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Chapter ten of Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad. This LibriVox
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recording is in the public domain recording by Crystal Treader.
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It has set at last, said Nina to her mother,
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pointing towards the hills behind which the sun had sunk. Listen, Mother,
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I am going now to Blangi's Creek, and if I
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should never return, she interrupted herself, and something like doubt
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dimmed for a moment the fire of suppressed exultation that
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had glowed in her eyes and had illuminated this serene
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impassiveness of her features with a ray of eager life.
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During all that long day of excitement, the day of
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joy and anxiety, of hope and terror, of vague grief
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and indistinct delight, while the sun shone with that dazzling
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light in which her love was born and grew till
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it possessed her whole being. She was kept firm in
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her unwavering resolve by the mysterious whisperings of desire, which
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filled her heart with impatient longing for the darkness that
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would mean the end of danger and strife, the beginning
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of happiness, the fulfilling of love, the completeness of life.
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It had set. At last, the short tropical twilight went
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out before she could draw the long breath of relief,
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And now the sudden darkness seemed to be full of
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menacing voices, calling upon her to rush headlong into the unknown,
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to be true to her own impulses, to give herself
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up to the passion she had evoked and shared. He
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was waiting in the solitude of the secluded clearing, in
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the vast silence of the forest. He was waiting alone,
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a fugitive in fear of his life, Indifferent to his danger,
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he was waiting for her. It was for her only
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that he had come. And now, as the time approached
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when he should have his reward, she asked herself with dismay,
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what meant that chilling doubt of her own will and
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of her own desire. With an effort she shook off
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the fear of the passing weakness. He should have his reward,
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her woman's love and her woman's honor. Overcame the faltering
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distrust of that unknown future waiting for her in the
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darkness of the river. No, you will not return, muttered
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missus Almyer prophetically. Without you, he will not go. And
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if he remains here. She waved her hand towards the
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light of Almyer's folly, and the unfinished sentence died out
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in a threatening murmur. The two women had met behind
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the house and now were walking slowly together towards the
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creek where all the canoes were moored. Arrived at the
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fringe of bushes. They stopped by a common impulse, and
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missus Almyer, laying her hand on her daughter's arm, tried
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in vain to look close into the girl's averted face.
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When she attempted to speak, her first words were lost
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in a stifled sob that sounded strangely coming from that woman, who,
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of all human passions, seemed to know only those of
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anger and hate. You are going away to be a
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great ranie, she said at last, in a voice that
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was steady enough now, And if you be wise, you
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shall have much power that will endure many days and
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even last into your old age. What have I been
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a slave all my life? And I have cooked rice
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for a man who had no courage and no wisdom.
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Hi I, even I was given in gift by a
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chief and a warrior to a man that was neither Hi. Hi,
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she wailed, to herself, softly, lamenting the lost possibilities of
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murder and mischief that could have fallen to her lot
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had she been mated with a congenial spirit. Nina bent
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down over missus Almyer's slight form and scanned attentively under
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the stars that had rushed out on the black sky,
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and now hung breathless over that strange parting her mother's
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shriveled features, and looked close into the sunken eyes that
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could see into her own dark future. By the light
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of a long and a painful experience, again she felt
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herself fascinated, as of old by her mother's exalted mood
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and by the ocular certainty of expression, which, together with
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her fits of violence, had contributed not a little to
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the reputation for witchcraft she enjoyed in the settlement. I
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was a slave, and you shall be a queen, went
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on missus Almyer, looking straight before her. But remember men's
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strength and their weakness. Tremble before his anger, so that
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he may see your fear in the light of day.
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But in your heart you may laugh, for after sunset
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he is your slave, a slave, he the master of life.
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You do not know him. Mother missus Olmyer condescended to
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laugh contemptuously. You speak like a fool of a white woman,
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she exclaimed. What do you know of men's anger and
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of men's love? Have you watched the sleep of men
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weary of dealing death? Have you felt about you the
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strong arm that could drive a Chris deep into a
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beating heart? Yeah? You are a white woman and ought
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to pray to a woman God. Why do you say this?
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I have listened to your words so long that I
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have forgotten my old life. If I was white, would
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I stand here ready to go? Mother? I shall return
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to the house and look once more at my father's face. No,
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said missus Olmyer violently. No. He sleeps now the sleep
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of gin, and if you went back, he might awake
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and see you. No, he shall never see you. When
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the terrible old man took you away from me when
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you were little, you remember, it was such a long
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time ago, murmured Nina. I remember, went on missus Almyer, fiercely.
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I wanted to look at your face again, he said, No.
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I heard you cry and jumped into the river. You
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were his daughter, then you are my daughter. Now. Never
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shall you go back to that house. You shall never
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cross this courtyard again. No, no, Her voice rose almost
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to a shout. On the other side of the creek,
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there was a rustle in the long grass. The two
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women heard it and listened for a while in startled silence.
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I shall go, said Nina, in a cautious but intense whisper.
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What is your hate or your revel to me? She
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moved towards the house, missus Almyer clinging to her and
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trying to pull her back. Stop. You shall not go,
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she gasped. Nina pushed away her mother impatiently and gathered
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up her skirts for a quick run, but missus Elmyer
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ran forward and turned round, facing her daughter with outstretched arms.
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If you move another step, she exclaimed, breathing quickly, I
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shall cry out. Do you see those lights in the
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big house, There sit two white men, angry because they
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cannot have the blood of the man you love. And
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in those dark houses, she continued more calmly, as she
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pointed towards the settlement, My voice could wake up men
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that would lead the oran blond of soldiers to him
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who was waiting for you. For you. She could not
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see her daughter's face, but the white figure before her
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stood silent and ears resolute in the darkness. Missus Almyer
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pursued her advantage. Give up your old life. Forget, she said,
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in entreating tones. Forget that you ever looked at a
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white face. Forget their words, Forget their thoughts. They speak
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lies and they think lies because they despise us that
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are better than they are but not so strong. Forget
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their friendship and their contempt. Forget their many gods. Girl,
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why do you want to remember the past when there
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is a warrior and a chief ready to give many lives,
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his own life for one of your smiles. While she spoke,
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she pushed gently her daughter towards the canoes, hiding her
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own fear, anxiety, and doubt under the flood of passionate
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words that left Nina no time to think and no
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opportunity to protest, even if she had wished it. But
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she did not wish it. Now, at the bottom of
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that passing desire to look again at her father's face,
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there was no strong affection. She felt, no scruples, and
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no remorse at leaving suddenly that man whose sentiment towards
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herself she could not understand. She could not even see
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there was only an instinctive clinging to old life, to
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old habits, to old faces, that fear of finality which
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lurks in every human breast and prevents so many heroisms
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and so many crimes. For years, she has stood between
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her mother and her father, the one so strong in
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her weakness, the other so weak where he could have
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been strong. Between those two beings, so dissimilar, so antagonistic,
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She stood with mute heart, wondering and angry at the
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fact of her own existence. It seemed so unreasonable, so humiliating,
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to be flung there in that settlement, and to see
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the day days rushed by into the past, without a hope,
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a desire, or an aim that would justify the life
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she had to endure. In ever growing weariness. She had
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little belief and no sympathy for her father's dreams. But
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the savage ravings of her mother chanced to strike a
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responsive chord deep down somewhere in her despairing heart, and
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she dreamed dreams of her own. With the persistent absorption
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of a captive thinking of liberty within the walls of
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his prison cell. With the coming of Diane, she found
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the road to freedom by obeying the voice of the
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new born impulses, and with surprised joy, she thought she
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could read in his eyes the answer to all the
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questionings of her heart. She understood now the reason and
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the aim of life. And in the triumphant unveiling of
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that misery, she threw away disdainfully, her past, with its sadness, thoughts,
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its bitter feelings, and its faint affections, now withered and
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dead in contact with her fierce passion. Missus Almyer unmoored
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Nina's own canoe, and, straightening herself painfully, stood painter in hand.
