At this point we were interrupted by Mr. Powell who declared that he must
leave us. The tide was on the turn, he announced coming away from the
window abruptly. He wanted to be on board his cutter before she swung
and of course he would sleep on board. Never slept away from the cutter
while on a cruise. He was gone in a moment, unceremoniously, but giving
us no offence and leaving behind an impression as though we had known him
for a long time. The ingenuous way he had told us of his start in life
had something to do with putting him on that footing with us. I gave no
thought to seeing him again.

Marlow expressed a confident hope of coming across him before long.

"He cruises about the mouth of the river all the summer. He will be easy
to find any week-end," he remarked ringing the bell so that we might
settle up with the waiter.

* * * * *

Later on I asked Marlow why he wished to cultivate this chance
acquaintance. He confessed apologetically that it was the commonest sort
of curiosity. I flatter myself that I understand all sorts of curiosity.
Curiosity about daily facts, about daily things, about daily men. It is
the most respectable faculty of the human mind--in fact I cannot conceive
the uses of an incurious mind. It would be like a chamber perpetually
locked up. But in this particular case Mr. Powell seemed to have given
us already a complete insight into his personality such as it was; a
personality capable of perception and with a feeling for the vagaries of
fate, but essentially simple in itself.

Marlow agreed with me so far. He explained however that his curiosity