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

Chief of the State Costaguana had ever known, pronouncing,glass in hand, his simple watchwords of honesty, peace,respect for law, political good faith abroad and at home—the safeguards of national honour.He sat down. During the respectful, appreciative buzzof voices that followed the speech, General Montero raiseda pair of heavy, drooping eyelids and rolled his eyes witha sort of uneasy dullness from face to face. The militarybackwoods hero of the party, though secretly impressedby the sudden novelties and splendours of his position (hehad never been on board a ship before, and had hardly everseen the sea except from a distance), understood by a sortof instinct the advantage his surly, unpolished attitude ofa savage fighter gave him amongst all these refined Blancoaristocrats. But why was it that nobody was looking at him?he wondered to himself angrily. He was able to spell out theprint of newspapers, and knew that he had performed the‘greatest military exploit of modern times.’‘My husband wanted the railway,’ Mrs. Gould said to SirJohn in the general murmur of resumed conversations. ‘Allthis brings nearer the sort of future we desire for the country,which has waited for it in sorrow long enough, Godknows. But I will confess that the other day, during my afternoondrive when I suddenly saw an Indian boy ride outof a wood with the red flag of a surveying party in his hand,I felt something of a shock. The future means change—anutter change. And yet even here there are simple and picturesquethings that one would like to preserve.’Sir John listened, smiling. But it was his turn now to