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Looking at her daughter, quick she said, get away before
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the moon rises, while the river is dark. I am
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afraid of Abdullah's slaves. The wretches prowl in the night
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often and might see and follow you. There are two
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paddles in the canoe. Nina approached her mother and hesitatingly
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touched lightly with her lips the wrinkled forehead. Missus Almyer
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snorted contemptuously in protest against that tenderness, which she nevertheless
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feared could be contagious. Shall I ever see you again? Mother,
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murmured Nina, No, said missus Almyer, after a short silence,
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Why should you return here where it is my fate
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to die. You will live far away in splendor and might.
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When I hear of white men driven from the islands,
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then I shall know that you are alive, and that
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you remember my words. I shall always remember, returned Nina earnestly.
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But where is my power? And what can I do? Do?
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Not let him look too long in your eyes, nor
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lay his head on your knees without reminding him that
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men should fight before they rest. And if he lingers,
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give him his chris yourself, and bid him go, as
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the wife of a mighty prince should do when the
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enemies are near. Let him slay the white men that
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come to us to trade, with prayers on their lips
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and loaded guns in their hands. Ah, she ended with
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a sigh. They are on every sea and on every shore,
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and they are very many. She swaar among the bow
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of the canoe towards the river, but did not let
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go the gunwale, keeping her hand on it. In irresolute thoughtfulness,
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Nina put the point of the paddle against the bank,
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ready to shove off into the stream. What is it, mother,
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she asked, in a low voice, Do you hear anything? No,
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said missus Elmyer. Absently Listen Nina, she continued abruptly, after
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a slight pause. In after years, there will be other women.
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A stifled cry in the boat interrupted her, and the
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paddle rattled in the canoe as it slipped from Nina's hand,
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which she put out in a protesting gesture. Missus Elmyer
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fell on her knees on the bank and leaned over
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the gunwale so as to bring her own face close
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to her daughters. There will be other women, she repeated firmly.
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I tell you that because you are half white and
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may forget that he is a great chief, and that
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so such things must be. Hide your anger, and do
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not let him see on your face the pain that
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will eat your heart. Meet him with joy in your
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eyes and wisdom on your lips. For to you he
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will turn in sadness or in doubt. As long as
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he looks upon many women, your power will last. But
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should there be one one only with whom he seems
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to forget you, then I could not live, exclaimed Nina,
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covering her face with both her hands. Do not speak so, mother,
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it could not be, then, went on missus Almyer steadily
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to that woman, Nina, show no mercy. She moved the
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canoe down towards the stream by the gunwale and gripped
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it with both her hands, the bow pointing into the river.
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Are you crying? She asked sternly of her daughter, who
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sat still with covered face. Arise, take your paddle, for
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has waited long enough. And remember, Nina, no mercy. And
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if you must strike, strike with a steady hand. She
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put out all her strength, and, swinging her body over
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the water, shot the light craft far into the stream.
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When she recovered herself from the effort, she tried vainly
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to catch a glimpse of the canoe that seemed to
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have dissolved suddenly into the white mist. Trailing over the
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heated waters of the Pantaie. After listening for a while
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intently on her knees, missus Elmyer rose with a deep sigh,
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while two tears wandered slowly down her withered cheeks. She
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wiped them off quickly with a wisp of her gray hair,
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as if ashamed of herself, but could not stifle another
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loud sigh, for her heart was heavy and she suffered much,
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being unused to tender emotions. This time, she fancied she
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had heard a faint noise, like the echo of her
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own sigh, and she stopped, straining her ears to catch
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the slightest sound, and peering apprehensively towards the bushes near her.
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Who is there, she asked in an unsteady voice, while
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her imagination peopled the solitude of the river side with
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ghost like forms. Who is there? She repeated faintly. There
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was no answer, only the voice of the river, murmuring
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in a sad monotone behind the white veil, seemed to
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swell louder for a moment, to die away again in
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a soft whisper of Eddy's washing against the bank. Missus
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Almyer shook her head as if in answer to her
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own thoughts, and walked quickly away from the bushes, looking
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to the right and left watchfully. She went straight towards
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the cooking shed, observing that the embers of the fire
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there glowed more rightly than usual, as if somebody had
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been adding fresh fuel to the fires during the evening.
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As she approached Bablachi, who had been squatting in the
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warm glow, rose and met her in the shadow outside.
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Is she gone? Asked? The anxious statesman hastily, Yes, answered
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missus Olmyer. What are the white men doing? When did
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you leave them? They are sleeping now, I think May
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they never wake? Exclaimed Boblachi fervently. Oh, but they are devils,
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and made much talk in trouble over that carcass. The
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chief threatened me twice with his hand and said he
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would have me tied up to a tree. Tie me
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up to a tree, me, he repeated, striking his breast violently.
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Missus Elmyer laughed tauntingly, and you salamad and asked for mercy.
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Men with arms by their side acted otherwise when I
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was young. And where are they the men of your youth,
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you mad woman? Retorted Boblachi, angrily killed by the Dutch, Aha,
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but I shall live to deceive them. A man knows
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when to fight and when to tell peaceful lies. You
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would know that if you were not a woman. But
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missus Olmyer did not seem to hear him. With bent
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body and outstretched arm, she appeared to be listening to
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some noise behind the shed. There are strange sounds, she whispered,
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with evident alarm. I have heard in the air. The
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sounds of grief, as of a sigh and weeping. That
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was by the river side, And now again I heard where,
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asked Boblachi in an altered voice. What did you hear?
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Close here? It was like a breath long drawn. I
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wish I had burnt the paper over the body before
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it was buried. Yes, assented Boblachie. But the white man
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had him thrown into a hole at once. You know
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he found his death on the river, he added, cheerfully,
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and his ghost may hail the canoes, but would leave
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the land alone. Missus o'myer, who had been craning her
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net to look round the corner of the shed, drew
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back her head. There is nobody there, she said, reassured.
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Is it not time for the Raja woar canoe to
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go to the clearing? I have been waiting for it here,
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For I myself must go, explained Boblachi. I think I
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will go over and see what makes them late? When
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will you come? The Raja gives you refuge, I shall
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paddle over before the break of day. I cannot leave
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my dollars behind, muttered missus Olmyer. They separated. Bablachi crossed
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the courtyard towards the creek to get his canoe, and
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missus Olmyer walked slowly to the house, assented the plankway, and,
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passing through the back verandah, entered the passage leading to
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the front of the house, but before going in, she
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turned into the doorway and looked back at the empty
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and silent courtyard, now lit up by the rays of
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the rising moon. No sooner she had disappeared, however, than
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a vague shape flitted out from amongst the stalks of
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the banana plantation, darted over the moonlit space, and fell
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in the darkness at the foot of the verandah. It
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might have been the shadow of a driving cloud, so
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noiseless and rapid was its passage, but for the trail
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of disturbed grass, whose feathery heads trembled and swayed for
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a long time in the moonlight, before they rested, motionless
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and gleaming like a design of silver sprays embroidered on
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a somber background. Missus Elmyer lightened the cocoanut lamp, and,
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lifting cautiously the red curtain, gazed upon her husband, shading
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the light with her hand. Almayer huddled up in the chair,
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one of his arms hanging down, the other thrown across
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the lower part of his face, as if to ward
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off an invisible enemy. His legs stretched straight out, slept heavily,
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unconscious of the unfriendly eyes that looked upon him in
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disparaging criticism. At his feet lay the overturned table, amongst
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a wreck of crockery and broken bottles. The appearance as
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of traces left by a desperate struggle was accentuated by
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the chairs, which seemed to have been scattered violently all
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over the place, and now lay about the verandah with
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a lamentable aspect of inebrity in their helpless attitudes. Only
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Nina's big rocking chair, standing back and motionless on its
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high runners, towered above the chaos of demoralized furniture, unflinchingly
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dignified and paid, waiting for its burden. With a last
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scornful look towards the sleeper, Missus Almyer passed behind the
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curtain into her own room. A couple of bats, encouraged
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by the darkness and the peaceful state of affairs, resumed
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their silent and oblique gambols above Almyer's head, and for
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a long time, the profound quiet of the house was
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unbroken save for the deep breathing of the sleeping man
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and the faint tinkle of silver in the hands of
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the women preparing for flight. In the increasing light of
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the moon that had risen now above the night mist,
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the objects on the verandah came out strongly, outlined in
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black splashes of shadow with all the uncompromising ugliness of
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their disorder, and a caricature of the sleeping almyre appeared
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on the dirty whitewash of the wall behind him, in
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a grotesquely exaggerated detail of attitude and feature enlarged to
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a heroic size. The discontented bats departed in the quest
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of darker places, and a lizard came out in short,
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nervous rushes and pleased with the white tablecloth stopped on it,
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in breathless immobility that would have suggested sudden death had
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it not been for the melodious call he exchanged with
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a less adventurous friend hiding amongst the lumber in the courtyard.
