第1章

byJosephConrad WhatwasknownofCaptainHagberdinthelittleseaportofColebrookwasnotexactlyinhisfavour。 Hedidnotbelongtotheplace。Hehadcometosettlethereundercircumstancesnotatallmyste— rious——heusedtobeverycommunicativeaboutthematthetime——butextremelymorbidandun— reasonable。Hewaspossessedofsomelittlemoneyevidently，becauseheboughtaplotofground，andhadapairofuglyyellowbrickcottagesrunupverycheaply。HeoccupiedoneofthemhimselfandlettheothertoJosiahCarvil——blindCarvil，theretiredboat—builder——amanofevilreputeasadomestictyrant。 Thesecottageshadonewallincommon，sharedinalineofironrailingdividingtheirfrontgar— dens；awoodenfenceseparatedtheirbackgardens。 MissBessieCarvilwasallowed，asitwereofright，tothrowoveritthetea—cloths，bluerags，oranapronthatwanteddrying。 \"Itrotsthewood，Bessiemygirl，\"thecaptainwouldremarkmildly，fromhissideofthefence，eachtimehesawherexercisingthatprivilege。 Shewasatallgirl；thefencewaslow，andshecouldspreadherelbowsonthetop。Herhandswouldberedwiththebitofwashingshehaddone，butherforearmswerewhiteandshapely，andshewouldlookatherfather’slandlordinsilence——inaninformedsilencewhichhadanairofknowledge，expectationanddesire。 \"Itrotsthewood，\"repeatedCaptainHagberd。 \"Itistheonlyunthrifty，carelesshabitIknowinyou。Whydon’tyouhaveaclotheslineoutinyourbackyard？\" MissCarvilwouldsaynothingtothis——sheonlyshookherheadnegatively。Thetinybackyardonhersidehadafewstone—borderedlittlebedsofblackearth，inwhichthesimpleflowersshefoundtimetocultivateappearedsomehowextravagantlyovergrown，asifbelongingtoanexoticclime；andCaptainHagberd’supright，haleperson，cladinNo。1sail—clothfromheadtofoot，wouldbeemer— gingknee—deepoutofrankgrassandthetallweeksonhissideofthefence。Heappeared，withthecol— ouranduncouthstiffnessoftheextraordinaryma— terialinwhichhechosetoclothehimself——\"forthetimebeing，\"wouldbehismumbledremarktoanyobservationonthesubject——likeamanroughenedoutofgranite，standinginawildernessnotbigenoughforadecentbilliard—room。Aheavyfigureofamanofstone，witharedhandsomeface，abluewanderingeye，andagreatwhitebeardflowingtohiswaistandnevertrimmedasfarasColebrookknew。 Sevenyearsbefore，hehadseriouslyanswered，\"Nextmonth，Ithink，\"tothechaffingattempttosecurehiscustommadebythatdistinguishedlocalwit，theColebrookbarber，whohappenedtobesit— tinginsolentlyinthetap—roomoftheNewInnneartheharbour，wherethecaptainhadenteredtobuyanounceoftobacco。Afterpayingforhispur— chasewiththreehalf—penceextractedfromthecor— nerofahandkerchiefwhichhecarriedinthecuffofhissleeve，CaptainHagberdwentout。Assoonasthedoorwasshutthebarberlaughed。\"Theoldoneandtheyoungonewillbestrollingarminarmtogetshavedinmyplacepresently。Thetailorshallbesettowork，andthebarber，andthecandlestickmaker；higholdtimesarecomingforColebrook，theyarecoming，tobesure。Itusedtobe’nextweek，’nowithascometo’nextmonth，’ andsoon——soonitwillbenextspring，forallI know。\" Noticingastrangerlisteningtohimwithava— cantgrin，heexplained，stretchingouthislegscyn— ically，thatthisqueeroldHagberd，aretiredcoast— ing—skipper，waswaitingforthereturnofasonofhis。Theboyhadbeendrivenawayfromhome，heshouldn’twonder；hadrunawaytoseaandhadneverbeenheardofsince。PuttorestinDavyJones’slockerthismanyaday，aslikelyasnot。 ThatoldmancameflyingtoColebrookthreeyearsagoallinblackbroadcloth（hadlosthiswifelatelythen），gettingoutofathird—classsmokerasifthedevilhadbeenathisheels；andtheonlythingthatbroughthimdownwasaletter——ahoaxprobably。