silly troubles. It seems such cheek. Anyhow, this morning I--I have
never done any harm to any God's creature knowingly--I prayed. A sudden
impulse--I went flop on my knees; so you may judge--"

They were gazing earnestly into each other's eyes. Poor Morrison added,
as a discouraging afterthought:

"Only this is such a God-forsaken spot."

Heyst inquired with a delicate intonation whether he might know the
amount for which the brig was seized.

Morrison suppressed an oath, and named curtly a sum which was in itself
so insignificant that any other person than Heyst would have exclaimed
at it. And even Heyst could hardly keep incredulity out of his politely
modulated voice as he asked if it was a fact that Morrison had not that
amount in hand.

Morrison hadn't. He had only a little English gold, a few sovereigns, on
board. He had left all his spare cash with the Tesmans, in Samarang, to
meet certain bills which would fall due while he was away on his cruise.
Anyhow, that money would not have been any more good to him than if it
had been in the innermost depths of the infernal regions. He said all
this brusquely. He looked with sudden disfavour at that noble forehead,
at those great martial moustaches, at the tired eyes of the man sitting
opposite him. Who the devil was he? What was he, Morrison, doing there,
talking like this? Morrison knew no more of Heyst than the rest of us
trading in the Archipelago did. Had the Swede suddenly risen and hit
him on the nose, he could not have been taken more aback than when this
stranger, this nondescript wanderer, said with a little bow across the