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Nothing now could surprise or startle this great man. AndCharles Gould imagined himself writing a letter to SanFrancisco in some such words: ‘…. The men at the head ofthe movement are dead or have fled; the civil organizationof the province is at an end for the present; the Blanco partyin Sulaco has collapsed inexcusably, but in the characteristicmanner of this country. But Barrios, untouched in Cayta,remains still available. I am forced to take up openly theplan of a provincial revolution as the only way of placingthe enormous material interests involved in the prosperityand peace of Sulaco in a position of permanent safety….’That was clear. He saw these words as if written in letters offire upon the wall at which he was gazing abstractedly.Mrs Gould watched his abstraction with dread. It wasa domestic and frightful phenomenon that darkened andchilled the house for her like a thundercloud passing overthe sun. Charles Gould’s fits of abstraction depicted the energeticconcentration of a will haunted by a fixed idea. Aman haunted by a fixed idea is insane. He is dangerous evenif that idea is an idea of justice; for may he not bring theheaven down pitilessly upon a loved head? The eyes of Mrs.Gould, watching her husband’s profile, filled with tearsagain. And again she seemed to see the despair of the unfortunateAntonia.‘What would I have done if Charley had been drownedwhile we were engaged?’ she exclaimed, mentally, with horror.Her heart turned to ice, while her cheeks flamed up asif scorched by the blaze of a funeral pyre consuming all herearthly affections. The tears burst out of her eyes.
‘Antonia will kill herself!’ she cried out.This cry fell into the silence of the room with strangelylittle effect. Only the doctor, crumbling up a piece of bread,with his head inclined on one side, raised his face, and thefew long hairs sticking out of his shaggy eyebrows stirred ina slight frown. Dr. Monygham thought quite sincerely thatDecoud was a singularly unworthy object for any woman’saffection. Then he lowered his head again, with a curl of hislip, and his heart full of tender admiration for Mrs. Gould.‘She thinks of that girl,’ he said to himself; ‘she thinksof the Viola children; she thinks of me; of the wounded; ofthe miners; she always thinks of everybody who is poor andmiserable! But what will she do if Charles gets the worst ofit in this infernal scrimmage those confounded Avellanoshave drawn him into? No one seems to be thinking of her.’Charles Gould, staring at the wall, pursued his reflectionssubtly.‘I shall write to Holroyd that the San Tome mine is bigenough to take in hand the making of a new State. It’llplease him. It’ll reconcile him to the risk.’But was Barrios really available? Perhaps. But he wasinaccessible. To send off a boat to Cayta was no longer possible,since Sotillo was master of the harbour, and had asteamer at his disposal. And now, with all the democratsin the province up, and every Campo township in a state ofdisturbance, where could he find a man who would makehis way successfully overland to Cayta with a message, aten days’ ride at least; a man of courage and resolution, whowould avoid arrest or murder, and if arrested would faith-
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Nostromo: A Taleof the SeaboardBy J
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AUTHOR’S NOTE‘NOSTROMO’ is th
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him: ‘What’s to prevent me repo
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Misrule.’ That work was never pub
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ter the usual exordium of his remor
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invective. She did not quite unders
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CHAPTER ONEIN THE time of Spanish r
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the sky above a razor-backed ridge
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At night the body of clouds advanci
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CHAPTER TWOTHE only sign of commerc
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ject with studied negligence.‘Smi
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against the rushes of the rabble, t
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Mitchell, after directing the comma
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CHAPTER THREEIT MIGHT have been sai
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ing fowls, pounding corn in wooden
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It was trying to the nerves. Old Vi
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The children kneeling on the floor
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Linda raised her eyes to her face f
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fumes floated upwards in sunshine,
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while the negro brakesmen sat carel
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ters of her hair, and the eyelashes
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Italian—the publication of the Br
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Giorgio’s old age. It cast a gloo
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CHAPTER FIVEIN THIS way only was th
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out-of-the-way place Sulaco is!—a
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aristocratic old Spanish families,
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showed some talent as guerilla chie
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could set in motion mighty machines
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face, a pair of eyes gazing straigh
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not connected with Nostromo, and in
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here. And I suppose they are homesi
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swift pasotrote, straight out of so
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Perhaps he had just dismounted on h
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Worked in the early days mostly by
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with many arguments and entreaties,
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a votre bonhomme—entendez-vous?
