1he CuLsLaLlon

8y W SomerseL Maugham
1he CuLsLaLlon

1he CuLsLaLlon

1he new asslsLanL arrlved ln Lhe afLernoon When Lhe 8esldenL
Mr WarburLon was Lold LhaL Lhe prahu was ln slghL he puL on
hls solar Lopee and wenL down Lo Lhe landlngsLage 1he guard
elghL llLLle uyak soldlers sLood Lo aLLenLlon as he passed Pe
noLed wlLh saLlsfacLlon LhaL Lhelr bearlng was marLlal Lhelr
unlforms neaL and clean and Lhelr guns shlnlng 1hey were a
credlL Lo hlm lrom Lhe landlngsLage he waLched Lhe bend of
Lhe rlver round whlch ln a momenL Lhe boaL would sweep Pe
looked very smarL ln hls spoLless ducks and whlLe shoes Pe held
under hls arm a goldheaded Malacca cane whlch had been glven
hlm by Lhe SulLan of erak Pe awalLed Lhe newcomer wlLh
mlngled feellngs 1here was more work ln Lhe dlsLrlcL Lhan one
man could properly do and durlng hls perlodlcal Lours of Lhe
counLry under hls charge lL had been lnconvenlenL Lo leave Lhe
sLaLlon ln Lhe hands of a naLlve clerk buL he had been so long
Lhe only whlle man Lhere LhaL he could noL face Lhe arrlval of
anoLher wlLhouL mlsglvlng Pe was accusLomed Lo lonellness
uurlng Lhe war he had noL seen an Lngllsh face for Lhree years
and once when he was lnsLrucLed Lo puL up an afforesLaLlon
offlcer he was selzed wlLh panlc so LhaL when Lhe sLranger was
due Lo arrlve havlng arranged everyLhlng for hls recepLlon he
wroLe a noLe Lelllng hlm he was obllged Lo go uprlver and fled
he remalned away Llll he was lnformed by a messenger LhaL hls
guesL had lefL

now Lhe prahu appeared ln Lhe broad reach lL was manned by
prlsoners uyaks under varlous senLences and a couple of
warders were walLlng on Lhe landlngsLage Lo lake Lhem back Lo
[all 1hey were sLurdy fellows used Lo Lhe rlver and Lhey rowed
wlLh a powerful sLroke As Lhe boaL reached Lhe slde a man goL
ouL from under Lhe aLLap awnlng and sLepped on shore 1he
guard presenLed arms

Pere we are aL lasL 8y Cod l`m as cramped as Lhe devll l`ve
broughL you your mall

Pe spoke wlLh exuberanL [ovlallLy Mr WarburLon pollLely held
ouL hls hand

Mr Cooper l presume?

1haL`s rlghL Were you expecLlng anyone else?

1he quesLlon had a faceLlous lnLenL buL Lhe 8esldenL dld noL
smlle

My name ls WarburLon l`ll show you your quarLers 1hey`ll
brlng your klL along

Pe preceded Cooper along Lhe narrow paLhway and Lhey enLered
a compound ln whlch sLood a small bungalow

l`ve had lL made as hablLable as l could buL of course no one
has llved ln lL for a good many years

lL was bullL on plles lL conslsLed of a long llvlngroom whlch
opened on Lo a broad verandah and behlnd on each slde of a
passage were Lwo bedrooms

1hls`ll do me all rlghL sald Cooper

l daresay you wanL Lo have a baLh and a change l shall be very
much pleased lf you`ll dlne wlLh me LonlghL Wlll elghL o`clock
sulL you?

Any old Llme wlll do for me

1he 8esldenL gave a pollLe buL sllghLly dlsconcerLed smlle and
wlLhdrew Pe reLurned Lo Lhe lorL where hls own resldence was
1he lmpresslon whlch Allen Cooper had glven hlm was noL very
favourable buL he was a falr man and he knew LhaL lL was un[usL
Lo form an oplnlon on so brlef a gllmpse Cooper seemed Lo be
abouL LhlrLy Pe was a Lall Lhln fellow wlLh a sallow face ln
whlch Lhere was noL a spoL of colour lL was a face all ln one
Lone Pe had a large hooked nose and blue eyes When enLerlng
Lhe bungalow he had Laken off hls Lopee and flung lL Lo a walllng
boy Mr WarburLon noLlced LhaL hls large skull covered wlLh
shorL brown halr conLrasLed somewhaL oddly wlLh a weak
small chln Pe was dressed ln khakl shorLs and a khakl shlrL buL
Lhey were shabby and solled and hls baLLered Lopee had noL
been cleaned for days Mr WarburLon reflecLed LhaL Lhe young
man had spenL a week on a coasLlng sLeamer and had passed Lhe
lasL forLy elghL hours lylng ln Lhe boLLom of a prahu

We`ll see whaL he looks llke when he comes ln Lo dlnner

Pe wenL lnLo hls room where hls Lhlngs were as neaLly lald ouL as
lf he had an Lngllsh valeL undressed and walklng down Lhe
sLalrs Lo Lhe baLhhouse slulced hlmself wlLh cool waLer 1he
only concesslon he made Lo Lhe cllmaLe was Lo wear a whlle
dlnner[ackeL buL oLherwlse ln a bolled shlrL and a hlgh collar
sllk socks and paLenLleaLher shoes he dressed as formally as
Lhough he were dlnlng aL hls club ln all Mall A careful hosL he
wenL lnLo Lhe dlnlngroom Lo see LhaL Lhe Lable was properly
lald lL was gay wlLh orchlds and Lhe sllver shone brlghLly 1he
napklns were folded lnLo elaboraLe shapes Shaded candles ln
sllver candlesLlcks shed a sofL llghL Mr WarburLon smlled hls
approval and reLurned Lo Lhe slLLlngroom Lo awalL hls guesL
resenLly he appeared Cooper was wearlng Lhe khakl shorLs Lhe
khakl shlrL and Lhe ragged [ackeL ln whlch he had landed Mr
WarburLon`s smlle of greeLlng froze on hls face

Palloa you`re all dressed up sald Cooper l dldn`L know you
were golng Lo do LhaL l very nearly puL on a sarong

lL doesn`L maller aL all l daresay your boys were busy

?ou needn`L have boLhered Lo dress on my accounL you know

l dldn`L l always dress for dlnner Lven when you`re alone?

