IwasunhappywhenIclosedmyeyes；anditwastounhappinessthatIopenedthemagainnextmorning，toaconfusedsenseofsomecalamitystillinarticulate，andtotheconsciousnessofjadedlimbsandofaswimminghead。Imusthavelainforsometimeinertandstupidlymiserable，beforeI
becameawareofareiteratedknockingatthedoor；withwhichdiscoveryallmywitsflowedbackintheiraccustomedchannels，andIrememberedthesale，andthewreck，andGoddedaal，andNares，andJohnson，andBlackTom，andthetroublesofyesterday，andthemanifoldengagementsofthedaythatwastocome。Thethoughtthrilledmelikeatrumpetinthehourofbattle。Inamoment，Ihadleapedfrombed，crossedtheofficewherePinkertonlayinadeeptranceofsleepontheconvertiblesofa，andstoodinthedoorway，inmynightgear，toreceiveourvisitors。
Johnsonwasfirst，bywayofusher，smiling。Fromalittlebehind，withhisSundayhattiltedforwardoverhisbrow，andacigarglowingbetweenhislips，CaptainNaresacknowledgedourpreviousacquaintancewithasuccinctnod。Behindhimagain，inthetopofthestairway，aknotofsailors，thenewcrewoftheNorahCreina，stoodpolishingthewallwithbackandelbow。TheseIleftwithouttotheirreflections。ButourtwoofficersIcarriedatonceintotheoffice，where(takingJimbytheshoulder)Ishookhimslowlyintoconsciousness。Hesatup，allabroadforthemoment，andstaredonthenewcaptain。
“Jim。”saidI，“thisisCaptainNares。Captain，Mr。Pinkerton。”
Naresrepeatedhiscurtnod，stillwithoutspeech；andIthoughtheheldusbothunderawatchfulscrutiny。
“O！”saysJim，“thisisCaptainNares，isit？Goodmorning，CaptainNares。Happytohavethepleasureofyouracquaintance，sir。Iknowyouwellbyreputation。”
Perhaps，underthecircumstancesofthemoment，thiswasscarceawelcomespeech。Atleast，Naresreceiveditwithagrunt。
“Well，Captain。”Jimcontinued，“youknowaboutthesizeofthebusiness？You’retotaketheNoraCreinatoMidwayIsland，breakupawreck，callatHonolulu，andbacktothisport？Isupposethat’sunderstood？”
“Well。”returnedNares，withthesameunamiablereserve，“forareason，whichIguessyouknow，thecruisemaysuitme；butthere’sapointortwotosettle。Weshallhavetotalk，Mr。
Pinkerton。ButwhetherIgoornot，somebodywill；there’snosenseinlosingtime；andyoumightgiveMr。Johnsonanote，lethimtakethehandsrightdown，andsettotooverhaultherigging。Thebeastslooksober。”headded，withanairofgreatdisgust，“andneedputtingtoworktokeepthemso。”
Thisbeingagreedupon，Nareswatchedhissubordinatedepartanddrewavisiblebreath。
“Andnowwe’realoneandcantalk。”saidhe。“What’sthisthingabout？It’sbeenadvertisedlikeBarnum’smuseum；thatposterofyourshassettheFronttalking；that’sanobjectioninitself，forI’mlayingalittledarkjustnow；andanyway，beforeI
taketheship，IrequiretoknowwhatI’mgoingafter。”
ThereuponPinkertongavehimthewholetale，beginningwithabusinesslikeprecision，andworkinghimselfup，ashewenton，totheboiling-pointofnarrativeenthusiasm。Naressatandsmoked，hatstillonhead，andacknowledgedeachfreshfeatureofthestorywithafrowningnod。Buthispaleblueeyesbetrayedhim，andlightedvisibly。
“Nowyouseeforyourself。”Pinkertonconcluded：“there’severylastchancethatTrenthasskippedtoHonolulu，anditwon’ttakemuchofthatfiftythousanddollarstocharterasmartschoonerdowntoMidway。Here’swhereIwantaman！”criedJim，withcontagiousenergy。“Thatwreck’smine；I’vepaidforit，moneydown；andifit’sgottobefoughtfor，Iwanttoseeitfoughtforlively。Ifyou’renotbackinninetydays，Itellyouplainly，I’llmakeoneofthebiggestbustseverseenuponthiscoast；it’slifeordeathforMr。Doddandme。Aslikeasnot，it’llcometograpplesontheisland；andwhenIheardyournamelastnight——andablame’sightmorethismorningwhenI
sawtheeyeyou’vegotinyourhead——Isaid，’Naresisgoodenoughforme！’“
“Iguess。”observedNares，studyingtheashofhiscigar，“thesoonerIgetthatschooneroutsidetheFarallones，thebetteryou’llbepleased。”
“You’rethemanIdreamedof！”criedJim，bouncingonthebed。
“There’snotfivepercentoffraudinallyourcarcase。”
“Justholdon。”saidNares。“There’sanotherpoint。Iheardsometalkaboutasupercargo。”
“That’sMr。Dodd，here，mypartner。”saidJim。
