifeoncewegetclear。\"
\"Andcanhedoanythingfortheowner？\"askedthefirstvoiceagain。——\"Canhe！Wecandonothing——that’sonethingcertain。Theownermaybelyingclubbedtodeaththisveryminuteforallweknow。Byallaccountsthesesavageshereareacroolmurderinglot。Mindyou，Iamsorryforhimasmuchasanybody。\"——\"Aye，aye，\"mutteredtheother，approvingly。——\"Hemaynothavebeenready，poorman，\"beganagainthereasonablevoice。Lingardheardadeepsigh。——\"Ifthere’sanythingascanbedoneforhim，theowner’swifeshe’sgottofixitupwiththis’ereskipper。UnderProvidencehemayserveherturn。\"
Lingardflungopenthecabindoor，entered，and，withaslam，shutthedarknessout。
\"Iam，underProvidence，toserveyourturn，\"hesaidafterstandingverystillforawhile，withhiseyesuponMrs。Travers。
Thebrig’sswing—lamplightedthecabinwithanextraordinarybrilliance。Mrs。Travershadthrownbackherhood。Theradiantbrightnessofthelittleplaceenfoldedhersoclose，clungtoherwithsuchforcethatitmighthavebeenpartofherveryessence。Therewerenoshadowsonherface；itwasfiercelylighted，hermeticallyclosed，ofimpenetrablefairness。
Lingardlookedinunconsciousecstasyatthisvision，soamazingthatitseemedtohavestrayedintohisexistencefrombeyondthelimitsoftheconceivable。Itwasimpossibletoguessherthoughts，toknowherfeelings，tounderstandhergrieforherjoy。Butsheknewallthatwasatthebottomofhisheart。Hehadtoldherhimself，impelledbyasuddenthought，goingtoherindarkness，indesperation，inabsurdhope，inincredibletrust。Hehadtoldherwhathehadtoldnooneonearth，exceptperhaps，attimes，himself，butwithoutwords——lessclearly。Hehadtoldherandshehadlistenedinsilence。Shehadlistenedleaningovertherailtillatlastherbreathwasonhisforehead。Herememberedthisandhadamomentofsoaringprideandofunutterabledismay。Hespoke，withaneffort。
\"You’veheardwhatIsaidjustnow？HereIam。\"
\"Doyouexpectmetosaysomething？\"sheasked。\"Isitnecessary？
Isitpossible？\"
\"No，\"heanswered。\"Itissaidalready。Iknowwhatyouexpectfromme。Everything。\"
\"Everything，\"sherepeated，paused，andaddedmuchlower，\"Itistheveryleast。\"Heseemedtolosehimselfinthought。
\"Itisextraordinary，\"hereflectedhalfaloud，\"howIdislikethatman。\"Sheleanedforwardalittle。
\"Rememberthosetwomenareinnocent，\"shebegan。
\"SoamI——innocent。Soiseverybodyintheworld。Haveyouevermetamanorawomanthatwasnot？They’vegottotaketheirchancesallthesame。\"
\"Iexpectyoutobegenerous，\"shesaid。
\"Toyou？\"
\"Well——tome。Yes——ifyouliketomealone。\"
\"Toyoualone！Andyouknoweverything！\"Hisvoicedropped。\"Youwantyourhappiness。\"
Shemadeanimpatientmovementandhesawherclenchthehandthatwaslyingonthetable。
\"Iwantmyhusbandback，\"shesaid，sharply。
\"Yes。Yes。It’swhatIwassaying。Samething，\"hemutteredwithstrangeplacidity。Shelookedathimsearchingly。Hehadalargesimplicitythatfilledone’svision。Shefoundherselfslowlyinvadedbythismasterfulfigure。Hewasnotmediocre。Whateverhemighthavebeenhewasnotmediocre。Theglamourofalawlesslifestretchedoverhimliketheskyovertheseadownonallsidestoanunbrokenhorizon。Within，hemovedverylonely，dangerousandromantic。Therewasinhimcrime，sacrifice，tenderness，devotion，andthemadnessofafixedidea。Shethoughtwithwonderthatofallthemenintheworldhewasindeedtheonesheknewthebestandyetshecouldnotforeseethespeechortheactofthenextminute。Shesaiddistinctly：
\"You’vegivenmeyourconfidence。NowIwantyoutogivemethelifeofthesetwomen。Thelifeoftwomenwhomyoudonotknow，whomto—morrowyouwillforget。Itcanbedone。Itmustbedone。
Youcannotrefusethemtome。\"Shewaited。
\"Whycan’tIrefuse？\"hewhispered，gloomily，withoutlookingup。
