TherewerealsodoubtsastoCarleonAnthony’scompletesanityforsomeconsiderabletimebeforehedied。
MostoftheaboveIelicitedfromMarlow，forallIknewofCarleonAnthonywashisunexcitingbutfascinatingverse。MarlowassuredmethattheFynemarriagewasperfectlysuccessfulandevenhappy，inanearnest，unplayfulfashion，beingblessedbesidesbythreehealthy，active，self-reliantchildren，allgirls。Theywereallpedestrianstoo。Eventheyoungestwouldwanderawayformilesifnotrestrained。Mrs。Fynehadaruddyout-of-doorscomplexionandworeblouseswithastarchedfrontlikeaman’sshirt，astand-upcollarandalongnecktie。Marlowhadmadetheiracquaintanceonesummerinthecountry，wheretheywereaccustomedtotakeacottagefortheholidays……
AtthispointwewereinterruptedbyMr。Powellwhodeclaredthathemustleaveus。Thetidewasontheturn，heannouncedcomingawayfromthewindowabruptly。Hewantedtobeonboardhiscutterbeforesheswungandofcoursehewouldsleeponboard。Neversleptawayfromthecutterwhileonacruise。Hewasgoneinamoment，unceremoniously，butgivingusnooffenceandleavingbehindanimpressionasthoughwehadknownhimforalongtime。Theingenuouswayhehadtoldusofhisstartinlifehadsomethingtodowithputtinghimonthatfootingwithus。Igavenothoughttoseeinghimagain。
Marlowexpressedaconfidenthopeofcomingacrosshimbeforelong。”Hecruisesaboutthemouthoftheriverallthesummer。Hewillbeeasytofindanyweek-end，”heremarkedringingthebellsothatwemightsettleupwiththewaiter。
LateronIaskedMarlowwhyhewishedtocultivatethischanceacquaintance。Heconfessedapologeticallythatitwasthecommonestsortofcuriosity。IflattermyselfthatIunderstandallsortsofcuriosity。Curiosityaboutdailyfacts，aboutdailythings，aboutdailymen。Itisthemostrespectablefacultyofthehumanmind——infactIcannotconceivetheusesofanincuriousmind。Itwouldbelikeachamberperpetuallylockedup。ButinthisparticularcaseMr。Powellseemedtohavegivenusalreadyacompleteinsightintohispersonalitysuchasitwas；apersonalitycapableofperceptionandwithafeelingforthevagariesoffate，butessentiallysimpleinitself。
Marlowagreedwithmesofar。HeexplainedhoweverthathiscuriositywasnotexcitedbyMr。Powellexclusively。ItoriginatedagoodwayfurtherbackinthefactofhisaccidentalacquaintancewiththeFynes，inthecountry。ThischancemeetingwithamanwhohadsailedwithCaptainAnthonyhadrevivedit。Ithadrevivedittosomepurpose，tosuchpurposethattometoowasgiventheknowledgeofitsoriginandofitsnature。Itwasgiventomeinseveralstages，atintervalswhicharenotindicatedhere。OnthisfirstoccasionIremarkedtoMarlowwithsomesurprise:”But，ifIrememberrightlyyousaidyoudidn’tknowCaptainAnthony。””No。Ineversawtheman。It’syearsagonow，butIseemtohearsolemnlittleFyne’sdeepvoiceannouncingtheapproachingvisitofhiswife’sbrother”thesonofthepoet，youknow。”HehadjustarrivedinLondonfromalongvoyage，and，directlyhisoccupationspermitted，wascomingdowntostaywithhisrelativesforafewweeks。Nodoubtwetwoshouldfindmanythingstotalkaboutbyourselvesinreferencetoourcommoncalling，addedlittleFyneportentouslyinhisgraveundertones，asiftheMercantileMarinewereasecretsociety。
YoumustunderstandthatIcultivatedtheFynesonlyinthecountry，intheirholidaytime。Thiswasthethirdyear。OftheirexistenceintownIknewnomorethanmaybeinferredfromanalogy。IplayedchesswithFyneinthelateafternoon，andsometimescameovertothecottageearlyenoughtohaveteawiththewholefamilyatabigroundtable。Theysataboutit，anunsmiling，sunburntcompanyofveryfewwordsindeed。Eventhechildrenweresilentandasifcontemptuousofeachotherandoftheirelders。Fynemutteredsometimesdeepdowninhischestsomeinsignificantremark。Mrs。
Fynesmiledmechanically(shehadsplendidteeth)whiledistributingteaandbreadandbutter。Asomethingwhichwasnotcoldness，noryetindifference，butasortofpeculiarself-possessiongavehertheappearanceofaverytrustworthy，verycapableandexcellentgoverness；asifFynewereawidowerandthechildrennotherownbutonlyentrustedtohercalm，efficient，unemotionalcare。OneexpectedhertoaddressFyneasMr。WhenshecalledhimJohnitsurprisedonelikeashockingfamiliarity。Theatmosphereofthatholidaywas——ifImayputitso——brightlydull。Healthyfaces，faircomplexions，cleareyes，andneverafranksmileinthewholelot，unlessperhapsfromagirl-friend。
Thegirl-friendproblemexercisedmegreatly。HowandwheretheFynesgotalltheseprettycreaturestocomeandstaywiththemI
can’timagine。IhadatfirstthewildsuspicionthattheywereobtainedtoamuseFyne。ButIsoondiscoveredthathecouldhardlytellonefromtheother，thoughobviouslytheirpresencemetwithhissolemnapproval。ThesegirlsinfactcameforMrs。Fyne。Theytreatedherwithadmiringdeference。Sheansweredtosomeneedoftheirs。Theysatatherfeet。Theywerelikedisciples。Itwasverycurious。OfFynetheytookbutscantynotice。AstomyselfI
wasmadetofeelthatIdidnotexist。
AfterteawewouldsitdowntochessandthenFyne’severlastinggravitybecamefaintlytingedbyanattenuatedgleamofsomethinginwardwhichresembledslysatisfaction。Ofthedivinefrivolityoflaughterhewasonlycapableoverachess-board。Certainpositionsofthegamestruckhimashumorous，whichnothingelseonearthcoulddo……”Heusedtobeatyou，”Iassertedwithconfidence。”Yes。Heusedtobeatme，”Marlowowneduphastily。
SoheandFyneplayedtwogamesaftertea。Thechildrenrompedtogetheroutside，gravely，unplayfully，asonewouldexpectfromFyne’schildren，andMrs。Fynewouldbegonetothebottomofthegardenwiththegirl-friendoftheweek。Shealwayswalkedoffdirectlyafterteawithherarmroundthegirl-friend’swaist。
Marlowsaidthattherewasonlyonegirl-friendwithwhomhehadconversedatall。Ithadhappenedquiteunexpectedly，longafterhehadgivenupallhopeofgettingintotouchwiththesereservedgirl-friends。
Onedayhesawawomanwalkingaboutontheedgeofahighquarry，whichroseasheerhundredfeet，atleast，fromtheroadwindingupthehilloutofwhichithadbeenexcavated。Heshoutedwarninglytoherfrombelowwherehehappenedtobepassing。Shewasreallyinconsiderabledanger。AtthesoundofhisvoiceshestartedbackandretreatedoutofhissightamongstsomeyoungScotchfirsgrowingneartheverybrinkoftheprecipice。”Isatdownonabankofgrass，”Marlowwenton。”Shehadgivenmeaturn。Thehemofherskirtseemedtofloatoverthatawfulsheerdrop，shewassoclosetotheedge。Anabsurdthingtodo。A
perfectlymadtrick——fornoconceivableobject！Iwasreflectingonthefoolhardinessoftheaveragegirlandrememberingsomeotherinstancesofthekind，whenshecameintoviewwalkingdownthesteepcurveoftheroad。ShehadMrs。Fyne’swalking-stickandwasescortedbytheFynedog。Herdeadwhitefacestruckmewithastonishment，sothatIforgottoraisemyhat。Ijustsatandstared。Thedog，avivaciousandamiableanimalwhichforsomeinscrutablereasonhadbestowedhisfriendshiponmyunworthyself，rushedupthebankdemonstrativelyandinsinuatedhimselfundermyarm。
Thegirl-friend(itwasoneofthem)wentpastsomewayasthoughshehadnotseenme，thenstoppedandcalledthedogtoherseveraltimes；butheonlynestledclosertomyside，andwhenItriedtopushhimawaydevelopedthatremarkablepowerofinternalresistancebywhichadogmakeshimselfpracticallyimmovablebyanythingshortofakick。Shelookedoverhershoulderandherarchedeyebrowsfrownedaboveherblanchedface。Itwasalmostascowl。Thentheexpressionchanged。Shelookedunhappy。”Comehere！”shecriedoncemoreinanangryanddistressedtone。Itookoffmyhatatlast，butthedoghangingouthistonguewiththatcheerfullyimbecileexpressionsomedogsknowsowellhowtoputonwhenitsuitstheirpurpose，pretendedtobedeaf。
