AslongastheCurrencyLassescouldalldisappearunderfreshnames，itdidnotgreatlymatterifthebrigwerebought，oranysmalldiscrepanciesshouldbediscoveredinthewrecking。Theidentificationofoneoftheirnumberhadchangedallthat。ThesmallestscandalmustnowdirectattentiontothemovementsofNorris。ItwouldbeaskedhowhewhohadsailedinaschoonerfromSydney，hadturnedupsoshortlyafterinabrigoutofHongKong；andfromonequestiontoanotherallhisoriginalshipmateswereprettysuretobeinvolved。Hencearosenaturallytheideaofpreventingdanger，profitingbyCarthew’snew-foundwealth，andbuyingthebrigunderanalias；anditwasputinhandwithequalenergyandcaution。Carthewtooklodgingsaloneunderafalsename，pickedupBellairsatrandom，andcommissionedhimtobuythewreck。
“Whatfigure，ifyouplease？”thelawyerasked。
“Iwantitbought。”repliedCarthew。“Idon’tmindabouttheprice。”
“Anypriceisnoprice。”saidBellairs。“Putanameuponit。”
“Callittenthousandpoundsthen，ifyoulike！”saidCarthew。
Inthemeanwhile，thecaptainhadtowalkthestreets，appearintheconsulate，becross-examinedbyLloyd’sagent，bebadgeredabouthislostaccounts，signpaperswithhislefthand，andrepeathisliestoeveryskipperinSanFrancisco：notknowingatwhatmomenthemightrunintothearmsofsomeoldfriendwhoshouldhailhimbythenameofWicks，orsomenewenemywhoshouldbeinapositiontodenyhimthatofTrent。
Andthelatterincidentdidactuallybefallhim，butwastransformedbyhisstoutcountenanceintoanelementofstrength。Itwasintheconsulate(ofalluntowardplaces)thathesuddenlyheardabigvoiceinquiringforCaptainTrent。Heturnedwiththecustomarysinkingathisheart。
“YOUain’tCaptainTrent！”saidthestranger，fallingback。
“Why，what’sallthis？Theytellmeyou’repassingoffasCaptainTrent——CaptainJacobTrent——amanIknewsinceIwasthathigh。”
“O，you’rethinkingofmyuncleashadthebankinCardiff。”
repliedWicks，withdesperateaplomb。
“IdeclareIneverknewhehadanevvy！”saidthestranger。
“Well，youseehehas！”saysWicks。
“Andhowistheoldman？”askedtheother。
“Fitasafiddle。”answeredWicks，andwasopportunelysummonedbytheclerk。
Thisalertwastheonlyoneuntilthemorningofthesale，whenhewasoncemorealarmedbyhisinterviewwithJim；anditwaswithsomeanxietythatheattendedthesale，knowingonlythatCarthewwastoberepresented，butneitherwhowastorepresenthimnorwhatweretheinstructionsgiven。IsupposeCaptainWicksisagoodlife。Inspiteofhispersonalappearanceandhisownknownuneasiness，Isupposeheissecurefromapoplexy，oritmusthavestruckhimthereandthen，ashelookedonatthestagesofthatinsanesaleandsawtheoldbrigandhernotveryvaluablecargoknockeddownatlasttoatotalstrangerfortenthousandpounds。
IthadbeenagreedthathewastoavoidCarthew，andaboveallCarthew’slodging，sothatnoconnexionmightbetracedbetweenthecrewandthepseudonymouspurchaser。Butthehourforcautionwasgoneby，andhecaughtatramandmadeallspeedtoMissionStreet。
Carthewmethiminthedoor。
“Comeaway，comeawayfromhere。”saidCarthew；andwhentheywereclearofthehouse，“All’sup！”headded。
“O，you’veheardofthesale，then？”saidWicks。
“Thesale！”criedCarthew。“IdeclareIhadforgottenit。”Andhetoldofthevoiceinthetelephone，andthemaddeningquestion：“WhydidyouwanttobuytheFlyingScud？”
