Part II

PARTI

For thirty years now I have been studying my fellow men and still I do not know much about them. I suppose in most cases we judge the people we meet by the face. Some people say that their first impressions of a person are always right. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me¹ because most of us are self-contradictory. My oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don't know the first thing about them.

These ideas have come to my mind because Tread in this morning's paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died in Kobe. He had been in business in Japan for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he

• " Liza of Lambeth" ['laiza av ЧаетЬэб] «Лиза из Ламбёта» ** " Of Human Bondage" [от 'lyumon 'bindids] «Бремя страстей человеческих» *♦ • " The Moon and Sixpence" «Луна и грош»

gave me a great surptiee. Unless I had heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that hecwas capable of such an action. Itfwas more unexpected because both in appearance and manner he suggested a very definite type. He was a little fellow, very slender, with white hair, and very nice features. He must have been about sixty when I knew him.³ He was al­ways neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and position.

Though his offices were in Kobe Burton often came down to Jokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, ³ waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at an English Club. We played bridge together. He did not talk very much, but what he said was sensible. He seemed to be popular³ at the club and afterwards when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly and smiling, and his two daughters. It must have been a united and loving family. I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness-There was something very pleasing in his blue eyes. You could not imagine that he could possibly get angry. Here was a man who attracted you because-you felt in him a real love for his fellows⁴ and this seemed to be the main feature of his character. He could tell with point a good and spicy story, * and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made people like him was that he was so small and looked helpless; he must have aroused! their instincts of protection. They felt that he could not bear to hurt a fly.**

PART II

One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the.Grand Hotel when Burton came in. He sat down in the chair next to mine.

" What do you say to a drink? ". •*:

He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two drinks. As the boy
brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his
hand. ' -•

" Do you know Turner? " said Burton as I nodded a greeting.

" I've met him at the club. I'm told he's a remittance man." ***

" Yes, I believe he is. We have many like him here."

" He plays bridge well.'¹

" They generally do. There was a fellow here last year, a namesake**** of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. You may have come across him in London. Lanny Burton he called himself. I think he'd belonged to some very good clubs." ■ ■ > " No, I don't believe I remember bis name, "

♦ he could tell with point a good and spicy story он хорошо умел рассказать пи­
кантную историю '
** fly муха
••♦ •he's; a remittance man эмигрант, живущий на деньги, присылаемые с

родины
••♦ •namesake однофамилец, '

" I can tell you а Галзу story about him." Burton went on. " He wasn't a bad fellow, I liked him. Hs was always wsll dressed and handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white chseks. Women thought a lot of him,. There was no harm in him. only he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he.„ made a bit more by-card playing. He won a lot of mine, I know that."

Burton gave a kind smile. " I knew from my own expsrience that he could lose money at bridge with a good face."

" That may have been the reason that he came to me when he went broke.* He came to see me in my office and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was nomore money coming from home and he wanted to work." " Any salary would do, '' he said. " I asked him how old he was."

" Thirty-five, " he said.

" And what have you been doing so far? " I asked him.

" Well, nothing very much, " he said.

I couldn't help laughing.

" I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just now, " I said. " Come back and see me in another thirty-five years⁵ and I'll see what I can do."

He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't a penny. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit.⁶ If he couldn't get something to do he'd have to commit suicide.

I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn't have thought so much of him if they'd seen him then.

" Well, isn't there anything you can do except play cards? '.' I asked him.

" I can swim, " he said.

" Swim! " ^ч _: .

I could hardly believe my ears, it seemed such a strange answer to give.

" Well, " he hesitated. " I swam for my university."

I got some.idea of what he was hinting at but I was not impressed. I ve known many men who were too much praised at thsir university. " I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man, " I said.

Suddenly I had an idea.

There is a beacon** near Kobe three miles off in the sea. The currents are very strong there. So I told my young namesake if lie swam round it and back I'd give him a job. I could see it was very unexpected for him.

" You say you're a swimmer, " I said.

" I'm not in a very good condition, " he answered. I ojidn't say anything, I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment; and then he nodded.

" All right, " he said. " When do you want me to do its? '*';

I looked at my watch. It was just after ten. ■

" The swim shouldn't take you much over an hour and a quarter. Ill drive round at half-past twelve to meet you, and then we shall have lunch together."

* when he went broke когда он остался без гроша *• a beacon ['bikn] бакен

" Done, " he said. **

We shook hands. I wished him gensfl luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the place at half-past twelve. But I needn't have hurried: he never turned up.

" Do you think he gave up the idea at the last moment? " I asked. " I know he didn't. He started all right. But he never returned. We didn't get the body for about three days.

I didn't say anything for a moment or two. I was shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.

" When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he'd be drown­ed? "

He gave a gentle smile and looked at me with those kind and serene blue

eyes of his.

" Well, I didn't have a vacancy in my office at the moment."