第 29 节
作者:曾氏六合网      更新:2024-07-12 09:34      字数:9321
  matter   of   training;   and   the   English   are   better   trained;   that   is   all。 Your
  countrymen   will      be   trained   as  well  in  time。   As   Mr。    Tudor    said;  the
  Yankees are young。〃
  〃Thank goodness   we haven't begun to tell   such   lies yet!〃   was   Joan's
  ejaculation。
  〃Oh; but you have;〃 Sheldon said quickly。             〃You were telling me a lie
  of that order only the other day。         You remember when you were going up
  the lantern…halyards hand over hand?             Your face was the personification
  of duplicity。〃
  〃It was no such thing。〃
  〃Pardon   me   a   moment;〃   he   went   on。     〃Your   face   was   as   calm   and
  peaceful as though you were reclining in a steamer…chair。               To look at your
  face one would have inferred that carrying the weight of your body up a
  rope hand over hand was a very commonplace accomplishmentas easy as
  rolling off a log。     And you needn't tell me; Miss Lackland; that you didn't
  make faces the first time you tried to climb a rope。               But; like any circus
  athlete; you trained yourself out of the face…making period。                 You trained
  your face to hide your feelings; to hide the exhausting effort your muscles
  were making。        It was; to quote Mr。 Tudor; a subtler exhibition of physical
  prowess。      And that is all our English reserve isa mere matter of training。
  Certainly we are proud inside of the things we do and have done; proud as
  Luciferyes;   and   prouder。      But   we   have   grown   up;   and   no   longer   talk
  about such things。〃
  〃I surrender;〃 Joan cried。       〃You are not so stupid after all。〃
  〃Yes;   you   have   us   there;〃   Tudor   admitted。   〃But   you   wouldn't   have
  had us if you hadn't broken your training rules。〃
  〃How do you mean?〃
  〃By talking about it。〃
  Joan clapped her hands in approval。             Tudor lighted a fresh cigarette;
  while Sheldon sat on; imperturbably silent。
  〃He got you there;〃 Joan challenged。           〃Why don't you crush him?〃
  〃Really; I can't think of anything to say;〃 Sheldon said。              〃I know my
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  position is sound; and that is satisfactory enough。〃
  〃You     might    retort;〃   she   suggested;     〃that   when    an   adult   is   with
  kindergarten children he must descend to kindergarten idioms in order to
  make   himself   intelligible。      That   was   why   you   broke   training   rules。     It
  was the only way to make us children understand。〃
  〃You've   deserted   in   the   heat   of   the   battle;   Miss   Lackland;   and   gone
  over to the enemy;〃 Tudor said plaintively。
  But   she   was   not   listening。  Instead;   she   was   looking   intently   across
  the compound and out to sea。             They followed her gaze; and saw a green
  light and the loom of a vessel's sails。
  〃I wonder if it's the Martha come back;〃 Tudor hazarded。
  〃No; the sidelight is too low;〃 Joan answered。               〃Besides; they've got
  the sweeps out。       Don't you hear them?          They wouldn't be sweeping a big
  vessel like the Martha。〃
  〃Besides;      the   Martha     has   a   gasoline    enginetwenty…five        horse…
  power;〃 Tudor added。
  〃Just the sort of a craft for us;〃 Joan said wistfully to Sheldon。 〃I really
  must see if I can't get a schooner with an engine。                I might get a second…
  hand engine put in。〃
  〃That would mean the additional expense of an engineer's wages;〃 he
  objected。
  〃But it would pay for itself by quicker passages;〃 she argued; 〃and it
  would   be   as   good   as   insurance。    I   know。    I've   knocked   about   amongst
  reefs   myself。     Besides;   if   you   weren't   so   mediaeval;   I   could   be   skipper
  and save more than the engineer's wages。〃
  He   did   not   reply   to   her   thrust;   and   she   glanced   at   him。 He    was
  looking out over the water; and in the lantern light she noted the lines of
  his   facestrong;   stern;   dogged;   the   mouth   almost   chaste   but   firmer   and
  thinner…lipped than Tudor's。          For the first time she realized the quality of
  his   strength;   the   calm   and   quiet   of   it;   its   simple   integrity   and   reposeful