Somejokerhadwrittentohimaboutaseafaringmanwithsomesuchnamewhowassup— posedtobehangingaboutsomegirlorother，eitherinColebrookorintheneighbourhood。\"Funny，ain’tit？\"TheoldchaphadbeenadvertisingintheLondonpapersforHarryHagberd，andoffer— ingrewardsforanysortoflikelyinformation。 Andthebarberwouldgoontodescribewithsar— donicgusto，howthatstrangerinmourninghadbeenseenexploringthecountry，incarts，onfoot，takingeverybodyintohisconfidence，visitingalltheinnsandalehousesformilesaround，stoppingpeopleontheroadwithhisquestions，lookingintotheveryditchesalmost；firstinthegreatestexcite— ment，thenwithaploddingsortofperseverance，growingslowerandslower；andhecouldnoteventellyouplainlyhowhissonlooked。Thesailorwassupposedtobeoneoftwothathadleftatim— bership，andtohavebeenseendanglingaftersomegirl；buttheoldmandescribedaboyoffourteenorso——\"aclever—looking，high—spiritedboy。\"Andwhenpeopleonlysmiledatthishewouldrubhisforeheadinaconfusedsortofwaybeforeheslunkoff，lookingoffended。Hefoundnobody，ofcourse；notatraceofanybody——neverheardofanythingworthbelief，atanyrate；buthehadnotbeenablesomehowtotearhimselfawayfromCole— brook。 \"Itwastheshockofthisdisappointment，per— haps，comingsoonafterthelossofhiswife，thathaddrivenhimcrazyonthatpoint，\"thebarbersuggested，withanairofgreatpsychologicalin— sight。Afteratimetheoldmanabandonedtheac— tivesearch。Hissonhadevidentlygoneaway； buthesettledhimselftowait。HissonhadbeenonceatleastinColebrookinpreferencetohisna— tiveplace。Theremusthavebeensomereasonforit，heseemedtothink，someverypowerfulinduce— ment，thatwouldbringhimbacktoColebrookagain。 \"Ha，ha，ha！Why，ofcourse，Colebrook。 Whereelse？That’stheonlyplaceintheUnitedKingdomforyourlong—lostsons。SohesolduphisoldhomeinColchester，anddownhecomeshere。 Well，it’sacraze，likeanyother。Wouldn’tcatchmegoingcrazyoveranyofmyyoungstersclear— ingout。I’vegoteightofthemathome。\"Thebarberwasshowingoffhisstrengthofmindinthemidstofalaughterthatshookthetap—room。 Strange，though，thatsortofthing，hewouldconfess，withthefranknessofasuperiorintelli— gence，seemedtobecatching。Hisestablishment，forinstance，wasneartheharbour，andwheneverasailormancameinforahair—cutorashave——ifitwasastrangefacehecouldn’thelpthinkingdi— rectly，\"Supposehe’sthesonofoldHagberd！\" Helaughedathimselfforit。Itwasastrongcraze。Hecouldrememberthetimewhenthewholetownwasfullofit。Buthehadhishopesoftheoldchapyet。Hewouldcurehimbyacourseofjudiciouschaffing。Hewaswatchingtheprogressofthetreatment。Nextweek——nextmonth——nextyear！Whentheoldskipperhadputoffthedateofthatreturntillnextyear，hewouldbewellonhiswaytonotsayinganymoreaboutit。Inothermattershewasquiterational，sothis，too，wasboundtocome。Suchwasthebarber’sfirmopin— ion。 Nobodyhadevercontradictedhim；hisownhairhadgonegreysincethattime，andCaptainHag— berd’sbeardhadturnedquitewhite，andhadac— quiredamajesticflowovertheNo。1canvassuit，whichhehadmadeforhimselfsecretlywithtarredtwine，andhadassumedsuddenly，comingoutinitonefinemorning，whereastheeveningbeforehehadbeenseengoinghomeinhismourningofbroadcloth。ItcausedasensationintheHighStreet——shopkeeperscomingtotheirdoors，peopleinthehousessnatchinguptheirhatstorunout—— astiratwhichheseemedstrangelysurprisedatfirst，andthenscared；buthisonlyanswertothewonderingquestionswasthatstartledandevasive，\"Forthepresent。