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teen, a matter of prime importance
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a personal point of view, too, as o
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‘That’s different. I’ve been
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and generosity, had the fastidious
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with that girl, and his mind of the
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aspect of the world.The latest phas
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fat coachman sat muffled up on the
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mine by the hour with her husband w
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face, and his whole, long-limbed, l
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thought that no one could know her
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there was an implication of calm an
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on facts; and Charles Gould, whose
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lip is what you’ll want; and you
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inaccessible to profane eyes. Some
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me whether his talk is the voice of
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stairs, and before he gave her the
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the heat of the day, she rode on a
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of lust between bands of absurd dev
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ents must have been great, after al
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tercourse was to strike as offensiv
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When in Sulaco it was his practice
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enclosures within the old ramparts,
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Thus professionally spoke Don Pepe,
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sword and in a shabby uniform with
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first, in a pointed straw hat, then
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dying on hillsides, in the long gra
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and weight, would be caught up by t
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ment. From the heavy family coaches
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had been fitted out; a price had be
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fore she had settled in her town-ho
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gling spurs and riding-whip under h
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the white gleam of ranging eyes; an
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at the end of his rule (which had k
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were badly wanted for this great de
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Chief of the State Costaguana had e
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which I, having been in my time acc
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Going ashore in the same boat with
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carriage, who returned smiles and f
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murs of recognition and obsequious
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‘Is that true?’ she cooed, joyo
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Nostromo, the Mediterranean sailor
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PART SECONDThe Isabels
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The harbour was busy, too, with the
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ing company of nearly naked skeleto
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It was the rule for all the women o
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cific mandate to establish the pros
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much of the ignominy of the situati
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could unsettle the public opinion i
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in Tonoro. They had come to offer h
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otic send-off. It was not his part
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of a lover ensconced in a doorway o
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tion to become a poet like that oth
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‘It’s like a tile falling on my
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formed that she ventured to treat s
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‘I am inexpressibly grateful for
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French language. The big black lett
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thick stick. No! He had earned enou
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costume caused by the anxious lende
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ars of a strong wooden cage. Si, se
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The carriage rolled noiselessly on
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‘Yes,’ muttered old Viola, sava
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‘I shall want a horse presently,
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shriek, and Decoud, from his back s
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ciple is old.’He ruminated his di
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of feminine and intimate delicacy.D
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aising her hand. After a time he wh
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Decoud talking publicly with Antoni
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make war you may retreat, but not w
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and all his Negro Liberals hanging
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She made an energetic gesture of ne
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have ploughed the sea.’ He did no
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first pause. Their comparative isol
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Jose Avellanos. Don Jose, lifting u
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have carried so far, though there w
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something unlawful behind his pries
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for reparation from a penitent coun
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‘Very well,’ he agreed with the
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the skirt of his soutane at each en
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confirmatory word, a grunt of assen
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sign, made no sound. The impenetrab
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so.’ And now he was going. It was
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stairs, where the Madonna with the
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there was to say a long time ago. T
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upon the great bare wall. ‘It is
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Decoud affected suddenly the utmost
