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moved　away　perplexed。　　On　the　bank　two　figures　ap…



peared；　approaching　the　gangway。　　He　heard　a　voice



tinged　with　contempt







〃I　would　rather　doubt　your　word。　　But　I　shall　cer…



tainly　speak　to　him　of　this。〃







The　other　voice；　Sterne's；　said　with　a　sort　of　regretful



formality







〃Thanks。　　That's　all　I　want。　　I　must　do　my　duty。〃







Mr。　Massy　was　surprised。　　A　short；　dapper　figure



leaped　lightly　on　the　deck　and　nearly　bounded　into　him



where　he　stood　beyond　the　circle　of　light　from　the　gang…



way　lamp。　　When　it　had　passed　towards　the　bridge；



after　exchanging　a　hurried　〃Good　evening；〃　Massy



said　surlily　to　Sterne　who　followed　with　slow　steps







〃What　is　it　you're　making　up　to　Mr。　Van　Wyk　for；



now？〃







〃Far　from　it；　Mr。　Massy。　　I　am　not　good　enough　for



Mr。　Van　Wyk。　　Neither　are　you；　sir；　in　his　opinion；　I



am　afraid。　　Captain　Whalley　is；　it　seems。　　He's　gone



to　ask　him　to　dine　up　at　the　house　this　evening。〃







Then　he　murmured　to　himself　darkly







〃I　hope　he　will　like　it。〃











XII







Mr。　Van　Wyk；　the　white　man　of　Batu　Beru；　an　ex…



naval　officer　who；　for　reasons　best　known　to　himself；　had



thrown　away　the　promise　of　a　brilliant　career　to　become



the　pioneer　of　tobacco…planting　on　that　remote　part　of



the　coast；　had　learned　to　like　Captain　Whalley。　　The



appearance　of　the　new　skipper　had　attracted　his　atten…



tion。　　Nothing　more　unlike　all　the　diverse　types　he　had



seen　succeeding　each　other　on　the　bridge　of　the　Sofala



could　be　imagined。







At　that　time　Batu　Beru　was　not　what　it　has　become



since：　the　center　of　a　prosperous　tobacco…growing　dis…



trict；　a　tropically　suburban…looking　little　settlement　of



bungalows　in　one　long　street　shaded　with　two　rows　of



trees；　embowered　by　the　flowering　and　trim　luxuriance



of　the　gardens；　with　a　three…mile…long　carriage…road　for



the　afternoon　drives　and　a　first…class　Resident　with　a



fat；　cheery　wife　to　lead　the　society　of　married　estate…



managers　and　unmarried　young　fellows　in　the　service



of　the　big　companies。







All　this　prosperity　was　not　yet；　and　Mr。　Van　Wyk



prospered　alone　on　the　left　bank　on　his　deep　clearing



carved　out　of　the　forest；　which　came　down　above　and



below　to　the　water's　edge。　　His　lonely　bungalow　faced



across　the　river　the　houses　of　the　Sultan：　a　restless　and



melancholy　old　ruler　who　had　done　with　love　and　war；



for　whom　life　no　longer　held　any　savor　（except　of　evil



forebodings）　and　time　never　had　any　value。　　He　was



afraid　of　death；　and　hoped　he　would　die　before　the　white



men　were　ready　to　take　his　country　from　him。　　He



crossed　the　river　frequently　（with　never　less　than　ten



boats　crammed　full　of　people）；　in　the　wistful　hope　of



extracting　some　information　on　the　subject　from　his



own　white　man。　　There　was　a　certain　chair　on　the



veranda　he　always　took：　the　dignitaries　of　the　court



squatted　on　the　rugs　and　skins　between　the　furniture：



the　inferior　people　remained　below　on　the　grass　plot



between　the　house　and　the　river　in　rows　three　or　four



deep　all　along　the　front。　　Not　seldom　the　visit　began　at