\" Thatsensationhadbeenforgotten，longago； andCaptainHagberdhimself，ifnotforgotten，hadcometobedisregarded——thepenaltyofdaili— ness——asthesunitselfisdisregardedunlessitmakesitspowerfeltheavily。CaptainHagberd’smovementsshowednoinfirmity：hewalkedstifflyinhissuitofcanvas，aquaintandremarkablefig— ure；onlyhiseyeswanderedmorefurtivelyperhapsthanofyore。Hismannerabroadhadlostitsex— citablewatchfulness；ithadbecomepuzzledanddiffident，asthoughhehadsuspectedthattherewassomewhereabouthimsomethingslightlycom— promising，someembarrassingoddity；andyethadremainedunabletodiscoverwhatonearththissomethingwrongcouldbe。 Hewasunwillingnowtotalkwiththetownsfolk。 Hehadearnedforhimselfthereputationofanawfulskinflint，ofamiserinthematterofliving。 Hemumbledregretfullyintheshops，boughtin— feriorscrapsofmeatafterlonghesitations；anddiscouragedallallusionstohiscostume。Itwasasthebarberhadforetold。Forallonecouldtell，hehadrecoveredalreadyfromthediseaseofhope； andonlyMissBessieCarvilknewthathesaidnoth— ingabouthisson’sreturnbecausewithhimitwasnolonger\"nextweek，\"\"nextmonth，\"oreven\"nextyear。\"Itwas\"to—morrow。\" Intheirintimacyofbackyardandfrontgar— denhetalkedwithherpaternally，reasonably，anddogmatically，withatouchofarbitrariness。Theymetonthegroundofunreservedconfidence，whichwasauthenticatedbyanaffectionatewinknowandthen。MissCarvilhadcometolookforwardrathertothesewinks。Atfirsttheyhaddiscomposedher： thepoorfellowwasmad。Afterwardsshehadlearnedtolaughatthem：therewasnoharminhim。Nowshewasawareofanunacknowledged，pleasurable，incredulousemotion，expressedbyafaintblush。Hewinkednotintheleastvulgarly； histhinredfacewithawell—modelledcurvednose，hadasortofdistinction——themoresothatwhenhetalkedtoherhelookedwithasteadierandmorein— telligentglance。Ahandsome，hale，upright，ca— pableman，withawhitebeard。Youdidnotthinkofhisage。Hisson，heaffirmed，hadresembledhimamazinglyfromhisearliestbabyhood。 Harrywouldbeone—and—thirtynextJuly，hedeclared。Properagetogetmarriedwithanice，sensiblegirlthatcouldappreciateagoodhome。 Hewasaveryhigh—spiritedboy。High—spiritedhusbandsweretheeasiesttomanage。Thesemean，softchaps，thatyouwouldthinkbutterwouldn’tmeltintheirmouths，weretheonestomakeawom— anthoroughlymiserable。Andtherewasnothinglikeahome——afireside——agoodroof：noturningoutofyourwarmbedinallsortsofweather。\"Eh，mydear？\" CaptainHagberdhadbeenoneofthosesailorsthatpursuetheircallingwithinsightofland。Oneofthemanychildrenofabankruptfarmer，hehadbeenapprenticedhurriedlytoacoastingskipper，andhadremainedonthecoastallhissealife。Itmusthavebeenahardoneatfirst：hehadnevertakentoit；hisaffectionturnedtotheland，withitsinnumerablehouses，withitsquietlivesgatheredrounditsfiresides。Manysailorsfeelandprofessarationaldislikeforthesea，buthiswasapro— foundandemotionalanimosity——asiftheloveofthestablerelementhadbeenbredintohimthroughmanygenerations。 \"Peopledidnotknowwhattheylettheirboysinforwhentheyletthemgotosea，\"heexpoundedtoBessie。\"Assoonmakeconvictsofthematonce。\" Hedidnotbelieveyouevergotusedtoit。Thewearinessofsuchalifegotworseasyougotolder。 Whatsortoftradewasitinwhichmorethanhalfyourtimeyoudidnotputyourfootinsideyourhouse？Directlyyougotouttoseayouhadnomeansofknowingwhatwentonathome。Onemighthavethoughthimwearyofdistantvoyages； andthelongesthehadevermadehadlastedafort— night，ofwhichthemostparthadbeenspentatanchor，shelteringfromtheweather。