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Then the boards in the passage creaked, the lizard vanished,
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and Almayer stirred uneasily with a sigh, slowly out of
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the senseless annihilation of drunken sleep. He was returning through
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the land of dreams to waking consciousness. Almayer's head rolled
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from shoulder to shoulder in the oppression of his dream.
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The heavens had descended upon him like a heavy mantle,
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and trailed in starred folds far under him, stars above,
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stars all round him, and from the stars under his
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feet rose a whisper full of entreaties and tears, and
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sorrowful faces flitted amongst the clusters of light filling the
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infinite space below. How escape from the importunity of lamentable
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cries and from the look of staring, sad eyes in
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the faces which pressed round him till he gasped for
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breath under the crushing weight of the worlds that hung
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over his aching shoulders. Get away? But how if he
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attempted to move, he would step off into nothing and
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perish in the crashing fall of that universe of which
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he was the only support. And what were the voices
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saying urging him to move? Why? Move to destruction? Not likely?
361
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The absurdity of the thing filled him with indignation. He
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got a firmer foothold and stiffened his muscles in heroic
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resolve to care carry his burden to all eternity and
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ages passed in the superhuman labor amid the rush of
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circling worlds, in the plaintive murmur of sorrowful voices, urging
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him to desist before it was too late, till the
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mysterious power that had laid upon him the giant task
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seemed at last to seek his destruction with terror. He
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felt an irresistible hand shaking him by the shoulder, while
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the chorus of voices swelled louder into an agonized prayer
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to go, go before it is too late. He felt
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himself slipping, losing his balance as something dragged his legs
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and he fell with a faint cry. He glided out
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of the anguish and perishing creation into an imperfect waking
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that seemed to be still under the spell of his dream.
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What what? He murmured sleepily, without moving or opening his eyes.
377
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His head still felt heavy, and he had not the
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courage to raise his eyelids. In his ears, there still
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00:26:07.960 --> 00:26:13.519
lingered the sound of entreating whisper am I awake? Why
380
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do I hear the voices? He argued to himself hazily,
381
00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:20.839
I cannot get rid of the horrible nightmare. Yet I
382
00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:24.599
have been very drunk. What is that shaking me? Am
383
00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:27.599
I dreaming? Yet? I must open my eyes and be
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done with it. I am only half awake, it is evident.
385
00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:34.559
He made an effort to shake off his stupor, and
386
00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:37.720
saw a face close to his glaring at him with
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00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:42.160
staring eyeballs. He closed his eyes again in amazed horror,
388
00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:46.000
and sat up straight in the chair, trembling in every limb.
389
00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:51.920
What was this apparition? His own fancy, no doubt, his
390
00:26:52.119 --> 00:26:55.359
nerves had been much tried the day before, and then
391
00:26:55.400 --> 00:26:58.400
the drink. He would not see it again. If he
392
00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:03.079
had the courage to look, he would look directly. Get
393
00:27:03.079 --> 00:27:08.880
a little steadier first. So now he looked. The figure
394
00:27:08.920 --> 00:27:11.839
of a woman standing in the steely light, her hand
395
00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:16.400
stretched forth in a suppliant gesture, confronted him from the
396
00:27:16.440 --> 00:27:19.640
far off end of the verandah, and in the space
397
00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:23.799
between him and the obstinate phantom floated the murmur of
398
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:26.519
words that fell on his ears, in a jumble of
399
00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:31.359
torturing sentences, the meaning of which escaped the utmost efforts
400
00:27:31.400 --> 00:27:36.960
of his brain. Who spoke the Malay words? Who ran away? Why?
401
00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:40.720
Too late? And too late for what what meant those
402
00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:45.079
words of hate and love mixed so strangely together, the
403
00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:49.839
ever recurring names falling on his ears again and again. Nina,
404
00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:55.319
die in, Die in, Nina. Diane was dead, and Nina
405
00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:59.200
was sleeping, unaware of the terrible experience through which he
406
00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:03.279
was now passed. Was he going to be tormented forever,
407
00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:07.920
sleeping or waking, and have no peace either night or day?
408
00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:12.000
What was the meaning of this? He shouted the last
409
00:28:12.039 --> 00:28:16.039
words aloud. The shadowy woman seemed to shrink and recede
410
00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:19.319
a little from him, towards the doorway, and there was
411
00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:24.000
a shriek. Exasperated by the incomprehensible nature of his torment,
412
00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:29.039
Almayer made a rush upon the operation which eluded his grasp,
413
00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:33.759
and he brought up heavily against the wall, quick as lightning,
414
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he turned round and pursued fiercely, the mysterious figure fleeing
415
00:28:38.119 --> 00:28:41.480
from him with piercing shrieks that were like fuel to
416
00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:45.319
the flames of his anger. Over the furniture. Round the
417
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overturned table, and now he had it cornered behind Nina's
418
00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:52.319
chair to the left. To the right, they dodged, the
419
00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:56.519
chair rocking madly between them. She sending out shriek after
420
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shriek at every faint, and he growled meaningless curses through
421
00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:06.079
his hard set teeth. Oh, the fiendish noise that split
422
00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:09.200
his head and seemed to choke his breath. It would
423
00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:13.599
kill him, It must be stopped. An immense desire to
424
00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:17.680
crush that yelling thing induced him to cast himself recklessly
425
00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:21.200
over the chair with a desperate grab, and they came
426
00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:25.079
down together in a cloud of dust amongst the splintered wood.
427
00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:29.200
The last shriek died out under him in a faint gurgle,
428
00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:34.119
and he had secured the relief of absolute silence. He
429
00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:37.240
looked at the woman's face under him, a real woman.
430
00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:41.839
He knew her by all that is wonderful tamina. He
431
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:46.279
jumped up, ashamed of his fury, and stood perplexed, wiping
432
00:29:46.279 --> 00:29:50.160
his forehead. The girl struggled to a kneeling posture and
433
00:29:50.279 --> 00:29:54.680
embraced his legs in a frenzied prayer for mercy. Don't
434
00:29:54.680 --> 00:29:58.000
be afraid, he said, raising her, I shall not hurt you.
435
00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:01.400
Why do you come to my house in and if
436
00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:04.400
you had come, why not go behind the curtain where
437
00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:08.759
the women sleep? The place behind the curtain is empty,
438
00:30:09.160 --> 00:30:13.240
guesped to Miina, catching her breath between the words, there
439
00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:16.039
are no women in your house any more, Tunn, I
440
00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:18.640
saw the old men go away before I tried to
441
00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:22.519
wake you. I did not want your women. I wanted
442
00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:27.039
you old men, repeated elmyer. Do you mean my wife?
443
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She nodded her head. But of my daughter, you are
444
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not afraid, said almayer. Have you not heard me, she exclaimed?
445
00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:38.640
Have I not spoken for a long time? When you
446
00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:41.839
lay there with your eyes half open? She is gone too.
447
00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:45.240
I was asleep. Can you not tell when a man
448
00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:49.640
is sleeping and when awake? Sometimes answered Tamina in a
449
00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:53.559
low voice. Sometimes the spirit lingers close to a sleeping
450
00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:57.319
body and may hear. I spoke a long time before
451
00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:00.279
I touched you, and I spoke softly for fear it
452
00:31:00.279 --> 00:31:03.640
would depart a sudden noise and leave you sleeping forever.
453
00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:07.039
I took you by the shoulder, and only when you
454
00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:10.759
began to mutter words I could not understand. Have you
455
00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:14.359
not heard then? And do you know nothing nothing of
456
00:31:14.400 --> 00:31:17.200
what you said? What is it? Tell again if you
457
00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:20.960
want me to know. He took her by the shoulder
458
00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:23.839
and led her, unresting, to the front of the veranda.