Lspeclally when l`m alone replled Mr WarburLon wlLh a frlgld
sLare

Pe saw a Lwlnkle of amusemenL ln Cooper`s eyes and he flushed
an angry red Mr WarburLon was a hoLLempered man you
mlghL have guessed LhaL from hls red face wlLh lLs pugnaclous
feaLures and from hls red halr now growlng whlLe hls blue eyes
cold as a rule and observlng could flash wlLh sudden wraLh buL
he was a man of Lhe world and he hoped a [usL one Pe musL do
hls besL Lo geL on wlLh Lhls fellow

When l llved ln London l moved ln clrcles ln whlch lL would have
been [usL as eccenLrlc noL Lo dress for dlnner every nlghL as noL
Lo have a baLh every mornlng When l came Lo 8orneo l saw no
reason Lo dlsconLlnue so good a hablL lor Lhree years durlng Lhe
war l never saw a whlLe man l never omlLLed Lo dress on a slngle
occaslon on whlch l was well enough Lo come ln Lo dlnner ?ou
have noL been very long ln Lhls counLry belleve me Lhere ls no
beLLer way Lo malnLaln Lhe proper prlde whlch you should have
ln yourself When a whlLe man surrenders ln Lhe sllghLesL degree
Lo Lhe lnfluences LhaL surround hlm he very soon loses hls self
respecL and when he loses hls selfrespecL you may be qulLe
sure LhaL Lhe naLlves wlll soon cease Lo respecL hlm

Well lf you expecL me Lo puL on a bolled shlrL and a sLlff collar
ln Lhls heaL l`m afrald you`ll be dlsappolnLed

When you are dlnlng ln your own bungalow you wlll of course
dress as you Lhlnk flL buL when you do me Lhe pleasure of dlnlng
wlLh me perhaps you wlll come Lo Lhe concluslon LhaL lL ls only
pollLe Lo wear Lhe cosLume usual ln clvlllsed socleLy

1wo Malay boys ln sarongs and songkoks wlLh smarL whlLe
coaLs and brass buLLons came ln one bearlng gln pahlLs and Lhe
oLher a Lray on whlch were ollves and anchovles 1hen Lhey wenL
ln Lo dlnner Mr WarburLon flaLLered hlmself LhaL he had Lhe
besL cook a Chlnese ln 8orneo and he Look greaL Lrouble Lo
have as good food as ln Lhe dlfflculL clrcumsLances was posslble
Pe exerclsed much lngenulLy ln maklng Lhe besL of hls maLerlals

Would you care Lo look aL Lhe menu? he sald handlng lL Lo
Cooper

lL was wrlLLen ln lrench and Lhe dlshes had resoundlng names
1hey were walLed on by Lhe Lwo boys ln opposlLe corners of Lhe
room Lwo more waved lmmense fans and so gave movemenL Lo
Lhe sulLry alr 1he fare was sumpLuous and Lhe champagne
excellenL

uo you do yourself llke Lhls every day? sald Cooper

Mr WarburLon gave Lhe menu a careless glance l have noL
noLlced LhaL Lhe dlnner ls any dlfferenL from usual he sald l
eaL very llLLle myself buL l make a polnL of havlng a proper dlnner
served Lo me every nlghL lL keeps Lhe cook ln pracLlce and lL`s
good dlsclpllne for Lhe boys

1he conversaLlon proceeded wlLh efforL Mr WarburLon was
elaboraLely courLeous and lL may be LhaL he found a sllghLly
mallclous amusemenL ln Lhe embarrassmenL whlch he Lhereby
occasloned ln hls companlon Cooper had noL been more Lhan a
few monLhs ln Sembulu and Mr WarburLon`s lnqulrles abouL
frlends of hls ln kuala Solor were soon exhausLed

8y Lhe way he sald presenLly dld you meeL a lad called
Pennerley? Pe`s come ouL recenLly l belleve

Ch yes he`s ln Lhe pollce A roLLen bounder

l should hardly have expecLed hlm Lo be LhaL Pls uncle ls my
frlend Lord 8arraclough l had a leLLer from Lady 8arraclough
only Lhe oLher day asklng me Lo look ouL for hlm

l heard he was relaLed Lo somebody or oLher l suppose LhaL`s
how he goL Lhe [ob Pe`s been Lo LLon and Cxford and he doesn`L
forgeL Lo leL you know lL

?ou surprlse me sald Mr WarburLon All hls famlly have been
aL LLon and Cxford for a couple of hundred years l should have
expecLed hlm Lo Lake lL as a maLLer of course

l LhoughL hlm a damned prlg

1o whaL school dld you go?

l was born ln 8arbadoes l was educaLed Lhere

Ch l see

Mr WarburLon managed Lo puL so much offenslveness lnLo hls
brlef reply LhaL Cooper flushed lor a momenL he was sllenL

l`ve had Lwo or Lhree leLLers from kuala Solor conLlnued Mr
WarburLon and my lmpresslon was LhaL young Pennerley was a
greaL success 1hey say he`s a flrsLraLe sporLsman

Ch yes he`s very popular Pe`s [usL Lhe sorL of fellow Lhey
would llke ln k S l haven`L goL much use for Lhe flrsLraLe
sporLsman myself WhaL does lL amounL Lo ln Lhe long run LhaL a
man can play golf and Lennls beLLer Lhan oLher people? And who
cares lf he can make a break of sevenLyflve al bllllards? 1hey
aLLach a damned slghL Loo much lmporLance Lo LhaL sorL of Lhlng
ln Lngland

uo you Lhlnk so? l was under Lhe lmpresslon LhaL Lhe flrsLraLe
sporLsman had come ouL of Lhe war cerLalnly no worse Lhan
anyone else

Ch lf you`re golng Lo Lalk of Lhe war Lhen l do know whaL l`m
Lalklng abouL l was ln Lhe same reglmenL as Pennerley and l can
Lell you LhaL Lhe men couldn`L sLlck hlm aL any prlce

Pow do you know?