Assoonashiswifehadinheritedahouseandenoughtoliveon（fromabachelorunclewhohadmadesomemoneyinthecoalbusiness）hethrewuphiscommandofanEast—coastcollierwithafeelingasthoughhehadescapedfromthegalleys。AfteralltheseyearshemighthavecountedonthefingersofhistwohandsallthedayshehadbeenoutofsightofEng— land。Hehadneverknownwhatitwastobeoutofsoundings。\"Ihaveneverbeenfurtherthaneightyfathomsfromtheland，\"wasoneofhisboasts。 BessieCarvilheardallthesethings。Infrontoftheircottagegrewanunder—sizedash；andonsum— merafternoonsshewouldbringoutachaironthegrass—plotandsitdownwithhersewing。CaptainHagberd，inhiscanvassuit，leanedonaspade。Hedugeverydayinhisfrontplot。Heturneditoverandoverseveraltimeseveryyear，butwasnotgo— ingtoplantanything\"justatpresent。\" ToBessieCarvilhewouldstatemoreexplicitly： \"NottillourHarrycomeshometo—morrow。\"Andshehadheardthisformulaofhopesooftenthatitonlyawakenedthevaguestpityinherheartforthathopefuloldman。 Everythingwasputoffinthatway，andevery— thingwasbeingpreparedlikewiseforto—morrow。 Therewasaboxfulofpacketsofvariousflower— seedstochoosefrom，forthefrontgarden。\"Hewilldoubtlessletyouhaveyoursayaboutthat，mydear，\"CaptainHagberdintimatedtoheracrosstherailing。 MissBessie’sheadremainedbowedoverherwork。Shehadheardallthissomanytimes。Butnowandthenshewouldrise，laydownhersewing，andcomeslowlytothefence。Therewasacharminthesegentleravings。Hewasdeterminedthathissonshouldnotgoawayagainforthewantofahomeallreadyforhim。Hehadbeenfillingtheothercottagewithallsortsoffurniture。Sheim— agineditallnew，freshwithvarnish，piledupasinawarehouse。Therewouldbetableswrappedupinsacking；rollsofcarpetsthickandverticallikefragmentsofcolumns，thegleamofwhitemar— bletopsinthedimnessofthedrawnblinds。Cap— tainHagberdalwaysdescribedhispurchasestoher，carefully，astoapersonhavingalegitimateinterestinthem。Theovergrownyardofhiscot— tagecouldbelaidoverwithconcrete……afterto—morrow。 \"Wemayjustaswelldoawaywiththefence。 Youcouldhaveyourdrying—lineout，quiteclearofyourflowers。\"Hewinked，andshewouldblushfaintly。 Thismadnessthathadenteredherlifethroughthekindimpulsesofherhearthadreasonablede— tails。Whatifsomedayhissonreturned？Butshecouldnotevenbequitesurethatheeverhadason；andifheexistedanywherehehadbeentoolongaway。WhenCaptainHagberdgotexcitedinhistalkshewouldsteadyhimbyapretenceofbelief，laughingalittletosalveherconscience。 Onlyonceshehadtriedpityinglytothrowsomedoubtonthathopedoomedtodisappointment，buttheeffectofherattempthadscaredherverymuch。 Allatonceoverthatman’sfacetherecameanex— pressionofhorrorandincredulity，asthoughhehadseenacrackopenoutinthefirmament。 \"You——you——youdon’tthinkhe’sdrowned！\" Foramomentheseemedtoherreadytogooutofhismind，forinhisordinarystateshethoughthimmoresanethanpeoplegavehimcreditfor。 Onthatoccasiontheviolenceoftheemotionwasfollowedbyamostpaternalandcomplacentre— covery。 \"Don’talarmyourself，mydear，\"hesaidalit— tlecunningly：\"theseacan’tkeephim。Hedoesnotbelongtoit。NoneofusHagberdseverdidbelongtoit。Lookatme；Ididn’tgetdrowned。 Moreover，heisn’tasailoratall；andifheisnotasailorhe’sboundtocomeback。There’snothingtopreventhimcomingback……\" Hiseyesbegantowander。 \"To—morrow。\" Shenevertriedagain，forfearthemanshouldgooutofhismindonthespot。Hedependedonher。Sheseemedtheonlysensiblepersoninthetown；andhewouldcongratulatehimselffranklybeforeherfaceonhavingsecuredsuchalevel— headedwifeforhisson。