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第9节

falk-第9节

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edge of the table。



While I watched his concentrated efforts with as…

tonishment he threw at me one or two perplexed;

half…shy glances。  Then he sat down。  〃That's all

very well;〃 he said reflectively。



It cannot be doubted that the man had been

thrown off his balance by being hauled out of the

harbour against his wish。  His stolidity had been

profoundly stirred; else he would never have made

up his mind to ask me unexpectedly whether I had

not remarked that Falk had been casting eyes upon

his niece。  〃No more than myself;〃 I answered with

literal truth。  The girl was of the sort one necessa…

rily casts eyes at in a sense。  She made no noise;

but she filled most satisfactorily a good bit of space。



〃But you; captain; are not the same kind of

man;〃 observed Hermann。



I was not; I am happy to say; in a position to

deny this。  〃What about the lady?〃 I could not

help asking。  At this he gazed for a time into my

face; earnestly; and made as if to change the sub…

ject。  I heard him beginning to mutter something

unexpected; about his children growing old enough

to require schooling。  He would have to leave them

ashore with their grandmother when he took up that

new command he expected to get in Germany。



This constant harping on his domestic arrange…

ments was funny。  I suppose it must have been like

the prospect of a complete alteration in his life。  An

epoch。  He was going; too; to part with the Diana!

He had served in her for years。  He had inherited

her。  From an uncle; if I remember rightly。  And

the future loomed big before him; occupying his

thought exclusively with all its aspects as on the

eve of a venturesome enterprise。  He sat there

frowning and biting his lip; and suddenly he began

to fume and fret。



I discovered to my momentary amusement that

he seemed to imagine I could; should or ought;

have caused Falk in some way to pronounce him…

self。  Such a hope was incomprehensible; but funny。

Then the contact with all this foolishness irritated

me。  I said crossly that I had seen no symptoms;

but if there were anysince he; Hermann; was so

surethen it was still worse。  What pleasure Falk

found in humbugging people in just that way I

couldn't say。  It was; however; my solemn duty to

warn him。  It had lately; I said; come to my knowl…

edge that there was a man (not a very long time

ago either) who had been taken in just like this。



All this passed in undertones; and at this point

Schomberg; exasperated at our secrecy; went out

of the room slamming the door with a crash that

positively lifted us in our chairs。  This; or else what

I had said; huffed my Hermann; He supposed; with

a contemptuous toss of his head towards the door

which trembled yet; that I had got hold of some of

that man's silly tales。  It looked; indeed; as though

his mind had been thoroughly poisoned against

Schomberg。  〃His tales werethey were;〃 he re…

peated; seeking for the word〃trash。〃  They

were trash; he reiterated; and moreover I was young

yet 。 。 。



This horrid aspersion (I regret I am no longer

exposed to that sort of insult) made me huffy too。

I felt ready in my own mind to back up every asser…

tion of Schomberg's and on any subject。  In a mo…

ment; devil only knows why; Hermann and I were

looking at each other most inimically。  He caught

up his hat without more ado and I gave myself the

pleasure of calling after him:



〃Take my advice and make Falk pay for break…

ing up your ship。  You aren't likely to get any…

thing else out of him。〃



When I got on board my ship later on; the old

mate; who was very full of the events of the morn…

ing; remarked:



〃I saw the tug coming back from the outer Roads

just before two P。M。〃  (He never by any chance used

the words morning or afternoon。  Always P。M。 or

A。M。; log…book style。)  〃Smart work that。  Man's

always in a state of hurry。  He's a regular

chucker…out; ain't he; sir?  There's a few pubs I

know of in the East…end of London that would be

all the better for one of his sort around the bar。〃

He chuckled at his joke。  〃A regular chucker…out。

Now he has fired out that Dutchman head over heels;