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country, whatever Father Corbelan m
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ceptibilities, and at the present m
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do no harm. And it was quite possib
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sentimentalists to deal with.’‘
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iously.‘Upon the whole,’ he con
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CHAPTER SEVENIT WAS part of what De
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death. That man seems to have a par
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for that, senor?’ Then it dawned
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dismantled houses acquired by the C
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vaguely about him, then dropped int
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man or beast,’ said the girl, pas
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holding a bottle, and sobbing gentl
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handfuls of type, blown in the wind
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it were to an assembly of trained m
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clothed in the fair robes of an ide
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emaining forces had melted away dur
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‘Never mind, there is no lack of
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holds to it as some men hold to the
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humanity.‘He joined me on the har
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the paper was going through the pre
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‘Teresa wants to see you, Nostrom
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for the glow of a heap of charcoal
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and hopes, had a great regard for h
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the one which they say is guarded b
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the stairs backwards, with the usua
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‘What bargain would your worship
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‘We are out in the gulf now,’ s
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In the featureless night Nostromo w
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and years to come. And yet, the day
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er. No, senor; there is no rest til
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the sensations awaked by what he ha
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was limp—lifeless.The light of th
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shouts and imprecations, looking fo
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angry and threatening voice, ordere
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had been making use of him, had tri
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‘They are trying to make out wher
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a naked mast. I will do it now, bef
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windows of the houses, and showing
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mism. In comparison to it, the chan
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daylight? He began to think that th
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him, and Barrios, with a rude and j
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intoxicated, and proceeded on their
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This was the first time Nostromo an
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would have passed on, leaving the l
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the breast of Senor Hirsch, who sim
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in aim, in view, in character, and
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I was in love with. Poor Teresa cou
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one of the two spades which belonge
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Nostromo detected the ironic tone.
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certainly before noon Sotillo would
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PART THIRDTHE LIGHTHOUSE
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of those imported workmen with the
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losing party. But I did not tell th
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of the far interior where the great
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ing by himself. I shall be sorry.
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story that will never grow old. Tha
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the treasure was of enormous import
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the wall, and narrow enough to be d
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the engineer. ‘When this question
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CHAPTER TWOCAPTAIN MITCHELL, pacing
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ecome the prey in person and fortun
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infuriated. Captain Mitchell, howev
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The long building was surrounded by
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ing half a hundred-weight of sand.
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and had been dragged along for some
Page 373 and 374: es, wanting in the misty idealism o
Page 375 and 376: tain Mitchell could meet the realit
Page 377 and 378: with his chin on his breast and his
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Page 381 and 382: was sitting at the foot of the bed,
Page 383 and 384: their eyes on the doctor. But at th
Page 385 and 386: dark.‘Yes, that is exactly what I
Page 387 and 388: friend’s character is not my idea
Page 389 and 390: Only the slight limping shuffle cou
Page 391 and 392: tance.’Captain Mitchell was very
Page 393 and 394: creased. The guerrillero brother of
Page 395 and 396: saw the irony of it. Father Corbela
Page 397 and 398: drowning man catches at a straw. Fa
Page 399 and 400: over his shoulder.‘Drive carefull
Page 401 and 402: with the sergeant’s stripes on th
Page 403 and 404: day to join the democrats. We are g
Page 405 and 406: to turn, where the only chance of s
Page 407 and 408: his back against the rim of the fou
Page 409 and 410: had planned revolutions, who had be
Page 411 and 412: efusing, almost touched by the anxi
Page 413 and 414: senora had given into her charge th
Page 415 and 416: eyes, and in a tempestuous voice, b
Page 417 and 418: make a full confession, Father Bero
Page 419 and 420: fetters were struck off by the ligh
Page 421 and 422: of account the safety of her husban
Page 423: cident had brought to a point all t
Page 427 and 428: the cathedral. Three single strokes
Page 429 and 430: CHAPTER FIVEDURING the night the ex
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Page 433 and 434: court, and had conceived the idea o
Page 435 and 436: and the bullet-speckled walls of th
Page 437 and 438: ‘The brute!’ observed his Excel
Page 439 and 440: cho howled with conviction, was the
Page 441 and 442: patrol duty, strolling, carbine in