Therestofthetown，heconfidedtoheronce，inafitoftemper，wascertainlyqueer。Thewaytheylookedatyou——thewaytheytalkedtoyou！Hehadnevergotonwithanyoneintheplace。Didn’tlikethepeople。HewouldnothavelefthisowncountryifithadnotbeenclearthathissonhadtakenafancytoColebrook。 Shehumouredhiminsilence，listeningpatientlybythefence；crochetingwithdowncasteyes。 Blushescamewithdifficultyonherdead—whitecomplexion，underthenegligentlytwistedopu— lenceofmahogany—colouredhair。Herfatherwasfranklycarroty。 Shehadafullfigure；atired，unrefreshedface。 WhenCaptainHagberdvauntedthenecessityandproprietyofahomeandthedelightsofone’sownfireside，shesmiledalittle，withherlipsonly。Herhomedelightshadbeenconfinedtothenursingofherfatherduringthetenbestyearsofherlife。 Abestialroaringcomingoutofanupstairswin— dowwouldinterrupttheirtalk。Shewouldbeginatoncetorolluphercrochet—workorfoldhersew— ing，withouttheslightestsignofhaste。Mean— whilethehowlsandroarsofhernamewouldgoon，makingthefishermenstrollinguponthesea—wallontheothersideoftheroadturntheirheadsto— wardsthecottages。Shewouldgoinslowlyatthefrontdoor，andamomentafterwardstherewouldfallaprofoundsilence。Presentlyshewouldre— appear，leadingbythehandaman，grossandun— wieldylikeahippopotamus，withabad—tempered，surlyface。 Hewasawidowedboat—builder，whomblindnesshadovertakenyearsbeforeinthefullflushofbusi— ness。Hebehavedtohisdaughterasifshehadbeenresponsibleforitsincurablecharacter。Hehadbeenheardtobellowatthetopofhisvoice，asiftodefyHeaven，thathedidnotcare：hehadmadeenoughmoneytohavehamandeggsforhisbreakfasteverymorning。HethankedGodforit，inafiendishtoneasthoughhewerecursing。 CaptainHagberdhadbeensounfavourablyim— pressedbyhistenant，thatoncehetoldMissBes— sie，\"Heisaveryextravagantfellow，mydear。\" Shewasknittingthatday，finishingapairofsocksforherfather，whoexpectedhertokeepupthesupplydutifully。Shehatedknitting，and，asshewasjustattheheelpart，shehadtokeephereyesonherneedles。 \"Ofcourseitisn’tasifhehadasontoprovidefor，\"CaptainHagberdwentonalittlevacantly。 \"Girls，ofcourse，don’trequiresomuch——h’m—— h’m。Theydon’trunawayfromhome，mydear。\" \"No，\"saidMissBessie，quietly。 CaptainHagberd，amongstthemoundsofturned—upearth，chuckled。Withhismaritimerig，hisweather—beatenface，hisbeardofFatherNep— tune，heresembledadeposedsea—godwhohadex— changedthetridentforthespade。 \"Andhemustlookuponyouasalreadypro— videdfor，inamanner。That’sthebestofitwiththegirls。Thehusbands……\"Hewinked。MissBessie，absorbedinherknitting，colouredfaintly。 \"Bessie！myhat！\"oldCarvilbellowedoutsud— denly。Hehadbeensittingunderthetreemuteandmotionless，likeanidolofsomeremarkablymonstroussuperstition。Heneveropenedhismouthbuttohowlforher，ather，sometimesabouther；andthenhedidnotmoderatethetermsofhisabuse。Hersystemwasnevertoanswerhimatall； andhekeptuphisshoutingtillhegotattendedto——tillsheshookhimbythearm，orthrustthemouthpieceofhispipebetweenhisteeth。Hewasoneofthefewblindpeoplewhosmoke。Whenhefeltthehatbeingputonhisheadhestoppedhisnoiseatonce。Thenherose，andtheypassedto— getherthroughthegate。 Heweighedheavilyonherarm。Duringtheirslow，toilfulwalkssheappearedtobedraggingwithherforapenancetheburdenofthatinfirmbulk。Usuallytheycrossedtheroadatonce（thecottagesstoodinthefieldsneartheharbour，twohundredyardsawayfromtheendofthestreet），andforalong，longtimetheywouldremaininview，ascendingimperceptiblytheflightofwoodenstepsthatledtothetopofthesea—wall。