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小说: falk 字数: 每页4000字

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dren had learned to walk on her roomy quarter…deck。

In such thoughts there is something pretty; even

touching。  Their teeth; I should judge; they had

cut on the ends of her running gear。  I have many

times observed the baby Hermann (Nicholas) en…

gaged in gnawing the whipping of the fore…royal

brace。  Nicholas' favourite place of residence was

under the main fife…rail。  Directly he was let loose

he would crawl off there; and the first seaman who

came along would bring him; carefully held aloft

in tarry hands; back to the cabin door。  I fancy

there must have been a standing order to that effect。

In the course of these transportations the baby;

who was the only peppery person in the ship; tried

to smite these stalwart young German sailors on the

face。



Mrs。 Hermann; an engaging; stout housewife;

wore on board baggy blue dresses with white dots。

When; as happened once or twice I caught her at an

elegant little wash…tub rubbing hard on white col…

lars; baby's socks; and Hermann's summer neck…

ties; she would blush in girlish confusion; and rais…

ing her wet hands greet me from afar with many

friendly nods。  Her sleeves would be rolled up to

the elbows; and the gold hoop of her wedding ring

glittered among the soapsuds。  Her voice was

pleasant; she had a serene brow; smooth bands of

very fair hair; and a good…humoured expression of

the eyes。  She was motherly and moderately talka…

tive。  When this simple matron smiled; youthful

dimples broke out on her fresh broad cheeks。  Her…

mann's niece on the other hand; an orphan and very

silent; I never saw attempt a smile。  This; however;

was not gloom on her part but the restraint of

youthful gravity。



They had carried her about with them for the

last three years; to help with the children and be

company for Mrs。 Hermann; as Hermann men…

tioned once to me。  It had been very necessary while

they were all little; he had added in a vexed manner。

It was her arm and her sleek head that I had

glimpsed one morning; through the stern…windows

of the cabin; hovering over the pots of fuchsias and

mignonette; but the first time I beheld her full

length I surrendered to her proportions。  They fix

her in my mind; as great beauty; great intelligence;

quickness of wit or kindness of heart might have

made some her other woman equally memorable。



With her it was form and size。  It was her physi…

cal personality that had this imposing charm。  She

might have been witty; intelligent; and kind to an

exceptional degree。  I don't know; and this is not to

the point。  All I know is that she was built on a

magnificent scale。  Built is the only word。  She was

constructed; she was erected; as it were; with a regal

lavishness。  It staggered you to see this reckless ex…

penditure of material upon a chit of a girl。  She

was youthful and also perfectly mature; as though

she had been some fortunate immortal。  She was

heavy too; perhaps; but that's nothing。  It only

added to that notion of permanence。  She was bare…

ly nineteen。  But such shoulders!  Such round

arms!  Such a shadowing forth of mighty limbs

when with three long strides she pounced across the

deck upon the overturned Nicholasit's perfectly

indescribable!  She seemed a good; quiet girl; vigi…

lant as to Lena's needs; Gustav's tumbles; the state

of Carl's dear little noseconscientious; hardwork…

ing; and all that。  But what magnificent hair she

had!  Abundant; long; thick; of a tawny colour。

It had the sheen of precious metals。  She wore it

plaited tightly into one single tress hanging girl…

ishly down her back and its end reached down to

her waist。  The massiveness of it surprised you。

On my word it reminded one of a club。  Her face

was big; comely; of an unruffled expression。  She

had a good complexion; and her blue eyes were so

pale that she appeared to look at the world with

the empty white candour of a statue。  You could

not call her good…looking。  It was something much

more impressive。  The simplicity of her apparel;

the opulence of her form; her imposing stature;