Shecriedfromthedistancedesperately。”Perhapsyouwilltakehimtothecottagethen。Ican’twait。””Iwon’tberesponsibleforthatdog，”Iprotestedgettingdownthebankandadvancingtowardsher。Shelookedveryhurt，apparentlybythedesertionofthedog。”Butifyouletmewalkwithyouhewillfollowusallright，”Isuggested。
Shemovedonwithoutansweringme。Thedoglaunchedhimselfsuddenlyfullspeeddowntheroadrecedingfromusinasmallcloudofdust。Itvanishedinthedistance，andpresentlywecameupwithhimlyingonthegrass。Hepantedintheshadeofthehedgewithshiningeyesbutpretendednottoseeus。Wehadnotexchangedawordsofar。Thegirlbymysidegavehimascornfulglanceinpassing。”Heofferedtocomewithme，”sheremarkedbitterly。”Andthenabandonedyou！”Isympathized。”Itlooksveryunchivalrous。Butthat’smerelyhiswantoftact。Ibelievehemeanttoprotestagainstyourrecklessproceedings。Whatmadeyoucomesoneartheedgeofthatquarry？Theearthmighthavegivenway。Haven’tyounoticedasmashedfirtreeatthebottom？Tumbledoveronlytheothermorningafteranight’srain。””Idon’tseewhyIshouldn’tbeasrecklessasIplease。”
Iwasnettledbyherbrusquemannerofassertingherfolly，andI
toldherthatneitherdidIasfarasthatwent，inatonewhichalmostsuggestedthatshewaswelcometobreakherneckforallI
cared。ThiswasconsiderablymorethanImeant，butIdon’tlikerudegirls。Ihadbeenintroducedtoheronlythedaybefore——attheroundtea-table——andshehadbarelyacknowledgedtheintroduction。IhadnotcaughthernamebutIhadnoticedherfine，archedeyebrowswhich，sothephysiognomistssay，areasignofcourage。
Iexaminedherappearancequietly。Herhairwasnearlyblack，hereyesblue，deeplyshadedbylongdarkeyelashes。Shehadalittlecolournow。Shelookedstraightbeforeher；thecornerofherliponmysidedroopedalittle；herchinwasfine，somewhatpointed。I
wentontosaythatsomeregardforothersshouldstandinthewayofone’splayingwithdanger。IurgedplayfullythedistressofthepoorFynesincaseofaccident，ifnothingelse。Itoldherthatshedidnotknowthebucolicmind。Hadshegivenoccasionforacoroner’sinquesttheverdictwouldhavebeensuicide，withtheimplicationofunhappylove。Theywouldneverbeabletounderstandthatshehadtakenthetroubletoclimbovertwopost-and-railfencesonlyforthefunofbeingreckless。IndeedevenasItalkedchaffinglyIwasgreatlystruckmyselfbythefact。
Sheretortedthatonceonewasdeadwhathorridpeoplethoughtofonedidnotmatter。Itwassaidwithinfinitecontempt；butsomethinglikeasuppressedquaverinthevoicemademelookatheragain。Iperceivedthenthatherthickeyelasheswerewet。Thissurprisingdiscoverysilencedmeasyoumayguess。Shelookedunhappy。And——Idon’tknowhowtosayit——well——itsuitedher。Thecloudedbrow，thepainedmouth，thevaguefixedglance！Avictim。
Andthischaracteristicaspectmadeherattractive；anindividualtouch——youknow。
ThedoghadrunonaheadandnowgazedatusbythesideoftheFyne’sgarden-gateinatenseattitudeandwagginghisstumpytailvery，veryslowly，withanairofconcentratedattention。Thegirl-
friendoftheFynesboltedviolentlythroughtheaforesaidgateandintothecottageleavingmeontheroad——astounded。
AcoupleofhoursafterwardsIreturnedtothecottageforchessasusual。IsawneitherthegirlnorMrs。Fynethen。WehadourtwogamesandonpartingIwarnedFynethatIwascalledtotownonbusinessandmightbeawayforsometime。Heregretteditverymuch。Hisbrother-in-lawwasexpectednextdaybuthedidn’tknowwhetherhewasachess-player。CaptainAnthony(”thesonofthepoet——youknow”)wasofaretiringdisposition，shywithstrangers，unusedtosocietyandverymuchdevotedtohiscalling，Fyneexplained。Allthetimetheyhadbeenmarriedhecouldbeinducedonlyoncebeforetocomeandstaywiththemforafewdays。Hehadhadaratherunhappyboyhood；anditmadehimasilentman。Butnodoubt，concludedFyne，asifdealingportentouslywithamystery，wetwosailorsshouldfindmuchtosaytooneanother。
Thispointwasneversettled。Iwasdetainedintownfromweektoweektillitseemedhardlyworthwhiletogoback。ButasIhadkeptonmyroomsinthefarm-houseIconcludedtogodownagainforafewdays。
Itwaslate，deepdusk，whenIgotoutatourlittlecountrystation。MyeyesfellontheunmistakablebroadbackandthemuscularlegsincyclingstockingsoflittleFyne。Hepassedalongthecarriagesrapidlytowardstherearofthetrain，whichpresentlypulledoutandlefthimsolitaryattheendoftherusticplatform。
WhenhecamebacktowhereIwaitedIperceivedthathewasmuchperturbed，soperturbedastoforgettheconventionoftheusualgreetings。HeonlyexclaimedOh！onrecognizingme，andstoppedirresolute。WhenIaskedhimifhehadbeenexpectingsomebodybythattrainhedidn’tseemtoknow。Hestammereddisconnectedly。I
lookedhardathim。Toallappearanceshewasperfectlysober；
moreovertosuspectFyneofalapsefromtheproprietieshighorlow，greatorsmall，wasabsurd。Hewasalsoatooseriousanddeliberatepersontogomadsuddenly。ButasheseemedtohaveforgottenthathehadatongueinhisheadIconcludedIwouldleavehimtohismystery。Tomysurprisehefollowedmeoutofthestationandkeptbymyside，thoughIdidnotencouragehim。Ididnothoweverrepulsehisattemptsatconversation。Hewasnolongerexpectingme，hesaid。Hehadgivenmeup。Theweatherhadbeenuniformlyfine——andsoon。Igatheredalsothatthesonofthepoethadcurtailedhisstaysomewhatandgonebacktohisshipthedaybefore。
Thatinformationtouchedmebutlittle。BelievinginheredityinmoderationIknewwellhowsea-lifefashionsamanoutwardlyandstampshissoulwiththemarkofacertainprosaicfitness——becauseasailorisnotanadventurer。IexpressednoregretatmissingCaptainAnthonyandweproceededinsilencetill，onapproachingtheholidaycottage，Fynesuddenlyandunexpectedlybrokeitbythehurrieddeclarationthathewouldgoonwithmealittlefarther。”Gowithyoutoyourdoor，”hemumbledandstartedforwardtothelittlegatewheretheshadowyfigureofMrs。Fynehovered，clearlyonthelookoutforhim。Shewasalone。ThechildrenmusthavebeenalreadyinbedandIsawnoattendinggirl-friendshadownearhervaguebutunmistakableform，half-lostintheobscurityofthelittlegarden。
IheardFyneexclaim”Nothing”andthenMrs。Fyne’swell-trained，responsiblevoiceutteredthewords，”It’swhatIhavesaid，”withincisiveequanimity。BythattimeIhadpassedon，raisingmyhat。
AlmostatonceFynecaughtmeupandsloweddowntomystrollinggaitwhichmusthavebeeninfinitelyirksometohishighpedestrianfaculties。Iamsurethatallhismuscularpersonmusthavesufferedfromawfulphysicalboredom；buthedidnotattempttocharmitawaybyconversation。Hepreservedaportentousanddrearysilence。AndIwasboredtoo。SuddenlyIperceivedthemenaceofevenworseboredom。Yes！Hewassosilentbecausehehadsomethingtotellme。
Ibecameextremelyfrightened。Butman，recklessanimal，issomadethatinhimcuriosity，thepaltriestcuriosity，willovercomeallterrors，everydisgust，andevendespairitself。Tomylaconicinvitationtocomeinforadrinkheansweredbyadeep，gravelyaccented:”Thanks，Iwill”asthoughitwerearesponseinchurch。