Itranonfromeasttowest，shuttingouttheChannellikeaneglectedrailwayembankment，onwhichnotrainhadeverrolledwithinmemoryofman。Groupsofsturdyfishermenwouldemergeuponthesky，walkalongforabit，andsinkwithouthaste。Theirbrownnets，likethecobwebsofgiganticspiders，layontheshabbygrassoftheslope；and，lookingupfromtheendofthestreet，thepeopleofthetownwouldrecognisethetwoCarvilsbythecreep— ingslownessoftheirgait。CaptainHagberd，pot— teringaimlesslyabouthiscottages，wouldraisehisheadtoseehowtheygotonintheirpromenade。 HeadvertisedstillintheSundaypapersforHarryHagberd。Thesesheetswerereadinfor— eignpartstotheendoftheworld，heinformedBes— sie。AtthesametimeheseemedtothinkthathissonwasinEngland——soneartoColebrookthathewouldofcourseturnup\"to—morrow。\"Bessie，withoutcommittingherselftothatopinioninsomanywords，arguedthatinthatcasetheexpenseofadvertisingwasunnecessary；CaptainHagberdhadbetterspendthatweeklyhalf—crownonhim— self。Shedeclaredshedidnotknowwhathelivedon。Herargumentationwouldpuzzlehimandcasthimdownforatime。\"Theyalldoit，\"hepointedout。Therewasawholecolumndevotedtoappealsaftermissingrelatives。Hewouldbringthenews— papertoshowher。Heandhiswifehadadvertisedforyears；onlyshewasanimpatientwoman。ThenewsfromColebrookhadarrivedtheverydayafterherfuneral；ifshehadnotbeensoimpatientshemighthavebeenherenow，withnomorethanonedaymoretowait。\"Youarenotanimpatientwoman，mydear。\" \"I’venopatiencewithyousometimes，\"shewouldsay。 Ifhestilladvertisedforhissonhedidnotofferrewardsforinformationanymore；for，withthemuddledlucidityofamentalderangementhehadreasonedhimselfintoaconvictionasclearasday— lightthathehadalreadyattainedallthatcouldbeexpectedinthatway。Whatmorecouldhewant？ Colebrookwastheplace，andtherewasnoneedtoaskformore。MissCarvilpraisedhimforhisgoodsense，andhewassoothedbythepartshetookinhishope，whichhadbecomehisdelusion；inthatideawhichblindedhismindtotruthandprobabil— ity，justastheotheroldmanintheothercottagehadbeenmadeblind，byanotherdisease，tothelightandbeautyoftheworld。 Butanythinghecouldinterpretasadoubt—— anycoldnessofassent，orevenasimpleinattentiontothedevelopmentofhisprojectsofahomewithhisreturnedsonandhisson’swife——wouldirritatehimintoflingsandjerksandwickedsideglances。 Hewoulddashhisspadeintothegroundandwalktoandfrobeforeit。MissBessiecalledithistan— trums。Sheshookherfingerathim。Then，whenshecameoutagain，afterhehadpartedwithherinanger，hewouldwatchoutofthecornerofhiseyesfortheleastsignofencouragementtoap— proachtheironrailingsandresumehisfatherlyandpatronisingrelations。 Foralltheirintimacy，whichhadlastedsomeyearsnow，theyhadnevertalkedwithoutafenceorarailingbetweenthem。Hedescribedtoherallthesplendoursaccumulatedforthesetting—upoftheirhousekeeping，buthadneverinvitedhertoaninspection。NohumaneyewastobeholdthemtillHarryhadhisfirstlook。Infact，nobodyhadeverbeeninsidehiscottage；hedidhisownhousework，andheguardedhisson’sprivilegesojealouslythatthesmallobjectsofdomesticuseheboughtsome— timesinthetownweresmuggledrapidlyacrossthefrontgardenunderhiscanvascoat。Then，comingout，hewouldremarkapologetically，\"Itwasonlyasmallkettle，mydear。\" And，ifnottootiredwithherdrudgery，orwor— riedbeyondendurancebyherfather，shewouldlaughathimwithablush，andsay：\"That’sallright，CaptainHagberd；Iamnotimpatient。