daybreak。　　Mr。　Van　Wyk　tolerated　these　inroads。　　He



would　nod　out　of　his　bedroom　window；　tooth…brush　or



razor　in　hand；　or　pass　through　the　throng　of　courtiers　in



his　bathing　robe。　　He　appeared　and　disappeared　hum…



ming　a　tune；　polished　his　nails　with　attention；　rubbed



his　shaved　face　with　eau…de…Cologne；　drank　his　early



tea；　went　out　to　see　his　coolies　at　work：　returned；　looked



through　some　papers　on　his　desk；　read　a　page　or　two



in　a　book　or　sat　before　his　cottage　piano　leaning　back



on　the　stool；　his　arms　extended；　fingers　on　the　keys；　his



body　swaying　slightly　from　side　to　side。　　When　abso…



lutely　forced　to　speak　he　gave　evasive　vaguely　soothing



answers　out　of　pure　compassion：　the　same　feeling　per…



haps　made　him　so　lavishly　hospitable　with　the　aerated



drinks　that　more　than　once　he　left　himself　without　soda…



water　for　a　whole　week。　　That　old　man　had　granted　him



as　much　land　as　he　cared　to　have　cleared：　it　was　neither



more　nor　less　than　a　fortune。







Whether　it　was　fortune　or　seclusion　from　his　kind　that



Mr。　Van　Wyk　sought；　he　could　not　have　pitched　upon



a　better　place。　　Even　the　mail…boats　of　the　subsidized



company　calling　on　the　veriest　clusters　of　palm…thatched



hovels　along　the　coast　steamed　past　the　mouth　of　Batu



Beru　river　far　away　in　the　offing。　　The　contract　was



old：　perhaps　in　a　few　years'　time；　when　it　had　expired；



Batu　Beru　would　be　included　in　the　service；　meantime



all　Mr。　Van　Wyk's　mail　was　addressed　to　Malacca；



whence　his　agent　sent　it　across　once　a　month　by　the



Sofala。　　It　followed　that　whenever　Massy　had　run　short



of　money　（through　taking　too　many　lottery　tickets）；



or　got　into　a　difficulty　about　a　skipper；　Mr。　Van　Wyk



was　deprived　of　his　letter　and　newspapers。　　In　so　far



he　had　a　personal　interest　in　the　fortunes　of　the　Sofala。



Though　he　considered　himself　a　hermit　（and　for　no



passing　whim　evidently；　since　he　had　stood　eight　years



of　it　already）；　he　liked　to　know　what　went　on　in　the



world。







Handy　on　the　veranda　upon　a　walnut　etagere　（it　had



come　last　year　by　the　Sofalaeverything　came　by　the



Sofala）　there　lay；　piled　up　under　bronze　weights；　a　pile



of　the　Times'　weekly　edition；　the　large　sheets　of　the



Rotterdam　Courant；　the　Graphic　in　its　world…wide



green　wrappers；　an　illustrated　Dutch　publication　with…



out　a　cover；　the　numbers　of　a　German　magazine　with



covers　of　the　〃Bismarck　malade〃　color。　　There　were



also　parcels　of　new　musicthough　the　piano　（it　had



come　years　ago　by　the　Sofala　in　the　damp　atmosphere



of　the　forests　was　generally　out　of　tune。　　It　was　vexing



to　be　cut　off　from　everything　for　sixty　days　at　a　stretch



sometimes；　without　any　means　of　knowing　what　was　the



matter。　　And　when　the　Sofala　reappeared　Mr。　Van　Wyk



would　descend　the　steps　of　the　veranda　and　stroll　over



the　grass　plot　in　front　of　his　house；　down　to　the　water…



side；　with　a　frown　on　his　white　brow。







〃You've　been　laid　up　after　an　accident；　I　presume。〃







He　addressed　the　bridge；　but　before　anybody　could



answer　Massy　was　sure　to　have　already　scrambled　ashore



