within the tides-第37部分

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he　had　been　laughing　at　her　unreasonable　fears　only　a　short　time



before。







〃'I　thought　that　if　I　told　her　everything；'　Davidson　explained　to



me；　'she　would　never　have　a　moment's　peace　while　I　was　away　on　my



trips。'







〃He　simply　stated　that　the　boy　was　an　orphan；　the　child　of　some



people　to　whom　he；　Davidson；　was　under　the　greatest　obligation；　and



that　he　felt　morally　bound　to　look　after　him。　　Some　day　he　would



tell　her　more；　he　said；　and　meantime　he　trusted　in　the　goodness　and



warmth　of　her　heart；　in　her　woman's　natural　compassion。







〃He　did　not　know　that　her　heart　was　about　the　size　of　a　parched



pea；　and　had　the　proportional　amount　of　warmth；　and　that　her



faculty　of　compassion　was　mainly　directed　to　herself。　　He　was　only



startled　and　disappointed　at　the　air　of　cold　surprise　and　the



suspicious　look　with　which　she　received　his　imperfect　tale。　　But



she　did　not　say　much。　　She　never　had　much　to　say。　　She　was　a　fool



of　the　silent；　hopeless　kind。







〃What　story　Davidson's　crew　thought　fit　to　set　afloat　in　Malay　town



is　neither　here　nor　there。　　Davidson　himself　took　some　of　his



friends　into　his　confidence；　besides　giving　the　full　story



officially　to　the　Harbour　Master。







〃The　Harbour　Master　was　considerably　astonished。　　He　didn't　think；



however；　that　a　formal　complaint　should　be　made　to　the　Dutch



Government。　　They　would　probably　do　nothing　in　the　end；　after　a　lot



of　trouble　and　correspondence。　　The　robbery　had　not　come　off；　after



all。　　Those　vagabonds　could　be　trusted　to　go　to　the　devil　in　their



own　way。　　No　amount　of　fuss　would　bring　the　poor　woman　to　life



again；　and　the　actual　murderer　had　been　done　justice　to　by　a　chance



shot　from　Davidson。　　Better　let　the　matter　drop。







〃This　was　good　common　sense。　　But　he　was　impressed。







〃'Sounds　a　terrible　affair；　Captain　Davidson。'







〃'Aye；　terrible　enough；'　agreed　the　remorseful　Davidson。　　But　the



most　terrible　thing　for　him；　though　he　didn't　know　it　yet　then；　was



that　his　wife's　silly　brain　was　slowly　coming　to　the　conclusion



that　Tony　was　Davidson's　child；　and　that　he　had　invented　that　lame



story　to　introduce　him　into　her　pure　home　in　defiance　of　decency；



of　virtue　…　of　her　most　sacred　feelings。







〃Davidson　was　aware　of　some　constraint　in　his　domestic　relations。



But　at　the　best　of　times　she　was　not　demonstrative；　and　perhaps



that　very　coldness　was　part　of　her　charm　in　the　placid　Davidson's



eyes。　　Women　are　loved　for　all　sorts　of　reasons　and　even　for



characteristics　which　one　would　think　repellent。　　She　was　watching



him　and　nursing　her　suspicions。







〃Then；　one　day；　Monkey…faced　Ritchie　called　on　that　sweet；　shy　Mrs。



Davidson。　　She　had　come　out　under　his　care；　and　he　considered



himself　a　privileged　person　…　her　oldest　friend　in　the　tropics。　　He



posed　for　a　great　admirer　of　hers。　　He　was　always　a　great



chatterer。　　He　had　got　hold　of　the　story　rather　vaguely；　and　he



started　chattering　on　that　subject；　thinking　she　knew　all　about　it。



And　in　due　course　he　let　out　something　about　Laughing　Anne。







〃'Laughing　Anne；'　says　Mrs。　Davidson　with　a　start。　　'What's　that？'







Ritchie　plunged　into　circumlocution　at　once；　but　she　very　soon



stopped　him。　　'Is　that　creature　dead？'　she　asks。







〃'I　believe　so；'　stammered　Ritchie。　　'Your　husband　says　so。'







〃'But　you　don't　know　for　certain？'







〃'No！　　How　could　I；　Mrs。　Davidson！'