459
00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:27.519
Into a stronger light. She wrung her hands with such
460
00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:31.839
appearance of grief that he began to be alarmed. Speak,
461
00:31:32.119 --> 00:31:36.240
He said, you made noise enough to wake even dead men,
462
00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:39.839
and yet nobody living came, he added to himself, in
463
00:31:39.880 --> 00:31:46.000
an uneasy whisper. Are you mute? Speak? He repeated, in
464
00:31:46.039 --> 00:31:48.799
a rush of words, which broke out after a short
465
00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:51.920
struggle from her trembling lips. She told him the tale
466
00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:55.839
of Nina's love and her own jealousy. Several times. He
467
00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:58.920
looked angrily into her face and told her to be silent,
468
00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:01.839
but he could not stop the sounds that seemed to
469
00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:05.079
him to run out in a hot stream, swirl about
470
00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:09.519
his feet, and rise in scalding waves about him, higher, higher,
471
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:12.759
drowning his heart, touching his lips with a feel of
472
00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:17.599
molten lead, bolting out his sight in scorching vapor, closing
473
00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:22.799
over his head, merciless and deadly. When she spoke of
474
00:32:22.839 --> 00:32:25.960
the deception as to Diane's death, of which he had
475
00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:29.599
been the victim only that day, he glanced again at
476
00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:32.920
her terrible eyes and made her falter for a second.
477
00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:36.559
But he turned away directly, and his face suddenly lost
478
00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:41.839
all expression in a stony stare far away over the river, Ah,
479
00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:46.599
the river his old friend and his old enemy, speaking
480
00:32:46.680 --> 00:32:49.599
always with the same voice, as he runs from year
481
00:32:49.640 --> 00:32:54.599
to year, bringing fortune or disappointment, happiness or pain, upon
482
00:32:54.680 --> 00:32:59.039
the same varying but unchanging surface of glancing currents and
483
00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:04.160
swirling eddies. For many years he had listened to the
484
00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:08.559
passionless and soothing murmur that sometimes was the song of hope,
485
00:33:09.079 --> 00:33:13.559
at times the song of triumph, of encouragement, more often
486
00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:17.400
the whisper of consolation that spoke of better days to come.
487
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:22.759
For so many years, so many years. And now to
488
00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:26.119
the accompaniment of that murmur, he listened to the slow
489
00:33:26.200 --> 00:33:31.720
and painful beating of his heart. He listened attentively, wondering
490
00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:37.599
at the regularity of its beats. He began to count mechanically, one, two,
491
00:33:38.440 --> 00:33:42.200
Why count at the next beat? It must stop. No
492
00:33:42.359 --> 00:33:45.519
heart could suffer so and beat so steadily for long,
493
00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:50.079
those regular strokes, as of a muffled hammer that rang
494
00:33:50.200 --> 00:33:55.279
in his ears. Must stop soon, still beating, unceasing and cruel.
495
00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:58.759
No man can bear this? And is this the last?
496
00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:02.240
Or will the next one be the last? How much longer,
497
00:34:02.440 --> 00:34:07.640
oh God, how much longer? His hand waited heavier unconsciously
498
00:34:07.759 --> 00:34:10.880
on the girl's shoulder, and she spoke the last words
499
00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:13.760
of her story, crouching at his feet, with tears of
500
00:34:13.800 --> 00:34:18.119
pain and shame and anger. Was her revenge to fail her?
501
00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:23.000
This white man was like a senseless stone. Too late,
502
00:34:23.360 --> 00:34:28.480
too late, and you saw her go. Almayer's voice sounded
503
00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:32.639
harshly above her head. Did I not tell you, she sobbed,
504
00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:36.360
trying to wriggle gently out from under his grip. Did
505
00:34:36.400 --> 00:34:38.679
I not tell you that I saw the witch woman
506
00:34:38.760 --> 00:34:41.960
push the canoe. I lay hidden in the grass and
507
00:34:42.119 --> 00:34:45.119
heard all the words she that we used to call
508
00:34:45.159 --> 00:34:48.280
the white men. Wanted to return to look at your face,
509
00:34:48.599 --> 00:34:52.360
But the witch Woman forbade her, and she sank lower
510
00:34:52.440 --> 00:34:55.920
yet on her elbow, turning half round under the downward
511
00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:59.039
push of the heavy hand. Her face lifted up to
512
00:34:59.159 --> 00:35:03.800
him with spite eyes, and she obeyed. She shouted out
513
00:35:04.079 --> 00:35:07.960
in a half laugh, half cry of pain. Let me go, tuan,
514
00:35:08.400 --> 00:35:11.360
Why are you angry with me? Hasten, or you shall
515
00:35:11.360 --> 00:35:14.239
be too late to show your anger to the deceitful woman.
516
00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:18.159
Almayer dragged her up to her feet and looked close
517
00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:21.599
into her face while she struggled turning her head away
518
00:35:21.639 --> 00:35:25.360
from his wild stare. Who sent you here to torment me?
519
00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:28.880
He asked violently. I do not believe you. You lie.
520
00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:33.039
He straightened his arms suddenly and flung her across the
521
00:35:33.159 --> 00:35:37.199
verandah towards the doorway, where she lay, immobile and silent,
522
00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:40.000
as if she had left her life in his grasp,
523
00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:45.000
a dark heap without a sound or astir. Oh Nina,
524
00:35:45.880 --> 00:35:49.320
whispered Almyer, in a voice in which reproach and love
525
00:35:49.480 --> 00:35:54.679
spoke together in pained tenderness. Oh Nina, I do not believe.
526
00:35:55.880 --> 00:35:58.960
A light draft from the river ran over the courtyard
527
00:35:59.039 --> 00:36:02.199
in a wave of bowing grass, and, entering the verandah,
528
00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:06.159
touched Almayer's forehead with its cool breath in a caress
529
00:36:06.199 --> 00:36:10.519
of infinite pity. The curtain in the women's doorway blew
530
00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:15.719
out and instantly collapsed with startling helplessness. He stared at
531
00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:21.280
the fluttering stuff. Nina cried, Almyr, where are you, Nina?
532
00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:25.199
The wind passed out of the empty house in a
533
00:36:25.239 --> 00:36:29.920
tremulous sigh, and all was still. Almayer hid his face
534
00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:32.800
in his hands, as if to shut out a loathsome sight.
535
00:36:33.639 --> 00:36:37.360
When hearing a slight rustle he uncovered his eyes, the
536
00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:43.320
dark heap by the door was gone. End of Chapter ten.
537
00:36:43.880 --> 00:36:45.519
Recording by Crystal Treader
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Chapter ten of Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad. This LibriVox
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recording is in the public domain recording by Crystal Treader.
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It has set at last, said Nina to her mother,
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pointing towards the hills behind which the sun had sunk. Listen, Mother,
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00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:24.519
I am going now to Blangi's Creek, and if I
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should never return, she interrupted herself, and something like doubt
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00:00:30.039 --> 00:00:34.039
dimmed for a moment the fire of suppressed exultation that
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had glowed in her eyes and had illuminated this serene
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00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:41.479
impassiveness of her features with a ray of eager life.
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00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:44.920
During all that long day of excitement, the day of
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joy and anxiety, of hope and terror, of vague grief
12
00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:55.200
and indistinct delight, while the sun shone with that dazzling
13
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light in which her love was born and grew till
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it possessed her whole being. She was kept firm in
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00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:07.040
her unwavering resolve by the mysterious whisperings of desire, which
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filled her heart with impatient longing for the darkness that
17
00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:14.120
would mean the end of danger and strife, the beginning
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of happiness, the fulfilling of love, the completeness of life.
