Herthoughts，likeafascinatedmoth，wentflutteringtowardthatlight——thatman——thatgirl，whohadknownwar，danger，seendeathnear，hadobtainedevidentlythedevotionofthatman。Theoccurrencesoftheafternoonhadbeenstrangeinthemselves，butwhatstruckherartisticsensewasthevigouroftheirpresentation。Theyoutlinedthemselvesbeforehermemorywiththeclearsimplicityofsomeimmortallegend。Theyweremysterious，butshefeltcertaintheywereabsolutelytrue。Theyembodiedartlessandmasterfulfeelings；such，nodoubt，ashadswayedmankindinthesimplicityofitsyouth。Sheenvied，foramoment，thelotofthathumbleandobscuresister。Nothingstoodbetweenthatgirlandthetruthofhersensations。Shecouldbesincerelycourageous，andtenderandpassionateand——well——ferocious。Whynotferocious？Shecouldknowthetruthofterror——andofaffection，absolutely，withoutartificialtrammels，withoutthepainofrestraint。
ThinkingofwhatsuchlifecouldbeMrs。Traversfeltinvadedbythatinexplicableexaltationwhichtheconsciousnessoftheirphysicalcapacitiessooftengivestointellectualbeings。Sheglowedwithasuddenpersuasionthatshealsocouldbeequaltosuchanexistence；andherheartwasdilatedwithamomentarylongingtoknowthenakedtruthofthings；thenakedtruthoflifeandpassionburiedunderthegrowthofcenturies。
Sheglowedand，suddenly，shequiveredwiththeshockofcomingtoherselfasifshehadfallendownfromastar。Therewasasoundofripplingwaterandashapelessmassglidedoutofthedarkvoidsheconfronted。Avoicebelowherfeetsaid：
\"Imadeoutyourshape——onthesky。\"Acryofsurpriseexpiredonherlipsandshecouldonlypeerdownward。Lingard，aloneinthebrig’sdinghy，withanotherstrokesentthelightboatnearlyundertheyacht’scounter，laidhisscullsin，androsefromthethwart。Hisheadandshouldersloomedupalongsideandhehadtheappearanceofstandinguponthesea。InvoluntarilyMrs。Traversmadeamovementofretreat。
\"Stop，\"hesaid，anxiously，\"don’tspeakloud。Noonemustknow。
Wheredoyourpeoplethinkthemselves，Iwonder？Inadockathome？Andyou——\"
\"Myhusbandisnotonboard，\"sheinterrupted，hurriedly。
\"Iknow。\"
Shebentalittlemoreovertherail。
\"Thenyouarehavinguswatched。Why？\"
\"Somebodymustwatch。Yourpeoplekeepsuchagoodlook—out——don’tthey？Yes。Eversincedarkoneofmyboatshasbeendodgingasternhere，inthedeepwater。IsworetomyselfI
wouldneverseeoneofyou，neverspeaktooneofyouhere，thatIwouldbedumb，blind，deaf。And——hereIam！\"
Mrs。Travers’alarmandmistrustwerereplacedbyanimmensecuriosity，burning，yetquiet，too，asifbeforetheinevitableworkofdestiny。ShelookeddownwardatLingard。Hisheadwasbared，and，withonehandupontheship’sside，heseemedtobethinkingdeeply。
\"Becauseyouhadsomethingmoretotellus，\"Mrs。Traverssuggested，gently。
\"Yes，\"hesaidinalowtoneandwithoutmovingintheleast。
\"Willyoucomeonboardandwait？\"sheasked。
\"Who？I！\"Heliftedhisheadsoquicklyastostartleher。\"I
havenothingtosaytohim；andI’llneverputmyfootonboardthiscraft。I’vebeentoldtogo。That’senough。\"
\"Heisaccustomedtobeaddresseddeferentially，\"shesaidafterapause，\"andyou——\"
\"Whoishe？\"askedLingard，simply。