Hisfaceasseeninthelamplightgavemenocluetothecharacteroftheimpendingcommunication；asindeedfromthenatureofthingsitcouldn’tdo，itsnormalexpressionbeingalreadythatoftheutmostpossibleseriousness。Itwasperfectandimmovable；andforacertaintyifhehadsomethingexcruciatinglyfunnytotellmeitwouldbeallthesame。
HegazedatmeearnestlyanddeliveredhimselfofsomeweightyremarksonMrs。Fyne’sdesiretobefriend，counsel，andguideyounggirlsofallsortsonthepathoflife。Itwasavoluntarymission。
Heapprovedhiswife’sactionandalsoherviewsandprinciplesingeneral。
Allthiswithasolemncountenanceandindeepmeasuredtones。YetsomehowIgotanirresistibleconvictionthathewasexasperatedbysomethinginparticular。Intheunworthyhopeofbeingamusedbythemisfortunesofafellow-creatureIaskedhimpoint-blankwhatwaswrongnow。
Whatwaswrongwasthatagirl-friendwasmissing。Shehadbeenmissingpreciselysincesixo’clockthatmorning。Thewomanwhodidtheworkofthecottagesawhergoingoutatthathour，forawalk。
ThepedestrianFyne’sideasofawalkwereextensive，butthegirldidnotturnupforlunch，noryetfortea，noryetfordinner。Shehadnotturnedupbyfootpath，roadorrail。Hehadbeenreluctanttomakeinquiries。Itwouldhavesetallthevillagetalking。TheFyneshadexpectedhertoreappeareverymoment，tilltheshadesofthenightandthesilenceofslumberhadstolengraduallyoverthewideandpeacefulrurallandscapecommandedbythecottage。
AftertellingmethatmuchFynesathelplessinunconclusiveagony。
Goingtobedwasoutofthequestion——neithercouldanystepsbetakenjustthen。Whattodowithhimselfhedidnotknow！
IaskedhimifthiswasthesameyoungladyIsawadayortwobeforeIwenttotown？Hereallycouldnotremember。Wassheagirlwithdarkhairandblueeyes？Iaskedfurther。Hereallycouldn’ttellwhatcolourhereyeswere。Hewasveryunobservantexceptastothepeculiaritiesoffootpaths，onwhichhewasanauthority。
IthoughtwithamazementandsomeadmirationthatMrs。Fyne’syoungdisciplesweretoherhusband’sgravitynomorethanevanescentshadows。However，withbutlittlehesitationFyneventuredtoaffirmthat——yes，herhairwasofsomedarkshade。”Wehadagooddealtodowiththatgirlfirstandlast，”heexplainedsolemnly；thengettingupasifmovedbyaspringhesnatchedhiscapoffthetable。”Shemaybebackinthecottage，”
hecriedinhisbassvoice。Ifollowedhimoutontheroad。
Itwasoneofthosedewy，clear，starrynights，oppressingourspirit，crushingourpride，bythebrilliantevidenceoftheawfulloneliness，ofthehopelessobscureinsignificanceofourglobelostinthesplendidrevelationofaglittering，soullessuniverse。I
hatesuchskies。Daylightisfriendlytomantoilingunderasunwhichwarmshisheart；andcloudysoftnightsaremorekindlytoourlittleness。Inearlyranbackagaintomylightedparlour；Fynefussinginaknicker-bockersuitbeforethehostsofheaven，onashadowyearth，aboutatransient，phantom-likegirl，seemedtooridiculoustoassociatewith。Ontheotherhandtherewassomethingfascinatingintheveryabsurdity。HecutalonginhisbestpedestrianstyleandIfoundmyselfletinforaspellofsevereexerciseateleveno’clockatnight。
Inthedistanceoverthefieldsandtreessmudgingandblotchingthevastobscurity，onelightedwindowofthecottagewiththeblindupwaslikeabrightbeaconkeptalighttoguidethelostwanderer。
Inside，atthetablebearingthelamp，wesawMrs。Fynesittingwithfoldedarmsandnotahairofherheadoutofplace。Shelookedexactlylikeagovernesswhohadputthechildrentobed；andhermannertomewasjusttheneutralmannerofagoverness。Toherhusband，too，forthatmatter。
FynetoldherthatIwasfullyinformed。Notamuscleofherruddysmoothhandsomefacemoved。Shehadschooledherselfintothatsortofthing。Havingseentwosuccessivewivesofthedelicatepoetchiviedandworriedintotheirgraves，shehadadoptedthatcool，detachedmannertomeethergiftedfather’soutbreaksofselfishtemper。Ithadnowbecomeasecondnature。Isupposeshewasalwayslikethat；evenintheveryhourofelopementwithFyne。
Thattransactionwhenoneremembereditinherpresenceacquiredaquaintlymarvellousaspecttoone’simagination。Butsomehowherself-possessionmatchedverywelllittleFyne’sinvariablesolemnity。
Iwasrathersorryforhim。Wasn’theworried！Theagonyofsolemnity。AtthesametimeIwasamused。Ididn’ttakeagloomyviewofthat”vanishinggirl”trick。SomehowIcouldn’t。ButI
saidnothing。Noneofussaidanything。Wesataboutthatbigroundtableasifassembledforaconferenceandlookedateachotherinasortoffatuousconsternation。IwouldhaveendedbylaughingoutrightifIhadnotbeensavedfromthatimproprietybypoorFynebecomingpreposterous。
Hebeganwithgraveanguishtotalkofgoingtothepoliceinthemorning，ofprintingdescriptivebills，ofsettingpeopletodragthepondsformilesaround。Itwasextremelygruesome。Imurmuredsomethingaboutcommunicatingwiththeyounglady’srelatives。Itseemedtomeaverynaturalsuggestion；butFyneandhiswifeexchangedsuchasignificantglancethatIfeltasthoughIhadmadeatactlessremark。
ButIreallywantedtohelppoorFyne；andasIcouldseethat，manlike，hesufferedfromthepresentinabilitytoact，thepassivewaiting，Isaid:”Nothingofthiscanbedonetillto-morrow。ButasyouhavegivenmeaninsightintothenatureofyourthoughtsI
cantellyouwhatmaybedoneatonce。Wemaygoandlookatthebottomoftheoldquarrywhichisontheleveloftheroad，aboutamilefromhere。”
Thecouplemadebigeyesatthis，andthenItoldthemofmymeetingwiththegirl。YoumaybesurprisedbutIassureyouIhadnotperceivedthisaspectofittillthatverymoment。Itwaslikeastartlingrevelation；thepastthrowingasinisterlightonthefuture。Fyneopenedhismouthgravelyandasgravelyshutit。
Nothingmore。Mrs。Fynesaid，”Youhadbettergo，”withanairasifherself-possessionhadbeenprickedwithapininsomesecretplace。
AndI——youknowhowstupidIcanbeattimes——IperceivedwithdismayforthefirsttimethatbypanderingtoFyne’smorbidfanciesIhadletmyselfinforsomemoresevereexercise。Andwasn’tI
sorryIspoke！YouknowhowIhatewalking——atleastonsolid，ruralearth；forIcanwalkaship’sdeckawholefoggynightthrough，ifnecessary，andthinklittleofit。Thereissomesatisfactiontooinplayingthevagabondinthestreetsofabigtowntilltheskypalesabovetheridgesoftheroofs。Ihavedonethatrepeatedlyforpleasure——ofasort。Buttotramptheslumberingcountry-sideinthedarkisformeawearisomenightmareofexertion。
WithperfectdetachmentMrs。Fynewatchedmegooutafterherhusband。Thatwomanwasflint。
Thefreshnighthadasmellofsoil，ofturned-upsodslikeagrave——
anassociationparticularlyodioustoasailorbyitsideaofconfinementandnarrowness；yes，evenwhenhehasgivenupthehopeofbeingburiedatsea；aboutthelasthopeasailorgivesupconsciouslyafterhehasbeen，asitdoeshappen，decoyedbysomechanceintothetoilsoftheland。Astronggrave-likesniff。Theditchbythesideoftheroadmusthavebeenfreshlyduginfrontofthecottage。
OnceclearofthegardenFynegatheredwaylikearacingcutter。
Whatwasamiletohim——ortwentymiles？Youthinkhemighthavegoneshrinkinglyonsuchanerrand。Butnotabitofit。TheforceofpedestriangeniusIsuppose。Iracedbyhissideinamoodofprofoundself-derision，andinfinitelyvexedwiththatminx。
BecausedeadoraliveIthoughtofherasaminx……”
