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

cattle, together with the whole family of the tenant farmer.The two young people had met in Lucca. After that meetingCharles Gould visited no mines, though they wenttogether in a carriage, once, to see some marble quarries,where the work resembled mining in so far that it alsowas the tearing of the raw material of treasure from theearth. Charles Gould did not open his heart to her in anyset speeches. He simply went on acting and thinking inher sight. This is the true method of sincerity. One of hisfrequent remarks was, ‘I think sometimes that poor fathertakes a wrong view of that San Tome business.’ And theydiscussed that opinion long and earnestly, as if they couldinfluence a mind across half the globe; but in reality theydiscussed it because the sentiment of love can enter into anysubject and live ardently in remote phrases. For this naturalreason these discussions were precious to Mrs. Gould in herengaged state. Charles feared that Mr. Gould, senior, waswasting his strength and making himself ill by his efforts toget rid of the Concession. ‘I fancy that this is not the kind ofhandling it requires,’ he mused aloud, as if to himself. Andwhen she wondered frankly that a man of character shoulddevote his energies to plotting and intrigues, Charles wouldremark, with a gentle concern that understood her wonder,‘You must not forget that he was born there.’She would set her quick mind to work upon that, andthen make the inconsequent retort, which he accepted asperfectly sagacious, because, in fact, it was so—‘Well, and you? You were born there, too.’He knew his answer.