\"Youask！\"sheexclaimed。Hemadenosign。Heseemedatalossforwords。
\"Youask……Ah！\"shecried。\"Don’tyouseethatIhavenokingdomstoconquer？\"
III
AslightchangeofexpressionwhichpassedawayalmostdirectlyshowedthatLingardheardthepassionatecrywrungfromherbythedistressofhermind。Hemadenosign。Sheperceivedclearlytheextremedifficultyofherposition。Thesituationwasdangerous；notsomuchthefactsofitasthefeelingofit。Attimesitappearednomoreactualthanatradition；andshethoughtofherselfasofsomewomaninaballad，whohastobegforthelivesofinnocentcaptives。TosavethelivesofMr。
TraversandMr。d’Alcacerwasmorethanaduty。Itwasanecessity，itwasanimperativeneed，itwasanirresistiblemission。Yetshehadtoreflectuponthehorrorsofacruelandobscuredeathbeforeshecouldfeelforthemthepitytheydeserved。ItwaswhenshelookedatLingardthatherheartwaswrungbyanextremityofcompassion。Theotherswerepitiful，buthe，thevictimofhisownextravagantimpulses，appearedtragic，fascinating，andculpable。Lingardliftedhishead。WhisperswereheardatthedoorandHassimfollowedbyImmadaenteredthecabin。
Mrs。TraverslookedatLingard，becauseofallthefacesinthecabinhiswastheonlyonethatwasintelligibletoher。Hassimbegantospeakatonce，andwhenheceasedImmada’sdeepsighwasheardinthesuddensilence。ThenLingardlookedatMrs。Traversandsaid：
\"Thegentlemenarealive。RajahHassimherehasseenthemlessthantwohoursago，andsohasthegirl。Theyarealiveandunharmed，sofar。Andnow……\"
Hepaused。Mrs。Travers，leaningonherelbow，shadedhereyesundertheglintofsuspendedthunderbolts。
\"Youmusthateus，\"shemurmured。
\"Hateyou，\"herepeatedwith，asshefancied，atingeofdisdaininhistone。\"No。Ihatemyself。\"
\"Whyyourself？\"sheasked，verylow。
\"Fornotknowingmymind，\"heanswered。\"Fornotknowingmymind。
Fornotknowingwhatitisthat’sgotholdofmesince——sincethismorning。Iwasangrythen……Nothingbutveryangry……\"
\"Andnow？\"shemurmured。
\"Iam……unhappy，\"hesaid。AfteramomentofsilencewhichgavetoMrs。Traversthetimetowonderhowitwasthatthismanhadsucceededinpenetratingintotheverydepthsofhercompassion，hehitthetablesuchablowthatalltheheavymusketsseemedtojumpalittle。
Mrs。TraversheardHassimpronounceafewwordsearnestly，andamoanofdistressfromImmada。
\"Ibelievedinyoubeforeyou……beforeyougavemeyourconfidence，\"shebegan。\"Youcouldseethat。Couldyounot？\"
Helookedatherfixedly。\"Youarenotthefirstthatbelievedinme，\"hesaid。
Hassim，loungingwithhisbackagainstthecloseddoor，kepthiseyeonhimwatchfullyandImmada’sdarkandsorrowfuleyesrestedonthefaceofthewhitewoman。Mrs。Traversfeltasthoughshewereengagedinacontestwiththem；inastruggleforthepossessionofthatman’sstrengthandofthatman’sdevotion。
WhenshelookedupatLingardshesawonhisface——whichshouldhavebeenimpassiveorexalted，thefaceofasternleaderorthefaceofapitilessdreamer——anexpressionofutterforgetfulness。
Heseemedtobetastingthedelightofsomeprofoundandamazingsensation。Andsuddenlyinthemidstofherappealtohisgenerosity，inthemiddleofaphrase，Mrs。Traversfaltered，becomingawarethatshewastheobjectofhiscontemplation。
\"Donot！Donotlookatthatwoman！\"criedImmada。\"O！
Master——lookaway……\"Hassimthrewonearmroundthegirl’sneck。Hervoicesank。\"O！Master——lookatus。\"Hassim，drawinghertohimself，coveredherlipswithhishand。Shestruggledalittlelikeasnaredbirdandsubmitted，hidingherfaceonhisshoulder，veryquiet，sobbingwithoutnoise。
\"Whatdotheysaytoyou？\"askedMrs。Traverswithafaintandpainedsmile。\"Whatcantheysay？Itisintolerabletothinkthattheirwordswhichhavenomeaningformemaygostraighttoyourheart……\"
\"Lookaway，\"whisperedLingardwithoutmakingtheslightestmovement。
Mrs。Traverssighed。