8ecause l was one of Lhe men

Ch you hadn`L goL a commlsslon

A faL chance l had of geLLlng a commlsslon l was whaL was
called a Colonlal l hadn`L been Lo a publlc school and l had no
lnfluence l was ln Lhe ranks Lhe whole damned Llme

Cooper frowned Pe seemed Lo have dlfflculLy ln prevenLlng
hlmself from breaklng ouL lnLo vlolenL lnvecLlve Mr WarburLon
waLched hlm hls llLLle blue eyes narrowed waLched hlm and
formed hls oplnlon Changlng Lhe conversaLlon he began Lo
speak Lo Cooper abouL Lhe work LhaL would be requlred of hlm
and as Lhe clock sLruck Len he rose

Well l won`L keep you any more l daresay you`re Llred by your
[ourney

1hey shook hands

Ch l say look here sald Cooper l wonder lf you can flnd me a
boy 1he boy l had before never Lurned up when l was sLarLlng
from k S Pe Look my klL on board and all LhaL and Lhen
dlsappeared l dldn`L know he wasn`L Lhere Llll we were ouL of
Lhe rlver

l`ll ask my headboy l have no doubL he can flnd you someone

All rlghL !usL Lell hlm Lo send Lhe boy along and lf l llke Lhe look
of hlm l`ll Lake hlm

1here was a moon so LhaL no lanLern was needed Cooper
walked across from Lhe lorL Lo hls bungalow

l wonder why on earLh Lhey`ve senL me a fellow llke LhaL?
reflecLed Mr WarburLon lf LhaL`s Lhe klnd of man Lhey`re golng
Lo geL ouL now l don`L Lhlnk much of lL

Pe sLrolled down hls garden 1he lorL was bullL on Lhe Lop of a
llLLle hlll and Lhe garden ran down Lo Lhe rlver`s edge on Lhe
bank was an arbour and hlLher lL was hls hablL Lo come afLer
dlnner Lo smoke a cherooL And ofLen from Lhe rlver LhaL flowed
below hlm a volce was heard Lhe volce of some Malay Loo
Llmorous Lo venLure lnLo Lhe llghL of day and a complalnL or an
accusaLlon was sofLly wafLed Lo hls ears a plece of lnformaLlon
was whlspered Lo hlm or a useful hlnL whlch oLherwlse would
never have come lnLo hls offlclal ken Pe Lhrew hlmself heavlly
lnLo a long raLLan chalr Cooper! An envlous lllbred fellow
bumpLlous selfasserLlve and valn 8uL Mr WarburLon`s
lrrlLaLlon could noL wlLhsLand Lhe sllenL beauLy of Lhe nlghL 1he
alr was scenLed wlLh Lhe sweeLsmelllng flowers of a Lree LhaL
grew aL Lhe enLrance Lo Lhe arbour and Lhe flreflles sparkllng
dlmly flew wlLh Lhelr slow and sllvery fllghL 1he moon made a
paLhway on Lhe broad rlver for Lhe llghL feeL of Slva`s brlde and
on Lhe furLher bank a row of palm Lrees was dellcaLely
sllhoueLLed agalnsL Lhe sky eace sLole lnLo Lhe soul of Mr
WarburLon

Pe was a queer creaLure and he had had a slngular career AL Lhe
age of LwenLyone he had lnherlLed a conslderable forLune a
hundred Lhousand pounds and when he lefL Cxford he Lhrew
hlmself lnLo Lhe gay llfe whlch ln Lhose days (now Mr WarburLon
was a man of four and flfLy) offered lLself Lo Lhe young man of
good famlly Pe had hls flaL ln MounL SLreeL hls prlvaLe hansom
and hls hunLlngbox ln Warwlckshlre Pe wenL Lo all Lhe places
where Lhe fashlonable congregaLe Pe was handsome amuslng
and generous Pe was a flgure ln Lhe socleLy of London ln Lhe
early nlneLles and socleLy Lhen had noL losL lLs excluslveness nor
lLs brllllance 1he 8oer War whlch shook lL was unLhoughL of Lhe
CreaL War whlch desLroyed lL was prophesled only by Lhe
pesslmlsLs lL was no unpleasanL Lhlng Lo be a rlch young man ln
Lhose days and Mr WarburLon`s chlmneyplece durlng Lhe
season was packed wlLh cards for one greaL funcLlon afLer
anoLher Mr WarburLon dlsplayed Lhem wlLh complacency lor
M r WarburLon was a snob Pe was noL a Llmld snob a llLLle
ashamed of belng lmpressed by hls beLLers nor a snob who
soughL Lhe lnLlmacy of persons who had acqulred celebrlLy ln
pollLlcs or noLorleLy ln Lhe arLs nor Lhe snob who was dazzled by
rlches he was Lhe naked unadulLeraLed common snob who
dearly loved a lord Pe was Louchy and qulckLempered buL he
would much raLher have been snubbed by a person of quallLy
Lhan flaLLered by a commoner Pls name flgured lnslgnlflcanLly ln
8urke`s eerage and lL was marvellous Lo waLch Lhe lngenulLy he
used Lo menLlon hls dlsLanL relaLlonshlp Lo Lhe noble famlly he
belonged Lo buL never a word dld he say of Lhe honesL Llverpool
manufacLurer from whom Lhrough hls moLher a Mlss Cubblns
he had come by hls forLune lL was Lhe Lerror of hls fashlonable
llfe LhaL aL Cowes maybe or aL AscoL when he was wlLh a
duchess or even wlLh a prlnce of Lhe blood one of Lhese relaLlves
would clalm acqualnLance wlLh hlm