IsmiledincredulouslyatMarlow’sferocity；butMarlowpausingwithawhimsicallyretrospectiveair，neverflinched。”Yes，yes。Evendead。Andnowyouareshocked。Yousee，youaresuchachivalrousmasculinebeggar。Butthereisenoughofthewomaninmynaturetofreemyjudgmentofwomenfromglamorousreticency。Andthen，whyshouldIupsetmyself？Awomanisnotnecessarilyeitheradolloranangeltome。Sheisahumanbeing，verymuchlikemyself。AndIhavecomeacrosstoomanydeadsoulslyingsotospeakatthefootofhighunscaleableplacesforamerelypossibledeadbodyatthebottomofaquarrytostrikemysinceritydumb。
Thecliff-likefaceofthequarrylookedforbiddinglyimpressive。I
willadmitthatFyneandIhungbackforamomentbeforewemadeaplungeofftheroadintothebushesgrowinginabroadspaceatthefootofthetoweringlimestonewall。Thesebusheswereheavywithdew。Therewerealsoconcealedmudholesinthere。Wecreptandtumbledandfeltaboutwithourhandsalongtheground。Wegotwet，scratched，andplasteredwithmirealloverournethergarments。
Fynefellsuddenlyintoastrangecavity——probablyadisusedlime-
kiln。Hisvoiceupliftedingravedistresssoundedmorethanusuallyrich，solemnandprofound。Thiswasthecomicreliefofanabsurdlydramaticsituation。WhilehaulinghimoutIpermittedmyselftolaughaloudatlast。Fyne，ofcourse，didn’t。
Ineednottellyouthatwefoundnothingafteramostconscientioussearch。Fyneevenpushedhiswayintoadecayingshedhalf-buriedindew-soakedvegetation。Hestruckmatches，severalofthemtoo，asiftomakeabsolutelysurethatthevanishedgirl-friendofhiswifewasnothidingthere。Theshortflaresilluminatedhisgrave，immovablecountenancewhileIletmyselfgocompletelyandlaughedinpeals。
Iaskedhimifhereallyandtrulysupposedthatanysanegirlwouldgoandhideinthatshed；andifsowhy？
Disdainfulofmymirthhemerelymutteredhisbasso-profundothankfulnessthatwehadnotfoundheranywhereaboutthere。Havinggrownextremelysensitive(aneffectofirritation)tothetonalities，Imaysay，ofthisaffair，Ifeltthatitwasonlyanimperfect，reserved，thankfulness，withoneeyestillonthepossibilitiesoftheseveralpondsintheneighbourhood。AndI
rememberIsnorted，Ipositivelysnorted，atthatpoorFyne。
Whatreallyjarreduponmewastherateofhiswalking。Differencesinpolitics，inethicsandeveninaestheticsneednotarouseangryantagonism。One’sopinionmaychange；one’stastesmayalter——infacttheydo。One’sveryconceptionofvirtueisatthemercyofsomefelicitoustemptationwhichmaybesprungononeanyday。Allthesethingsareperpetuallyontheswing。Butatemperamentaldifference，temperamentbeingimmutable，istheparentofhate。
That’swhyreligiousquarrelsarethefiercestofall。Mytemperament，inmatterspertainingtosolidland，isthetemperamentofleisurelymovement，ofdeliberategait。AndtherewasthatlittleFynepoundingalongtheroadinamostoffensivemanner；amanweddedtothick-soled，lacedboots；whereasmytemperamentdemandsthinshoesofthelightestkind。Ofcoursetherecouldneverhavebeenquestionoffriendshipbetweenus；butundertheprovocationofhavingtokeepupwithhispaceIbegantodislikehimactively。Ibeggedsarcasticallytoknowwhetherhecouldtellmeifwewereengagedinafarceorinatragedy。Iwantedtoregulatemyfeelingswhich，Itoldhim，wereinanunbecomingstateofconfusion。
ButFynewasasimpervioustosarcasmasaturtle。Hetrampedon，andallhedidwastoejaculatetwiceoutofhisdeepchest，vaguely，doubtfully。”Iamafraid……Iamafraid！……”
Thiswastragic。Thethumpofhisbootswastheonlysoundinashadowyworld。Ikeptbyhissidewithacomparativelyghostly，silenttread。Byastrangeillusiontheroadappearedtorunupagainstalotoflowstarsatnoverygreatdistance，butasweadvancednewstretchesofwhitey-brownribbonseemedtocomeupfromundertheblackground。Iobserved，aswewentby，thelampinmyparlourinthefarmhousestillburning。ButIdidnotleaveFynetoruninandputitout。TheimpetusofhispedestrianexcellencecarriedmepastinhiswakebeforeIcouldmakeupmymind。”Tellme，Fyne，”Icried，”youdon’tthinkthegirlwasmad——doyou？”
Heanswerednothing。Soonthelightedbeacon-likewindowofthecottagecameintoview。ThenFyneutteredasolemn:”Certainlynot，”withprofoundassurance。Butimmediatelyafterheaddeda”Veryhighlystrungyoungpersonindeed，”whichunsettledmeagain。
Wasitatragedy？”Nobodyevergotupatsixo’clockinthemorningtocommitsuicide，”Ideclaredcrustily。”It’sunheardof！Thisisafarce。”
Asamatteroffactitwasneitherfarcenortragedy。
CominguptothecottagewehadaviewofMrs。Fyneinsidestillsittinginthestronglightattheroundtablewithfoldedarms。Itlookedasthoughshehadnotmovedherveryheadbyasmuchasaninchsincewewentaway。Shewasamazinginasortofunsubtleway；
crudelyamazing——Ithought。Whycrudely？Idon’tknow。PerhapsbecauseIsawhertheninacrudelight。Imeanthismaterially——inthelightofanunshadedlamp。Ourmentalconclusionsdependsomuchonmomentaryphysicalsensations——don’tthey？IfthelamphadbeenshadedIshouldperhapshavegonehomeafterexpressingpolitelymyconcernattheFynes’unpleasantpredicament。
Losingagirl-friendinthatmannerisunpleasant。Itisalsomysterious。Somysteriousthatacertainmysteryattachestothepeopletowhomsuchathingdoeshappen。MoreoverIhadneverreallyunderstoodtheFynes；hewithhissolemnitywhichextendedtotheveryeatingofbreadandbutter；shewiththatairofdetachmentandresolutioninbreastingthecommon-placecurrentoftheirunexcitinglife，inwhichthecuttingofbreadandbutterappearedtome，byalongway，themostdangerousepisode。SometimesI
amusedmyselfbysupposingthattotheirmindsthisworldofoursmustbewearingaperfectlyoverwhelmingaspect，andthattheirheadscontainedrespectivelyawfullyseriousandextremelydesperatethoughts——andtryingtoimaginewhatanexcitingtimetheymustbehavingofitintheinscrutabledepthsoftheirbeing。Thislastwasdifficulttoavolatileperson(IamsurethattotheFynesI
wasavolatileperson)andtheamusementinitselfwasnotverygreat；butstill——inthecountry——awayfromallmentalstimulants！……Myeffortshadinvestedthemwithasortofamusingprofundity。
ButwhenFyneandIgotbackintotheroom，theninthesearching，domestic，glareofthelamp，inimicaltotheplayoffancy，Isawthesetwostrippedofeveryvestureithadamusedmetoputonthemforfun。Queerenoughtheywere。Isthereahumanbeingthatisn’tthat——moreorlesssecretly？Butwhatevertheirsecret，itwasmanifesttomethatitwasneithersubtlenorprofound。Theywereagood，stupid，earnestcoupleandverymuchbothered。Theywerethat——withtheusualunshadedcrudityofaveragepeople。Therewasnothinginthemthatthelamplightmightnottouchwithouttheslightestriskofindiscretion。
DirectlywehadenteredtheroomFyneannouncedtheresultbysaying”Nothing”inthesametoneasatthegateonhisreturnfromtherailwaystation。AndasthenMrs。Fyneutteredanincisive”It’swhatI’vesaid，”whichmighthavebeentheveriestechoofherwordsinthegarden。Wethreelookedateachotherasifonthebrinkofadisclosure。Idon’tknowwhethershewasvexedatmypresence。
Itcouldhardlybecalledintrusion——couldit？LittleFynebeganit。Ithadtogoon。Westoodbeforeher，plasteredwiththesamemud(Fynewasasight！)，scratchedbythesamebrambles，consciousofthesameexperience。Yes。Beforeher。Andshelookedatuswithfoldedarms，withanextraordinaryfulnessofassumedresponsibility。Iaddressedher。”Youdon’tbelieveinanaccident，Mrs。Fyne，doyou？”
Sheshookherheadincurtnegationwhile，cakedinmudandinexpressiblyserious-faced，Fyneseemedtobebackingherupwithalltheweightofhissolemnpresence。Nothingmoreabsurdcouldbeconceived。Itwasdelicious。AndIwentonindeferentialaccents:”AmItounderstandthenthatyouentertainthetheoryofsuicide？”
