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'Twixt Land & Sea-Part3_JOSEPH CONRAD (1857-1924)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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"Is that one of the tales you have heard ashore?" I asked.

He assured me that his own sense could tell him that much. No;



what he had heard on shore was that no respectable person in the

whole town would come near Jacobus. He lived in a large old-



fashioned house in one of the quiet streets with a big garden.

After telling me this Burns put on a mysterious air. "He keeps a



girl shut up there who, they say - "

"I suppose you've heard all this gossip in some eminently



respectable place?" I snapped at him in a most sarcastic tone.

The shaft told, because Mr. Burns, like many other disagreeable



people, was very sensitive himself. He remained as if

thunderstruck, with his mouth open for some further communication,



but I did not give him the chance. "And, anyhow, what the deuce do

I care?" I added, retiring into my room.



And this was a natural thing to say. Yet somehow I was not

indifferent. I admit it is absurd to be concerned with the morals



of one's ship-chandler, if ever so well connected; but his

personality had stamped itself upon my first day in harbour, in the



way you know.

After this initialexploit Jacobus showed himself anything but



intrusive. He was out in a boat early every morning going round

the ships he served, and occasionally remaining on board one of



them for breakfast with the captain.

As I discovered that this practice was generally accepted, I just



nodded to him familiarly when one morning, on coming out of my

room, I found him in the cabin. Glancing over the table I saw that



his place was already laid. He stood awaiting my appearance, very

bulky and placid, holding a beautiful bunch of flowers in his thick



hand. He offered them to my notice with a faint, sleepy smile.

From his own garden; had a very fine old garden; picked them



himself that morning before going out to business; thought I would

like. . . . He turned away. "Steward, can you oblige me with some



water in a large jar, please."

I assured him jocularly, as I took my place at the table, that he



made me feel as if I were a pretty girl, and that he mustn't be

surprised if I blushed. But he was busy arranging his floral



tribute at the sideboard. "Stand it before the Captain's plate,

steward, please." He made this request in his usual undertone.



The offering was so pointed that I could do no less than to raise

it to my nose, and as he sat down noiselessly he breathed out the



opinion that a few flowers improved notably the appearance of a

ship's saloon. He wondered why I did not have a shelf fitted all



round the skylight for flowers in pots to take with me to sea. He

had a skilledworkman able to fit up shelves in a day, and he could



procure me two or three dozen good plants -

The tips of his thick, round fingers rested composedly on the edge



of the table on each side of his cup of coffee. His face remained

immovable. Mr. Burns was smiling maliciously to himself. I



declared that I hadn't the slightest intention of turning my

skylight into a conservatory only to keep the cabin-table in a



perpetual mess of mould and dead vegetable matter.

"Rear most beautiful flowers," he insisted with an upward glance.



"It's no trouble really."

"Oh, yes, it is. Lots of trouble," I contradicted. "And in the



end some fool leaves the skylight open in a fresh breeze, a flick

of salt water gets at them and the whole lot is dead in a week."



Mr. Burns snorted a contemptuousapproval. Jacobus gave up the

subject passively. After a time he unglued his thick lips to ask



me if I had seen his brother yet. I was very curt in my answer.

"No, not yet."



"A very different person," he remarked dreamily and got up. His

movements were particularly noiseless. "Well - thank you, Captain.



If anything is not to your liking please mention it to your

steward. I suppose you will be giving a dinner to the office-



clerks presently."

"What for?" I cried with some warmth. "If I were a steady trader



to the port I could understand it. But a complete stranger! . . .

I may not turn up again here for years. I don't see why! . . . Do






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