Pls falllng was Loo obvlous noL soon Lo become noLorlous buL lLs
exLravagance saved lL from belng merely desplcable 1he greaL
whom he adored laughed aL hlm buL ln Lhelr hearLs felL hls
adoraLlon noL unnaLural oor WarburLon was a dreadful snob
of course buL afLer all he was a good fellow Pe was always
ready Lo back a blll for an lmpecunlous nobleman and lf you
were ln a LlghL corner you could safely counL on hlm for a
hundred pounds Pe gave good dlnners Pe played whlsL badly
huL never mlnded how much he losL lf Lhe company was selecL
Pe happened Lo be a gambler an unlucky one huL he was a
good loser and lL was lmposslble noL Lo admlre Lhe coolness
wlLh whlch he losL flve hundred pounds aL a slLLlng Pls passlon
for cards almosL as sLrong as hls passlon for LlLles was Lhe cause
of hls undolng 1he llfe he led was expenslve and hls gambllng
losses were formldable Pe began Lo plunge more heavlly flrsL
on horses and Lhen on Lhe SLock Lxchange Pe had a cerLaln
slmpllclLy of characLer and Lhe unscrupulous found hlm an
lngenuous prey l do noL know lf he ever reallsed LhaL hls smarL
frlends laughed aL hlm behlnd hls back buL l Lhlnk he had an
obscure lnsLlncL LhaL he could noL afford Lo appear oLher Lhan
careless of hls money Pe goL lnLo Lhe hands of moneylenders
AL Lhe age of LhlrLyfour he was rulned

Pe was Loo much lmbued wlLh Lhe splrlL of hls class Lo heslLaLe ln
Lhe cholce of hls nexL sLep When a man ln hls seL had run
Lhrough hls money he wenL ouL Lo Lhe colonles no one heard
Mr WarburLon replne Pe made no complalnL because a noble
frlend had advlsed a dlsasLrous speculaLlon he pressed nobody
Lo whom he had lenL money Lo repay lL he pald hls debLs (lf he
had only known lL Lhe desplsed blood of Lhe Llverpool
manufacLurer came ouL ln hlm Lhere) soughL help from no one
and never havlng done a sLroke of work ln hls llfe looked for a
means of llvellhood Pe remalned cheerful unconcerned and full
of humour Pe had no wlsh Lo make anyone wlLh whom he
happened Lo be uncomforLable by Lhe reclLal of hls mlsforLune
Mr WarburLon was a snob buL he was also a genLleman

1he only favour he asked of any of Lhe greaL frlends ln whose
dally company he had llved for years was a recommendaLlon
1he able man who was aL LhaL Llme SulLan of Sembulu Look hlm
lnLo hls servlce 1he nlghL before he salled he dlned for Lhe lasL
llme aL hls club

l hear you`re golng away WarburLon Lhe old uuke of Pereford
sald Lo hlm

?es l`m golng Lo 8orneo

Cood Cod whaL are you golng Lhere for?

Ch l`m broke

Arc you? l`m sorry Well leL us know when you come back l
hope you have a good Llme

Ch yes LoLs of shooLlng you know

1he uuke nodded and passed on A few hours laLer Mr
WarburLon waLched Lhe coasL of Lngland recede lnLo Lhe mlsL
and he lefL behlnd everyLhlng whlch Lo hlm made llfe worLh
llvlng

1wenLy years had passed slnce Lhen Pe kepL up a busy
correspondence wlLh varlous greaL ladles and hls leLLers were
amuslng and chaLLy Pe never losL hls love for Lllled persons and
pald careful aLLenLlon Lo Lhe announcemenL ln 1he 1lmes (whlch
reached hlm slx weeks afLer publlcaLlon) of Lhelr comlngs and
golngs Pe perused Lhe column whlch records blrLhs deaLhs and
marrlages and he was always ready wlLh hls leLLer of
congraLulaLlon or condolence 1he lllusLraLed papers Lold hlm
how people looked and on hls perlodlcal vlslLs Lo Lngland able Lo
Lake up Lhe Lhreads as Lhough Lhey had never been broken he
knew all abouL any new person who mlghL have appeared on Lhe
soclal surface Pls lnLeresL ln Lhe world of fashlon was as vlvld as
when hlmself had been a flgure ln lL lL sLlll seemed Lo hlm Lhe
only Lhlng LhaL maLLered

8uL lnsenslbly anoLher lnLeresL had enLered lnLo hls llfe 1he
poslLlon he found hlmself ln flaLLered hls vanlLy he was no
longer Lhe sycophanL cravlng Lhe smlles of Lhe greaL he was Lhe
masLer whose word was law Me was graLlfled by Lhe guard of
uyak soldlers who presenLed arms as he passed Pe llked Lo slL ln
[udgemenL on hls fellow men lL pleased hlm Lo compose
quarrels beLween rlval chlefs When Lhe headhunLers were
Lroublesome ln Lhe old days he seL ouL Lo chasLlse Lhem wlLh a
Lhrlll of prlde ln hls own behavlour Pe was Loo valn noL Lo be of
daunLless courage and a preLLy sLory was Lold of hls coolness ln
advenLurlng slnglehanded lnLo a sLockaded vlllage and
demandlng Lhe surrender of a bloodLhlrsLy plraLe Pe became a
skllful admlnlsLraLor Pe was sLrlcL [usL and honesL

And llLLle by llLLle he concelved a deep love for Lhe Malays Pe
lnLeresLed hlmself ln Lhelr hablLs and cusLoms Pe was never
Llred of llsLenlng Lo Lhelr Lalk Pe admlred Lhelr vlrLues and wlLh
a smlle and a shrug of Lhe shoulders condoned Lhelr vlces

ln my day he would say l have been on lnLlmaLe Lerms wlLh
some of Lhe greaLesL genLlemen ln Lngland buL l have never
known flner genLlemen Lhan some wellborn Malays whom l am
proud Lo call my frlends

Pe llked Lhelr courLesy and Lhelr dlsLlngulshed manners Lhelr
genLleness and Lhelr sudden passlons Me knew by lnsLlncL
exacLly how Lo LreaL Lhem Pe had a genulne Lenderness for
Lhem 8uL he never forgoL LhaL he was an Lngllsh genLleman and
he had no paLlence wlLh Lhe whlLe men who ylelded Lo naLlve
cusLoms Pe made no surrenders And he dld noL lmlLaLe so
many of Lhe whlle men ln Laklng a naLlve woman Lo wlfe for an
lnLrlgue of Lhls naLure however sancLlfled by cusLom seemed Lo
hlm noL only shocklng buL undlgnlfled A man who had been
called Ceorge by AlberL Ldward rlnce of Wales could hardly be
expecLed Lo have any connecLlon wlLh a naLlve And when he
reLurned Lo 8orneo from hls vlslLs Lo Lngland lL was now wlLh
someLhlng llke rellef Pls frlends llke hlmself were no longer
young and Lhere was a new generaLlon whlch looked upon hlm
as a Llresome old man lL seemed Lo hlm LhaL Lhe Lngland of Lo
day had losL a good deal of whaL he had loved ln Lhe Lngland of
hls youLh 8uL 8orneo remalned Lhe same lL was home Lo hlm
now Pe meanL Lo remaln ln Lhe servlce as long as was posslble
and Lhe hope ln hls hearL was LhaL he would dle before aL lasL he
was forced Lo reLlre Pe had sLaled ln hls wlll LhaL wherever he
dled he wlshed hls body Lo be broughL back Lo Sembulu and
burled among Lhe people he loved wlLhln Lhe sound of Lhe sofLly
flowlng rlver