  determination。       She glanced quickly at Tudor on the other side of her。                It
  was a handsomer face; one that was more immediately pleasing。                      But she
  did not like the mouth。         It was made for kissing; and she abhorred kisses。
  This was not a deliberately achieved concept; it came to her in the form of
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  a   faint   and   vaguely   intangible   repulsion。       For   the   moment   she   knew   a
  fleeting doubt of the man。           Perhaps Sheldon was right in his judgment of
  the other。     She did not know; and it concerned her little; for boats; and the
  sea;   and   the   things   and   happenings   of   the   sea   were   of   far   more   vital
  interest to her than men; and the next moment she was staring through the
  warm tropic darkness at the loom of the sails and the steady green of the
  moving sidelight;  and   listening   eagerly to   the   click of the sweeps   in   the
  rowlocks。       In her mind's eye she could see the straining naked forms of
  black   men   bending   rhythmically   to   the   work;   and   somewhere   on   that
  strange deck she knew was the inevitable master…man; conning the vessel
  in to its anchorage; peering at the dim tree…line of the shore; judging the
  deceitful   night…distances;   feeling   on   his   cheek   the   first   fans   of   the   land
  breeze     that   was     even    then    beginning      to  blow;    weighing;      thinking;
  measuring;   gauging   the   score   or   more   of   ever…   shifting   forces;   through
  which; by which; and in spite of which he directed the steady equilibrium
  of his course。      She knew it because she loved it; and she was alive to it as
  only a sailor could be。
  Twice she heard the splash of the lead; and listened intently for the cry
  that   followed。      Once   a   man's   voice   spoke;   low;   imperative;   issuing   an
  order; and she thrilled with the delight of it。            It was only a direction to the
  man at the wheel to port his helm。             She watched the slight altering of the
  course; and   knew  that   it   was   for the purpose of   enabling   the  flat…hauled
  sails   to   catch   those   first   fans   of   the   land   breeze;   and   she   waited   for   the
  same low voice to utter the one word 〃Steady!〃                     And again she thrilled
  when it did utter it。        Once more the lead splashed; and 〃Eleven fadom〃
  was the resulting cry。         〃Let go!〃 the low voice came to her through the
  darkness;      followed     by   the   surging    rumble     of  the   anchor…chain。       The
  clicking of the sheaves in the blocks as the sails ran down; head… sails first;
  was music  to   her;   and she  detected   on the instant   the  jamming   of   a  jib…
  downhaul; and almost saw the impatient jerk with which the sailor must
  have cleared it。       Nor did she take interest in the two men beside her till
  both   lights;   red   and   green;   came   into   view   as   the   anchor   checked   the
  onward way。
  Sheldon   was   wondering   as   to   the   identity   of   the   craft;   while   Tudor
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  persisted in believing it might be the Martha。
  〃It's the Minerva;〃 Joan said decidedly。
  〃How do you know?〃 Sheldon asked; sceptical of her certitude。
  〃It's   a   ketch   to   begin   with。 And   besides;   I   could   tell   anywhere   the
  rattle of her main peak…blocksthey're too large for the halyard。〃
  A dark figure crossed the compound diagonally from the beach gate;
  where whoever it was had been watching the vessel。
  〃Is that you; Utami?〃 Joan called。
  〃No; Missie; me Matapuu;〃 was the answer。
  〃What vessel is it?〃
  〃Me t'ink Minerva。〃
  Joan looked triumphantly at Sheldon; who bowed。
  〃If Matapuu says so it must be so;〃 he murmured。
  〃But when Joan Lackland says so; you doubt;〃 she cried; 〃just as you
  doubt her ability as a skipper。        But never mind; you'll be sorry some day
  for   all  your   unkindness。     There's    the  boat   lowering    now;    and  in  five
  minutes we'll be shaking hands with Christian Young。〃
  Lalaperu brought out the glasses and cigarettes and the eternal whisky
  and   soda;   and