“Idon’tseeit。”returnedthecaptaindrily。“Onecaptain’senoughforanyshipthateverIwasaboard。”
“Nowdon’tyoustartdisappointingme。”saidPinkerton；“foryou’retalkingwithoutthought。I’mnotgoingtogiveyoutherunofthebooksofthisfirm，amI？Iguessnot。Well，thisisnotonlyacruise；it’sabusinessoperation；andthat’sinthehandsofmypartner。Yousailthatship，youseetobreakingupthatwreckandkeepingthemenuponthejump，andyou’llfindyourhandsaboutfull。Only，nomistakeaboutonething：ithastobedonetoMr。Dodd’ssatisfaction；forit’sMr。Doddthat’spaying。”
“I’maccustomedtogivesatisfaction。”saidMr。Nares，withadarkflush。
“Andsoyouwillhere！”criedPinkerton。“Iunderstandyou。
You’repricklytohandle，butyou’restraightallthrough。”
“Theposition’sgottobeunderstood，though。”returnedNares，perhapsatriflemollified。“Myposition，Imean。I’mnotgoingtoshipsailing-master；it’senoughoutofmywayalready，tosetafootonthismosquitoschooner。”
“Well，I’lltellyou。”retortedJim，withanindescribabletwinkle：
“youjustmeetmeontheballast，andwe’llmakeitabarquentine。”
Nareslaughedalittle；tactlessPinkertonhadoncemoregainedavictoryintact。“Thenthere’sanotherpoint。”resumedthecaptain，tacitlyrelinquishingthelast。“Howabouttheowners？”
“O，youleavethattome；I’moneofLonghurst’scrowd，youknow。”saidJim，withsuddenbristlingvanity。“Anymanthat’sgoodenoughforme，isgoodenoughforthem。”
“Whoarethey？”askedNares。
“M’IntyreandSpittal。”saidJim。
“O，well，givemeacardofyours。”saidthecaptain：“youneedn’tbothertowrite；IkeepM’IntyreandSpittalinmyvest-pocket。”
Boastforboast；itwasalwaysthuswithNaresandPinkerton——
thetwovainestmenofmyacquaintance。Andhavingthusreinstatedhimselfinhisownopinion，thecaptainrose，and，withacoupleofhisstiffnods，departed。
“Jim。”Icried，asthedoorclosedbehindhim，“Idon’tlikethatman。”
“You’vejustgotto，Loudon。”returnedJim。“He’satypicalAmericanseaman——braveasalion，fullofresource，andstandshighwithhisowners。He’samanwitharecord。”
“Forbrutalityatsea。”saidI。
“Saywhatyoulike。”exclaimedPinkerton，“itwasagoodhourwegothimin：I’dtrustMamie’slifetohimto-morrow。”
“Well，andtalkingofMamie？”saysI。
Jimpausedwithhistrousershalfon。“She’sthegallantestlittlesoulGodevermade！”hecried。“Loudon，I’dmeanttoknockyouuplastnight，andIhopeyouwon’ttakeitunfriendlythatI
didn’t。Iwentinandlookedatyouasleep；andIsawyouwereallbrokenup，andletyoube。Thenewswouldkeep，anyway；
andevenyou，Loudon，couldn’tfeelitthesamewayasIdid。”
“Whatnews？”Iasked。
“It’sthisway。”saysJim。“Itoldherhowwestood，andthatI
backeddownfrommarrying。’Areyoutiredofme？’saysshe：
Godblessher！Well，Iexplainedthewholethingoveragain，thechanceofsmash，yourabsenceunavoidable，thepointI
madeofhavingyouforthebestman，andthat。’Ifyou’renottiredofme，IthinkIseeonewaytomanage，’saysshe。“Let’sgetmarriedto-morrow，andMr。Loudoncanbebestmanbeforehegoestosea。’That’showshesaidit，crispandbright，likeoneofDickens’scharacters。Itwasnogoodformetotalkaboutthesmash。’You’llwantmeallthemore，’shesaid。
Loudon，IonlyprayIcanmakeituptoher；Iprayedforitlastnightbesideyourbed，whileyoulaysleeping——foryou，andMamieandmyself；and——Idon’tknowifyouquitebelieveinprayer，I’mabitIngersollianmyself——butakindofsweetnesscameoverme，andIcouldn’thelpbutthinkitwasananswer。
Neverwasamansolucky！YouandmeandMamie；it’satriplecord，Loudon。Ifeitherofyouweretodie！Andshelikesyousomuch，andthinksyousoaccomplishedanddistingue-
looking，andwasjustassetasIwastohaveyouforbestman。
’Mr。Loudon，’shecallsyou；seemstomesofriendly！Andshesatuptillthreeinthemorningfixingupacostumeforthemarriage；itdidmegoodtoseeher，Loudon，andtoseethatneedlegoing，going，andtosay’Allthishurry，Jim，isjusttomarryyou！’Icouldn’tbelieveit；itwassolikesomeblame’
fairystory。Tothinkofthoseoldtin-typetimesaboutturnedmyhead；Iwassounrefinedthen，andsoilliterate，andsolonesome；andhereIaminclover，andI’mblamedifIcanseewhatI’vedonetodeserveit。”