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It had set. At last, the short tropical twilight went
20
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out before she could draw the long breath of relief,
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And now the sudden darkness seemed to be full of
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00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:35.640
menacing voices, calling upon her to rush headlong into the unknown,
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to be true to her own impulses, to give herself
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00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:43.359
up to the passion she had evoked and shared. He
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was waiting in the solitude of the secluded clearing, in
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the vast silence of the forest. He was waiting alone,
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00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:55.599
a fugitive in fear of his life, Indifferent to his danger,
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he was waiting for her. It was for her only
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00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:03.560
that he had come. And now, as the time approached
30
00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:07.680
when he should have his reward, she asked herself with dismay,
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00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:11.400
what meant that chilling doubt of her own will and
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00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:15.159
of her own desire. With an effort she shook off
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00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:19.520
the fear of the passing weakness. He should have his reward,
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00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:24.120
her woman's love and her woman's honor. Overcame the faltering
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00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:27.840
distrust of that unknown future waiting for her in the
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00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:32.560
darkness of the river. No, you will not return, muttered
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00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:37.439
missus Almyer prophetically. Without you, he will not go. And
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00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:40.879
if he remains here. She waved her hand towards the
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light of Almyer's folly, and the unfinished sentence died out
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in a threatening murmur. The two women had met behind
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00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:53.400
the house and now were walking slowly together towards the
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00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:58.240
creek where all the canoes were moored. Arrived at the
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00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:01.680
fringe of bushes. They stopped by a common impulse, and
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00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:05.400
missus Almyer, laying her hand on her daughter's arm, tried
45
00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:08.360
in vain to look close into the girl's averted face.
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When she attempted to speak, her first words were lost
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00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:16.840
in a stifled sob that sounded strangely coming from that woman, who,
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00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:20.159
of all human passions, seemed to know only those of
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00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:23.680
anger and hate. You are going away to be a
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00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:27.000
great ranie, she said at last, in a voice that
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00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:30.800
was steady enough now, And if you be wise, you
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shall have much power that will endure many days and
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00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:37.960
even last into your old age. What have I been
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a slave all my life? And I have cooked rice
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00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:44.199
for a man who had no courage and no wisdom.
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Hi I, even I was given in gift by a
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00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:52.680
chief and a warrior to a man that was neither Hi. Hi,
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00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:58.639
she wailed, to herself, softly, lamenting the lost possibilities of
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00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:01.439
murder and mischief that could have fallen to her lot
60
00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:05.840
had she been mated with a congenial spirit. Nina bent
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00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:11.199
down over missus Almyer's slight form and scanned attentively under
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00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:14.000
the stars that had rushed out on the black sky,
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and now hung breathless over that strange parting her mother's
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shriveled features, and looked close into the sunken eyes that
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00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:26.000
could see into her own dark future. By the light
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00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:30.439
of a long and a painful experience, again she felt
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00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:34.800
herself fascinated, as of old by her mother's exalted mood
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and by the ocular certainty of expression, which, together with
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00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:42.839
her fits of violence, had contributed not a little to
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00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:48.399
the reputation for witchcraft she enjoyed in the settlement. I
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00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:51.160
was a slave, and you shall be a queen, went
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00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:56.160
on missus Almyer, looking straight before her. But remember men's
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strength and their weakness. Tremble before his anger, so that
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00:05:00.759 --> 00:05:02.959
he may see your fear in the light of day.
75
00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:07.000
But in your heart you may laugh, for after sunset
76
00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:12.480
he is your slave, a slave, he the master of life.
77
00:05:12.680 --> 00:05:17.360
You do not know him. Mother missus Olmyer condescended to
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00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:22.160
laugh contemptuously. You speak like a fool of a white woman,
79
00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:26.319
she exclaimed. What do you know of men's anger and
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00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:29.800
of men's love? Have you watched the sleep of men
81
00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:33.959
weary of dealing death? Have you felt about you the
82
00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:36.959
strong arm that could drive a Chris deep into a
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00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:40.959
beating heart? Yeah? You are a white woman and ought
84
00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:44.680
to pray to a woman God. Why do you say this?
85
00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:47.480
I have listened to your words so long that I
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00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:51.079
have forgotten my old life. If I was white, would
87
00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:55.000
I stand here ready to go? Mother? I shall return
88
00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:59.720
to the house and look once more at my father's face. No,
89
00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:05.160
said missus Olmyer violently. No. He sleeps now the sleep
90
00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:07.959
of gin, and if you went back, he might awake
91
00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:11.680
and see you. No, he shall never see you. When
92
00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.399
the terrible old man took you away from me when
93
00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:18.000
you were little, you remember, it was such a long
94
00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:23.720
time ago, murmured Nina. I remember, went on missus Almyer, fiercely.
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00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:27.120
I wanted to look at your face again, he said, No.
96
00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:31.720
I heard you cry and jumped into the river. You
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00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:35.160
were his daughter, then you are my daughter. Now. Never
98
00:06:35.240 --> 00:06:38.000
shall you go back to that house. You shall never
99
00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:43.240
cross this courtyard again. No, no, Her voice rose almost
100
00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:45.839
to a shout. On the other side of the creek,
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00:06:45.959 --> 00:06:48.920
there was a rustle in the long grass. The two
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00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:52.759
women heard it and listened for a while in startled silence.
103
00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:57.519
I shall go, said Nina, in a cautious but intense whisper.
104
00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:01.959
What is your hate or your revel to me? She
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00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:05.839
moved towards the house, missus Almyer clinging to her and
106
00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:09.240
trying to pull her back. Stop. You shall not go,
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00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:14.879
she gasped. Nina pushed away her mother impatiently and gathered
108
00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:17.800
up her skirts for a quick run, but missus Elmyer
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00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:22.480
ran forward and turned round, facing her daughter with outstretched arms.
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00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:28.680
If you move another step, she exclaimed, breathing quickly, I
111
00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:32.160
shall cry out. Do you see those lights in the
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00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:36.279
big house, There sit two white men, angry because they
113
00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.360
cannot have the blood of the man you love. And
114
00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:43.480
in those dark houses, she continued more calmly, as she
115
00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:47.439
pointed towards the settlement, My voice could wake up men
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00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:50.560
that would lead the oran blond of soldiers to him
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00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:55.160
who was waiting for you. For you. She could not
118
00:07:55.279 --> 00:07:58.360
see her daughter's face, but the white figure before her
119
00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:02.959
stood silent and ears resolute in the darkness. Missus Almyer
120
00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:08.600
pursued her advantage. Give up your old life. Forget, she said,
121
00:08:08.680 --> 00:08:12.680
in entreating tones. Forget that you ever looked at a
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00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:17.240
white face. Forget their words, Forget their thoughts. They speak
123
00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:21.279
lies and they think lies because they despise us that
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00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:25.120
are better than they are but not so strong. Forget
125
00:08:25.160 --> 00:08:29.560
their friendship and their contempt. Forget their many gods. Girl,
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00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:32.200
why do you want to remember the past when there
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00:08:32.279 --> 00:08:35.279
is a warrior and a chief ready to give many lives,
128
00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:41.000
his own life for one of your smiles. While she spoke,
129
00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:44.559
she pushed gently her daughter towards the canoes, hiding her
130
00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:48.559
own fear, anxiety, and doubt under the flood of passionate
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00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:51.720
words that left Nina no time to think and no
132
00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:55.879
opportunity to protest, even if she had wished it. But
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00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:58.720
she did not wish it. Now, at the bottom of
134
00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:02.039
that passing desire to look again at her father's face,
135
00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:06.759
there was no strong affection. She felt, no scruples, and
136
00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:11.600
no remorse at leaving suddenly that man whose sentiment towards
137
00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:16.159
herself she could not understand. She could not even see
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00:09:16.759 --> 00:09:20.519
there was only an instinctive clinging to old life, to
139
00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:26.120
old habits, to old faces, that fear of finality which
140
00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:30.720
lurks in every human breast and prevents so many heroisms
141
00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:34.759
and so many crimes. For years, she has stood between
142
00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:38.039
her mother and her father, the one so strong in
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00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:41.120
her weakness, the other so weak where he could have
144
00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:46.799
been strong. Between those two beings, so dissimilar, so antagonistic,
145
00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:50.799
She stood with mute heart, wondering and angry at the
146
00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:56.720
fact of her own existence. It seemed so unreasonable, so humiliating,
147
00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:59.679
to be flung there in that settlement, and to see
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the day days rushed by into the past, without a hope,
149
00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:06.960
a desire, or an aim that would justify the life
150
00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:11.600
she had to endure. In ever growing weariness. She had
151
00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:15.840
little belief and no sympathy for her father's dreams. But
152
00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:19.679
the savage ravings of her mother chanced to strike a
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responsive chord deep down somewhere in her despairing heart, and
154
00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:28.360
she dreamed dreams of her own. With the persistent absorption
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of a captive thinking of liberty within the walls of
156
00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:36.799
his prison cell. With the coming of Diane, she found
157
00:10:36.840 --> 00:10:39.679
the road to freedom by obeying the voice of the
158
00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:44.080
new born impulses, and with surprised joy, she thought she
159
00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:46.720
could read in his eyes the answer to all the
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00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:52.480
questionings of her heart. She understood now the reason and
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00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:55.639
the aim of life. And in the triumphant unveiling of
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00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:00.480
that misery, she threw away disdainfully, her past, with its sadness, thoughts,
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00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:05.120
its bitter feelings, and its faint affections, now withered and
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00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:11.440
dead in contact with her fierce passion. Missus Almyer unmoored
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Nina's own canoe, and, straightening herself painfully, stood painter in hand.