Thiscircumstance，comingonthebackofthemonstrousimprobabilitiesofthesale，wasenoughtohaveshakenthereasonofImmanuelKant。Theearthseemedbandedtogethertodefeatthem；thestonesandtheboysonthestreetappearedtobeinpossessionoftheirguiltysecret。Flightwastheironethought。ThetreasureoftheCurrencyLasstheypackedinwaist-belts，expressedtheircheststoanimaginaryaddressinBritishColumbia，andleftSanFranciscothesameafternoon，bookedforLosAngeles。
ThenextdaytheypursuedtheirretreatbytheSouthernPacificroute，whichCarthewfollowedonhiswaytoEngland；buttheotherthreebranchedoffforMexico。
EPILOGUE：
TOWILLH。LOW。
DEARLOW：Theotherday(atManihikiofallplaces)IhadthepleasuretomeetDodd。Wesatsometwohoursintheneat，little，toy-likechurch，setwithpewsafterthemannerofEurope，andinlaidwithmother-of-pearlinthestyle(Isuppose)oftheNewJerusalem。Thenatives，whoaredecidedlythemostattractiveinhabitantsofthisplanet，crowdedroundusinthepew，andfawneduponandpattedus；andhereitwasIputmyquestions，andDoddansweredme。
IfirstcarriedhimbacktothenightinBarbizonwhenCarthewtoldhisstory，andaskedhimwhatwasdoneaboutBellairs。Itseemedhehadputthemattertohisfriendatonce，andthatCarthewtookitwithaninimitablelightness。“He’spoor，andI’mrich。”hehadsaid。“Icanaffordtosmileathim。Igosomewhereelse，that’sall——somewherethat’sfarawayanddeartogetto。Persiawouldbefoundtoanswer，Ifancy。Noendofaplace，Persia。Whynotcomewithme？”AndtheyhadleftthenextafternoonforConstantinople，ontheirwaytoTeheran。
Oftheshyster，itisonlyknown(byanewspaperparagraph)
thathereturnedsomehowtoSanFranciscoanddiedinthehospital。
“Nowthere’sanotherpoint。”saidI。“ThereyouareofftoPersiawithamillionaire，andrichyourself。HowcomeyouhereintheSouthSeas，runningatrader？”
Hesaid，withasmile，thatIhadnotyetheardofJim’slastbankruptcy。“Iwasaboutcleanedoutoncemore。”hesaid；
“andthenitwasthatCarthewhadthisschoonerbuilt，andputmeinassupercargo。It’shisyachtandit’smytrader；andasnearlyalltheexpensesgototheyacht，Idoprettywell。AsforJim，he’srightagain：oneofthebestbusinesses，theysay，intheWest，fruit，cereals，andrealestate；andhehasaTartarofapartnernow——Nares，noless。Nareswillkeephimstraight，Nareshasabighead。Theyhavetheircountry-placesnextdooratSaucelito，andIstayedwiththemtimeabout，thelasttimeI
wasonthecoast。Jimhadapaperofhisown——Ithinkhehasanotionofbeingsenatoroneofthesedays——andhewantedmetothrowuptheschoonerandcomeandwritehiseditorials。HeholdsstrongviewsontheStateConstitution，andsodoesMamie。”
“AndwhatbecameoftheotherthreeCurrencyLassesaftertheyleftCarthew？”Iinquired。
“Well，itseemstheyhadahugespreeinthecityofMexico。”
saidDodd；“andthenHaddenandtheIrishmantookaturnatthegoldfieldsinVenezuela，andWickswentonalonetoValparaiso。There’saKirkupintheChileannavytothisday，I
sawthenameinthepapersabouttheBalmacedawar。Haddensoonweariedofthemines，andImethimtheotherdayinSydney。ThelastnewshehadfromVenezuela，Machadbeenknockedoverinanattackonthegoldtrain。Sothere’sonlythethreeofthemleft，forAmaluscarcelycounts。HelivesonhisownlandinMaui，atthesideofHale-a-ka-la，wherehekeepsGoddedaal’scanary；andtheysayhestickstohisdollars，whichisawonderinaKanaka。Hehadaconsiderablepiletostartwith，fornotonlyHemstead’ssharebutCarthew’swasdividedequallyamongtheotherfour——Macbeingcounted。”