Idon’tknowthatIamliabletofitsofdeliriumbutbyasuddenandalarmingaberrationwhilewaitingforheranswerIbecamementallyawareofthreetraineddogsdancingontheirhindlegs。I
don’tknowwhy。Perhapsbecauseofthepervadingsolemnity。
There’snothingmoresolemnonearththanadanceoftraineddogs。”Shehaschosentodisappear。That’sall。”
InthesewordsMrs。Fyneansweredme。Theaggressivetonewastoomuchformyendurance。InaninstantIfoundmyselfoutofthedanceanddownonall-fourssotospeak，withlibertytobarkandbite。”Thedevilshehas，”Icried。”Haschosento……Likethis，allatonce，anyhow，regardless……I’vehadtheprivilegeofmeetingthatrecklessandbrusqueyoungladyandImustsaythatwithherairofanangryvictim……””Precisely，”Mrs。Fynesaidveryunexpectedlylikeasteeltrapgoingoff。Istaredather。Howprovokingshewas！SoIwentontofinishmytirade。”Shestruckmeatfirstsightasthemostinconsideratewrong-headedgirlthatIever……””Whyshouldagirlbemoreconsideratethananyoneelse？Morethananyman，forinstance？”inquiredMrs。Fynewithastillgreaterassertionofresponsibilityinherbearing。
OfcourseIexclaimedatthis，notveryloudlyitistrue，butforcibly。Werethenthefeelingsoffriends，relationsandevenofstrangerstobedisregarded？IaskedMrs。Fyneifshedidnotthinkitwasasortofdutytoshowelementaryconsiderationnotonlyforthenaturalfeelingsbutevenfortheprejudicesofone’sfellow-
creatures。
Heranswerknockedmeover。”Notforawoman。”
Justlikethat。IconfessthatIwentdownflat。AndwhileinthatcollapsedstateIlearnedthetruenatureofMrs。Fyne’sfeministdoctrine。Itwasnotpolitical，itwasnotsocial。Itwasaknock-
me-downdoctrine——apracticalindividualisticdoctrine。Youwouldnotthankmeforexpoundingittoyouatlarge。IndeedIthinkthatsheherselfdidnotenlightenmefully。Theremusthavebeenthingsnotfitforamantohear。Butshortly，andasfarasmybewildermentallowedmetograspitsnaiveatrociousness，itwassomethinglikethis:thatnoconsideration，nodelicacy，notenderness，noscruplesshouldstandinthewayofawoman(whobythemerefactofhersexwasthepredestinedvictimofconditionscreatedbymen’sselfishpassions，theirvicesandtheirabominabletyranny)fromtakingtheshortestcuttowardssecuringforherselftheeasiestpossibleexistence。Shehadeventherighttogooutofexistencewithoutconsideringanyone’sfeelingsorconveniencesincesomewomen’sexistencesweremadeimpossiblebytheshortsightedbasenessofmen。
Ilookedather，sittingbeforethelampatoneo’clockinthemorning，withhermature，smooth-cheekedfaceofmasculineshaperobbedofitsfreshnessbyfatigue；athereyesdimmedbythissenselessvigil。IlookedalsoatFyne；themudwasdryingonhim；
hewasobviouslytired。Thewearinessofsolemnity。Buthepreservedanunflinching，endorsing，gravityofexpression。
Endorsingitallasbecameagood，convincedhusband。”Oh！Isee，”Isaid。”Noconsideration……WellIhopeyoulikeit。”
TheyamusedmebeyondthewildestimaginingsofwhichIwascapable。
Afterthefirstshock，youunderstand，Irecoveredveryquickly。
Theorderoftheworldwassafeenough。Hewasacivilservantandshehisgoodandfaithfulwife。Butwhenitcomestodealingwithhumanbeingsanything，anythingmaybeexpected。Soevenmyastonishmentdidnotlastverylong。Howfarshedevelopedandillustratedthatconsciencelessandausteredoctrinetothegirl-
friends，whoweremeretransientshadowstoherhusband，Icouldnottell。AnylengthIsupposed。Andhelookedon，acquiesced，approved，justforthatveryreason——becausetheseprettygirlswerebutshadowstohim。O！MostvirtuousFyne！Hecasthiseyesdown。
Hedidn’tlikeit。ButIeyedhimwithhiddenanimosityforhehadgotmetorunafterhimundersomewhatfalsepretences。
Mrs。Fynehadonlysmiledatmeveryexpressively，veryself-
confidently。”OhIquiteunderstandthatyouacceptthefullestresponsibility，”Isaid。”Iamtheonlyridiculouspersoninthis——
this——Idon’tknowhowtocallit——performance。However，I’venothingmoretodohere，soI’llsaygood-night——orgoodmorning，foritmustbepastone。”
Butbeforedeparting，incommondecency，Iofferedtotakeanywirestheymightwrite。Mylodgingswerenearerthepost-officethanthecottageandIwouldsendthemoffthefirstthinginthemorning。I
supposedtheywouldwishtocommunicate，ifonlyastothedisposaloftheluggage，withtheyounglady’srelatives……
Fyne，helookedratherdowncastbythen，thankedmeanddeclined。”Thereisreallynoone，”hesaid，verygrave。”Noone，”Iexclaimed。”Practically，”saidcurtMrs。Fyne。
Andmycuriositywasarousedagain。”Ah！Isee。Anorphan。”
Mrs。Fynelookedawaywearyandsombre，andFynesaid”Yes”
impulsively，andthenqualifiedtheaffirmativebythequaintstatement:”Toacertainextent。”
Ibecameconsciousofalanguid，exhaustedembarrassment，bowedtoMrs。Fyne，andwentoutofthecottagetobeconfrontedoutsideitsdoorbythebespangled，cruelrevelationoftheImmensityoftheUniverse。Thenightwasnotsufficientlyadvancedforthestarstohavepaled；andtheearthseemedtomemoreprofoundlyasleep——
perhapsbecauseIwasalonenow。NothavingFynewithmetosetthepaceIletmyselfdrift，ratherthanwalk，inthedirectionofthefarmhouse。Todriftistheonlyreposefulsortofmotion(askanyshipifitisn’t)andthereforeconsistentwiththoughtfulness。AndIpondered:Howisoneanorphan”toacertainextent”？
Noamountofsolemnitycouldmakesuchastatementotherthanbizarre。Whatastrangeconditiontobein。Verylikelyoneoftheparentsonlywasdead？Butno；itcouldn’tbe，sinceFynehadsaidjustbeforethat”therewasreallynoone”tocommunicatewith。Noone！AndthenrememberingMrs。Fyne’ssnappy”Practically”mythoughtsfasteneduponthatladyasamoretangibleobjectofspeculation。
Iwondered——andwonderingIdoubted——whethershereallyunderstoodherselfthetheoryshehadpropoundedtome。Everythingmaybesaid——indeedoughttobesaid——providingweknowhowtosayit。Sheprobablydidnot。Shewasnotintelligentenoughforthat。Shehadnoknowledgeoftheworld。Shehadgotholdofwordsasachildmightgetholdofsomepoisonouspillsandplaywiththemfor”dear，tinylittlemarbles。”No！Thedomestic-slavedaughterofCarleonAnthonyandthelittleFyneoftheCivilService(thatflowerofcivilization)werenotintelligentpeople。Theywerecommonplace，earnest，withoutsmilesandwithoutguile。Buthehadhissolemnitiesandshehadherreveries，herlurid，violent，crudereveries。AndIthoughtwithsomesadnessthatalltheserevoltsandindignations，alltheseprotests，revulsionsoffeeling，pangsofsufferingandofrage，expressedbuttheuneasinessofsensualbeingstryingfortheirshareinthejoysofform，colour，sensations——theonlyrichesofourworldofsenses。Apoetmaybeasimplebeingbutheisboundtobevariousandfullofwiles，ingeniousandirritable。Ireflectedonthevarietyofwaystheingenuityofthelatebardofcivilizationwouldbeabletoinventforthetormentingofhisdependants。Poetsnotbeinggenerallyforesightedinpracticalaffairs，novisionofconsequenceswouldrestrainhim。Yes。TheFyneswereexcellentpeople，butMrs。Fynewasn’tthedaughterofadomestictyrantfornothing。Therewerenolimitstoherrevolt。Buttheywereexcellentpeople。Itwasclearthattheymusthavebeenextremelygoodtothatgirlwhosepositionintheworldseemedsomewhatdifficult，withherfaceofavictim，herobviouslackofresignationandthebizarrestatusoforphan”toacertainextent。”
