"It's difficult to resist where nothing matters," he observed. "And
perhaps there is a grain of freakishness in my nature. It amused me
to go about uttering silly, commonplace phrases. I was never so well
thought of in the islands till I began to jabber commercial gibberish
like the veriest idiot. Upon my word, I believe that I was actually
respected for a time. I was as grave as an owl over it; I had to be
loyal to the man. I have been, from first to last, completely, utterly
loyal to the best of my ability. I thought he understood something about
coal. And if I had been aware that he knew nothing of it, as in fact he
didn't, well--I don't know what I could have done to stop him. In one
way or another I should have had to be loyal. Truth, work, ambition,
love itself, may be only counters in the lamentable or despicable game
of life, but when one takes a hand one must play the game. No, the shade
of Morrison needn't haunt me. What's the matter? I say, Lena, why are
you staring like that? Do you feel ill?"
Heyst made as if to get on his feet. The girl extended her arm to arrest
him, and he remained staring in a sitting posture, propped on one arm,
observing her indefinable expression of anxiety, as if she were unable
to draw breath.
"What has come to you?" he insisted, feeling strangely unwilling to
move, to touch her.
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