Thesethreewordsseemedtohertoscatterherpastintheair——likesmoke。Theyrobbedallthemultitudeofmankindofeveryvestigeofimportance。Shewasamazedtofindthatonthisnight，inthisplace，therecouldbenoadequateanswertothesearchingnaivenessofthatquestion。
\"Ididn’taskformuch，\"Lingardbeganagain。\"DidI？Onlythatyouallshouldcomeonboardmybrigforfivedays。That’sall……DoIlooklikealiar？TherearethingsIcouldnottellhim。
Icouldn’texplain——Icouldn’t——nottohim——tonoman——tonomanintheworld——\"
Hisvoicedropped。
\"Nottomyself，\"heendedasifinadream。
\"Wehaveremainedunmolestedsolonghere，\"beganMrs。Traversalittleunsteadily，\"thatitmakesitverydifficulttobelieveindanger，now。Wesawnooneallthesedaysexceptthosetwopeoplewhocameforyou。Ifyoumaynotexplain——\"
\"Ofcourse，youcan’tbeexpectedtoseethroughawall，\"brokeinLingard。\"Thiscoast’slikeawall，butIknowwhat’sontheotherside……Ayachthere，ofallthingsthatfloat！WhenI
seteyesonherIcouldfancyshehadn’tbeenmorethananhourfromhome。Nothingbutthelookofhersparsmademethinkofoldtimes。Andthenthefacesofthechapsonboard。Iseemedtoknowthemall。ItwaslikehomecomingtomewhenIwasn’tthinkingofit。AndIhatedthesightofyouall。\"
\"Ifweareexposedtoanyperil，\"shesaidafterapauseduringwhichshetriedtopenetratethesecretofpassionhiddenbehindthatman’swords，\"itneednotaffectyou。OurotherboatisgonetotheStraitsandeffectivehelpissuretocomeverysoon。\"
\"Affectme！Isthatpreciouswatchmanofyourscomingaft？I
don’twantanybodytoknowIcamehereagainbegging，evenofyou。Ishecomingaft？……Listen！I’vestoppedyourotherboat。\"
Hisheadandshouldersdisappearedasthoughhehaddivedintoadenserlayerofobscurityfloatingonthewater。Thewatchman，whohadtheintentiontostretchhimselfinoneofthedeckchairs，catchingsightoftheowner’swife，walkedstraighttothelampthathungundertheridgepoleoftheawning，andafterfumblingwithitforatimewentawayforwardwithanindolentgait。
\"Youdared！\"Mrs。Traverswhispereddowninanintensetone；anddirectly，Lingard’sheademergedagainbelowherwithanupturnedface。
\"Itwasdare——orgiveup。ThehelpfromtheStraitswouldhavebeentoolateanyhowifIhadn’tthepowertokeepyousafe；andifIhadthepowerIcouldseeyouthroughit——alone。Iexpectedtofindareasonablemantotalkto。Ioughttohaveknownbetter。Youcomefromtoofartounderstandthesethings。Well，I
dared；I’vesentafteryourotherboatafellowwho，withmeathisback，wouldtrytostopthegovernoroftheStraitshimself。
Hewilldoit。Perhapsit’sdonealready。Youhavenothingtohopefor。ButIamhere。YousaidyoubelievedImeantwell——\"
\"Yes，\"shemurmured。
\"That’swhyIthoughtIwouldtellyoueverything。Ihadtobeginwiththisbusinessabouttheboat。Andwhatdoyouthinkofmenow？I’vecutyouofffromtherestoftheearth。Youpeoplewoulddisappearlikeastoneinthewater。Youleftoneforeignportforanother。Who’stheretotroubleaboutwhatbecameofyou？Whowouldknow？Whocouldguess？Itwouldbemonthsbeforetheybegantostir。\"
\"Iunderstand，\"shesaid，steadily，\"wearehelpless。\"
\"Andalone，\"headded。
Afterapauseshesaidinadeliberate，restrainedvoice：
\"Whatdoesthismean？Plunder，captivity？\"
\"ItwouldhavemeantdeathifIhadn’tbeenhere，\"heanswered。
