e to point at you and say, 'Here goes a scoundrel of
Lingard's up-bringing.' You are buried here."

"And you think that I will stay . . . that I will submit?" exclaimed
Willems, as if he had suddenly recovered the power of speech.

"You needn't stay here--on this spot," said Lingard, drily. "There are
the forests--and here is the river. You may swim. Fifteen miles up, or
forty down. At one end you will meet Almayer, at the other the sea. Take
your choice."

He burst into a short, joyless laugh, then added with severe gravity--

"There is also another way."

"If you want to drive my soul into damnation by trying to drive me to
suicide you will not succeed," said Willems in wild excitement. "I will
live. I shall repent. I may escape. . . . Take that woman away--she is
sin."

A hooked dart of fire tore in two the darkness of the distant horizon
and lit up the gloom of the earth with a dazzling and ghastly flame.
Then the thunder was heard far away, like an incredibly enormous voice
muttering menaces.

Lingard said--

"I don't care what happens, but I may tell you that without that woman
your life is not worth much--not twopence. There is a fellow here who
. . . and Abdulla himself wouldn't stand on any ceremony. Think of that!
And then she won't go."

He began, even while he spoke, to walk slowly down towards the little
gate. He didn't look, but he felt as sure that Willems was following
him as if he had been leading him by a string. Directly he had passed
through the wicket-gate into the big courtyard he heard a voice, behind
his back, saying--

"I think she was right. I ought to have shot you. I couldn't have been
worse off."

"Time yet," answered Lingard, without stopping or looking back. "But,
you see, you can't. There is not even that in you."

"Don't provoke me, Captain Lingard," cried Willems.

Lingard turned round sharply. Willems and Aissa stopped. Another forked
flash of lightning split up the clouds overhead, and threw upon their
faces a sudden burst of light--a blaze violent, sinister and fleeting;
and in the same instant they were deafened by a near, single crash of
thunder, which was followed by a rushing noise, like a frightened sigh
of the startled earth.

"Provoke you!" said the old adventurer, as soon as he could make himself
heard. "Provoke you! Hey! What's there in you to provoke? What do I
care?"

"It is easy to speak like that when you know that in the whole world--in
the whole wo