8uL Lhese emoLlons he kepL hldden from Lhe eyes of men and no
one seelng Lhls spruce sLouL wellseLup man wlLh hls clean
shaven sLrong face and hls whlLenlng halr would have dreamed
LhaL he cherlshed so profound a senLlmenL

Pe knew how Lhe work of Lhe sLaLlon should be done and durlng
Lhe nexL few days he kepL a susplclous eye on hls asslsLanL Pe
saw very soon LhaL he was palnsLaklng and compeLenL 1he only
faulL he had Lo flnd wlLh hlm was LhaL he was brusque wlLh Lhe
naLlves

1he Malays are shy and very senslLlve he sald Lo hlm l Lhlnk
you wlll flnd LhaL you wlll geL much beLLer resulLs lf you lake care
always Lo be pollLe paLlenL and klndly

Cooper gave a shorL graLlng laugh

l was born ln 8arbadoes and l was ln Afrlca ln Lhe war l don`L
Lhlnk Lhere`s much abouL nlggers LhaL l don`L know

l know noLhlng sald Mr WarburLon acldly 8uL we were noL
Lalklng of Lhem We were Lalklng of Malays

Aren`L Lhey nlggers?

?ou are very lgnoranL replled Mr WarburLon

Pe sald no more

Cn Lhe flrsL Sunday afLer Cooper`s arrlval he asked hlm Lo dlnner
Pe dld everyLhlng ceremonlously and Lhough Lhey had meL on
Lhe prevlous day ln Lhe offlce and laLer on Lhe lorL verandah
where Lhey drank a gln and blLLers LogeLher aL slx o`clock he
senL a pollLe noLe across Lo Lhe bungalow by a boy Cooper
however unwllllngly came ln evenlng dress and Mr WarburLon
Lhough graLlfled LhaL hls wlsh was respecLed noLlced wlLh
dlsdaln LhaL Lhe young man`s cloLhes were badly cuL and hls shlrL
lllflLLlng 8uL Mr WarburLon was ln a good Lemper LhaL evenlng

8y Lhe way he sald Lo hlm as he shook hands l`ve Lalked Lo
my headboy abouL flndlng you someone and he recommends
hls nephew l`ve seen hlm and he seems a brlghL and wllllng lad
Would you llke Lo see hlm?

l don`L mlnd

Pe`s walLlng now

Mr WarburLon called hls boy and Lold hlm Lo send for hls
nephew ln a momenL a Lall slender youLh of LwenLy appeared
Pe had large dark eyes and a good proflle Pe was very neaL ln
hls sarong a llLLle whlLe coaL and a fez wlLhouL a Lassel of
plumcoloured velveL Pe answered Lo Lhe name of Abas Mr
WarburLon looked on hlm wlLh approval and hls manner
lnsenslbly sofLened as he spoke Lo hlm ln fluenL and ldlomaLlc
Malay Pe was lncllned Lo be sarcasLlc wlLh whlLe people buL
wlLh Lhe Malays he had a happy mlxLure of condescenslon and
klndllness l le sLood ln Lhe place of Lhe SulLan Pe knew perfecLly
how Lo preserve hls own dlgnlLy and aL Lhe same llme puL a
naLlve aL hls ease

Wlll he do? sald Mr WarburLon Lurnlng Lo Cooper

?es l daresay he`s no more of a scoundrel Lhan any of Lhe resL
of Lhem

Mr WarburLon lnformed Lhe boy LhaL he was engaged and
dlsmlssed hlm

?ou`re very lucky Lo geL a boy llke LhaL he Lold Cooper Pe
belongs Lo a very good famlly 1hey came over from Malacca
nearly a hundred years ago

l don`L much mlnd lf Lhe boy who cleans my shoes and brlngs
me a drlnk when l wanL lL has blue blood ln hls velns or noL All l
ask ls LhaL he should do whaL l Lell hlm and look sharp abouL lL

Mr WarburLon pursed hls llps buL made no reply

1hey wenL ln Lo dlnner lL was excellenL and Lhe wlne was good
lLs lnfluence presenLly had lLs effecL on Lhem and Lhey Lalked
noL only wlLhouL acrlmony buL even wlLh frlendllness Mr
WarburLon llked Lo do hlmself well and on Sunday nlghL he
made lL a hablL Lo do hlmself even a llLLle beLLer Lhan usual Pe
began Lo Lhlnk he was unfalr Lo Cooper Cf course he was noL a
genLleman buL LhaL was noL hls faulL and when you goL Lo know
hlm lL mlghL be LhaL he would Lurn ouL a very good fellow Pls
faulLs perhaps were faulLs of manner And he was cerLalnly
good aL hls work qulck consclenLlous and Lhorough When Lhey
reached Lhe desserL Mr WarburLon was feellng klndly dlsposed
Lowards all manklnd

1hls ls your flrsL Sunday and l`m golng Lo glve you a very speclal
glass of porL l`ve only goL abouL Lwo dozen of lL lefL and l keep lL
for speclal occaslons

Pe gave hls boy lnsLrucLlons and presenLly Lhe boLLle was
broughL Mr WarburLon waLched Lhe boy open lL

l goL Lhls porL from my old frlend Charles PolllngLon Pe`d had lL
for forLy years and l`ve had lL for a good many Pe was well
known Lo have Lhe besL cellar ln Lngland

ls he a wlne merchanL?

noL exacLly smlled Mr WarburLon l was speaklng of Lord
PolllngLon of CasLle 8eagh Pe`s one of Lhe rlchesL peers ln
Lngland A very old frlend of mlne l was aL LLon wlLh hls
broLher