“Whatdidthatmakeforhimaltogether？”Icouldnothelpasking，forIhadbeendivertedbythenumberofcalculationsinhisnarrative。
“Onehundredandtwenty-eightpoundsnineteenshillingsandelevenpencehalfpenny。”herepliedwithcomposure。“That’sleavingoutwhatlittlehewonatVanJohn。It’ssomethingforaKanaka，youknow。”
Andaboutthattimewewereatlastobligedtoyieldtothesolicitationsofournativeadmirers，andgotothepastor’shousetodrinkgreencocoanuts。TheshipIwasinwassailingthesamenight，forDoddhadbeenbeforehandandgotalltheshellintheisland；andthoughhepressedmetodesertandreturnwithhimtoAuckland(whitherhewasnowboundtopickupCarthew)Iwasfirminmyrefusal。
Thetruthis，sinceIhavebeenmixedupwithHavensandDoddinthedesigntopublishthelatter’snarrative，IseemtofeelnowantforCarthew’ssociety。OfcourseIamwhollymoderninsentiment，andthinknothingmorenoblethantopublishpeople’sprivateaffairsatsomuchaline。Theylikeit，andiftheydon’t，theyoughtto。Butastillsmallvoicekeepstellingmetheywillnotlikeitalways，andperhapsnotalwaysstandit。
Memorybesidessuppliesmewiththefaceofapressman(inthesacredphrase)whoprovedaltogethertoomodernforoneofhisneighbours，andQuinuncitperitertenebricosumasitwere，marshallingusourway。Iaminnohasteto——nosproecedens——
bethatman’ssuccessor。Carthewhasarecordas“aclaneshot。”andforsomeyearsSamoawillbegoodenoughforme。
Weagreedtoseparate，accordingly；buthetookmeonboardinhisownboatwiththehard-woodfittings，andentertainedmeonthewaywithanaccountofhislatevisittoButaritari，whitherhehadgoneonanerrandforCarthew，toseehowTopeliuswasgettingalong，and，ifnecessary，togivehimahelpinghand。ButTopeliuswasingreatforce，andhadpatronisedand——well——out-manoeuvredhim。
“Carthewwillbepleased。”saidDodd；“forthere’snodoubttheyoppressedthemanabominablywhentheywereintheCurrencyLass。It’sdiamondcutdiamondnow。”
This，Ithink，wasthemostofthenewsIgotfrommyfriendLoudon；andIhopeIwaswellinspired，andhaveputallthequestionstowhichyouwouldbecurioustohearananswer。
ButthereisonemorethatIdaresayyouareburningtoputtomyself；andthatis，whatyourownnameisdoinginthisplace，croppingup(asitwereuncalled-for)onthesternofourpoorship？IfyouwerenotborninArcadia，youlingerinfancyonitsmargin；yourthoughtsarebusiedwiththeflutesofantiquity，withdaffodils，andtheclassicpoplar，andthefootstepsofthenymphs，andtheelegantandmovingaridityofancientart。
Whydedicatetoyouataleofacastesomodern；——fullofdetailsofourbarbaricmannersandunstablemorals；——fulloftheneedandthelustofmoney，sothatthereisscarceapageinwhichthedollarsdonotjingle；——fulloftheunrestandmovementofourcentury，sothatthereaderishurriedfromplacetoplaceandseatosea，andthebookislessaromancethanapanorama——intheend，asblood-bespatteredasanepic？
Well，youareamaninterestedinallproblemsofart，eventhemostvulgar；anditmayamuseyoutohearthegenesisandgrowthof_TheWrecker_。OnboardtheschoonerEquator，almostwithinsightoftheJohnstoneIslands(ifanybodyknowswheretheseare)andonamoonlitnightwhenitwasajoytobealive，theauthorswereamusedwithseveralstoriesofthesaleofwrecks。Thesubjecttemptedthem；andtheysatapartinthealley-waytodiscussitspossibilities。“Whatatangleitwouldmake。”suggestedone，“ifthewrongcrewwereaboard。Buthowtogetthewrongcrewthere？”——“Ihaveit！”criedtheother；