I suppose our turn's coming to…morrow morning。〃



We were all on deck at break of day (even the

sickpoor devilshad crawled out) ready to cast

off in the twinkling of an eye。  Nothing came。

Falk did not come。  At last; when I began to think

that probably something had gone wrong in his

engine…room; we perceived the tug going by; full

pelt; down the river; as if we hadn't existed。  For a

moment I entertained the wild notion that he was

going to turn round in the next reach。  Afterwards

I watched his smoke appear above the plain; now

here; now there; according to the windings of the

river。  It disappeared。  Then without a word I

went down to breakfast。  I just simply went down

to breakfast。



Not one of us uttered a sound till the mate; after

imbibingby means of suction out of a saucer

his second cup of tea; exclaimed: 〃Where the devil

is the man gone to?〃



〃Courting!〃 I shouted; with such a fiendish

laugh that the old chap didn't venture to open his

lips any more。



I started to the office perfectly calm。  Calm with

excessive rage。  Evidently they knew all about it

already; and they treated me to a show of conster…

nation。  The manager; a soft…footed; immensely

obese man; breathing short; got up to meet me;

while all round the room the young clerks; bend…

ing over the papers on their desks; cast upward

glances in my direction。  The fat man; without

waiting for my complaint; wheezing heavily and

in a tone as if he himself were incredulous; con…

veyed to me the news that FalkCaptain Falk

had declinedhad absolutely declinedto tow my

shipto have anything to do with my shipthis

day or any other day。  Never!



I did my best to preserve a cool appearance; but;

all the same; I must have shown how much taken

aback I was。  We were talking in the middle of the

room。  Suddenly behind my back some ass blew

his nose with great force; and at the same time an…

other quill…driver jumped up and went out on the

landing hastily。  It occurred to me I was cutting

a foolish figure there。  I demanded angrily to see

the principal in his private room。



The skin of Mr。 Siegers' head showed dead white

between the iron grey streaks of hair lying plas…

tered cross…wise from ear to ear over the top of his

skull in the manner of a bandage。  His narrow

sunken face was of an uniform and permanent ter…

ra…cotta colour; like a piece of pottery。  He was

sickly; thin; and short; with wrists like a boy of ten。

But from that debile body there issued a bullying

voice; tremendously loud; harsh and resonant; as

if produced by some powerful mechanical contriv…

ance in the nature of a fog…horn。  I do not know

what he did with it in the private life of his home;

but in the larger sphere of business it presented the

advantage of overcoming arguments without the

slightest mental effort; by the mere volume of

sound。  We had had several passages of arms。  It

took me all I knew to guard the interests of my

ownerswhom; nota bene; I had never seenwhile

Siegers (who had made their acquaintance some

years before; during a business tour in Australia)

pretended to the knowledge of their innermost

minds; and; in the character of 〃our very good

friends;〃 threw them perpetually at my head。



He looked at me with a jaundiced eye (there was

no love lost between us); and declared at once that

it was strange; very strange。  His pronunciation

of English was so extravagant that I can't even

attempt to reproduce it。  For instance; he said

〃Fferie strantch。〃  Combined with the bellowing

intonation it made the language of one's childhood

sound weirdly startling; and even if considered

purely as a kind of unmeaning noise it filled you

with astonishment at first。  〃They had;〃 he con…

tinued; 〃been acquainted with Captain Falk for

very many years; and never had any reason。 。 。 。〃



〃That's why I come to you; of course;〃 I inter…

rupted。  〃I've the right to know the meaning of

this infernal nonsense。〃  In the half light of the

room; which was greenish; because of the tree…tops

screening the window; I saw him writhe his meagre

shoulders。  It came into my head; as disconnected

ideas will come at all sorts of times into one's head;

that this; most likely; was the very room where; if

the tale were true; Falk had been lectured by Mr。

Siegers; the father。  Mr。 Siegers' (the son's) over…

whelming voice; in brassy blasts; as though he had

been trying to articulate his words through a trom…

bone; was expressing his great regret at a conduct

characterised by a very marked want of discre…

tion。 。 。  As I lived I was being lectured too!  His

deafening gibberish was difficult to follow; but it

was MY conductmine!that 。 。 。 Damn!  I

wa

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