\"Butyouhavethepowerto——\"
\"\"Why，doyouthink，youarealiveyet？\"hecried。\"Jorgensonhasbeenarguingwiththemonshore，\"hewenton，morecalmly，withaswingofhisarmtowardwherethenightseemeddarkest。\"Doyouthinkhewouldhavekeptthembackiftheyhadn’texpectedmeeveryday？Hiswordswouldhavebeennothingwithoutmyfist。\"
Sheheardadullblowstruckonthesideoftheyachtandconcealedinthesamedarknessthatwrappedtheunconcernoftheearthandsea，thefuryandthepainofhearts；shesmiledabovehishead，fascinatedbythesimplicityofimagesandexpressions。
Lingardmadeabrusquemovement，thelivelylittleboatbeingunsteadyunderhisfeet，andshespokeslowly，absently，asifherthoughthadbeenlostinthevaguenessofhersensations。
\"Andthis——this——Jorgenson，yousaid？Whoishe？\"
\"Aman，\"heanswered，\"amanlikemyself。\"
\"Likeyourself？\"
\"Justlikemyself，\"hesaidwithstrangereluctance，asifadmittingapainfultruth。\"Moresense，perhaps，butlessluck。
Though，sinceyouryachthasturneduphere，Ibegintothinkthatmyluckisnothingmuchtoboastofeither。\"
\"Isourpresenceheresofatal？\"
\"Itmaybedeathtosome。Itmaybeworsethandeathtome。Anditrestswithyouinaway。Thinkofthat！Icanneverfindsuchanotherchanceagain。Butthat’snothing！AmanwhohassavedmylifeonceandthatIpassedmywordtowouldthinkIhadthrownhimover。Butthat’snothing！Listen！AstrueasIstandhereinmyboattalkingtoyou，Ibelievethegirlwoulddieofgrief。\"
\"Youloveher，\"shesaid，softly。
\"Likemyowndaughter，\"hecried，low。
Mrs。Traverssaid，\"Oh！\"faintly，andforamomenttherewasasilence，thenhebeganagain：
\"Lookhere。WhenIwasaboyinatrawler，andlookedatyouyachtpeople，intheChannelports，youwereasstrangetomeastheMalaysherearestrangetoyou。Ilefthomesixteenyearsagoandfoughtmywayallroundtheearth。IhadthetimetoforgetwhereIbegan。Whatareyoutomeagainstthesetwo？IfIwastodiehereonthespotwouldyoucare？Noonewouldcareathome。
Nooneinthewholeworld——butthesetwo。\"
\"WhatcanIdo？\"sheasked，andwaited，leaningover。
Heseemedtoreflect，thenliftinghishead，spokegently：
\"Doyouunderstandthedangeryouarein？Areyouafraid？\"
\"Iunderstandtheexpressionyouused，ofcourse。Understandthedanger？\"shewenton。\"No——decidedlyno。And——honestly——Iamnotafraid。\"
\"Aren’tyou？\"hesaidinadisappointedvoice。\"Perhapsyoudon’tbelieveme？Ibelievedyou，though，whenyousaidyouweresureI
meantwell。Itrustedyouenoughtocomehereaskingforyourhelp——tellingyouwhatnooneknows。\"
\"Youmistakeme，\"shesaidwithimpulsiveearnestness。\"Thisissoextraordinarilyunusual——sudden——outsidemyexperience。\"
\"Aye！\"hemurmured，\"whatwouldyouknowofdangerandtrouble？
You！Butperhapsbythinkingitover——\"
\"Youwantmetothinkmyselfintoafright！\"Mrs。Traverslaughedlightly，andinthegloomofhisthoughtthisflashofjoyoussoundwasincongruousandalmostterrible。Nextmomentthenightappearedbrilliantasday，warmassunshine；butwhensheceasedthereturningdarknessgavehimpainasifithadstruckheavilyagainsthisbreast。\"Idon’tthinkIcoulddothat，\"shefinishedinaserioustone。
