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

‘A journalist ought to have his finger on the popularpulse, and this man is one of the leaders of the populace. Ajournalist ought to know remarkable men—and this man isremarkable in his way.’‘Ah, yes!’ said Antonia, thoughtfully. ‘It is known thatthis Italian has a great influence.’The horseman had passed below them, with a gleam ofdim light on the shining broad quarters of the grey mare,on a bright heavy stirrup, on a long silver spur; but the shortflick of yellowish flame in the dusk was powerless againstthe muffled-up mysteriousness of the dark figure with aninvisible face concealed by a great sombrero.Decoud and Antonia remained leaning over the balcony,side by side, touching elbows, with their heads overhangingthe darkness of the street, and the brilliantly lighted salaat their backs. This was a tete-a-tete of extreme impropriety;something of which in the whole extent of the Republiconly the extraordinary Antonia could be capable—the poor,motherless girl, never accompanied, with a careless father,who had thought only of making her learned. Even Decoudhimself seemed to feel that this was as much as he couldexpect of having her to himself till—till the revolution wasover and he could carry her off to Europe, away from theendlessness of civil strife, whose folly seemed even harderto bear than its ignominy. After one Montero there wouldbe another, the lawlessness of a populace of all colours andraces, barbarism, irremediable tyranny. As the great LiberatorBolivar had said in the bitterness of his spirit, ‘Americais ungovernable. Those who worked for her independence