“theso-and-soaffair！”Fornotsomanymonthsbefore，andnotsomanyhundredmilesfromwherewewerethensailing，apropositionalmosttantamounttothatofCaptainTrenthadbeenmadebyaBritishskippertosomeBritishcastaways。
Beforeweturnedin，thescaffoldingofthetalehadbeenputtogether。Butthequestionoftreatmentwasasusualmoreobscure。Wehadlongbeenatonceattractedandrepelledbythatverymodernformofthepolicenovelormysterystory，whichconsistsinbeginningyouryarnanywherebutatthebeginning，andfinishingitanywherebutattheend；attractedbyitspeculiarinterestwhendone，andthepeculiardifficultiesthatattenditsexecution；repelledbythatappearanceofinsincerityandshallownessoftone，whichseemsitsinevitabledrawback。Forthemindofthereader，alwaysbenttopickupclews，receivesnoimpressionofrealityorlife，ratherofanairless，elaboratemechanism；andthebookremainsenthralling，butinsignificant，likeagameofchess，notaworkofhumanart。Itseemedthecausemightliepartlyintheabruptattack；andthatifthetaleweregraduallyapproached，someofthecharactersintroduced(asitwere)beforehand，andthebookstartedinthetoneofanovelofmannersandexperiencebrieflytreated，thisdefectmightbelessenedandourmysteryseemtoinhereinlife。Thetoneoftheage，itsmovement，theminglingofracesandclassesinthedollarhunt，thefieryandnotquiteunromanticstruggleforexistencewithitschangingtradesandscenery，andtwotypesinparticular，thatoftheAmericanhandy-manofbusinessandthatoftheYankeemerchantsailor——weagreedtodwelluponatsomelength，andmakethewooftoournotverypreciouswarp。HenceDodd’sfather，andPinkerton，andNares，andtheDromedarypicnics，andtherailwayworkinNewSouthWales——thelastanunsolicitedtestimonialfromthepowersthatbe，forthetalewashalfwrittenbeforeIsawCarthew’ssquadtoilintherainycuttingatSouthClifton，orheardfromtheengineerofhis“youngswell。”
Afterwehadinventedatsomeexpenseoftimethismethodofapproachingandfortifyingourpolicenovel，itoccurredtousithadbeeninventedpreviouslybysomeoneelse，andwasinfact——howeverpainfullydifferenttheresultsmayseem——themethodofCharlesDickensinhislaterwork。
Iseeyoustaring。Here，youwillsay，isaprodigiousquantityoftheorytoourhalfpennyworthofpolicenovel；andwithalnotashadowofananswertoyourquestion。
Well，someofusliketheory。Aftersolongapieceofpractice，thesemaybeindulgedforafewpages。Andtheanswerisathand。Itwasplainlydesirable，fromeverypointofviewofconvenienceandcontrast，thatourheroandnarratorshouldpartlystandasidefromthosewithwhomhemingles，andbebutapressed-maninthedollarhunt。ThusitwasthatLoudonDoddbecameastudentoftheplasticarts，andthatourglobe-
trottingstorycametovisitParisandlookinatBarbizon。Andthusitis，dearLow，thatyournameappearsintheaddressofthisepilogue。
Forsure，ifanypersoncanhereappreciateandreadbetweenthelines，itmustbeyou——andoneother，ourfriend。Allthedominoswillbetransparenttoyourbetterknowledge；thestatuarycontractwillbetoyouapieceofancienthistory；andyouwillnothavenowheardforthefirsttimeofthedangersofRoussillon。DeadleavesfromtheBasBreau，echoesfromLavenue’sandtheRueRacine，memoriesofacommonpast，letthesebeyourbookmarkersasyouread。Andifyoucarefornaughtelseinthestory，bealittlepleasedtobreatheoncemoreforamomenttheairsofouryouth。
TheEnd