Suchweremythoughts，butintruthIsoonceasedtotroubleaboutallthesepeople。Ifoundthatmylamphadgoneoutleavingbehindanawfulsmell。Ifledfromitupthestairsandwenttobedinthedark。Myslumbers——Isupposetheonegoodinpedestrianexercise，confoundit，isthatithelpsournaturalcallousness——myslumbersweredeep，dreamlessandrefreshing。
Myappetiteatbreakfastwasnotaffectedbymyignoranceofthefacts，motives，eventsandconclusions。Ithinkthattounderstandeverythingisnotgoodfortheintellect。Awell-stockedintelligenceweakenstheimpulsetoaction；anoverstockedoneleadsgentlytoidiocy。ButMrs。Fyne’sindividualistwoman-doctrine，naivelyunscrupulous，flittedthroughmymind。Thesaladofunprinciplednotionssheputintothesegirl-friends’heads！Goodinnocentcreature，worthywife，excellentmother(ofthestrictgovernesstype)，shewasasguilelessofconsequencesasanydeterministphilosophereverwas。
Astohonour——youknow——it’saveryfinemedievalinheritancewhichwomennevergotholdof。Itwasn’ttheirs。Sinceitmaybelaidasageneralprinciplethatwomenalwaysgetwhattheywantwemustsupposetheydidn’twantit。Inadditiontheyaredevoidofdecency。Imeanmasculinedecency。Cautiousnesstooisforeigntothem——theheavyreasonablecautiousnesswhichisourglory。Andiftheyhadittheywouldmakeofitathingofpassion，sothatitsownmother——Imeanthemotherofcautiousness——wouldn’trecognizeit。Prudencewiththemisamatterofthrillliketherestofsublunarycontrivances。”Sensationatanycost，”istheirsecretdevice。Allthevirtuesarenotenoughforthem；theywantalsoallthecrimesfortheirown。Andwhy？Becauseinsuchcompletenessthereispower——thekindofthrilltheylovemost……””Doyouexpectmetoagreetoallthis？”Iinterrupted。”No，itisn’tnecessary，”saidMarlow，feelingthechecktohiseloquencebutwithagreateffortatamiability。”Youneednotevenunderstandit。Icontinue:withsuchdispositionwhatpreventswomen——tousethephraseanoldboatswainofmyacquaintanceapplieddescriptivelytohiscaptain——whatpreventsthemfrom”comingondeckandplayinghellwiththeship”generally，isthatsomethinginthempreciseandmysterious，actingbothasrestraintandasinspiration；theirfemininityinshortwhichtheythinktheycangetridofbytryinghard，butcan’t，andneverwill。Thereforewemayconcludethat，foralltheirenterprises，theworldisandremainssafeenough。Feeling，inmycharacterofaloverofpeace，soothedbythatconclusionIpreparedmyselftoenjoyafineday。
Anditwasafineday；adeliciousday，withthehorroroftheInfiniteveiledbythesplendidtentofblue；adayinnocentlybrightlikeachildwithawashedface，freshlikeaninnocentyounggirl，suaveinwelcomingone’srespectslike——likeaRomanprelate。
Ilovesuchdays。Theyareperfectionforremainingindoors。AndI
enjoyedittemperamentallyinachair，myfeetuponthesilloftheopenwindow，abookinmyhandsandthemurmuredharmoniesofwindandsuninmyheartmakinganaccompanimenttotherhythmsofmyauthor。ThenlookingupfromthepageIsawoutsideapairofgreyeyesthatchedbyraggedyellowy-whiteeyebrowsgazingatmesolemnlyoverthetoesofmyslippers。Therewasagrave，furrowedbrowsurmountingthatportentousgaze，abrowntweedcapsetfarbackontheperspiringhead。”Comeinside，”Icriedasheartilyasmysinkingheartwouldpermit。
Afterashortbutseverescufflewithhisdogattheouterdoor，Fyneentered。Itreatedhimwithoutceremonyandonlywavedmyhandtowardsachair。Evenbeforehesatdownhegaspedout:”We’veheard——middaypost。”
Gaspedout！Thegrave，immovableFyneoftheCivilService，gasped！
Thiswasenough，you’lladmit，tocausemetoputmyfeettothegroundswiftly。Thatfellowwasalwaysmakingmedothingsinsubtlediscordwithmymeditativetemperament。NowonderthatIhadbutaqualifiedlikingforhim。Isaidwithjustasuspicionofjeeringtone:”Ofcourse。Itoldyoulastnightontheroadthatitwasafarcewewereengagedin。”
Hemadethelittleparlourresoundtoitsfoundationswithanoteofangerpositivelysepulchralinitsdepthoftone。”Farcebehanged！
Shehasboltedwithmywife’sbrother，CaptainAnthony。”Thisoutburstwasfollowedbycompletesubsidence。Hefalteredmiserablyasheaddedfromforceofhabit:”Thesonofthepoet，youknow。”
Asilencefell。Fyne’sseveralexpressionsweresomanyexamplesofvariedconsistency。Thiswasthediscomfitureofsolemnity。Myinterestofcoursewasrevived。”Butholdon，”Isaid。”Theydidn’tgotogether。Isitasuspicionordoessheactuallysaythat……””Shehasgoneafterhim，”statedFyneincomminatorytones。”Bypreviousarrangement。Sheconfessesthatmuch。”
Headdedthatitwasveryshocking。Iaskedhimwhetherheshouldhavepreferredthemgoingofftogether；andonwhatgroundhebasedthatpreference。ThiswassheerfunformeinregardofthefactthatFyne’stoowasarunawaymatch，whichevengotintothepapersinitstime，becausethelateindignantpoethadnodiscretionandsoughttoavengethisoutragepubliclyinsomeabsurdwaybeforeabewiggedjudge。ThedejectedgestureoflittleFyne’shanddisarmedmymockingmood。ButIcouldnothelpexpressingmysurprisethatMrs。Fynehadnotdetectedatoncewhatwasbrewing。Womenweresupposedtohaveanunerringeye。
Hetoldmethathiswifehadbeenverymuchengagedinacertainwork。Ihadalwayswonderedhowsheoccupiedhertime。Itwasinwriting。Likeherhusbandshetoopublishedalittlebook。MuchlateronIcameuponit。Ithadnothingtodowithpedestrianism。
Itwasasortofhand-bookforwomenwithgrievances(andallwomenhadthem)，asortofcompendioustheoryandpracticeoffemininefreemorality。Itmadeyoulaughatitstransparentsimplicity。
Butthatauthorshipwasrevealedtomemuchlater。Ididn’tofcourseaskFynewhatworkhiswifewasengagedon；butImarvelledtomyselfathercompleteignoranceoftheworld，ofherownsexandoftheotherkindofsinners。Yet，wherecouldshehavegotanyexperience？Herfatherhadkeptherstrictlycloistered。MarriagewithFynewascertainlyachangebutonlytoanotherkindofclaustration。Youmaytellmethattheordinarypowersofobservationoughttohavebeenenough。Why，yes！But，then，asshehadsetupforaguideandteacher，therewasnothingsurprisingformeinthediscoverythatshewasblind。That’squiteinorder。Shewasaprofoundlyinnocentperson；onlyitwouldnothavebeenpropertotellherhusbandso。
CHAPTERTHREE——THRIFT——ANDTHECHILD
ButtherewasnothingimproperinmyobservingtoFynethat，lastnight，Mrs。Fyneseemedtohavesomeideawherethatenterprisingyoungladyhadgoneto。Fyneshookhishead。No；hiswifehadbeenbynomeanssocertainasshehadpretendedtobe。Shemerelyhadherreasonstothink，tohope，thatthegirlmighthavetakenaroomsomewhereinLondon，hadburiedherselfintown——inreadinessorperhapsinhorroroftheapproachingday-
Heceasedandsatsolemnlydejected，inabrownstudy。”Whatday？”
Iaskedatlast；buthedidnothearmeapparently。HediffusedsuchportentousgloomintotheatmospherethatIlostpatiencewithhim。”Whatonearthareyousodismalabout？”Icried，beinggenuinelysurprisedandpuzzled。”Onewouldthinkthegirlwasastateprisonerunderyourcare。”
AndsuddenlyIbecamestillmoresurprisedatmyself，atthewayI
hadsomehowtakenforgrantedthingswhichdidappearqueerwhenonethoughtthemout。”Butwhythissecrecy？Whydidtheyelope——ifitisanelopement？
Wasthegirlafraidofyourwife？Andyourbrother-in-law？Whatonearthpossesseshimtomakeaclandestinematchofit？Washeafraidofyourwifetoo？”
Fynemadeanefforttorousehimself。”Ofcoursemybrother-in-law，CaptainAnthony，thesonof……”
