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

the fixed gaze of his daughter. God knows whether the oldstatesman had understood it; he was unable to speak, buthe had certainly lifted his arm off the coverlet; his hand hadmoved as if to make the sign of the cross in the air, a gestureof blessing, of consent. Decoud had that very draft inhis pocket, written in pencil on several loose sheets of paper,with the heavily-printed heading, ‘Administration ofthe San Tome Silver Mine. Sulaco. Republic of Costaguana.’He had written it furiously, snatching page after page onCharles Gould’s table. Mrs. Gould had looked several timesover his shoulder as he wrote; but the Senor Administrador,standing straddle-legged, would not even glance at itwhen it was finished. He had waved it away firmly. It musthave been scorn, and not caution, since he never made a remarkabout the use of the Administration’s paper for sucha compromising document. And that showed his disdain,the true English disdain of common prudence, as if everythingoutside the range of their own thoughts and feelingswere unworthy of serious recognition. Decoud had the timein a second or two to become furiously angry with CharlesGould, and even resentful against Mrs. Gould, in whosecare, tacitly it is true, he had left the safety of Antonia. Betterperish a thousand times than owe your preservation tosuch people, he exclaimed mentally. The grip of Nostromo’sfingers never removed from his shoulder, tightening fiercely,recalled him to himself.‘The darkness is our friend,’ the Capataz murmured intohis ear. ‘I am going to lower the sail, and trust our escape tothis black gulf. No eyes could make us out lying silent with