and the extraordinary sense of vigorous life that

seemed to emanate from her like a perfume exhaled

by a flower; made her beautiful with a beauty of a

rustic and olympian order。  To watch her reaching

up to the clothes…line with both arms raised high

above her head; caused you to fall a musing in a

strain of pagan piety。  Excellent Mrs。 Hermann's

baggy cotton gowns had some sort of rudimentary

frills at neck and bottom; but this girl's print frocks

hadn't even a wrinkle; nothing but a few straight

folds in the skirt falling to her feet; and these; when

she stood still; had a severe and statuesque quality。

She was inclined naturally to be still whether sit…

ting or standing。  However; I don't mean to say

she was statuesque。  She was too generously alive;

but she could have stood for an allegoric statue of

the Earth。  I don't mean the worn…out earth of our

possession; but a young Earth; a virginal planet

undisturbed by the vision of a future teeming with

the monstrous forms of life and death; clamorous

with the cruel battles of hunger and thought。



The worthy Hermann himself was not very en…

tertaining; though his English was fairly compre…

hensible。  Mrs。 Hermann; who always let off one

speech at least at me in an hospitable; cordial tone

(and in Platt…Deutsch I suppose) I could not un…

derstand。  As to their niece; however satisfactory

to look upon (and she inspired you somehow with

a hopeful view as to the prospects of mankind)

she was a modest and silent presence; mostly en…

gaged in sewing; only now and then; as I observed;

falling over that work into a state of maidenly

meditation。  Her aunt sat opposite her; sewing also;

with her feet propped on a wooden footstool。  On

the other side of the deck Hermann and I would

get a couple of chairs out of the cabin and settle

down to a smoking match; accompanied at long in…

tervals by the pacific exchange of a few words。  I

came nearly every evening。  Hermann I would find

in his shirt sleeves。  As soon as he returned from

the shore on board his ship he commenced operations

by taking off his coat; then he put on his head an

embroidered round cap with a tassel; and changed

his boots for a pair of cloth slippers。  Afterwards

he smoked at the cabin…door; looking at his children

with an air of civic virtue; till they got caught one

after another and put to bed in various staterooms。

Lastly; we would drink some beer in the cabin; which

was furnished with a wooden table on cross legs; and

with black straight…backed chairsmore like a farm

kitchen than a ship's cuddy。  The sea and all nauti…

cal affairs seemed very far removed from the hos…

pitality of this exemplary family。



And I liked this because I had a rather worrying

time on board my own ship。  I had been appointed

ex…officio by the British Consul to take charge of

her after a man who had died suddenly; leaving for

the guidance of his successor some suspiciously un…

receipted bills; a few dry…dock estimates hinting at

bribery; and a quantity of vouchers for three years'

extravagant expenditure; all these mixed up to…

gether in a dusty old violin…case lined with ruby

velvet。  I found besides a large account…book;

which; when opened; hopefully turned out to my

infinite consternation to be filled with versespage

after page of rhymed doggerel of a jovial and im…

proper character; written in the neatest minute hand

I ever did see。  In the same fiddle…case a photograph

of my predecessor; taken lately in Saigon; repre…

sented in front of a garden view; and in company

of a female in strange draperies; an elderly; squat;

rugged man of stern aspect in a clumsy suit of black

broadcloth; and with the hair brushed forward above

the temples in a manner reminding one of a boar's

tusks。  Of a fiddle; however; the only trace on board

was the case; its empty husk as it were; but of the

two last freights the ship had indubitably earned

of late; there were not even the husks left。  It was

impossible to say where all that money had gone to。

It wasn't on board。  It had not been remitted home;

for a letter from the owners; preserved in a desk

evidently by the merest accident; complained mildly

enough that they had not been favoured by a

scratch of the pen for the last eighteen months。

There were next to no stores on board; not an inch

of spare rope or a yard of canvas。  The ship had

been run bare; and I foresaw no end of difficulties

before I could get her ready for sea。



As I was young thennot thirty yetI took

myself and my troubles very seriously。  The old

mate; who had acted as chief mourner at the cap…

tain's funeral; was not particularly pleased at my

coming。  But the fact is the fellow was not legally

qualified for command; and the Consul was bound;

if at all possible; to put a properly certifi

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