Hecheckedhimselfasiftryingtobreakabadhabit。”Hewouldbepersuadedbyher。Wehavebeenmostfriendlytothegirl！””Shestruckmeasafoolishandinconsideratelittleperson。Butwhyshouldyouandyourwifetaketoheartsostronglymerefolly——
orevenawantofconsideration？””It’sthemostunscrupulousaction，”declaredFyneweightily——andsighed。”Isupposesheispoor，”Iobservedafterashortsilence。”Butafterall……””Youdon’tknowwhosheis。”Fynehadregainedhisaveragesolemnity。
IconfessedthatIhadnotcaughthernamewhenhiswifehadintroducedustoeachother。”ItwassomethingbeginningwithanS-
wasn’tit？”AndthenwiththeutmostcoolnessFyneremarkedthatitdidnotmatter。Thenamewasnothername。”Doyoumeantosaythatyoumadeayoungladyknowntomeunderafalsename？”Iasked，withtheamusedfeelingthatthedaysofwondersandportentshadnotpassedawayyet。ThattheeminentlyseriousFynesshoulddosuchanexceptionalthingwassimplystaggering。WithamorehastyenunciationthanusuallittleFynewassurethatIwouldnotdemandanapologyforthisirregularityifIknewwhatherrealnamewas。Asortofwarmthcreptintohisdeeptone。”Wehavetriedtobefriendthatgirlineveryway。SheisthedaughterandonlychildofdeBarral。”
Evidentlyheexpectedtoproduceasensation；hekepthiseyesfixeduponmepreparedforsomesignofit。ButImerelyreturnedhisintense，awaitinggaze。Foratimewestaredateachother。
ConsciousofbeingreprehensiblydenseIgropedinthedarknessofmymind:DeBarral，DeBarral——andallatoncenoiseandlightburstonmeasifawindowofmymemoryhadbeensuddenlyflungopenonastreetintheCity。DeBarral！Butcoulditbethesame？
Surelynot！”Thefinancier？”Isuggestedhalfincredulous。”Yes，”saidFyne；andinthisinstancehisnativesolemnityoftoneseemedtobestrangelyappropriate。”Theconvict。”
Marlowlookedatme，significantly，andremarkedinanexplanatorytone:”OnesomehowneverthoughtofdeBarralashavinganychildren，oranyotherhomethantheofficesofthe”Orb”；oranyotherexistence，associationsorintereststhanfinancial。Iseeyourememberthecrash……””IwasawayintheIndianSeasatthetime，”Isaid。”Butofcourse——””Ofcourse，”Marlowstruckin。”Alltheworld……Youmaywonderatmyslownessinrecognizingthename。Butyouknowthatmymemoryismerelyamausoleumofpropernames。Theretheylieinanimate，awaitingthemagictouch——andnotverypromptinarisingwhencalled，either。ThenameisthefirstthingIforgetofaman。Itisbutjusttoaddthatfrequentlyitisalsothelast，andthisaccountsformypossessionofagoodmanyanonymousmemories。IndeBarral’scase，hegotputawayinmymausoleumincompanywithsomanynamesofhisowncreationthatreallyhehadtothrowoffamonstrousheapofgrislybonesbeforehestoodbeforemeatthecallofthewizardFyne。Thefellowhadaprettyfancyinnames:the”Orb”DepositBank，the”Sceptre”MutualAidSociety，the”ThriftandIndependence”Association。Yes，averyprettytasteinnames；
andnothingelsebesides——absolutelynothing——noothermerit。Wellyes。Hehadanothername，butthat’spureluck——hisownnameofdeBarralwhichhedidnotinvent。Idon’tthinkthatamereJonesorBrowncouldhavefishedoutfromthedepthsoftheIncrediblesuchacolossalmanifestationofhumanfollyasthatmandid。ButitmaybethatIamunderestimatingthealacrityofhumanfollyinrisingtothebait。NodoubtIam。Thegreedofthatabsurdmonsterisincalculable，unfathomable，inconceivable。ThecareerofdeBarraldemonstratesthatitwillrisetoanakedhook。Hedidn’tlureitwithafairytale。Hehadn’tenoughimaginationforit……””Washeaforeigner？”Iasked。”It’sclearlyaFrenchname。I
supposeitWAShisname？””Oh，hedidn’tinventit。Hewasborntoit，inBethnalGreen，asitcameoutduringtheproceedings。HewasinthehabitofalludingtohisScotchconnections。Buteverygreatmanhasdonethat。Themother，Ibelieve，wasScotch，rightenough。ThefatherdeBarralwhateverhisoriginsretiredfromtheCustomsService(tide-waiterI
think)，andstartedlendingmoneyinavery，verysmallwayintheEastEndtopeopleconnectedwiththedocks，stevedores，minorbarge-owners，ship-chandlers，tallyclerks，allsortsofverysmallfry。Hemadehislivingatit。HewasaverydecentmanIbelieve。
HehadenoughinfluencetoplacehisonlysonasjuniorclerkintheaccountdepartmentofoneoftheDockCompanies。”Now，myboy，”hesaidtohim，”I’vegivenyouafinestart。”ButdeBarraldidn’tstart。Hestuck。Hegaveperfectsatisfaction。Attheendofthreeyearshegotasmallriseofsalaryandwentoutcourtingintheevenings。Hewentcourtingthedaughterofanoldsea-captainwhowasachurchwardenofhisparishandlivedinanoldbadlypreservedGeorgianhousewithagarden:oneofthesehousesstandinginareducedbitof”grounds”thatyoudiscoverinalabyrinthofthemostsordidstreets，exactlyalikeandcomposedofsix-roomedhutches。
Someofthemwerethevicaragesofslumparishes。Theoldsailorhadgotholdofonecheap，anddeBarralgotholdofhisdaughter——
whichwasagoodbargainforhim。Theoldsailorwasverygoodtotheyoungcoupleandveryfondoftheirlittlegirl。Mrs。deBarralwasanequable，unassumingwoman，atthattimewithafundofsimplegaiety，andwithnoambitions；but，woman-like，shelongedforchangeandforsomethinginterestingtohappennowandthen。ItwasshewhoencourageddeBarraltoaccepttheofferofapostinthewest-endbranchofagreatbank。Itappearsheshrankfromsuchagreatadventureforalongtime。Atlasthiswife’sargumentsprevailed。Lateronsheusedtosay:’It’stheonlytimeheeverlistenedtome；andIwondernowifithadn’tbeenbetterformetodiebeforeIevermadehimgointothatbank。’
Youmaybesurprisedatmyknowledgeofthesedetails。Well，IhadthemultimatelyfromMrs。Fyne。Mrs。FynewhileyetMissAnthony，inherdaysofbondage，knewMrs。deBarralinherdaysofexile。
Mrs。deBarralwaslivingtheninabigstonemansionwithmullionedwindowsinalargedamppark，calledthePriory，adjoiningthevillagewheretherefinedpoethadbuilthimselfahouse。
ThesewerethedaysofdeBarral’ssuccess。Hehadboughttheplacewithouteverseeingitandhadpackedoffhiswifeandchildatoncetheretotakepossession。HedidnotknowwhattodowiththeminLondon。Hehimselfhadasuiteofroomsinanhotel。Hegavetheredinnerpartiesfollowedbycardsintheevening。Hehaddevelopedthegamblingpassion——orelseamerecardmania——butatanyrateheplayedheavily，forrelaxation，withalotofdubioushangerson。
MeantimeMrs。deBarral，expectinghimeveryday，livedatthePriory，withacarriageandpair，agovernessforthechildandmanyservants。Thevillagepeoplewouldseeherthroughtherailingswanderingunderthetreeswithherlittlegirllostinherstrangesurroundings。Nobodyevercamenearher。Andthereshediedassomefaithfulanddelicateanimalsdie——fromneglect，absolutelyfromneglect，ratherunexpectedlyandwithoutanyfuss。Thevillagewassorryforherbecause，thoughobviouslyworriedaboutsomething，shewasgoodtothepoorandwasalwaysreadyforachatwithanyofthehumblefolks。Ofcoursetheyknewthatshewasn’talady——notwhatyouwouldcallareallady。AndevenheracquaintancewithMissAnthonywasonlyacottage-door，avillage-streetacquaintance。
CarleonAnthonywasatremendousaristocrat(hisfatherhadbeena”restoring”architect)andhisdaughterwasnotallowedtoassociatewithanyonebutthecountyyoungladies。Neverthelessindefianceofthepoet’swrathfulconcernforundefiledrefinementthereweresomequiet，melancholystrollstoandfrointhegreatavenueofchestnutsleadingtothepark-gate，duringwhichMrs。deBarralcametocallMissAnthony’mydear’——andeven’mypoordear。’Thelonelysoulhadnoonetotalktobutthatnotveryhappygirl。Thegovernessdespisedher。Thehousekeeperwasdistantinhermanner。