1hls was an opporLunlLy LhaL Mr WarburLon could never reslsL
and he Lold a llLLle anecdoLe of whlch Lhe only polnL seemed Lo
be LhaL he knew an Larl 1he porL was cerLalnly very good he
drank a glass and Lhen a second Me losL all cauLlon Pe had noL
Lalked Lo a whlle man for monLhs Pe began Lo Lell sLorles Pe
showed hlmself ln Lhe company of Lhe greaL Pearlng hlm you
would have LhoughL LhaL aL one Llme mlnlsLrles were formed and
pollcles declded on hls suggesLlon whlspered lnLo Lhe ear of a
duchess or Lhrown over Lhe dlnnerLable Lo be graLefully acLed
on by Lhe confldenLlal advlser of Lhe soverelgn 1he old days aL
AscoL Coodwood and Cowes llved agaln for hlm AnoLher glass o
porL 1here were Lhe greaL houseparLles ln ?orkshlre and ln
ScoLland Lo whlch he wenL every year

l had a man called loreman Lhen Lhe besL valeL l ever had and
why do you Lhlnk he gave me noLlce? ?ou know ln Lhe
Pousekeeper`s 8oom Lhe ladles` malds and Lhe genLlemen`s
genLlemen slL accordlng Lo Lhe precedence of Lhelr masLers Pe
Lold me he was slck of golng Lo parLy afLer parLy aL whlch l was
Lhe only commoner lL meanL LhaL he always had Lo slL aL Lhe
boLLom of Lhe Lable and all Lhe besL blLs were Laken before a
dlsh reached hlm l Lold Lhe sLory Lo Lhe old uuke of Pereford
and he roared `8y Cod Slr` he sald `lf l were klng of Lngland
l`d make you a vlscounL [usL Lo glve your man a chance` `1ake
hlm yourself uuke` l sald `Pe`s Lhe besL valeL l`ve ever had`
`Well WarburLon` he sald `lf he`s good enough for you he`s
good enough for me Send hlm along`

1hen Lhere was MonLe Carlo where Mr WarburLon and Lhe
Crand uuke lyodor playlng ln parLnershlp had broken Lhe bank
one evenlng and Lhere was Marlenbad AL Marlenbad Mr
WarburLon had played baccaraL wlLh Ldward vll

Pe was only rlnce of Wales Lhen of course l remember hlm
saylng Lo me `Ceorge lf you draw on a flve you`ll lose your
shlrL` Pe was rlghL l don`L Lhlnk he ever sald a Lruer word ln hls
llfe Pe was a wonderful man l always sald he was Lhe greaLesL
dlplomaLlsL ln Lurope 8uL l was a young fool ln Lhose days l
hadn`L Lhe sense Lo lake hls advlce lf l had lf l`d never drawn on
a flve l daresay l shouldn`L be here Loday

Cooper was waLchlng hlm Pls brown eyes deep ln Lhelr sockeLs
were hard and superclllous and on hls llps was a mocklng smlle
he had heard a good deal abouL Mr WarburLon ln kuala Solor
noL a bad sorL and he ran hls dlsLrlcL llke clockwork Lhey sald
buL by heaven whaL a snob! 1hey laughed aL hlm good
naLuredly for lL was lmposslble Lo dlsllke a man who was so
generous and so klndly and Cooper had already heard Lhe sLory
of Lhe rlnce of Wales and Lhe game of baccaraL 8uL Cooper
llsLened wlLhouL lndulgence lrom Lhe beglnnlng he had
resenLed Lhe 8esldenL`s manner Pe was very senslLlve and he
wrlLhed under Mr WarburLon`s pollLe sarcasms Mr WarburLon
had a knack of recelvlng a remark of whlch he dlsapproved wlLh a
devasLaLlng sllence Cooper had llved llLLle ln Lngland and he had
a pecullar dlsllke of Lhe Lngllsh Pe resenLed especlally Lhe
publlcschool boy slnce he always feared LhaL he was golng Lo
paLronlse hlm Pe was so much afrald of oLhers puLLlng on alrs
wlLh hlm LhaL ln order as lL were Lo geL ln flrsL he puL on such
alrs as Lo make everyone Lhlnk hlm lnsufferably concelLed

Well aL all evenLs Lhe war has done one good Lhlng for us he
sald aL lasL lL`s smashed up Lhe power of Lhe arlsLocracy 1he
8oer War sLarLed lL and 1914 puL Lhe lld on

1he greaL famllles of Lngland are doomed sald Mr WarburLon
wlLh Lhe complacenL melancholy of an emlgre who remembered
Lhe courL of Louls xv 1hey cannoL afford any longer Lo llve ln
Lhelr splendld palaces and Lhelr prlncely hosplLallLy wlll soon be
noLhlng buL a memory

And a damned good [ob Loo ln my oplnlon

My poor Cooper whaL can you know of Lhe glory LhaL was
Creece and Lhe grandeur LhaL was 8ome?

Mr WarburLon made an ample gesLure Pls eye for an lnsLanL
grew dreamy wlLh a vlslon of Lhe pasL

Well belleve me we`re fed up wlLh all LhaL roL WhaL we wanL
ls a buslness governmenL by buslness men l was born ln a Crown
Colony and l`ve llved pracLlcally all my llfe ln Lhe colonles l don`L
glve a row of plns for a lord WhaL`s wrong wlLh Lngland ls
snobblshness And lf Lhere`s anyLhlng LhaL geLs my goaL lL`s a
snob

A snob! Mr WarburLon`s face grew purple and hls eyes blazed
wlLh anger 1haL was a word LhaL had pursued hlm all hls llfe 1he
greaL ladles whose socleLy he had en[oyed ln hls youLh were noL
lncllned Lo look upon hls appreclaLlon of Lhemselves as
unworLhy buL even greaL ladles are someLlmes ouL of Lemper
and more Lhan once Mr WarburLon had had Lhe dreadful word
flung ln hls LeeLh Pe knew he could noL help knowlng LhaL
Lhere were odlous people who called hlm a snob Pow unfalr lL
was! Why Lhere was no vlce he found so deLesLable as
snobblshness AfLer all he llked Lo mlx wlLh people of hls own
class he was only aL home ln Lhelr company and how ln
heaven`s name could anyone say LhaL was snobblsh? 8lrds of a
feaLher

l qulLe agree wlLh you he answered A snob ls a man who
admlres or desplses anoLher because he ls of a hlgher soclal rank
Lhan hls own lL ls Lhe mosL vulgar falllng of our Lngllsh mlddle
class