over　the　rail　and　pushed　in；　squeezing　the　palms　of　his



hands　together；　bowing　his　sleek　head　as　if　gummed　all



over　the　top　with　black　threads　and　tapes。　　And　he



would　be　so　enraged　at　the　necessity　of　having　to　offer



such　an　explanation　that　his　moaning　would　be　posi…



tively　pitiful；　while　all　the　time　he　tried　to　compose



his　big　lips　into　a　smile。







〃No；　Mr。　Van　Wyk。　　You　would　not　believe　it。　　I



couldn't　get　one　of　those　wretches　to　take　the　ship　out。



Not　a　single　one　of　the　lazy　beasts　could　be　induced；



and　the　law；　you　know；　Mr。　Van　Wyk　。　。　。〃







He　moaned　at　great　length　apologetically；　the　words



conspiracy；　plot；　envy；　came　out　prominently；　whined



with　greater　energy。　　Mr。　Van　Wyk；　examining　with



a　faint　grimace　his　polished　finger…nails；　would　say；



〃H'm。　　Very　unfortunate；〃　and　turn　his　back　on　him。







Fastidious；　clever；　slightly　skeptical；　accustomed　to　the



best　society　（he　had　held　a　much…envied　shore　appoint…



ment　at　the　Ministry　of　Marine　for　a　year　preceding



his　retreat　from　his　profession　and　from　Europe）；　he



possessed　a　latent　warmth　of　feeling　and　a　capacity　for



sympathy　which　were　concealed　by　a　sort　of　haughty；



arbitrary　indifference　of　manner　arising　from　his　early



training；　and　by　a　something　an　enemy　might　have



called　foppish；　in　his　aspectlike　a　distorted　echo　of



past　elegance。　　He　managed　to　keep　an　almost　mili…



tary　discipline　amongst　the　coolies　of　the　estate　he　had



dragged　into　the　light　of　day　out　of　the　tangle　and



shadows　of　the　jungle；　and　the　white　shirt　he　put



on　every　evening　with　its　stiff　glossy　front　and　high



collar　looked　as　if　he　had　meant　to　preserve　the　decent



ceremony　of　evening…dress；　but　had　wound　a　thick　crim…



son　sash　above　his　hips　as　a　concession　to　the　wilderness；



once　his　adversary；　now　his　vanquished　companion。







Moreover；　it　was　a　hygienic　precaution。　　Worn　wide



open　in　front；　a　short　jacket　of　some　airy　silken　stuff



floated　from　his　shoulders。　　His　fluffy；　fair　hair；　thin



at　the　top；　curled　slightly　at　the　sides；　a　carefully　ar…



ranged　mustache；　an　ungarnished　forehead；　the　gleam



of　low　patent　shoes　peeping　under　the　wide　bottom　of



trowsers　cut　straight　from　the　same　stuff　as　the　gossa…



mer　coat；　completed　a　figure　recalling；　with　its　sash；　a



pirate　chief　of　romance；　and　at　the　same　time　the　ele…



gance　of　a　slightly　bald　dandy　indulging；　in　seclusion；



a　taste　for　unorthodox　costume。







It　was　his　evening　get…up。　　The　proper　time　for　the



Sofala　to　arrive　at　Batu　Beru　was　an　hour　before　sun…



set；　and　he　looked　picturesque；　and　somehow　quite　cor…



rect　too；　walking　at　the　water's　edge　on　the　background



of　grass　slope　crowned　with　a　low　long　bungalow　with



an　immensely　steep　roof　of　palm　thatch；　and　clad　to　the



eaves　in　flowering　creepers。　　While　the　Sofala　was　being



made　fast　he　strolled　in　the　shade　of　the　few　trees　left



near　the　landing…place；　waiting　till　he　could　go　on



board。　　Her　white　men　were　not　of　his　kind。　　The　old



Sultan　（though　his　wistful　invasions　were　a　nuisance）



was　really　much　more　acceptable　to　his　fastidious　ta