end of the tether-第4部分

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wind。〃







When　the　bell　rang　Captain　Whalley's　authoritative



voice　boomed　out　through　a　closed　door；　〃Sit　down　and



don't　wait　for　me。〃　　And　his　impressed　officers　took　their



places；　exchanging　looks　and　whispers　across　the　table。



What！　　No　breakfast？　　And　after　apparently　knock…



ing　about　all　night　on　deck；　too！　　Clearly；　there　was



something　in　the　wind。　　In　the　skylight　above　their



heads；　bowed　earnestly　over　the　plates；　three　wire　cages



rocked　and　rattled　to　the　restless　jumping　of　the　hungry



canaries；　and　they　could　detect　the　sounds　of　their　〃old



man's〃　deliberate　movements　within　his　state…room。　　Cap…



tain　Whalley　was　methodically　winding　up　the　chro…



nometers；　dusting　the　portrait　of　his　late　wife；　getting



a　clean　white　shirt　out　of　the　drawers；　making　himself



ready　in　his　punctilious　unhurried　manner　to　go　ashore。



He　could　not　have　swallowed　a　single　mouthful　of　food



that　morning。　　He　had　made　up　his　mind　to　sell　the



Fair　Maid。











III











Just　at　that　time　the　Japanese　were　casting　far　and



wide　for　ships　of　European　build；　and　he　had　no　diffi…



culty　in　finding　a　purchaser；　a　speculator　who　drove　a



hard　bargain；　but　paid　cash　down　for　the　Fair　Maid；



with　a　view　to　a　profitable　resale。　　Thus　it　came　about



that　Captain　Whalley　found　himself　on　a　certain　after…



noon　descending　the　steps　of　one　of　the　most　important



post…offices　of　the　East　with　a　slip　of　bluish　paper　in　his



hand。　　This　was　the　receipt　of　a　registered　letter　en…



closing　a　draft　for　two　hundred　pounds；　and　addressed



to　Melbourne。　　Captain　Whalley　pushed　the　paper　into



his　waistcoat…pocket；　took　his　stick　from　under　his　arm；



and　walked　down　the　street。







It　was　a　recently　opened　and　untidy　thoroughfare　with



rudimentary　side…walks　and　a　soft　layer　of　dust　cushion…



ing　the　whole　width　of　the　road。　　One　end　touched　the



slummy　street　of　Chinese　shops　near　the　harbor；　the　other



drove　straight　on；　without　houses；　for　a　couple　of　miles；



through　patches　of　jungle…like　vegetation；　to　the　yard



gates　of　the　new　Consolidated　Docks　Company。　　The



crude　frontages　of　the　new　Government　buildings　alter…



nated　with　the　blank　fencing　of　vacant　plots；　and　the



view　of　the　sky　seemed　to　give　an　added　spaciousness　to



the　broad　vista。　　It　was　empty　and　shunned　by　natives



after　business　hours；　as　though　they　had　expected　to



see　one　of　the　tigers　from　the　neighborhood　of　the　New



Waterworks　on　the　hill　coming　at　a　loping　canter　down



the　middle　to　get　a　Chinese　shopkeeper　for　supper。　　Cap…



tain　Whalley　was　not　dwarfed　by　the　solitude　of　the



grandly　planned　street。　　He　had　too　fine　a　presence　for



that。　　He　was　only　a　lonely　figure　walking　purposefully；



with　a　great　white　beard　like　a　pilgrim；　and　with　a　thick



stick　that　resembled　a　weapon。　　On　one　side　the　new



Courts　of　Justice　had　a　low　and　unadorned　portico　of



squat　columns　half　concealed　by　a　few　old　trees　left　in



the　approach。　　On　the　other　the　pavilion　wings　of　the



new　Colonial　Treasury　came　out　to　the　line　of　the　street。



But　Captain　Whalley；　who　had　now　no　ship　and　no



home；　remembered　in　passing　that　on　that　very　site



when　he　first　came　out　from　England　there　had　stood　a



fishing　village；　a　few　mat　huts　erected　on　piles　between



a　muddy　tidal　creek　and　a　miry　pathway　that　went



writhing　into　a　tangled　wilderness　without　any　docks　or



waterworks。







No　shipno　home。　　And　his　poor　Ivy　away　there　had



no　home　either。　　A　boarding…house　is　no　sort　of　home



though　it　may　get　you　a　living。　　His　feelings　were



horribly　rasped　by　the　idea　of　the　boarding…house。　　In



his　rank　of　life　he　had　that　truly　aristocratic　tempera…



ment　characterized　by　a　scorn　of　vulgar　gentility　and



by　prejudiced　views　as　to　the　derogatory　nature　of　cer…



tain　occupations。　　For　his　own　part　he　had　always　pre…



ferred　sailing　merchant　ships　（which　is　a　straight…



forward　occupation）　to　buying　and　selling　merchandise；



of　which　the　essence　is　to　get　the　better　of　somebody　in　a



bargainan　undignified　trial　of　wits　at　best。　　His　father



had　been　Colonel　Whalley　（retired）　of　the　H。　E。　I。　Com…



