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and in itself； will always doubt whether it have not
perchance deserved its fate。 Sombre of mind and
without appetite； I struggled with the chop while
Mrs。 Schomberg sat with her everlasting stupid
grin and Schomberg's talk gathered way like a slide
of rubbish。
〃Let me tell you。 It's all about that girl。 I
don't know what Captain Hermann expects； but if
he asked me I could tell him something about Falk。
He's a miserable fellow。 That man is a perfect
slave。 That's what I call him。 A slave。 Last
year I started this table d'hote； and sent cards out
you know。 You think he had one meal in the
house？ Give the thing a trial？ Not once。 He has
got hold now of a Madras cooka blamed fraud
that I hunted out of my cookhouse with a rattan。
He was not fit to cook for white men。 No； not for
the white men's dogs either； but； see； any damned
native that can boil a pot of rice is good enough for
Mr。 Falk。 Rice and a little fish he buys for a few
cents from the fishing boats outside is what he lives
on。 You would hardly credit iteh？ A white
man； too。 。 。 。〃
He wiped his lips； using the napkin with indig…
nation； and looking at me。 It flashed through my
mind in the midst of my depression that if all the
meat in the town was like these table d'hote chops；
Falk wasn't so far wrong。 I was on the point of
saying this； but Schomberg's stare was intimidat…
ing。 〃He's a vegetarian； perhaps；〃 I murmured
instead。
〃He's a miser。 A miserable miser；〃 affirmed the
hotel…keeper with great force。 〃The meat here is
not so good as at homeof course。 And dear too。
But look at me。 I only charge a dollar for the tif…
fin； and one dollar and fifty cents for the dinner。
Show me anything cheaper。 Why am I doing it？
There's little profit in this game。 Falk wouldn't
look at it。 I do it for the sake of a lot of young
white fellows here that hadn't a place where they
could get a decent meal and eat it decently in good
company。 There's first…rate company always at
my table。〃
The convinced way he surveyed the empty chairs
made me feel as if I had intruded upon a tiffin of
ghostly Presences。
〃A white man should eat like a white man； dash
it all；〃 he burst out impetuously。 〃Ought to eat
meat； must eat meat。 I manage to get meat for my
patrons all the year round。 Don't I？ I am not ca…
tering for a dam' lot of coolies： Have another chop
captain。 。 。 。 No？ You； boytake away！〃
He threw himself back and waited grimly for the
curry。 The half…closed jalousies darkened the room
pervaded by the smell of fresh whitewash： a swarm
of flies buzzed and settled in turns； and poor Mrs。
Schomberg's smile seemed to express the quintes…
sence of all the imbecility that had ever spoken； had
ever breathed； had ever been fed on infamous buffalo
meat within these bare walls。 Schomberg did not
open his lips till he was ready to thrust therein a
spoonful of greasy rice。 He rolled his eyes ridicu…
lously before he swallowed the hot stuff； and only
then broke out afresh。
〃It is the most degrading thing。 They take the
dish up to the wheelhouse for him with a cover on it；
and he shuts both the doors before he begins to eat。
Fact！ Must be ashamed of himself。 Ask the engi…
neer。 He can't do without an engineerdon't you
seeand as no respectable man can be expected to
put up with such a table； he allows them fifteen dol…
lars a month extra mess money。 I assure you it is
so！ You just ask Mr。 Ferdinand da Costa。 That's
the engineer he has now。 You may have seen him
about my place； a delicate dark young man； with
very fine eyes and a little moustache。 He arrived
here a year ago from Calcutta。 Between you and
me； I guess the money…lenders there must have been
after him。 He rushes here for a meal every chance
he can get； for just please tell me what satisfaction
is that for a well…educated young fellow to feed all
alone in his cabinlike a wild beast？ That's what
Falk expects his engineers to put up with for fifteen
dollars extra。 And the rows on board every time a
little smell of cooking gets about the deck！ You
wouldn't believe！ The other day da Costa got the
cook to fry a steak for hima turtle steak it was
too； not beef at alland the fat caught or some…
thing。 Young da Costa himself was telling me of
it here in this room。 'Mr。 Schomberg'says he
'if I had let a cylinder cover blow off through the
