Nostromo - A Tale of the Seaboard.pdf - Planet eBook

sured that in a given case we shall know how to drop youin time.’To this Charles Gould’s only answer had been: ‘You maybegin sending out the machinery as soon as you like.’And the great man had liked this imperturbable assurance.The secret of it was that to Charles Gould’s mind theseuncompromising terms were agreeable. Like this the minepreserved its identity, with which he had endowed it as aboy; and it remained dependent on himself alone. It was aserious affair, and he, too, took it grimly.‘Of course,’ he said to his wife, alluding to this last conversationwith the departed guest, while they walked slowlyup and down the corredor, followed by the irritated eyeof the parrot—‘of course, a man of that sort can take up athing or drop it when he likes. He will suffer from no senseof defeat. He may have to give in, or he may have to die tomorrow,but the great silver and iron interests will survive,and some day will get hold of Costaguana along with therest of the world.’They had stopped near the cage. The parrot, catching thesound of a word belonging to his vocabulary, was moved tointerfere. Parrots are very human.‘Viva Costaguana!’ he shrieked, with intense self-assertion,and, instantly ruffling up his feathers, assumed an airof puffed-up somnolence behind the glittering wires.‘And do you believe that, Charley?’ Mrs. Gould asked.‘This seems to me most awful materialism, and—‘‘My dear, it’s nothing to me,’ interrupted her husband, ina reasonable tone. ‘I make use of what I see. What’s it to