Sohepouredforthwithinnocentvolubilitythefulnessofhisheart；andI，fromtheseirregularcommunications，mustpickout，herealittleandtherealittle，theparticularsofhisnewplan。Theyweretobemarried，sureenough，thatday；theweddingbreakfastwastobeatFrank’s；theeveningtobepassedinavisitofGod-speedaboardtheNorahCreina；andthenweweretopart，JimandI，hetohismarriedlife，Ionmysea-enterprise。IfeverIcherishedanill-feelingforMissMamie，Iforgavehernow；sobraveandkind，soprettyandventuresome，washerdecision。Theweatherfrownedoverheadwithaleadensky，andSanFranciscohadnever(inallmyexperience)lookedsobleakandgaunt，andshoddy，andcrazy，likeacityprematurelyold；butthroughallmywanderingsanderrandstoandfro，bythedocksideorinthejostlingstreet，amongrudesoundsanduglysights，thereraninmymind，likeatinystrainofmusic，thethoughtofmyfriend’shappiness。
Forthatwasindeedadayofmanyandincongruousoccupations。BreakfastwasscarceswallowedbeforeJimmustruntotheCityHallandFrank’saboutthecaresofmarriage，andIhurrytoJohnSmith’supontheaccountofstores，andthence，onavisitofcertification，totheNorahCreina。
Methoughtshelookedsmallerthanever，sundrygreatshipsoverspiringherfromclosewithout。Shewasalreadyanightmareofdisorder；andthewharfalongsidewaspiledwithaworldofcasks，andcases，andtins，andtools，andcoilsofrope，andminiaturebarrelsofgiantpowder，suchasitseemednohumaningenuitycouldstuffonboardofher。Johnsonwasinthewaist，inaredshirtanddungareetrousers，hiseyekindledwithactivity。WithhimIexchangedawordortwo；
thencesteppedaftalongthenarrowalleywaybetweenthehouseandtherail，anddownthecompaniontothemaincabin，wherethecaptainsatwiththecommissioneratwine。
IgazedwithdisaffectionatthelittleboxwhichformanyadayIwastocallhome。Onthestarboardwasastateroomforthecaptain；ontheport，apairoffrowsyberths，oneovertheother，andabuttingasternuponthesideofanunsavourycupboard。
Thewallswereyellowanddamp，thefloorblackandgreasy；
therewasaprodigiouslitterofstraw，oldnewspapers，andbrokenpacking-cases；andbywayofornament，onlyaglass-
rack，athermometerpresented“withcompliments“ofsomeadvertisingwhiskey-dealer，andaswinginglamp。Itwashardtoforeseethat，beforeaweekwasup，Ishouldregardthatcabinascheerful，lightsome，airy，andevenspacious。
Iwaspresentedtothecommissioner，andtoayoungfriendofhiswhomhehadbroughtwithhimforthepurpose(apparently)
ofsmokingcigars；andafterwehadpledgedoneanotherinaglassofCaliforniaport，atriflesweetandstickyforamorningbeverage，thefunctionaryspreadhispapersonthetable，andthehandsweresummoned。Downtheytrooped，accordingly，intothecabin；andstoodeyeingtheceilingorthefloor，thepictureofsheepishembarrassment，andwithacommonairofwantingtoexpectorateandnotquitedaring。Inadmirablecontrast，stoodtheChinesecook，easy，dignified，setapartbyspotlessraiment，thehidalgooftheseas。
Idaresayyouneverhadoccasiontoassistatthefarcewhichfollowed。OurshippinglawsintheUnitedStates(thankstotheinimitableDana)areconceivedinaspiritofpaternalstringency，andproceedthroughoutonthehypothesisthatpoorJackisanimbecile，andtheotherpartiestothecontract，roguesandruffians。Alongandwordypaperofprecautions，afo’c’s’lebillofrights，mustbereadseparatelytoeachman。Ihadnowthebenefitofhearingitfivetimesinbrisksuccession；andyouwouldsupposeIwasacquaintedwithitscontents。Butthecommissioner(worthyman)spendshisdaysindoinglittleelse；andwhenwebearinmindtheparallelcaseoftheirreverentcurate，weneednotbesurprisedthathetookthepassagetempoprestissimo，inonerouladeofgabble——thatI，withthetrainedattentionofaneducatedman，couldgatherbutafractionofitsimport——andthesailorsnothing。Noprofanityingivingorders，nosheath-knives，MidwayIslandandanyotherportthemastermaydirect，nottoexceedsixcalendarmonths，andtothisporttobepaidoff：soitseemedtorun，withsurprisingverbiage；soended。Andwiththeend，thecommissioner，ineachcase，fetchedadeepbreath，resumedhisnaturalvoice，andproceededtobusiness。“Now，myman。”hewouldsay，“youshipA。B。atsomanydollars，Americangoldcoin。Signyournamehere，ifyouhaveone，andcanwrite。”