\" \"Well，mydear，youhaven’tlongtowaitnow，\" hewouldanswerwithasuddenbashfulness，andlookinguneasily，asthoughhehadsuspectedthattherewassomethingwrongsomewhere。 EveryMondayshepaidhimhisrentovertherailings。Heclutchedtheshillingsgreedily。Hegrudgedeverypennyhehadtospendonhismain— tenance，andwhenhelefthertomakehispurchaseshisbearingchangedassoonashegotintothestreet。Awayfromthesanctionofherpity，hefelthimselfexposedwithoutdefence。Hebrushedthewallswithhisshoulder。Hemistrustedthequeer— nessofthepeople；yet，bythen，eventhetownchildrenhadleftoffcallingafterhim，andthetradesmenservedhimwithoutaword。Theslight— estallusiontohisclothinghadthepowertopuzzleandfrightenespecially，asifitweresomethingutterlyunwarrantedandincomprehensible。 Intheautumn，thedrivingraindrummedonhissailclothsuitsaturatedalmosttothestiffnessofsheet—iron，withitssurfaceflowingwithwater。 Whentheweatherwastoobad，heretreatedunderthetinyporch，and，standingcloseagainstthedoor，lookedathisspadeleftplantedinthemiddleoftheyard。Thegroundwassomuchdugupallover，thatastheseasonadvanceditturnedtoaquagmire。Whenitfrozehard，hewasdisconso— late。WhatwouldHarrysay？AndashecouldnothavesomuchofBessie’scompanyatthattimeoftheyear，theroarsofoldCarvil，thatcamemuf— fledthroughtheclosedwindows，callingherin— doors，exasperatedhimgreatly。 \"Whydon’tthatextravagantfellowgetyouaservant？\"heaskedimpatientlyonemildafter— noon。Shehadthrownsomethingoverherheadtorunoutforawhile。 \"Idon’tknow，\"saidthepaleBessie，wearily，staringawaywithherheavy—lidded，grey，andun— expectantglance。Therewerealwayssmudgyshadowsunderhereyes，andshedidnotseemabletoseeanychangeoranyendtoherlife。 \"Youwaittillyougetmarried，mydear，\"saidheronlyfriend，drawingclosertothefence。 \"Harrywillgetyouone。\" Hishopefulcrazeseemedtomockherownwantofhopewithsobitteranaptnessthatinherner— vousirritationshecouldhavescreamedathimout— right。Butsheonlysaidinself—mockery，andspeakingtohimasthoughhehadbeensane，\"Why，CaptainHagberd，yoursonmaynotevenwanttolookatme。\" Heflunghisheadbackandlaughedhisthroatyaffectedcackleofanger。 \"What！Thatboy？Notwanttolookattheonlysensiblegirlformilesaround？WhatdoyouthinkIamherefor，mydear——mydear——mydear？……What？Youwait。Youjustwait。You’llseeto—morrow。I’llsoon——\" \"Bessie！Bessie！Bessie！\"howledoldCarvilin— side。\"Bessie！——mypipe！\"Thatfatblindmanhadgivenhimselfuptoaverylustoflaziness。Hewouldnotlifthishandtoreachforthethingsshetookcaretoleaveathisveryelbow。Hewouldnotmovealimb；hewouldnotrisefromhischair，hewouldnotputonefootbeforeanother，inthatpar— lour（whereheknewhiswayaswellasifhehadhissight），withoutcallinghertohissideandhangingallhisatrociousweightonhershoulder。Hewouldnoteatonesinglemouthfuloffoodwithouthercloseattendance。Hehadmadehimselfhelplessbeyondhisaffliction，toenslaveherbetter。Shestoodstillforamoment，settingherteethinthedusk，thenturnedandwalkedslowlyindoors。 CaptainHagberdwentbacktohisspade。TheshoutinginCarvil’scottagestopped，andafterawhilethewindowoftheparlourdownstairswaslitup。Amancomingfromtheendofthestreetwithafirmleisurelysteppassedon，butseemedtohavecaughtsightofCaptainHagberd，becauseheturnedbackapaceortwo。Acoldwhitelightlin— geredinthewesternsky。Themanleanedoverthegateinaninterestedmanner。 \"YoumustbeCaptainHagberd，\"hesaid，witheasyassurance。 Theoldmanspunround，pullingouthisspade，startledbythestrangevoice。 \"Yes，Iam，\"heanswerednervously。 