end of the tether- 第7部分

ing　the　Fair　Maid？〃







Captain　Whalley；　looking　away；　said　the　thing　was



donemoney　had　been　paid　that　morning；　and　the　other



expressed　at　once　his　approbation　of　such　an　extremely



sensible　proceeding。　　He　had　got　out　of　his　trap　to



stretch　his　legs；　he　explained；　on　his　way　home　to　dinner。



Sir　Frederick　looked　well　at　the　end　of　his　time。　　Didn't



he？







Captain　Whalley　could　not　say；　had　only　noticed　the



carriage　going　past。







The　Master…Attendant；　plunging　his　hands　into　the



pockets　of　an　alpaca　jacket　inappropriately　short　and



tight　for　a　man　of　his　age　and　appearance；　strutted



with　a　slight　limp；　and　with　his　head　reaching　only　to



the　shoulder　of　Captain　Whalley；　who　walked　easily；



staring　straight　before　him。　　They　had　been　good　com…



rades　years　ago；　almost　intimates。　　At　the　time　when



Whalley　commanded　the　renowned　Condor；　Eliott　had



charge　of　the　nearly　as　famous　Ringdove　for　the　same



owners；　and　when　the　appointment　of　Master…Attendant



was　created；　Whalley　would　have　been　the　only　other



serious　candidate。　　But　Captain　Whalley；　then　in　the



prime　of　life；　was　resolved　to　serve　no　one　but　his　own



auspicious　Fortune。　　Far　away；　tending　his　hot　irons；



he　was　glad　to　hear　the　other　had　been　successful。　　There



was　a　worldly　suppleness　in　bluff　Ned　Eliott　that　would



serve　him　well　in　that　sort　of　official　appointment。　　And



they　were　so　dissimilar　at　bottom　that　as　they　came



slowly　to　the　end　of　the　avenue　before　the　Cathedral；　it



had　never　come　into　Whalley's　head　that　he　might　have



been　in　that　man's　placeprovided　for　to　the　end　of



his　days。







The　sacred　edifice；　standing　in　solemn　isolation　amongst



the　converging　avenues　of　enormous　trees；　as　if　to　put



grave　thoughts　of　heaven　into　the　hours　of　ease；　pre…



sented　a　closed　Gothic　portal　to　the　light　and　glory　of



the　west。　　The　glass　of　the　rosace　above　the　ogive　glowed



like　fiery　coal　in　the　deep　carvings　of　a　wheel　of　stone。



The　two　men　faced　about。







〃I'll　tell　you　what　they　ought　to　do　next；　Whalley；〃



growled　Captain　Eliott　suddenly。







〃Well？〃







〃They　ought　to　send　a　real　live　lord　out　here　when



Sir　Frederick's　time　is　up。　　Eh？〃







Captain　Whalley　perfunctorily　did　not　see　why　a　lord



of　the　right　sort　should　not　do　as　well　as　anyone　else。



But　this　was　not　the　other's　point　of　view。







〃No；　no。　　Place　runs　itself。　　Nothing　can　stop　it　now。



Good　enough　for　a　lord；〃　he　growled　in　short　sentences。



〃Look　at　the　changes　in　our　time。　　We　need　a　lord



here　now。　　They　have　got　a　lord　in　Bombay。〃







He　dined　once　or　twice　every　year　at　the　Government



Housea　many…windowed；　arcaded　palace　upon　a　hill



laid　out　in　roads　and　gardens。　　And　lately　he　had　been



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