Rites of Passage – William Golding - bzelbublive.info

and our ship's bell here was struck four times-at that time, Isay, if your lordship experienced a sudden access of wellbeingand a warming satisfaction, I cannot swear that itmay not have been some distant notion o f what a silvermountedand murdering piece of ordnance a noble namewas proving to be among persons of a middle station!I waited for a moment or two while Captain Andersonswallowed his bile. He had much regard for your lordshipand would not be thought remiss in any attention to his, his-He hoped I was comfortable and had not at first known-Therule was that passengers came to the quarterdeck byinvitation though of course in my case-He hoped (and thiswith a glare that would have frightened a wolf-hound) , hehoped to see more o f me. S o w e stood for a few moremoments, one leg stiff, one leg flexing like reeds in the windwhile the shadow of the driver (thank you, Falconer!) movedback and forth across us. Then, I was amused to see, hedid not stand his ground, but put his hand to his hat,disguised this involuntary homage to your lordship a s anattempt to adjust the set of it and turned away. He stumpedoff t o the stem rail and stood there, hi s hands claspedbehind hi s back, where they opened and shut as anunconscious betrayal of his irritation. Indeed, I was halfsorry for the man, confounded as I saw him to be in theimagined security of his little kingdom. But I judged it nogood time for gentling him. In politics do we not attempt touse only just sufficient force to achieve a desired end? Idecided to allow the influence of this interview to work for a