For
Ricardo was sincere in his indignation before the elementary principle
of loyalty to a chum violated in cold blood, slowly, in a patient
duplicity of years. There are standards in villainy as in virtue, and
the act as he pictured it to himself acquired an additional horror
from the slow pace of that treachery so atrocious and so tame. But
he understood too the educated judgement of his governor, a gentleman
looking on all this with the privileged detachment of a cultivated mind,
of an elevated personality.
"Ay, he's deep--he's artful," he mumbled between his sharp teeth.
"Confound you!" Mr. Jones's calm whisper crept into his ear. "Come to
the point."
Obedient, the secretary shook off his thoughtfulness. There was a
similarity of mind between these two--one the outcast of his vices, the
other inspired by a spirit of scornful defiance, the aggressiveness of
a beast of prey looking upon all the tame creatures of the earth as its
natural victim. Both were astute enough, however, and both were aware
that they had plunged into this adventure without a sufficient scrutiny
of detail. The figure of a lonely man far from all assistance had
loomed up largely, fascinating and defenceless in the middle of the sea,
filling the whole field of their vision. There had not seemed to be any
need for thinking. As Schomberg had been saying: "Three to one.
Pages:
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325