\"Couldn’tyou？\"Hehesitated，perplexed。\"Thingsarebadenoughtomakeitnoshame。Itellyou，\"hesaid，rapidly，\"andIamnotatimidman，Imaynotbeabletodomuchifyoupeopledon’thelpme。\"
\"YouwantmetopretendIamalarmed？\"sheasked，quickly。
\"Aye，topretend——aswellyoumay。It’salottoaskofyou——whoperhapsneverhadtomake—believeathinginyourlife——isn’tit？\"
\"Itis，\"shesaidafteratime。
TheunexpectedbitternessofhertonestruckLingardwithdismay。
\"Don’tbeoffended，\"heentreated。\"I’vegottoplanawayoutofthismess。It’snoplayeither。Couldyoupretend？\"
\"Perhaps，ifItriedveryhard。Buttowhatend？\"
\"Youmustallshiftaboardthebrig，\"hebegan，speakingquickly，\"andthenwemaygetoverthistroublewithoutcomingtoblows。
Now，ifyouweretosaythatyouwishit；thatyoufeelunsafeintheyacht——don’tyousee？\"
\"Isee，\"shepronounced，thoughtfully。
\"Thebrigissmallbutthecuddyisfitforalady，\"wentonLingardwithanimation。
\"Hasitnotalreadyshelteredaprincess？\"shecommented，coolly。
\"AndIshallnotintrude。\"
\"Thisisaninducement。\"
\"Nobodywilldaretointrude。Youneedn’tevenseeme。\"
\"Thisisalmostdecisive，only——\"
\"Iknowmyplace。\"
\"Only，Imightnothavetheinfluence，\"shefinished。
\"ThatIcannotbelieve，\"hesaid，roughly。\"Thelongandtheshortofitisyoudon’ttrustmebecauseyouthinkthatonlypeopleofyourownconditionspeakthetruthalways。\"
\"Evidently，\"shemurmured。
\"Yousaytoyourself——here’safellowdeepinwithpirates，thieves，niggers——\"
\"Tobesure——\"
\"AmanIneversawthelikebefore，\"wentonLingard，headlong，\"a——ruffian。\"
Hecheckedhimself，fullofconfusion。Afteratimeheheardhersaying，calmly：
\"Youarelikeothermeninthis，thatyougetangrywhenyoucannothaveyourwayatonce。\"
\"Iangry！\"heexclaimedindeadenedvoice。\"Youdonotunderstand。Iamthinkingofyoualso——itishardonme——\"
\"Imistrustnotyou，butmyownpower。YouhaveproducedanunfortunateimpressiononMr。Travers。\"
\"Unfortunateimpression！HetreatedmeasifIhadbeenalong—shoreloafer。Nevermindthat。Heisyourhusband。Fearinthoseyoucareforishardtobearforanyman。Andso，he——\"
\"WhatMachiavellism！\"
\"Eh，whatdidyousay？\"
\"Ionlywonderedwhereyouhadobservedthat。Onthesea？\"
\"Observedwhat？\"hesaid，absently。Thenpursuinghisidea——\"Onewordfromyououghttobeenough。\"
\"Youthinkso？\"
\"Iamsureofit。Why，evenI，myself——\"
\"Ofcourse，\"sheinterrupted。\"Butdon’tyouthinkthatafterpartingwithyouonsuch——such——inimicalterms，therewouldbeadifficultyinresumingrelations？\"
\"Amanlikemewoulddoanythingformoney——don’tyousee？\"
Afterapausesheasked：
\"Andwouldyoucareforthatargumenttobeused？\"
\"Aslongasyouknowbetter！\"
Hisvoicevibrated——shedrewbackdisturbed，asifunexpectedlyhehadtouchedher。
\"Whatcantherebeatstake？\"shebegan，wonderingly。
\"Akingdom，\"saidLingard。
Mrs。Traversleanedfarovertherail，staring，andtheirfaces，oneabovetheother，cameveryclosetogether。
\"Notforyourself？\"shewhispered。
Hefeltthetouchofherbreathonhisforeheadandremainedstillforamoment，perfectlystillasifhedidnotintendtomoveorspeakanymore。
\"Thosethings，\"hebegan，suddenly，\"comeinyourway，whenyoudon’tthink，andtheygetallroundyoubeforeyouknowwhatyoumeantodo。WhenIwentintothatbayinNewGuineaIneverguessedwherethatcoursewouldtakemeto。Icouldtellyouastory。Youwouldunderstand！You！You！\"
