Nothing in him
betrayed the momentous fact that within that jungle there was a girl, a
performer in a ladies' orchestra, whom he had carried straight off the
concert platform into the wilderness. He was not ashamed or defiant
or abashed about it. He might have been a shade confidential when
addressing Davidson. And his words were enigmatical.

"I took this course of signalling to you," he said to Davidson, "because
to preserve appearances might be of the utmost importance. Not to me, of
course. I don't care what people may say, and of course no one can hurt
me. I suppose I have done a certain amount of harm, since I allowed
myself to be tempted into action. It seemed innocent enough, but all
action is bound to be harmful. It is devilish. That is why this world
is evil upon the whole. But I have done with it! I shall never lift a
little finger again. At one time I thought that intelligent observation
of facts was the best way of cheating the time which is allotted to us
whether we want it or not; but now I, have done with observation, too."

Imagine poor, simple Davidson being addressed in such terms alongside
an abandoned, decaying wharf jutting out of tropical bush. He had
never heard anybody speak like this before; certainly not Heyst, whose
conversation was concise, polite, with a faint ring of playfulness in
the cultivated tones of his voice.

"He's gone mad," Davidson thought to himself.

But, looking at the physiognomy above him on the wharf, he was obliged
to dismiss the notion of common, crude lunacy. It was truly most unusual
talk. Then he remembered--in his surprise he had lost sight of it--that
Heyst now had a girl there. This bizarre discourse was probably the
effect of the girl. Davidson shook off the absurd feeling, and asked,
wishing to make clear his friendliness, and not knowing what else to
say:

"You haven't run short of stores or anything like that?"

Heyst smiled and shook his head:

"No, no. Nothing of the kind. We are fairly well off here. Thanks, all
the same. If I have taken the liberty to detain you, it is not from any
uneasiness for myself and my--companion. The person I was thinking of
when I made up my mind to invoke your assistance is Mrs. Schomberg."

"I have talked with her," interjected Davidson.

"Oh! You? Yes, I hoped she would find means to--"

"But she didn't tell me much," interrupted Davidson, who was not averse
from hearing something--he hardly knew what.

"H'm--Yes.