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Looking at her daughter, quick she said, get away before
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the moon rises, while the river is dark. I am
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afraid of Abdullah's slaves. The wretches prowl in the night
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often and might see and follow you. There are two
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paddles in the canoe. Nina approached her mother and hesitatingly
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touched lightly with her lips the wrinkled forehead. Missus Almyer
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snorted contemptuously in protest against that tenderness, which she nevertheless
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feared could be contagious. Shall I ever see you again? Mother,
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murmured Nina, No, said missus Almyer, after a short silence,
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Why should you return here where it is my fate
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to die. You will live far away in splendor and might.
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When I hear of white men driven from the islands,
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then I shall know that you are alive, and that
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you remember my words. I shall always remember, returned Nina earnestly.
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But where is my power? And what can I do? Do?
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Not let him look too long in your eyes, nor
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lay his head on your knees without reminding him that
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men should fight before they rest. And if he lingers,
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give him his chris yourself, and bid him go, as
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the wife of a mighty prince should do when the
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enemies are near. Let him slay the white men that
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come to us to trade, with prayers on their lips
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and loaded guns in their hands. Ah, she ended with
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a sigh. They are on every sea and on every shore,
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and they are very many. She swaar among the bow
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of the canoe towards the river, but did not let
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go the gunwale, keeping her hand on it. In irresolute thoughtfulness,
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Nina put the point of the paddle against the bank,
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ready to shove off into the stream. What is it, mother,
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she asked, in a low voice, Do you hear anything? No,
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said missus Elmyer. Absently Listen Nina, she continued abruptly, after
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a slight pause. In after years, there will be other women.
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A stifled cry in the boat interrupted her, and the
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paddle rattled in the canoe as it slipped from Nina's hand,
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which she put out in a protesting gesture. Missus Elmyer
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fell on her knees on the bank and leaned over
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the gunwale so as to bring her own face close
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to her daughters. There will be other women, she repeated firmly.
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I tell you that because you are half white and
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may forget that he is a great chief, and that
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so such things must be. Hide your anger, and do
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not let him see on your face the pain that
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will eat your heart. Meet him with joy in your
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eyes and wisdom on your lips. For to you he
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will turn in sadness or in doubt. As long as
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he looks upon many women, your power will last. But
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should there be one one only with whom he seems
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to forget you, then I could not live, exclaimed Nina,
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covering her face with both her hands. Do not speak so, mother,
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it could not be, then, went on missus Almyer steadily
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to that woman, Nina, show no mercy. She moved the
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canoe down towards the stream by the gunwale and gripped
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it with both her hands, the bow pointing into the river.
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Are you crying? She asked sternly of her daughter, who
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sat still with covered face. Arise, take your paddle, for
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has waited long enough. And remember, Nina, no mercy. And
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if you must strike, strike with a steady hand. She
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put out all her strength, and, swinging her body over
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the water, shot the light craft far into the stream.
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When she recovered herself from the effort, she tried vainly
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to catch a glimpse of the canoe that seemed to
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have dissolved suddenly into the white mist. Trailing over the
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heated waters of the Pantaie. After listening for a while
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intently on her knees, missus Elmyer rose with a deep sigh,
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while two tears wandered slowly down her withered cheeks. She
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wiped them off quickly with a wisp of her gray hair,
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as if ashamed of herself, but could not stifle another
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loud sigh, for her heart was heavy and she suffered much,
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being unused to tender emotions. This time, she fancied she
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had heard a faint noise, like the echo of her
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own sigh, and she stopped, straining her ears to catch
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the slightest sound, and peering apprehensively towards the bushes near her.
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Who is there, she asked in an unsteady voice, while
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her imagination peopled the solitude of the river side with
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ghost like forms. Who is there? She repeated faintly. There
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was no answer, only the voice of the river, murmuring
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in a sad monotone behind the white veil, seemed to
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swell louder for a moment, to die away again in
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a soft whisper of Eddy's washing against the bank. Missus
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Almyer shook her head as if in answer to her
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own thoughts, and walked quickly away from the bushes, looking
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to the right and left watchfully. She went straight towards
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the cooking shed, observing that the embers of the fire
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there glowed more rightly than usual, as if somebody had
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been adding fresh fuel to the fires during the evening.
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As she approached Bablachi, who had been squatting in the
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warm glow, rose and met her in the shadow outside.
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Is she gone? Asked? The anxious statesman hastily, Yes, answered
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missus Olmyer. What are the white men doing? When did
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you leave them? They are sleeping now, I think May
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they never wake? Exclaimed Boblachi fervently. Oh, but they are devils,
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and made much talk in trouble over that carcass. The
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chief threatened me twice with his hand and said he
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would have me tied up to a tree. Tie me
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up to a tree, me, he repeated, striking his breast violently.
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Missus Elmyer laughed tauntingly, and you salamad and asked for mercy.
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Men with arms by their side acted otherwise when I
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was young. And where are they the men of your youth,
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you mad woman? Retorted Boblachi, angrily killed by the Dutch, Aha,
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but I shall live to deceive them. A man knows
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when to fight and when to tell peaceful lies. You
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would know that if you were not a woman. But
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missus Olmyer did not seem to hear him. With bent
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body and outstretched arm, she appeared to be listening to
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some noise behind the shed. There are strange sounds, she whispered,
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with evident alarm. I have heard in the air. The
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sounds of grief, as of a sigh and weeping. That
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was by the river side, And now again I heard where,
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asked Boblachi in an altered voice. What did you hear?
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Close here? It was like a breath long drawn. I
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wish I had burnt the paper over the body before
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it was buried. Yes, assented Boblachie. But the white man
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had him thrown into a hole at once. You know
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he found his death on the river, he added, cheerfully,
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and his ghost may hail the canoes, but would leave
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the land alone. Missus o'myer, who had been craning her
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net to look round the corner of the shed, drew
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back her head. There is nobody there, she said, reassured.
