received. I began to ascribe an extraordinary potency to agents in
themselves powerless. It was as if Schomberg's baseless gossip had the
power to bring about the thing itself or the abstract enmity of Falk
could put my ship ashore.

I have already explained how fatal this last would have been. For my
further action, my youth, my inexperience, my very real concern for the
health of my crew must be my excuse. The action itself, when it came,
was purely impulsive. It was set in movement quite undiplomatically and
simply by Falk's appearance in the doorway.

The room was full by then and buzzing with voices. I had been looked
at with curiosity by every one, but how am I to describe the sensation
produced by the appearance of Falk himself blocking the doorway? The
tension of expectation could be measured by the profundity of the
silence that fell upon the very click of the billiard balls. As to
Schomberg, he looked extremely frightened; he hated mortally any sort
of row (fracas he called it) in his establishment. Fracas was bad
for business, he affirmed; but, in truth, this specimen of portly,
middle-aged manhood was of a timid disposition. I don't know what,
considering my presence in the place, they all hoped would come of it. A
sort of stag fight, perhaps. Or they may have supposed Falk had come in
only to annihilate me completely. As a matter of fact, Falk had come in
because Hermann had asked him to inquire after the precious white cotton
parasol which, in the worry and excitement of the previous day, he had
forgotten at the table where we had held our little discussion.

It was this that gave me my opportunity. I don't think I would have gone
to seek Falk out. No. I don't think so. There are limits. But there was
an opportunity and I seized it--I have already tried to explain why. Now