Page 443 and 444: Don Pepe, in a mild and humorous vo
Page 445 and 446: the hammock. With less confidence,
Page 447 and 448: ecause whatever happened his honour
Page 449 and 450: CHAPTER SEVENAT ABOUT that time, in
Page 451 and 452: (which were accessible to His Excel
Page 453 and 454: as a great captain of industry and
Page 455 and 456: on the table.‘You will have to ta
Page 457 and 458: gadores could have been employed wi
Page 459 and 460: the Custom House, appeared lonely,
Page 461 and 462: CHAPTER EIGHTAFTER landing from his
Page 463 and 464: the cupolas, towers, and miradors r
Page 465 and 466: as a boy on one of these feluccas b
Page 467 and 468: made a few steps, then stopped agai
Page 469 and 470: Sharing in the anti-priestly freeth
Page 471 and 472: sensible his profound isolation. Hi
Page 473 and 474: meditating—or, perhaps, reading a
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ing his lips slightly, and not look
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der-blades. From there his eyes tra
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membered that much. What do you wan
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where he would be of the greatest u
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ought never to have left the mounta
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pest in his ears in time to hear th
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‘Am I to understand, senor,’ No
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such a fool as when I started. I ha
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CHAPTER NINEDISTRACTED between doub
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that treasure, for that wealth of s
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come entangled in a perfect welter
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Complete silence. He quaked. It was
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whose one end was fastened to Senor
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its mouth closed askew. The colonel
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any future treacheries of that scou
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He was absolutely the only one. The
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You are safe because you are needed
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‘I don’t know,’ burst out the
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Sotillo.’And Dr. Monygham stopped
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no divers, but he has a ship, boats
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Custom House, before he managed to
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laying about you with a stick among
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had left it twenty-four hours befor
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keen blade piercing his breast.The
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decaying strength.He extended his h
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The Capataz drank greedily. A sligh
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CHAPTER TENTHE next day was quiet i
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lish, French, Italians, all sorts
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of his safe. It was even for that s
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priest, everlastingly worrying the
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ticle to him and the force he has o
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see framed under glass in the Munic
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the land gate, was not able to oppo
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do?’ ‘You know very well I was,
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confines of waking and sleep with r
Page 545 and 546:
they thought up to the last on that
Page 547 and 548:
Ha! ha! ha! He wants me to admit th
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without loss of time and undetected
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ments and barren tasks for the peop
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endary treasure.At the end of his f
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universe as a succession of incompr
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dark, he ceased rowing and flung th
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He had made up his mind that nothin
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CHAPTER ELEVENSULACO outstripped No
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ing tenderness.‘Don’t expect to
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the Bolson de Tonoro. And the heroi
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Gould. She had brought her uncle ov
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him that position? Who can say? Gen
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know how really good you are. You w
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that incorruptible Capataz. Moreove
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the Violas. As late as midnight at
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an old negro, who had been sitting
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Gould added to the grace of her sea
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success for the last of the Goulds.
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qualities was destroyed. He felt it
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ed and feared Captain Fidanza, the
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made for himself, under his rightfu
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He went to see his friend Captain M
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A sudden dread came upon the fearle
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you for the earth to become empty t
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her raised eyes remained fixed on n
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‘Be allowed to listen to your Ram
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his little flower.It had grown dark
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and the triumphant excitement of hi
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‘Where is it? Where? Tell me that
Page 605 and 606:
There was something in that immobil
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CHAPTER THIRTEENON THE day Mrs. Gou
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hills, for which we are starving ou
Page 611 and 612:
Linda had a good share of the Viola
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ious and shameless innocence with k
Page 615 and 616:
stairs. At the moment of opening th
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sala. The prosperous majordomo rema
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has something to say to you alone.
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aim. I myself could have done no be
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lost for ever.’After hearing thes
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photographer, small, frail, bloodth
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‘You have killed Gian’ Battista
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