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Is it not time for the Raja woar canoe to
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go to the clearing? I have been waiting for it here,
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For I myself must go, explained Boblachi. I think I
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will go over and see what makes them late? When
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will you come? The Raja gives you refuge, I shall
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paddle over before the break of day. I cannot leave
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my dollars behind, muttered missus Olmyer. They separated. Bablachi crossed
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the courtyard towards the creek to get his canoe, and
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missus Olmyer walked slowly to the house, assented the plankway, and,
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passing through the back verandah, entered the passage leading to
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the front of the house, but before going in, she
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turned into the doorway and looked back at the empty
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and silent courtyard, now lit up by the rays of
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the rising moon. No sooner she had disappeared, however, than
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a vague shape flitted out from amongst the stalks of
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the banana plantation, darted over the moonlit space, and fell
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in the darkness at the foot of the verandah. It
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might have been the shadow of a driving cloud, so
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noiseless and rapid was its passage, but for the trail
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of disturbed grass, whose feathery heads trembled and swayed for
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a long time in the moonlight, before they rested, motionless
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and gleaming like a design of silver sprays embroidered on
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a somber background. Missus Elmyer lightened the cocoanut lamp, and,
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lifting cautiously the red curtain, gazed upon her husband, shading
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the light with her hand. Almayer huddled up in the chair,
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one of his arms hanging down, the other thrown across
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the lower part of his face, as if to ward
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off an invisible enemy. His legs stretched straight out, slept heavily,
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unconscious of the unfriendly eyes that looked upon him in
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disparaging criticism. At his feet lay the overturned table, amongst
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a wreck of crockery and broken bottles. The appearance as
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of traces left by a desperate struggle was accentuated by
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the chairs, which seemed to have been scattered violently all
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over the place, and now lay about the verandah with
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a lamentable aspect of inebrity in their helpless attitudes. Only
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Nina's big rocking chair, standing back and motionless on its
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high runners, towered above the chaos of demoralized furniture, unflinchingly
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dignified and paid, waiting for its burden. With a last
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scornful look towards the sleeper, Missus Almyer passed behind the
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curtain into her own room. A couple of bats, encouraged
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by the darkness and the peaceful state of affairs, resumed
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their silent and oblique gambols above Almyer's head, and for
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a long time, the profound quiet of the house was
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unbroken save for the deep breathing of the sleeping man
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and the faint tinkle of silver in the hands of
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the women preparing for flight. In the increasing light of
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the moon that had risen now above the night mist,
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the objects on the verandah came out strongly, outlined in
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black splashes of shadow with all the uncompromising ugliness of
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their disorder, and a caricature of the sleeping almyre appeared
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on the dirty whitewash of the wall behind him, in
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a grotesquely exaggerated detail of attitude and feature enlarged to
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a heroic size. The discontented bats departed in the quest
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of darker places, and a lizard came out in short,
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nervous rushes and pleased with the white tablecloth stopped on it,
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in breathless immobility that would have suggested sudden death had
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it not been for the melodious call he exchanged with
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a less adventurous friend hiding amongst the lumber in the courtyard.
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Then the boards in the passage creaked, the lizard vanished,
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and Almayer stirred uneasily with a sigh, slowly out of
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the senseless annihilation of drunken sleep. He was returning through
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the land of dreams to waking consciousness. Almayer's head rolled
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from shoulder to shoulder in the oppression of his dream.
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The heavens had descended upon him like a heavy mantle,
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and trailed in starred folds far under him, stars above,
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stars all round him, and from the stars under his
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feet rose a whisper full of entreaties and tears, and
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sorrowful faces flitted amongst the clusters of light filling the
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infinite space below. How escape from the importunity of lamentable
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cries and from the look of staring, sad eyes in
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the faces which pressed round him till he gasped for
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breath under the crushing weight of the worlds that hung
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over his aching shoulders. Get away? But how if he
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attempted to move, he would step off into nothing and
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perish in the crashing fall of that universe of which
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he was the only support. And what were the voices
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saying urging him to move? Why? Move to destruction? Not likely?
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The absurdity of the thing filled him with indignation. He
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got a firmer foothold and stiffened his muscles in heroic
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resolve to care carry his burden to all eternity and
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ages passed in the superhuman labor amid the rush of
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circling worlds, in the plaintive murmur of sorrowful voices, urging
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him to desist before it was too late, till the
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mysterious power that had laid upon him the giant task
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seemed at last to seek his destruction with terror. He
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felt an irresistible hand shaking him by the shoulder, while
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the chorus of voices swelled louder into an agonized prayer
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to go, go before it is too late. He felt
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himself slipping, losing his balance as something dragged his legs
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and he fell with a faint cry. He glided out
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of the anguish and perishing creation into an imperfect waking
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that seemed to be still under the spell of his dream.
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What what? He murmured sleepily, without moving or opening his eyes.
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His head still felt heavy, and he had not the
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courage to raise his eyelids. In his ears, there still
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lingered the sound of entreating whisper am I awake? Why
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do I hear the voices? He argued to himself hazily,
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I cannot get rid of the horrible nightmare. Yet I
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have been very drunk. What is that shaking me? Am
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I dreaming? Yet? I must open my eyes and be
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done with it. I am only half awake, it is evident.
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He made an effort to shake off his stupor, and
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saw a face close to his glaring at him with
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staring eyeballs. He closed his eyes again in amazed horror,
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and sat up straight in the chair, trembling in every limb.
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What was this apparition? His own fancy, no doubt, his
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nerves had been much tried the day before, and then
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the drink. He would not see it again. If he
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had the courage to look, he would look directly. Get
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a little steadier first. So now he looked. The figure
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of a woman standing in the steely light, her hand
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stretched forth in a suppliant gesture, confronted him from the
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far off end of the verandah, and in the space
397
00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:23.799
between him and the obstinate phantom floated the murmur of
398
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:26.519
words that fell on his ears, in a jumble of
399
00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:31.359
torturing sentences, the meaning of which escaped the utmost efforts
400
00:27:31.400 --> 00:27:36.960
of his brain. Who spoke the Malay words? Who ran away? Why?
401
00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:40.720
Too late? And too late for what what meant those
402
00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:45.079
words of hate and love mixed so strangely together, the
403
00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:49.839
ever recurring names falling on his ears again and again. Nina,
404
00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:55.319
die in, Die in, Nina. Diane was dead, and Nina
405
00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:59.200
was sleeping, unaware of the terrible experience through which he
406
00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:03.279
was now passed. Was he going to be tormented forever,
407
00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:07.920
sleeping or waking, and have no peace either night or day?
408
00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:12.000
What was the meaning of this? He shouted the last
409
00:28:12.039 --> 00:28:16.039
words aloud. The shadowy woman seemed to shrink and recede
410
00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:19.319
a little from him, towards the doorway, and there was
411
00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:24.000
a shriek. Exasperated by the incomprehensible nature of his torment,
412
00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:29.039
Almayer made a rush upon the operation which eluded his grasp,
413
00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:33.759
and he brought up heavily against the wall, quick as lightning,
414
00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:38.119
he turned round and pursued fiercely, the mysterious figure fleeing
415
00:28:38.119 --> 00:28:41.480
from him with piercing shrieks that were like fuel to
416
00:28:41.559 --> 00:28:45.319
the flames of his anger. Over the furniture. Round the
417
00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:48.680
overturned table, and now he had it cornered behind Nina's
418
00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:52.319
chair to the left. To the right, they dodged, the
419
00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:56.519
chair rocking madly between them. She sending out shriek after
420
00:28:56.640 --> 00:29:01.960
shriek at every faint, and he growled meaningless curses through
421
00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:06.079
his hard set teeth. Oh, the fiendish noise that split
422
00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:09.200
his head and seemed to choke his breath. It would
423
00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:13.599
kill him, It must be stopped. An immense desire to
424
00:29:13.680 --> 00:29:17.680
crush that yelling thing induced him to cast himself recklessly
425
00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:21.200
over the chair with a desperate grab, and they came
426
00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:25.079
down together in a cloud of dust amongst the splintered wood.
427
00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:29.200
The last shriek died out under him in a faint gurgle,
428
00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:34.119
and he had secured the relief of absolute silence. He
429
00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:37.240
looked at the woman's face under him, a real woman.
430
00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:41.839
He knew her by all that is wonderful tamina. He
431
00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:46.279
jumped up, ashamed of his fury, and stood perplexed, wiping
432
00:29:46.279 --> 00:29:50.160
his forehead. The girl struggled to a kneeling posture and
433
00:29:50.279 --> 00:29:54.680
embraced his legs in a frenzied prayer for mercy. Don't
434
00:29:54.680 --> 00:29:58.000
be afraid, he said, raising her, I shall not hurt you.
435
00:29:58.559 --> 00:30:01.400
Why do you come to my house in and if
436
00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:04.400
you had come, why not go behind the curtain where
437
00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:08.759
the women sleep? The place behind the curtain is empty,
438
00:30:09.160 --> 00:30:13.240
guesped to Miina, catching her breath between the words, there
439
00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:16.039
are no women in your house any more, Tunn, I
440
00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:18.640
saw the old men go away before I tried to
441
00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:22.519
wake you. I did not want your women. I wanted
442
00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:27.039
you old men, repeated elmyer. Do you mean my wife?