skylight by my negligence Captain Falk couldn't
have been more savage。 He frightened the cook so
that he won't put anything on the fire for me now。'
Poor da Costa had tears in his eyes。 Only try to
put yourself in his place； captain： a sensitive； gen…
tlemanly young fellow。 Is he expected to eat his
food raw？ But that's your Falk all over。 Ask any
one you like。 I suppose the fifteen dollars extra he
has to give keep on ranklingin there。〃
And Schomberg tapped his manly breast。 I sat
half stunned by his irrelevant babble。 Suddenly
he gripped my forearm in an impressive and cau…
tious manner； as if to lead me into a very cavern of
confidence。
〃It's nothing but enviousness；〃 he said in a low…
ered tone； which had a stimulating effect upon my
wearied hearing。 〃I don't suppose there is one
person in this town that he isn't envious of。 I tell
you he's dangerous。 Even I myself am not safe
from him。 I know for certain he tried to poi…
son 。 。 。 。〃
〃Oh； come now；〃 I cried； revolted。
〃But I know for certain。 The people themselves
came and told me of it。 He went about saying
everywhere I was a worse pest to this town than the
cholera。 He had been talking against me ever since
I opened this hotel。 And he poisoned Captain Her…
mann's mind too。 Last time the Diana was loading
here Captain Hermann used to come in every day
for a drink or a cigar。 This time he hasn't been
here twice in a week。 How do you account for
that？〃
He squeezed my arm till he extorted from me
some sort of mumble。
〃He makes ten times the money I do。 I've
another hotel to fight against； and there is no other
tug on the river。 I am not in his way； am I？ He
wouldn't be fit to run an hotel if he tried。 But that's
just his nature。 He can't bear to think I am mak…
ing a living。 I only hope it makes him properly
wretched。 He's like that in everything。 He
would like to keep a decent table well enough。
But nofor the sake of a few cents。 Can't do it。
It's too much for him。 That's what I call being a
slave to it。 But he's mean enough to kick up a row
when his nose gets tickled a bit。 See that？ That
just paints him。 Miserly and envious。 You can't
account for it any other way。 Can you？ I have
been studying him these three years。〃
He was anxious I should assent to his theory。
And indeed on thinking it over it would have been
plausible enough if there hadn't been always the
essential falseness of irresponsibility in Schom…
berg's chatter。 However； I was not disposed to in…
vestigate the psychology of Falk。 I was engaged
just then in eating despondently a piece of stale
Dutch cheese； being too much crushed to care what
I swallowed myself； let along bothering my head
about Falk's ideas of gastronomy。 I could expect
from their study no clue to his conduct in matters
of business； which seemed to me totally unrestrained
by morality or even by the commonest sort of de…
cency。 How insignificant and contemptible I must
appear； for the fellow to dare treat me like thisI
reflected suddenly； writhing in silent agony。 And
I consigned Falk and all his peculiarities to the devil
with so much mental fervour as to forget Schom…
berg's existence； till he grabbed my arm urgently。
〃Well； you may think and think till every hair of
your head falls off； captain； but you can't explain
it in any other way。〃
For the sake of peace and quietness I admitted
hurriedly that I couldn't： persuaded that now he
would leave off。 But the only result was to make
his moist face shine with the pride of cunning。 He
removed his hand for a moment to scare a black
mass of flies off the sugar…basin and caught hold of
my arm again。
〃To be sure。 And in the same way everybody is
aware he would like to get married。 Only he can't。
Let me quote you an instance。 Well； two years ago
a Miss Vanlo； a very ladylike girl； came from home
to keep house for her brother； Fred； who had an en…
gineering shop for small repairs by the water side。
Suddenly Falk takes to going up to their bunga…
low after dinner； and sitting for hours in the veran…
dah saying nothing。 The poor girl couldn't tell
for the life of her what to do with such a man； so she
would keep on playing the piano and singing to
him evening after evening till she was ready to
drop。 And it wasn't as if she had been a strong
young woman either。 She was thirty； and the cli…
mate had been play