Hestammered，hesitated，andsuddenlyspoke，liberatingthevisionsoftwoyearsintothenightwhereMrs。Traverscouldfollowthemasifoutlinedinwordsoffire。
VII
Histalewasasstartlingasthediscoveryofanewworld。Shewasbeingtakenalongtheboundaryofanexcitingexistence，andshelookedintoitthroughtheguilelessenthusiasmofthenarrator。Theheroicqualityofthefeelingsconcealedwhatwasdisproportionateandabsurdinthatgratitude，inthatfriendship，inthatinexplicabledevotion。Theheadlongfiercenessofpurposeinvestedhisobscuredesignofconquestwiththeproportionsofagreatenterprise。Itwasclearthatnovisionofasubjugatedworldcouldhavebeenmoreinspiringtothemostfamousadventurerofhistory。
Fromtimetotimeheinterruptedhimselftoask，confidently，asifhehadbeenspeakingtoanoldfriend，\"Whatwouldyouhavedone？\"andhurriedonwithoutpausingforapproval。
Itstruckherthattherewasagreatpassioninallthis，thebeautyofanimplantedfacultyofaffectionthathadfounditself，itsimmediateneedofanobjectandthewayofexpansion；
atendernessexpressedviolently；atendernessthatcouldonlybesatisfiedbybackinghumanbeingsagainsttheirowndestiny。
Perhapsherhatredofconvention，trammellingthefranknessofherownimpulses，hadrenderedhermorealerttoperceivewhatisintrinsicallygreatandprofoundwithintheformsofhumanfolly，sosimpleandsoinfinitelyvariedaccordingtotheregionoftheearthandtothemomentoftime。
Whatofitthatthenarratorwasonlyarovingseaman；thekingdomofthejungle，themenoftheforest，thelivesobscure！
Thatsimplesoulwaspossessedbythegreatnessoftheidea；
therewasnothingsordidinitsflamingimpulses。Whensheonceunderstoodthat，thestoryappealedtotheaudacityofherthoughts，andshebecamesocharmedwithwhatsheheardthatsheforgotwhereshewas。Sheforgotthatshewaspersonallyclosetothattalewhichshesawdetached，farawayfromher，truthorfiction，presentedinpicturesquespeech，realonlybytheresponseofheremotion。
Lingardpaused。Inthecessationoftheimpassionedmurmurshebegantoreflect。Andatfirstitwasonlyanoppressivenotionoftherebeingsomesignificancethatreallymatteredinthisman’sstory。Thatmatteredtoher。Forthefirsttimetheshadowofdangeranddeathcrossedhermind。Wasthatthesignificance？
Suddenly，inaflashofacutediscernment，shesawherselfinvolvedhelplesslyinthatstory，asoneisinvolvedinanaturalcataclysm。
Hewasspeakingagain。Hehadnotbeensilentmorethanaminute。
ItseemedtoMrs。Traversthatyearshadelapsed，sodifferentnowwastheeffectofhiswords。Hermindwasagitatedasifhiscomingtospeakandconfideinherhadbeenatremendousoccurrence。Itwasafactofherownexistence；itwaspartofthestoryalso。Thiswasthedisturbingthought。Sheheardhimpronounceseveralnames：Belarab，Daman，Tengga，Ningrat。Thesebelongednowtoherlifeandshewasappalledtofindshewasunabletoconnectthesenameswithanyhumanappearance。Theystoodoutalone，asifwrittenonthenight；theytookonasymbolicshape；theyimposedthemselvesuponhersenses。Shewhisperedasifpondering：\"Belarab，Daman，Ningrat，\"andthesebarbaroussoundsseemedtopossessanexceptionalenergy，afatalaspect，thesavourofmadness。