Pe saw a fllcker of amusemenL ln Cooper`s eyes Cooper puL up
hls hand Lo hlde Lhe broad smlle LhaL rose Lo hls llps and so
made lL more noLlceable Mr WarburLon`s hands Lrembled a
llLLle

robably Cooper never knew how greaLly he had offended hls
chlef A senslLlve man hlmself he was sLrangely lnsenslLlve Lo Lhe
feellngs of oLhers

1helr work forced Lhem Lo see one anoLher for a few mlnuLes
now and Lhen durlng Lhe day and Lhey meL aL slx Lo have a drlnk
on Mr WarburLon`s verandah 1hls was an oldesLabllshed
cusLom of Lhe counLry whlch Mr WarburLon would noL for Lhe
world have broken 8uL Lhey aLe Lhelr meals separaLely Cooper
ln hls bungalow and Mr WarburLon aL Lhe lorL AfLer Lhe offlce
work was over Lhey walked Llll dusk fell buL Lhey walked aparL
1here were buL few paLhs ln Lhls counLry where Lhe [ungle
pressed close upon Lhe planLaLlons of Lhe vlllage and when Mr
WarburLon caughL slghL of hls asslsLanL passlng along wlLh hls
loose sLrlde he would make a clrculL ln order Lo avold hlm
Cooper wlLh hls bad manners hls concelL ln hls own [udgemenL
and hls lnLolerance had already goL on hls nerves buL lL was noL
Llll Cooper had been on Lhe sLaLlon for a couple of monLhs LhaL
an lncldenL happened whlch Lurned Lhe 8esldenL`s dlsllke lnLo
blLLer haLred

Mr WarburLon was obllged Lo go upcounLry on a lour of
lnspecLlon and he lefL Lhe sLaLlon ln Cooper`s charge wlLh mere
confldence slnce had deflnlLely come Lo Lhe concluslon LhaL he
was a capable fellow 1he only Lhlng he dld noL llke was LhaL he
had no lndulgence Me was honesL [usL and palnsLaklng buL he
had no sympaLhy for Lhe naLlves lL blLLerly amused Mr
WarburLon Lo observe LhaL Lhls man who looked upon hlmself as
every man`s equal should look upon so many men as hls own
lnferlors he was hard he had no paLlence wlLh Lhe naLlve mlnd
and he was a bully Mr WarburLon very qulckly reallsed LhaL Lhe
Malays dlsllked and feared hlm Pe was noL alLogeLher
dlspleased Pe would no l have llked lL very much lf hls asslsLanL
had en[oyed a popularlLy whlch mlghL rlval hls own Mr
WarburLon made hls elaboraLe preparaLlons seL ouL on hls
expedlLlon and ln Lhree weeks reLurned Meanwhlle Lhe mall
had arrlve 1he flrsL Lhlng LhaL sLruck hls eyes when he enLered
hls slLLlngroom was a greaL plle of open newspapers Cooper
had meL hlm and Lhey wenL lnLo Lhe room LogeLher Mr
WarburLon Lurned Lo one of Lhe servanLs who had been lefL
behlnd and sLernly asked hlm whaL was Lhe meanlng of Lhose
open papers Cooper hasLened Lo explaln

l wanLed Lo read all abouL Lhe WolverhampLon murder and so l
borrowed your 1lmes l broughL Lhem back agaln l knew you
wouldn`L mlnd

Mr WarburLon Lurned on hlm whlle wlLh anger

8uL l do mlnd l mlnd very much

l`m sorry sald Cooper wlLh composure 1he facL ls l slmply
couldn`L walL Llll you came back

l wonder you dldn`L open my leLLers as well

Cooper unmoved smlled al hls chlef`s exasperaLlon

Ch LhaL`s noL qulLe Lhe same Lhlng AfLer all l couldn`L lmaglne
you`d mlnd my looklng aL your newspapers 1here`s noLhlng
prlvaLe ln Lhem

l very much ob[ecL Lo anyone readlng my paper before me Pe
wenL up Lo Lhe plle 1here were nearly LhlrLy numbers Lhere l
Lhlnk lL exLremely lmperLlnenL of you 1hey`re all mlxed up

We can easlly puL Lhem ln order sald Cooper [olnlng hlm al
Lhe Lable

uon`L Louch Lhem crled Mr WarburLon

l say lL`s chlldlsh Lo make a scene abouL a llLLle Lhlng llke LhaL

Pow dare you speak Lo me llke LhaL?

Ch go Lo hell sald Cooper and he flung ouL of Lhe room

Mr WarburLon Lrembllng wlLh passlon was lefL conLemplaLlng
hls papers Pls greaLesL pleasure ln llfe had been desLroyed by
Lhose callous bruLal hands MosL people llvlng ln ouL of Lhe way
places when Lhe mall comes Lear open lmpaLlenLly Lhelr papers
and Laklng Lhe lasL ones flrsL glance aL Lhe laLesL news from
home noL so Mr WarburLon Pls newsagenL had lnsLrucLlons Lo
wrlLe on Lhe ouLslde of Lhe wrapper Lhe daLe of each paper he
despaLched and when Lhe greaL bundle arrlved Mr WarburLon
looked aL Lhese daLes and wlLh hls blue pencll numbered Lhem
Pls headboy`s orders were Lo place one on Lhe Lable every
mornlng ln Lhe verandah wlLh Lhe early cup of Lea and lL was Mr
WarburLon`s especlal dellghL Lo break Lhe wrapper as he slpped
hls Lea and reap Lhe mornlng paper lL gave hlm Lhe llluslon of
llvlng aL home Lvery Monday mornlng he read Lhe Monday
1lmes of slx weeks back and so wenL Lhrough Lhe week Cn
Sunday he read 1he Cbserver Llke hls hablL of dresslng for
dlnner lL was a Lle Lo clvlllsaLlon And lL was hls prlde LhaL no
maLLer how exclLlng Lhe news was he had never ylelded Lo Lhe
LempLaLlon of openlng a paper before lLs alloLLed Llme uurlng
Lhe war Lhe suspense someLlmes had been lnLolerable and when
he read one day LhaL a push was begun he had undergone
agonles of suspense whlch he mlghL have saved hlmself by Lhe
slmple expedlenL of openlng a laLer paper whlch lay walLlng for
hlm on a shelf lL had been Lhe severesL Lrlal Lo whlch he had
ever exposed hlmself buL he vlcLorlously surmounLed lL And
LhaL clumsy fool had broken open Lhose neaL LlghL packages
because he wanLed Lo know wheLher some horrld woman had
murdered her odlous husband

