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taking about a duke in his Master…Attendant's steam…



launch to visit the harbor improvements。  Before that



he had 〃most obligingly〃 gone out in person to pick



out a good berth for the ducal yacht。  Afterwards he



had an invitation to lunch on board。  The duchess her…



self lunched with them。  A big woman with a red face。



Complexion quite sunburnt。  He should think ruined。



Very gracious manners。  They were going on to



Japan。 。 。 。







He ejaculated these details for Captain Whalley's edi…



fication; pausing to blow out his cheeks as if with a



pent…up sense of importance; and repeatedly protruding



his thick lips till the blunt crimson end of his nose seemed



to dip into the milk of his mustache。  The place ran



itself; it was fit for any lord; it gave no trouble except



in its Marine departmentin its Marine department he



repeated twice; and after a heavy snort began to relate



how the other day her Majesty's Consul…General in



French Cochin…China had cabled to himin his official



capacityasking for a qualified man to be sent over



to take charge of a Glasgow ship whose master had died



in Saigon。







〃I sent word of it to the officers' quarters in the Sailors'



Home;〃 he continued; while the limp in his gait seemed



to grow more accentuated with the increasing irritation



of his voice。  〃Place's full of them。  Twice as many



men as there are berths going in the local trade。  All



hungry for an easy job。  Twice as manyandWhat



d'you think; Whalley? 。 。 。〃







He stopped short; his hands clenched and thrust deeply



downwards; seemed ready to burst the pockets of his



jacket。  A slight sigh escaped Captain Whalley。







〃Hey?  You would think they would be falling over



each other。  Not a bit of it。  Frightened to go home。



Nice and warm out here to lie about a veranda waiting



for a job。  I sit and wait in my office。  Nobody。  What



did they suppose?  That I was going to sit there like



a dummy with the Consul…General's cable before me?



Not likely。  So I looked up a list of them I keep by



me and sent word for Hamiltonthe worst loafer of



them alland just made him go。  Threatened to in…



struct the steward of the Sailors' Home to have him



turned out neck and crop。  He did not think the berth



was good enoughifyouplease。  'I've your little



records by me;' said I。  'You came ashore here eighteen



months ago; and you haven't done six months' work



since。  You are in debt for your board now at the Home;



and I suppose you reckon the Marine Office will pay in



the end。  Eh?  So it shall; but if you don't take this



chance; away you go to England; assisted passage; by



the first homeward steamer that comes along。  You are



no better than a pauper。  We don't want any white



paupers here。'  I scared him。  But look at the trouble



all this gave me。〃







〃You would not have had any trouble;〃 Captain Whal…



ley said almost involuntarily; 〃if you had sent for



me。〃







Captain Eliott was immensely amused; he shook with



laughter as he walked。  But suddenly he stopped laugh…



ing。  A vague recollection had crossed his mind。  Hadn't



he heard it said at the time of the Travancore and Deccan



smash that poor Whalley had been cleaned out com…



pletely。  〃Fellow's hard up; by heavens!〃 he thought;



and at once he cast a sidelong upward glance at his



companion。  But Captain Whalley was smiling austerely



straight before him; with a carriage of the head incon…



ceivable in a penniless manand he became reassured。



Impossible。  Could not have lost everything。  That ship



had been only a hobby of his。  And the reflection that



a man who had confessed to receiving that very morning



a presumably large sum of money was not likely to



spring upon him a demand for a small loan put him



entirely at his ease again。  There had come a long pause



in their talk; however; and not knowing how to begin



again; he growled out soberly; 〃We old fellows ought



to take a rest now。〃







〃The best thing for some of us would be to die at the



oar;〃 Captain Whalley said negligently。







〃Come; now。  Aren't you a bit tired by this time of



the whole show?〃 muttered the other sullenly。







〃Are you?〃







Captain Eliott was。  Infernally tired。  He only hung



on to his berth so long in order to get his pension on the



highest scale before he went home。  It would be no better



than poverty; anyhow; still; it was the only thing be…



tween him and the workhouse。  And he had a family。



Three girls; as Whalley knew。  He gave 〃Harry; old



boy;〃 to understand that these three girls were a source



of the greatest anxiety and worry to him。  Enough to



drive a man distracted。







〃Why?  What have they been doing now?〃 asked



Captain Whalley with a sort of amused absent…minded…



ness。







〃Doing!  Doing nothing。  That's just it。  Lawn…



tennis and silly novels from morning to night。 。 。 。〃







If one of them at least had been a boy。  But all three!



And; as ill…luck would have it; there did not seem to be



any decent young fellows left in the world。  When he



looked around in the club he saw only a lot of conceited



popinjays too selfish to think of making a good woman



happy。  Extreme indigence stared him in the face with



all that crowd to keep at home。  He had cherished the



idea of building himself a little house in the country



in Surreyto end his days in; but he was afraid it was



out of the question; 。 。 。 and his staring eyes rolled



upwards with such a pathetic anxiety that Captain Whal…



ley charitably nodded down at him; restraining a sort of



sickening desire to laugh。







〃You must know what it is yourself; Harry。  Girls



are the very devil for worry and anxiety。〃







〃Ay!  But mine is doing well;〃 Captain Whalley pro…



nounced slowly; staring to the end of the avenue。







The Master…Attendant was glad to hear this。  Uncom…



monly glad。  He remembered her well。  A pretty girl



she was。







Captain Whalley; stepping out carelessly; assented as



if in a dream。







〃She was pretty。〃







The procession of carriages was breaking up。







One after another they left the file to go off at a trot;



animating the vast avenue with their scattered life and



movement; but soon the aspect of dignified solitude re…



turned and took possession of the straight wide road。



A syce in white stood at the head of a Burmah pony har…



nessed to a varnished two…wheel cart; and the whole thing



waiting by the curb seemed no bigger than a child's toy



forgotten under the soaring trees。  Captain Eliott



waddled up to it and made as if to clamber in; but re…



frained; and keeping one hand resting easily on the



shaft; he changed the conversation from his pension; his



daughters; and his poverty back again to the only other



topic in the worldthe Marine Office; the men and the



ships of the port。







He proceeded to give instances of what was expected



of him; and his thick voice drowsed in the still air like



the obstinate droning of an enormous bumble…bee。  Cap…



tain Whalley did not know what was the force or the



weakness that prevented him from saying good…night



and walking away。  It was as though he had been too



tired to make the effort。  How queer。  More queer than



any of Ned's instances。  Or was it that overpowering



sense of idleness alone that made him stand there and



listen to these stories。  Nothing very real had ever



troubled Ned Eliott; and gradually he seemed to detect



deep in; as if wrapped up in the gross wheezy rumble;



something of the clear hearty voice of the young captain



of the Ringdove。  He wondered if he too had changed to



the same extent; and it seemed to him that the voice of



his old chum had not changed so very muchthat the



man was the same。  Not a bad fellow the pleasant; jolly



Ned Eliott; friendly; well up to his businessand always



a bit of a humbug。  He remembered how he used to



amuse his poor wife。  She could read him like an open



book。  When the Condor and the Ringdove happened to



be in port together; she would frequently ask him to



bring Captain Eliott to dinner。  They had not met often



since those old days。  Not once in five years; perhaps。



He regarded from under his white eyebrows this man



he could not bring himself to take into his confidence



at this juncture; and the other went on with his intimate



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