And all this sprang from the meeting of the cornered Morrison and of the wandering Heyst, which may or may not have been the direct outcome of a prayer. Morrison was not an imbecile, but he seemed to have got himself into a state of remarkable5 haziness6 as to his exact position towards Heyst. For, if Heyst had been sent with money in his pocket by a direct decree of the Almighty7 in answer to Morrison’s prayer then there was no reason for special gratitude8, since obviously he could not help himself. But Morrison believed both, in the efficacy of prayer and in the infinite goodness of Heyst. He thanked God with awed9 sincerity10 for his mercy, and could not thank Heyst enough for the service rendered as between man and man. In this (highly creditable) tangle11 of strong feelings Morrison’s gratitude insisted on Heyst’s partnership12 in the great discovery. Ultimately we heard that Morrison had gone home through the Suez Canal in order to push the magnificent coal idea personally in London. He parted from his brig and disappeared from our ken13; but we heard that he had written a letter or letters to Heyst, saying that London was cold and gloomy; that he did not like either the men or things, that he was “as lonely as a crow in a strange country.” In truth, he pined after the Capricorn — I don’t mean only the tropic; I mean the ship too. Finally he went into Dorsetshire to see his people, caught a bad cold, and died with extraordinary precipitation in the bosom14 of his appalled15 family. Whether his exertions16 in the City of London had enfeebled his vitality17 I don’t know; but I believe it was this visit which put life into the coal idea. Be it as it may, the Tropical Belt Coal Company was born very shortly after Morrison, the victim of gratitude and his native climate, had gone to join his forefathers18 in a Dorsetshire churchyard.
Heyst was immensely shocked. He got the news in the Moluccas through the Tesmans, and then disappeared for a time. It appears that he stayed with a Dutch government doctor in Amboyna, a friend of his who looked after him for a bit in his bungalow19. He became visible again rather suddenly, his eyes sunk in his head, and with a sort of guarded attitude, as if afraid someone would reproach him with the death of Morrison.
Naive20 Heyst! As if anybody would . . . Nobody amongst us had any interest in men who went home. They were all right; they did not count any more. Going to Europe was nearly as final as going to Heaven. It removed a man from the world of hazard and adventure.
As a matter of fact, many of us did not hear of this death till months afterwards — from Schomberg, who disliked Heyst gratuitously21 and made up a piece of sinister22 whispered gossip:
“That’s what comes of having anything to do with that fellow. He squeezes you dry like a lemon, then chucks you out — sends you home to die. Take warning by Morrison!”
Of course, we laughed at the innkeeper’s suggestions of black mystery. Several of us heard that Heyst was prepared to go to Europe himself, to push on his coal enterprise personally; but he never went. It wasn’t necessary. The company was formed without him, and his nomination23 of manager in the tropics came out to him by post.
From the first he had selected Samburan, or Round Island, for the central station. Some copies of the prospectus24 issued in Europe, having found their way out East, were passed from hand to hand. We greatly admired the map which accompanied them for the edification of the shareholders26. On it Samburan was represented as the central spot of the Eastern Hemisphere with its name engraved27 in enormous capitals. Heavy lines radiated from it in all directions through the tropics, figuring a mysterious and effective star — lines of influence or lines of distance, or something of that sort. Company promoters have an imagination of their own. There’s no more romantic temperament28 on earth than the temperament of a company promoter. Engineers came out, coolies were imported, bungalows29 were put up on Samburan, a gallery driven into the hillside, and actually some coal got out.
These manifestations30 shook the soberest minds. For a time everybody in the islands was talking of the Tropical Belt Coal, and even those who smiled quietly to themselves were only hiding their uneasiness. Oh, yes; it had come, and anybody could see what would be the consequences — the end of the individual trader, smothered31 under a great invasion of steamers. We could not afford to buy steamers. Not we. And Heyst was the manager.
“You know, Heyst, enchanted32 Heyst.”
“Oh, come! He has been no better than a loafer around here as far back as any of us can remember.”
“Yes, he said he was looking for facts. Well, he’s got hold of one that will do for all of us,” commented a bitter voice.
“That’s what they call development — and be hanged to it!” muttered another.
Never was Heyst talked about so much in the tropical belt before.
“Isn’t he a Swedish baron33 or something?”
“He, a baron? Get along with you!”
For my part I haven’t the slightest doubt that he was. While he was still drifting amongst the islands, enigmatical and disregarded like an insignificant34 ghost, he told me so himself on a certain occasion. It was a long time before he materialized in this alarming way into the destroyer of our little industry — Heyst the Enemy.