\"Notoneofthembuthasaheavyscoretosettlewiththewhites。
What’sthattome！Ihadsomehowtogetmenwhowouldfight。I
riskedmylifetogetthatlot。ImadethempromiseswhichI
shallkeep——or——！CanyouseenowwhyIdaredtostopyourboat？
IaminsodeepthatIcarefornoSirJohnintheworld。WhenI
lookattheworkaheadIcarefornothing。Igaveyouonechance——onegoodchance。ThatIhadtodo。No！IsupposeIdidn’tlookenoughofagentleman。Yes！Yes！That’sit。YetIknowwhatagentlemanis。Ilivedwiththemforyears。Ichummedwiththem—
—yes——ongold—fieldsandinotherplaceswhereamanhasgottoshowthestuffthat’sinhim。Someofthemwritefromhometomehere——suchasyouseeme，becauseI——nevermind！AndIknowwhatagentlemanwoulddo。Come！Wouldn’thetreatastrangerfairly？
Wouldn’therememberthatnomanisaliartillyouprovehimso？
Wouldn’thekeephiswordwherevergiven？Well，Iamgoingtodothat。NotahairofyourheadshallbetouchedaslongasI
live！\"
Shehadregainedmuchofhercomposurebutatthesewordsshefeltthatstaggeringsenseofutterinsecuritywhichisgivenonebythefirsttremorofanearthquake。Itwasfollowedbyanexpectantstillnessofsensations。Sheremainedsilent。Hethoughtshedidnotbelievehim。
\"Come！Whatonearthdoyouthinkbroughtmehere——to——to——talklikethistoyou？TherewasHassim——RajahTulla，Ishouldsay——whowasaskingmethisafternoon：’Whatwillyoudonowwiththese，yourpeople？’IbelievehethinksyetIfetchedyouhereforsomereason。Youcan’ttellwhatcrookednotiontheywillgetintotheirthickheads。It’senoughtomakeoneswear。\"Heswore。
\"Mypeople！Areyou？Howmuch？Say——howmuch？You’renomoreminethanIamyours。Wouldanyofyoufinefolksathomefaceblackruintosaveafishingsmack’screwfromgettingdrowned？\"
Notwithstandingthatsenseofinsecuritywhichlingeredfaintlyinhermindshehadnoimageofdeathbeforeher。Shefeltintenselyalive。Shefeltaliveinaflushofstrength，withanimpressionofnoveltyasthoughlifehadbeenthegiftofthisverymoment。Thedangerhiddeninthenightgavenosigntoawakenherterror，buttheworkingsofahumansoul，simpleandviolent，werelaidbarebeforeherandhadthedisturbingcharmofanunheard—ofexperience。Shewaslisteningtoamanwhoconcealednothing。Shesaid，interrogatively：
\"Andyetyouhavecome？\"
\"Yes，\"heanswered，\"toyou——andforyouonly。\"
Thefloodtiderunningstrongoverthebanksmadeaplacidtricklingsoundabouttheyacht’srudder。
\"Iwouldnotbesavedalone。\"
\"Thenyoumustbringthemoveryourself，\"hesaidinasombretone。\"There’sthebrig。Youhaveme——mymen——myguns。Youknowwhattodo。
\"Iwilltry，\"shesaid。
\"Verywell。Iamsorryforthepoordevilsforwardthereifyoufail。Butofcourseyouwon’t。Watchthatlightonthebrig。I
hadithoistedonpurpose。Thetroublemaybenearerthanwethink。Twoofmyboatsaregonescoutingandifthenewstheybringmeisbadthelightwillbelowered。Thinkwhatthatmeans。
AndI’vetoldyouwhatIhavetoldnobody。Thinkofmyfeelingsalso。ItoldyoubecauseI——becauseIhadto。\"
Hegaveashoveagainsttheyacht’ssideandglidedawayfromunderhereyes。Aripplingsounddiedout。
Shewalkedawayfromtherail。Thelampandtheskylightsshonefaintlyalongthedarkstretchofthedecks。Thiseveningwaslikethelast——likealltheeveningsbefore。