Theother，smilingstraightathim，utteredveryslowly：\"You’vebeenadvertisingforyourson，I believe？\" \"MysonHarry，\"mumbledCaptainHagberd，offhisguardforonce。\"He’scominghometo— morrow。\" \"Thedevilheis！\"Thestrangermarvelledgreatly，andthenwenton，withonlyaslightchangeoftone：\"You’vegrownabeardlikeFatherChristmashimself。\" CaptainHagberddrewalittlenearer，andleanedforwardoverhisspade。\"Goyourway，\" hesaid，resentfullyandtimidlyatthesametime，becausehewasalwaysafraidofbeinglaughedat。 Everymentalstate，evenmadness，hasitsequi— libriumbaseduponself—esteem。Itsdisturbancecausesunhappiness；andCaptainHagberdlivedamongstaschemeofsettlednotionswhichitpainedhimtofeeldisturbedbypeople’sgrins。Yes，peo— ple’sgrinswereawful。Theyhintedatsomethingwrong：butwhat？Hecouldnottell；andthatstrangerwasobviouslygrinning——hadcomeonpurposetogrin。Itwasbadenoughonthestreets，buthehadneverbeforebeenoutragedlikethis。 Thestranger，unawarehownearhewasofhav— inghisheadlaidopenwithaspade，saidseriously： \"IamnottrespassingwhereIstand，amI？I fancythere’ssomethingwrongaboutyournews。 Supposeyouletmecomein。\" \"YOUcomein！\"murmuredoldHagberd，withinexpressiblehorror。 \"Icouldgiveyousomerealinformationaboutyourson——theverylatesttip，ifyoucaretohear。\" \"No，\"shoutedHagberd。Hebegantopacewildlytoandfro，heshoulderedhisspade，heges— ticulatedwithhisotherarm。\"Here’safellow—— agrinningfellow，whosaysthere’ssomethingwrong。I’vegotmoreinformationthanyou’reawareof。I’vealltheinformationIwant。I’vehaditforyears——foryears——foryears——enoughtolastmetillto—morrow。Letyoucomein，indeed！ WhatwouldHarrysay？\" BessieCarvil’sfigureappearedinblacksilhou— etteontheparlourwindow；then，withthesoundofanopeningdoor，flittedoutbeforetheothercot— tage，allblack，butwithsomethingwhiteoverherhead。Thesetwovoicesbeginningtotalksud— denlyoutside（shehadheardthemindoors）hadgivenhersuchanemotionthatshecouldnotutterasound。 CaptainHagberdseemedtobetryingtofindhiswayoutofacage。Hisfeetsquelchedinthepud— dlesleftbyhisindustry。Hestumbledintheholesoftheruinedgrass—plot。Heranblindlyagainstthefence。 \"Here，steadyabit！\"saidthemanatthegate，gravelystretchinghisarmoverandcatchinghimbythesleeve。\"Somebody’sbeentryingtogetatyou。Hallo！what’sthisrigyou’vegoton？Stormcanvas，byGeorge！\"Hehadabiglaugh。 \"Well，youAREacharacter！\" CaptainHagberdjerkedhimselffree，andbegantobackawayshrinkingly。\"Forthepresent，\"hemuttered，inacrestfallentone。 \"What’sthematterwithhim？\"ThestrangeraddressedBessiewiththeutmostfamiliarity，inadeliberate，explanatorytone。\"Ididn’twanttostartletheoldman。\"Heloweredhisvoiceasthoughhehadknownherforyears。\"Idroppedintoabarber’sonmyway，togetatwopennyshave，andtheytoldmetherehewassomethingofacharacter。Theoldmanhasbeenacharacterallhislife。\" CaptainHagberd，dauntedbytheallusiontohisclothing，hadretreatedinside，takinghisspadewithhim；andthetwoatthegate，startledbytheunexpectedslammingofthedoor，heardtheboltsbeingshot，thesnappingofthelock，andtheechoofanaffectedgurglinglaughwithin。 \"Ididn’twanttoupsethim，\"themansaid，afterashortsilence。\"What’sthemeaningofallthis？Heisn’tquitecrazy。\" \"Hehasbeenworryingalongtimeabouthislostson，\"saidBessie，inalow，apologetictone。 \"Well，Iamhisson。\" \"Harry！\"shecried——andwasprofoundlysi— lent。 \"Knowmyname？Friendswiththeoldman，eh？\" \"He’sourlandlord，\"Bessiefalteredout，catch— ingholdoftheironrailing。