It became the fashion with a good many to speak of Heyst as the Enemy. He was very concrete, very visible now. He was rushing all over the Archipelago, jumping in and out of local mail-packets as if they had been tram-cars, here, there, and everywhere — organizing with all his might. This was no mooning about. This was business. And this sudden display of purposeful energy shook the incredulity of the most sceptical more than any scientific demonstration35 of the value of these coal-outcrops could have done. It was impressive. Schomberg was the only one who resisted the infection. Big, manly36 in a portly style, and profusely37 bearded, with a glass of beer in his thick paw, he would approach some table where the topic of the hour was being discussed, would listen for a moment, and then come out with his invariable declaration:
“All this is very well, gentlemen; but he can’t throw any of his coal-dust in my eyes. There’s nothing in it. Why, there can’t be anything in it. A fellow like that for manager? Phoo!”
Was it the clairvoyance38 of imbecile hatred39, or mere40 stupid tenacity41 of opinion, which ends sometimes by scoring against the world in a most astonishing manner? Most of us can remember instances of triumphant42 folly43; and that ass25 Schomberg triumphed. The T.B.C. Company went into liquidation44, as I began by telling you. The Tesmans washed their hands of it. The Government cancelled those famous contracts, the talk died out, and presently it was remarked here and there that Heyst had faded completely away. He had become invisible, as in those early days when he used to make a bolt clear out of sight in his attempts to break away from the enchantment45 of “these isles,” either in the direction of New Guinea or in the direction of Saigon — to cannibals or to cafes. The enchanted Heyst! Had he at last broken the spell? Had he died? We were too indifferent to wonder overmuch. You see we had on the whole liked him well enough. And liking46 is not sufficient to keep going the interest one takes in a human being. With hatred, apparently47, it is otherwise. Schomberg couldn’t forget Heyst. The keen, manly Teutonic creature was a good hater. A fool often is.
“Good evening, gentlemen. Have you got everything you want? So! Good! You see? What was I always telling you? Aha! There was nothing in it. I knew it. But what I would like to know is what became of that — Swede.”
He put a stress on the word Swede as if it meant scoundrel. He detested48 Scandinavians generally. Why? Goodness only knows. A fool like that is unfathomable. He continued:
“It’s five months or more since I have spoken to anybody who has seen him.”
As I have said, we were not much interested; but Schomberg, of course, could not understand that. He was grotesquely49 dense50. Whenever three people came together in his hotel, he took good care that Heyst should be with them.
“I hope the fellow did not go and drown himself,” he would add with a comical earnestness that ought to have made us shudder51; only our crowd was superficial, and did not apprehend52 the psychology53 of this pious54 hope.
“Why? Heyst isn’t in debt to you for drinks is he?” somebody asked him once with shallow scorn.
“Drinks! Oh, dear no!”
The innkeeper was not mercenary. Teutonic temperament seldom is. But he put on a sinister expression to tell us that Heyst had not paid perhaps three visits altogether to his “establishment.” This was Heyst’s crime, for which Schomberg wished him nothing less than a long and tormented55 existence. Observe the Teutonic sense of proportion and nice forgiving temper.
At last, one afternoon, Schomberg was seen approaching a group of his customers. He was obviously in high glee. He squared his manly chest with great importance.
“Gentlemen, I have news of him. Who? why, that Swede. He is still on Samburan. He’s never been away from it. The company is gone, the engineers are gone, the clerks are gone, the coolies are gone, everything’s gone; but there he sticks. Captain Davidson, coming by from the westward56, saw him with his own eyes. Something white on the wharf57, so he steamed in and went ashore58 in a small boat. Heyst, right enough. Put a book into his pocket, always very polite. Been strolling on the wharf and reading. ‘I remain in possession here,’ he told Captain Davidson. What I want to know is what he gets to eat there. A piece of dried fish now and then — what? That’s coming down pretty low for a man who turned up his nose at my table d’hote!”
He winked59 with immense malice60. A bell started ringing, and he led the way to the dining-room as if into a temple, very grave, with the air of a benefactor61 of mankind. His ambition was to feed it at a profitable price, and his delight was to talk of it behind its back. It was very characteristic of him to gloat over the idea of Heyst having nothing decent to eat.
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1
propensity
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| n.倾向；习性 | |
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serenely
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| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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grandiose
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| adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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haziness
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| 有薄雾，模糊； 朦胧之性质或状态； 零能见度 | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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ken
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| n.视野，知识领域 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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19
bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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naive
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| adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的 | |
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21
gratuitously
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| 平白 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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nomination
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| n.提名，任命，提名权 | |
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prospectus
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| n.计划书；说明书；慕股书 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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shareholders
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| n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 ) | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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bungalows
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| n.平房( bungalow的名词复数 )；单层小屋，多于一层的小屋 | |
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manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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33
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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clairvoyance
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| n.超人的洞察力 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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40
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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41
tenacity
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| n.坚韧 | |
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42
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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44
liquidation
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| n.清算，停止营业 | |
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45
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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46
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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48
detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
grotesquely
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| adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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50
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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51
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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52
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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53
psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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54
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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55
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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56
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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59
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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60
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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