\"IsallthisIhaveheardpossible？\"sheaskedherself。\"No——butitistrue。\"
Shesatdowninadeckchairtothinkandfoundshecouldonlyremember。Shejumpedup。Shewassuresomebodywashailingtheyachtfaintly。Wasthatmanhailing？Shelistened，andhearingnothingwasannoyedwithherselfforbeinghauntedbyavoice。
\"Hesaidhecouldtrustme。Now，whatisthisdanger？Whatisdanger？\"shemeditated。
Footstepswerecomingfromforward。Thefigureofthewatchmanflittedvaguelyoverthegangway。Hewaswhistlingsoftlyandvanished。Hollowsoundsintheboatweresucceededbyasplashofoars。Thenightswallowedtheseslightnoises。Mrs。Traverssatdownagainandfoundherselfmuchcalmer。
Shehadthefacultyofbeingabletothinkherownthoughts——andthecourage。Shecouldtakenoactionofanykindtillherhusband’sreturn。Lingard’swarningswerenotwhathadimpressedhermost。Thismanhadpresentedhisinnermostselfunclothedbyanysubterfuge。Therewereinplainsighthisdesires，hisperplexities，affections，doubts，hisviolence，hisfolly；andtheexistencetheymadeupwaslawlessbutnotvile。Shehadtoomuchelevationofmindtolookuponhimfromanyotherbutastrictlyhumanstandpoint。Ifhetrustedher（howstrange；whyshouldhe？Washewrong？）sheacceptedthetrustwithscrupulousfairness。Andwhenitdawneduponherthatofallthemenintheworldthisunquestionablywastheonesheknewbest，shehadamomentofwonderfollowedbyanimpressionofprofoundsadness。
Itseemedanunfortunatematterthatconcernedheralone。
Herthoughtwassuspendedwhileshelistenedattentivelyforthereturnoftheyacht’sboat。Shewasdismayedatthetaskbeforeher。Notasoundbrokethestillnessandshefeltasifshewerelostinemptyspace。Thensuddenlysomeoneamidshipsyawnedimmenselyandsaid：\"Oh，dear！Oh，dear！\"Avoiceasked：\"Ain’ttheybackyet？\"Anegativegruntanswered。
Mrs。TraversfoundthatLingardwastouching，becausehecouldbeunderstood。Howsimplewaslife，shereflected。Shewasfrankwithherself。Sheconsideredhimapartfromsocialorganization。
Shediscoveredhehadnoplaceinit。Howdelightful！Herewasahumanbeingandthenakedtruthofthingswasnotsoveryfarfromhernotwithstandingthegrowthofcenturies。Thenitoccurredtoherthatthismanbyhisactionstrippedheratonceofherposition，ofherwealth，ofherrank，ofherpast。\"Iamhelpless。Whatremains？\"sheaskedherself。Nothing！Anybodytheremighthavesuggested：\"Yourpresence。\"Shewastooartificialyettothinkofherbeauty；andyetthepowerofpersonalityispartofthenakedtruthofthings。
Shelookedoverhershoulder，andsawthelightatthebrig’sforeyard—armburningwithastrong，calmflameinthedustofstarlightsuspendedabovethecoast。Sheheardtheheavybumpasofaboatrunheadlongagainsttheladder。Theywereback！Sheroseinsuddenandextremeagitation。Whatshouldshesay？Howmuch？Howtobegin？Whysayanything？Itwouldbeabsurd，liketalkingseriouslyaboutadream。Shewouldnotdare！Inamomentshewasdrivenintoastateofmindborderingondistraction。Sheheardsomebodyrunupthegangwaysteps。Withtheideaofgainingtimeshewalkedrapidlyafttothetaffrail。Thelightofthebrigfacedherwithoutaflicker，enormousamongstthesunsscatteredintheimmensityofthenight。