MoreoverMrs。deBarralwasnofoolishgossipingwoman。ButshemadesomeconfidencestoMissAnthony。Suchwealthwasaterrificthingtohavethrustupononesheaffirmed。Onceshewentsofarastoconfessthatshewasdyingwithanxiety。Mr。deBarral(soshereferredtohim)hadbeenanexcellenthusbandandanexemplaryfatherbut”youseemydearIhavehadagreatexperienceofhim。I
amsurehewon’tknowwhattodowithallthatmoneypeoplearegivingtohimtotakecareofforthem。He’saslikelyasnottodosomethingrash。WhenhecomeshereImusthaveagoodlongserioustalkwithhim，likethetalksweoftenusedtohavetogetherinthegoodoldtimesofourlife。”Andthenonedayacryofanguishwaswrungfromher:’Mydear，hewillnevercomehere，hewillnever，nevercome！’
Shewaswrong。Hecametothefuneral，wasextremelycutup，andholdingthechildtightlybythehandweptbitterlyatthesideofthegrave。MissAnthony，atthecostofawholeweekofsneersandabusefromthepoet，sawitallwithherowneyes。DeBarralclungtothechildlikeadrowningman。Hemanaged，though，tocatchthehalf-pastfivefasttrain，travellingtotownaloneinareservedcompartment，withalltheblindsdown……””Leavingthechild？”Isaidinterrogatively。”Yes。Leaving……Heshirkedtheproblem。Hewasbornthatway。
Hehadnoideawhattodowithherorforthatmatterwithanythingoranybodyincludinghimself。Heboltedbacktohissuiteofroomsinthehotel。Hewasthemosthelpless……ShemighthavebeenleftinthePriorytotheendoftimehadnotthehigh-tonedgovernessthreatenedtosendinherresignation。Shedidn’tcareforthechildabit，andthelonely，gloomyPrioryhadgotonhernerves。Shewasn’tgoingtoputupwithsuchalifeand，havingjustcomeoutofsomeducalfamily，shebullieddeBarralinaveryloftyfashion。TopacifyherhetookasplendidlyfurnishedhouseinthemostexpensivepartofBrightonforthem，andnowandthenrandownforaweek-end，withatrunkfullofexquisitesweetsandwithhishatfullofmoney。Thegovernessspentitforhiminextraducalstyle。Shewasnearlyfortyandharbouredasecrettasteforpatronizingyoungmenofsorts——ofacertainsort。ButofthatMrs。
Fyneofcoursehadnopersonalknowledgethen；shetoldmehoweverthateveninthePriorydaysshehadsuspectedherofbeinganartificial，heartless，vulgar-mindedwomanwiththelowestpossibleideals。ButdeBarraldidnotknowit。Heliterallydidnotknowanything……””Buttellme，Marlow，”Iinterrupted，”howdoyouaccountforthisopinion？Hemusthavebeenapersonalityinasense——insomeonesensesurely。Youdon’tworkthegreatestmaterialhavocofadecadeatleast，inacommercialcommunity，withouthavingsomethinginyou。”
Marlowshookhishead。”Hewasameresign，aportent。Therewasnothinginhim。JustaboutthattimethewordThriftwastothefore。Youknowthepowerofwords。Wepassthroughperiodsdominatedbythisorthatword——
itmaybedevelopment，oritmaybecompetition，oreducation，orpurityorefficiencyorevensanctity。Itisthewordofthetime。
WelljustthenitwasthewordThriftwhichwasoutinthestreetswalkingarminarmwithrighteousness，theinseparablecompanionandbackerupofallsuchnationalcatch-words，lookingeverybodyintheeyeasitwere。Theverydrabsofthepavement，poorthings，didn’tescapethefascination……However！……Wellthegreatestportionofthepresswerescreechinginallpossibletones，likeaconfoundedcompanyofparrotsinstructedbysomedevilwithatasteforpracticaljokes，thatthefinancierdeBarralwashelpingthegreatmoralevolutionofourcharactertowardsthenewly-discoveredvirtueofThrift。Hewashelpingitbyallthesegreatestablishmentsofhis，whichmadethemoralmeritsofThriftmanifesttothemostcalloushearts，simplybypromisingtopaytenpercent。interestonalldeposits。Andyoudidn’twantnecessarilytobelongtothewell-to-doclassesinordertoparticipateintheadvantagesofvirtue。IfyouhadbutasparesixpenceintheworldandwentandgaveittodeBarralitwasThrift！It’squitelikelythathehimselfbelievedit。Hemusthave。It’sinconceivablethathealoneshouldstandoutagainsttheinfatuationofthewholeworld。Hehadn’tenoughintelligenceforthat。Buttolookathimonecouldn’ttell……””Youdidseehimthen？”Isaidwithsomecuriosity。”Idid。Strange，isn’tit？Itwasonlyonce，butasIsatwiththedistressedFynewhohadsuddenlyresuscitatedhisnameburiedinmymemorywithotherdeadlabelsofthepast，ImaysayIsawhimagain，Isawhimwithgreatvividnessofrecollection，asheappearedinthedaysofhisgloryorsplendour。No！Neitherofthesewordswillfithissuccess。Therewasneveranygloryorsplendouraboutthatfigure。Well，letussayinthedayswhenhewas，accordingtothemajorityofthedailypress，afinancialforceworkingfortheimprovementofthecharacterofthepeople。I’lltellyouhowitcameabout。
AtthattimeIusedtoknowapodgy，wealthy，baldlittlemanhavingchambersintheAlbany；afinanciertoo，inhisway，carryingouttransactionsofanintimatenatureandofnomoralcharacter；mostlywithyoungmenofbirthandexpectations——thoughIdaresayhedidn’twithholdhisministrationsfromelderlyplebeianseither。Hewasatruedemocrat；hewouldhavedonebusiness(asharpkindofbusiness)withthedevilhimself。Everythingwasflythatcameintohisweb。Hereceivedtheapplicantsinanalert，jovialfashionwhichwasquitesurprising。Itgavereliefwithoutgivingtoomuchconfidence，whichwasjustaswellperhaps。Hisbusinesswastransactedinanapartmentfurnishedlikeadrawing-room，thewallshungwithseveralbrown，heavily-framed，oilpaintings。Idon’tknowiftheyweregood，buttheywerebig，andwiththeirelaborate，tarnishedgilt-frameshadamelancholydignity。Themanhimselfsatatashining，inlaidwritingtablewhichlookedlikeararepiecefromamuseumofart；hischairhadahigh，oval，carvedback，upholsteredinfadedtapestry；andtheseobjectsmadeofthecostlyblackHavanacigar，whichherolledincessantlyfromthemiddletotheleftcornerofhismouthandbackagain，aninexpressiblycheapandnastyobject。Ihadtoseehimseveraltimesintheinterestofapoordevilsounluckythathedidn’tevenhaveamorecompetentfriendthanmyselftospeakforhimataverydifficulttimeinhislife。
Idon’tknowatwhathourmyprivatefinancierbeganhisday，butheusedtogiveoneappointmentsatunheardoftimes:suchasaquartertoeightinthemorning，forinstance。Onarrivingonefoundhimbusyatthatmarvellouswritingtable，lookingveryfreshandalert，exhalingafaintfragranceofscentedsoapandwiththecigaralreadywellalight。YoumaybelievethatIenteredonmymissionwithmanyunpleasantforebodings；buttherewasinthatfat，admirablywashed，littlemansuchaprofoundcontemptformankindthatitamountedtoaspeciesofgoodnature；which，unlikethemilkofgenuinekindness，wasneverindangerofturningsour。Then，once，duringapauseinbusiness，whilewewerewaitingfortheproductionofadocumentforwhichhehadsent(perhapstothecellar？)Ihappenedtoremark，glancingroundtheroom，thatIhadneverseensomanyfinethingsassembledtogetheroutofacollection。Whetherthiswasunconsciousdiplomacyonmypart，ornot，Ishouldn’tliketosay——buttheremarkwastrueenough，anditpleasedhimextremely。”ItISacollection，”hesaidemphatically。”OnlyIliverightinit，whichmostcollectorsdon’t。ButIseethatyouknowwhatyouarelookingat。Notmanypeoplewhocomehereonbusinessdo。Stablefittingsaremoreintheirway。”
Idon’tknowwhethermyappreciationhelpedtoadvancemyfriend’sbusinessbutatanyrateithelpedourintercourse。Hetreatedmewithashadeoffamiliarityasoneoftheinitiated。