〃'That's　all　wanted　to　know；'　says　she；　and　goes　out　of　the　room。







〃When　Davidson　came　home　she　was　ready　to　go　for　him；　not　with



common　voluble　indignation；　but　as　if　trickling　a　stream　of　cold



clear　water　down　his　back。　　She　talked　of　his　base　intrigue　with　a



vile　woman；　of　being　made　a　fool　of；　of　the　insult　to　her　dignity。







〃Davidson　begged　her　to　listen　to　him　and　told　her　all　the　story；



thinking　that　it　would　move　a　heart　of　stone。　　He　tried　to　make　her



understand　his　remorse。　　She　heard　him　to　the　end；　said　'Indeed！'



and　turned　her　back　on　him。







〃'Don't　you　believe　me？'　he　asked；　appalled。







〃She　didn't　say　yes　or　no。　　All　she　said　was；　'Send　that　brat　away



at　once。'







〃'I　can't　throw　him　out　into　the　street；'　cried　Davidson。　　'You



don't　mean　it。'







〃'I　don't　care。　　There　are　charitable　institutions　for　such



children；　I　suppose。'







〃'That　I　will　never　do；'　said　Davidson。







〃'Very　well。　　That's　enough　for　me。'







〃Davidson's　home　after　this　was　like　a　silent；　frozen　hell　for　him。



A　stupid　woman　with　a　sense　of　grievance　is　worse　than　an　unchained



devil。　　He　sent　the　boy　to　the　White　Fathers　in　Malacca。　　This　was



not　a　very　expensive　sort　of　education；　but　she　could　not　forgive



him　for　not　casting　the　offensive　child　away　utterly。　　She　worked



up　her　sense　of　her　wifely　wrongs　and　of　her　injured　purity　to　such



a　pitch　that　one　day；　when　poor　Davidson　was　pleading　with　her　to



be　reasonable　and　not　to　make　an　impossible　existence　for　them



both；　she　turned　on　him　in　a　chill　passion　and　told　him　that　his



very　sight　was　odious　to　her。







〃Davidson；　with　his　scrupulous　delicacy　of　feeling；　was　not　the　man



to　assert　his　rights　over　a　woman　who　could　not　bear　the　sight　of



him。　　He　bowed　his　head；　and　shortly　afterwards　arranged　for　her　to



go　back　to　her　parents。　　That　was　exactly　what　she　wanted　in　her



outraged　dignity。　　And　then　she　had　always　disliked　the　tropics　and



had　detested　secretly　the　people　she　had　to　live　amongst　as



Davidson's　wife。　　She　took　her　pure；　sensitive；　mean　little　soul



away　to　Fremantle　or　somewhere　in　that　direction。　　And　of　course



the　little　girl　went　away　with　her　too。　　What　could　poor　Davidson



have　done　with　a　little　girl　on　his　hands；　even　if　she　had



consented　to　leave　her　with　him　…　which　is　unthinkable。







〃This　is　the　story　that　has　spoiled　Davidson's　smile　for　him　…



which　perhaps　it　wouldn't　have　done　so　thoroughly　had　he　been　less



of　a　good　fellow。〃







Hollis　ceased。　　But　before　we　rose　from　the　table　I　asked　him　if　he



knew　what　had　become　of　Laughing　Anne's　boy。







He　counted　carefully　the　change　handed　him　by　the　Chinaman　waiter；



and　raised　his　head。







〃Oh！　that's　the　finishing　touch。　　He　was　a　bright；　taking　little



chap；　as　you　know；　and　the　Fathers　took　very　special　pains　in　his



bringing　up。　　Davidson　expected　in　his　heart　to　have　some　comfort



out　of　him。　　In　his　placid　way　he's　a　man　who　needs　affection。



Well；　Tony　has　grown　into　a　fine　youth　…　but　there　you　are！　　He



wants　to　be　a　priest；　his　one　dream　is　to　be　a　missionary。　　The



Fathers　assure　Davidson　that　it　is　a　serious　vocation。　　They　tell



him　he　has　a　special　disposition　for　mission　work；　too。　　So



Laughing　Anne's　boy　will　lead　a　saintly　life　in　China　somewhere；　he



may　even　become　a　martyr；　but　poor　Davidson　is　left　out　in　the



cold。　　He　will　have　to　go　downhill　without　a　single　human　affection



near　him　because　of　these　old　dollars。〃















Jan。　1914



















Footnotes：







（1）　　The　gallows；　supposed　to　be　widowed　of　the　last　executed



criminal　and　waiting　for　another。























End