443
00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:31.240
She nodded her head. But of my daughter, you are
444
00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:35.920
not afraid, said almayer. Have you not heard me, she exclaimed?
445
00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:38.640
Have I not spoken for a long time? When you
446
00:30:38.799 --> 00:30:41.839
lay there with your eyes half open? She is gone too.
447
00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:45.240
I was asleep. Can you not tell when a man
448
00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:49.640
is sleeping and when awake? Sometimes answered Tamina in a
449
00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:53.559
low voice. Sometimes the spirit lingers close to a sleeping
450
00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:57.319
body and may hear. I spoke a long time before
451
00:30:57.359 --> 00:31:00.279
I touched you, and I spoke softly for fear it
452
00:31:00.279 --> 00:31:03.640
would depart a sudden noise and leave you sleeping forever.
453
00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:07.039
I took you by the shoulder, and only when you
454
00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:10.759
began to mutter words I could not understand. Have you
455
00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:14.359
not heard then? And do you know nothing nothing of
456
00:31:14.400 --> 00:31:17.200
what you said? What is it? Tell again if you
457
00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:20.960
want me to know. He took her by the shoulder
458
00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:23.839
and led her, unresting, to the front of the veranda.
459
00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:27.519
Into a stronger light. She wrung her hands with such
460
00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:31.839
appearance of grief that he began to be alarmed. Speak,
461
00:31:32.119 --> 00:31:36.240
He said, you made noise enough to wake even dead men,
462
00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:39.839
and yet nobody living came, he added to himself, in
463
00:31:39.880 --> 00:31:46.000
an uneasy whisper. Are you mute? Speak? He repeated, in
464
00:31:46.039 --> 00:31:48.799
a rush of words, which broke out after a short
465
00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:51.920
struggle from her trembling lips. She told him the tale
466
00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:55.839
of Nina's love and her own jealousy. Several times. He
467
00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:58.920
looked angrily into her face and told her to be silent,
468
00:31:59.440 --> 00:32:01.839
but he could not stop the sounds that seemed to
469
00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:05.079
him to run out in a hot stream, swirl about
470
00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:09.519
his feet, and rise in scalding waves about him, higher, higher,
471
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:12.759
drowning his heart, touching his lips with a feel of
472
00:32:12.839 --> 00:32:17.599
molten lead, bolting out his sight in scorching vapor, closing
473
00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:22.799
over his head, merciless and deadly. When she spoke of
474
00:32:22.839 --> 00:32:25.960
the deception as to Diane's death, of which he had
475
00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:29.599
been the victim only that day, he glanced again at
476
00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:32.920
her terrible eyes and made her falter for a second.
477
00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:36.559
But he turned away directly, and his face suddenly lost
478
00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:41.839
all expression in a stony stare far away over the river, Ah,
479
00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:46.599
the river his old friend and his old enemy, speaking
480
00:32:46.680 --> 00:32:49.599
always with the same voice, as he runs from year
481
00:32:49.640 --> 00:32:54.599
to year, bringing fortune or disappointment, happiness or pain, upon
482
00:32:54.680 --> 00:32:59.039
the same varying but unchanging surface of glancing currents and
483
00:32:59.119 --> 00:33:04.160
swirling eddies. For many years he had listened to the
484
00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:08.559
passionless and soothing murmur that sometimes was the song of hope,
485
00:33:09.079 --> 00:33:13.559
at times the song of triumph, of encouragement, more often
486
00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:17.400
the whisper of consolation that spoke of better days to come.
487
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:22.759
For so many years, so many years. And now to
488
00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:26.119
the accompaniment of that murmur, he listened to the slow
489
00:33:26.200 --> 00:33:31.720
and painful beating of his heart. He listened attentively, wondering
490
00:33:31.799 --> 00:33:37.599
at the regularity of its beats. He began to count mechanically, one, two,
491
00:33:38.440 --> 00:33:42.200
Why count at the next beat? It must stop. No
492
00:33:42.359 --> 00:33:45.519
heart could suffer so and beat so steadily for long,
493
00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:50.079
those regular strokes, as of a muffled hammer that rang
494
00:33:50.200 --> 00:33:55.279
in his ears. Must stop soon, still beating, unceasing and cruel.
495
00:33:56.000 --> 00:33:58.759
No man can bear this? And is this the last?
496
00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:02.240
Or will the next one be the last? How much longer,
497
00:34:02.440 --> 00:34:07.640
oh God, how much longer? His hand waited heavier unconsciously
498
00:34:07.759 --> 00:34:10.880
on the girl's shoulder, and she spoke the last words
499
00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:13.760
of her story, crouching at his feet, with tears of
500
00:34:13.800 --> 00:34:18.119
pain and shame and anger. Was her revenge to fail her?
501
00:34:18.960 --> 00:34:23.000
This white man was like a senseless stone. Too late,
502
00:34:23.360 --> 00:34:28.480
too late, and you saw her go. Almayer's voice sounded
503
00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:32.639
harshly above her head. Did I not tell you, she sobbed,
504
00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:36.360
trying to wriggle gently out from under his grip. Did
505
00:34:36.400 --> 00:34:38.679
I not tell you that I saw the witch woman
506
00:34:38.760 --> 00:34:41.960
push the canoe. I lay hidden in the grass and
507
00:34:42.119 --> 00:34:45.119
heard all the words she that we used to call
508
00:34:45.159 --> 00:34:48.280
the white men. Wanted to return to look at your face,
509
00:34:48.599 --> 00:34:52.360
But the witch Woman forbade her, and she sank lower
510
00:34:52.440 --> 00:34:55.920
yet on her elbow, turning half round under the downward
511
00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:59.039
push of the heavy hand. Her face lifted up to
512
00:34:59.159 --> 00:35:03.800
him with spite eyes, and she obeyed. She shouted out
513
00:35:04.079 --> 00:35:07.960
in a half laugh, half cry of pain. Let me go, tuan,
514
00:35:08.400 --> 00:35:11.360
Why are you angry with me? Hasten, or you shall
515
00:35:11.360 --> 00:35:14.239
be too late to show your anger to the deceitful woman.
516
00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:18.159
Almayer dragged her up to her feet and looked close
517
00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:21.599
into her face while she struggled turning her head away
518
00:35:21.639 --> 00:35:25.360
from his wild stare. Who sent you here to torment me?
519
00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:28.880
He asked violently. I do not believe you. You lie.
520
00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:33.039
He straightened his arms suddenly and flung her across the
521
00:35:33.159 --> 00:35:37.199
verandah towards the doorway, where she lay, immobile and silent,
522
00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:40.000
as if she had left her life in his grasp,
523
00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:45.000
a dark heap without a sound or astir. Oh Nina,
524
00:35:45.880 --> 00:35:49.320
whispered Almyer, in a voice in which reproach and love
525
00:35:49.480 --> 00:35:54.679
spoke together in pained tenderness. Oh Nina, I do not believe.
526
00:35:55.880 --> 00:35:58.960
A light draft from the river ran over the courtyard
527
00:35:59.039 --> 00:36:02.199
in a wave of bowing grass, and, entering the verandah,
528
00:36:02.480 --> 00:36:06.159
touched Almayer's forehead with its cool breath in a caress
529
00:36:06.199 --> 00:36:10.519
of infinite pity. The curtain in the women's doorway blew
530
00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:15.719
out and instantly collapsed with startling helplessness. He stared at
531
00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:21.280
the fluttering stuff. Nina cried, Almyr, where are you, Nina?
532
00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:25.199
The wind passed out of the empty house in a
533
00:36:25.239 --> 00:36:29.920
tremulous sigh, and all was still. Almayer hid his face
534
00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:32.800
in his hands, as if to shut out a loathsome sight.
535
00:36:33.639 --> 00:36:37.360
When hearing a slight rustle he uncovered his eyes, the
536
00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:43.320
dark heap by the door was gone. End of Chapter ten.
537
00:36:43.880 --> 00:36:45.519
Recording by Crystal Treader