pany's　service；　with　very　slender　means　besides　his　pen…



sion；　but　with　distinguished　connections。　　He　could　re…



member　as　a　boy　how　frequently　waiters　at　the　inns；　coun…



try　tradesmen　and　small　people　of　that　sort；　used　to　〃My



lord〃　the　old　warrior　on　the　strength　of　his　appear…



ance。







Captain　Whalley　himself　（he　would　have　entered　the



Navy　if　his　father　had　not　died　before　he　was　fourteen）



had　something　of　a　grand　air　which　would　have　suited



an　old　and　glorious　admiral；　but　he　became　lost　like　a



straw　in　the　eddy　of　a　brook　amongst　the　swarm　of



brown　and　yellow　humanity　filling　a　thoroughfare；　that



by　contrast　with　the　vast　and　empty　avenue　he　had　left



seemed　as　narrow　as　a　lane　and　absolutely　riotous　with



life。　　The　walls　of　the　houses　were　blue；　the　shops　of



the　Chinamen　yawned　like　cavernous　lairs；　heaps　of



nondescript　merchandise　overflowed　the　gloom　of　the



long　range　of　arcades；　and　the　fiery　serenity　of　sunset



took　the　middle　of　the　street　from　end　to　end　with　a



glow　like　the　reflection　of　a　fire。　　It　fell　on　the　bright



colors　and　the　dark　faces　of　the　bare…footed　crowd；　on



the　pallid　yellow　backs　of　the　half…naked　jostling　coolies；



on　the　accouterments　of　a　tall　Sikh　trooper　with　a



parted　beard　and　fierce　mustaches　on　sentry　before　the



gate　of　the　police　compound。　　Looming　very　big　above



the　heads　in　a　red　haze　of　dust；　the　tightly　packed　car



of　the　cable　tramway　navigated　cautiously　up　the　hu…



man　stream；　with　the　incessant　blare　of　its　horn；　in　the



manner　of　a　steamer　groping　in　a　fog。







Captain　Whalley　emerged　like　a　diver　on　the　other



side；　and　in　the　desert　shade　between　the　walls　of　closed



warehouses　removed　his　hat　to　cool　his　brow。　　A　certain



disrepute　attached　to　the　calling　of　a　landlady　of　a



boarding…house。　　These　women　were　said　to　be　rapacious；



unscrupulous；　untruthful；　and　though　he　contemned　no



class　of　his　fellow…creaturesGod　forbid！these　were



suspicions　to　which　it　was　unseemly　that　a　Whalley



should　lay　herself　open。　　He　had　not　expostulated　with



her；　however。　　He　was　confident　she　shared　his　feelings；



he　was　sorry　for　her；　he　trusted　her　judgment；　he　con…



sidered　it　a　merciful　dispensation　that　he　could　help　her



once　more；but　in　his　aristocratic　heart　of　hearts　he



would　have　found　it　more　easy　to　reconcile　himself　to　the



idea　of　her　turning　seamstress。　　Vaguely　he　remembered



reading　years　ago　a　touching　piece　called　the　〃Song　of



the　Shirt。〃　　It　was　all　very　well　making　songs　about



poor　women。　　The　granddaughter　of　Colonel　Whalley；



the　landlady　of　a　boarding…house！　　Pooh！　　He　replaced



his　hat；　dived　into　two　pockets；　and　stopping　a　moment



to　apply　a　flaring　match　to　the　end　of　a　cheap　cheroot；



blew　an　embittered　cloud　of　smoke　at　a　world　that　could



hold　such　surprises。







Of　one　thing　he　was　certainthat　she　was　the　own



child　of　a　clever　mother。　　Now　he　had　got　over　the



wrench　of　parting　with　his　ship；　he　perceived　clearly



that　such　a　step　had　been　unavoidable。　　Perhaps　he　had



been　growing　aware　of　it　all　along　with　an　unconfessed



knowledge。　　But　she；　far　away　there；　must　have　had



an　intuitive　perception　of　it；　with　the　pluck　to　face　that



truth　and　the　courage　to　speak　outall　the　qualities



which　had　made　her　mother　a　woman　of　such　excellent



counsel。







It　would　have　had　to　come　to　that　in　the　end！　　It　was



fortunate　she　had　forced　his　hand。　　In　another　year　or



two　it　would　have　been　an　utterly　barren　sale。　　To　keep



the　ship　going　he　had　been　involving　himself　deeper



every　year。　　He　was　defenseless　before　the　insidious　work



of　adversity；　to　whose　more　open　assaults　he　could　pre…



sent　a　firm　front；　like　a　cliff　that　stands　unmoved　the



open　battering　of　the　sea；　with　a　lofty　ignorance　of　the



treacherous　backwash　undermining　its　base。　　As　it　was；



every　liability　satisfied；　her　request　answered；　and　owing



no　man　a　penny；　there　remained　to　him　from　the　pro…



ceeds　a　sum　of　five　hundred　pounds　put　away　safely。　　In



addition　he　had　upon　his　person　some　forty　odd　dollars



enough　to　pay　his　hotel　bill；　providing　he　did　not



linger　too　long　in　the　modest　bedroom　where　he　had



taken　refuge。







Scantily　furnished；　and　with　a　waxed　floor；　it　opened



into　one　of