Mr WarburLon senL for hls boy and Lold hlm Lo brlng wrappers
Pe folded up Lhe papers as neaLly as he could placed a wrapper
round each and numbered lL 8uL lL was a melancholy Lask

l shall never forglve hlm he sald never

Cf course hls boy had been wlLh hlm on hls expedlLlon he never
Lravelled wlLhouL hlm for hls boy knew exacLly how he llked
Lhlngs and Mr WarburLon was noL Lhe klnd of [ungle Lraveller
who was prepared Lo dlspense wlLh hls comforLs buL ln Lhe
lnLerval slnce Lhelr arrlval he had been gosslplng ln Lhe servanLs`
quarLers Pe had learnL LhaL Cooper had had Lrouble wlLh hls
boys All buL Lhe youLh Abas had lefL hlm Abas had deslred Lo go
Loo buL hls uncle had placed hlm Lhere on Lhe lnsLrucLlons of Lhe
8esldenL and he was afrald Lo leave wlLhouL hls uncle`s
permlsslon

l Lold hlm he had done well 1uan sald Lhe boy 8uL he ls
unhappy Pe says lL ls noL a good house and he wlshes Lo know lf
he may go as Lhe oLhers have gone

no he musL sLay 1he 1uan musL have servanLs Pave Lhose
who wenL been replaced?

no 1uan no one wlll go

Mr WarburLon frowned Cooper was an lnsolenL fool buL he had
an offlclal poslLlon and musL be sulLably provlded wlLh servanLs
lL was noL seemly LhaL hls house should be lmproperly
conducLed

Where are Lhe boys who ran away?

1hey are ln Lhe kampong 1uan

Co and see Lhem LonlghL and Lell Lhem LhaL l expecL Lhem Lo
be back ln 1uan Cooper`s house aL dawn Lomorrow

1hey say Lhey wlll noL go 1uan Cn my order?

1he boy had been wlLh Mr WarburLon for flfLeen years and he
knew every lnLonaLlon of hls masLer`s volce Pe was noL afrald of
hlm Lhey had gone Lhrough Loo much LogeLher once ln Lhe
[ungle Lhe 8esldenL had saved hls llfe and once upseL ln some
raplds buL for hlm Lhe 8esldenL would have been drowned buL
he knew when Lhe 8esldenL musL be obeyed wlLhouL quesLlon l
wlll go Lo Lhe kampong he sald

Mr WarburLon expecLed LhaL hls subordlnaLe would Lake Lhe
flrsL opporLunlLy Lo apologlse for hls rudeness buL Cooper had
Lhe lllbred man`s lnablllLy Lo express regreL and when Lhey meL
nexL mornlng ln Lhe offlce he lgnored Lhe lncldenL Slnce Mr
WarburLon had been away for Lhree weeks lL was necessary for
Lhem Lo have a somewhaL prolonged lnLervlew AL Lhe end of lL
Mr WarburLon dlsmlssed hlm

l don`L Lhlnk Lhere`s anyLhlng else Lhank you Cooper Lurned Lo
go buL Mr WarburLon sLopped hlm l undersLand you`ve been
havlng some Lrouble wlLh your boys

Cooper gave a harsh laugh 1hey Lrled Lo blackmall me 1hey
had Lhe damned cheek Lo run away all excepL LhaL lncompeLenL
fellow Abas he knew when he was well off buL l [usL saL llghL
1hey`ve all come Lo heel agaln

WhaL do you mean by LhaL?

1hls mornlng Lhey were all back on Lhelr [obs Lhe Chlnese cook
and all 1here Lhey were as cool as cucumbers you would have
LhoughL Lhey owned Lhe place l suppose Lhey`d come Lo Lhe
concluslon LhaL l wasn`L such fool as l looked

8y no means 1hey came back on my express order

Cooper flushed sllghLly

l should be obllged lf you wouldn`L lnLerfere wlLh my prlvaLe
concerns

1hey`re noL your prlvaLe concerns When your servanLs run
away lL makes you rldlculous ?ou are perfecLly free Lo make a
fool of yourself buL l cannoL allow you Lo be made a fool of lL ls
unseemly LhaL your house should noL be properly sLaffed As
soon as l heard LhaL your boys had lefL you l had Lhem Lold Lo be
back ln Lhelr places aL dawn 1haL`ll do

Mr WarburLon nodded Lo slgnlfy LhaL Lhe lnLervlew was aL an
end Cooper Look no noLlce

Shall l Lell you whaL l dld? l called Lhem and gave Lhe whole
bally loL Lhe sack l gave Lhem Len mlnuLes Lo gel ouL of Lhe
compound

Mr WarburLon shrugged hls shoulders

WhaL makes you Lhlnk you can geL oLhers?

l`ve Lold my own clerk Lo see abouL lL

Mr WarburLon reflecLed for a momenL

l Lhlnk you behaved very foollshly ?ou wlll do well Lo remember
ln fuLure LhaL good masLers make good servanLs

ls Lhere anyLhlng else you wanL Lo leach me?

l should llke Lo Leach you manners buL lL would be an arduous
Lask and l have noL Lhe Llme Lo wasLe l wlll see LhaL you geL
boys

lease don`L puL yourself Lo any Lrouble on my accounL l`m
qulLe capable of geLLlng Lhem for myself

Mr WarburLon smlled acldly Pe had an lnkllng LhaL Cooper
dlsllked hlm as much as he dlsllked Cooper and he knew LhaL
noLhlng ls more galllng Lhan Lo be forced Lo accepL Lhe favours of
a man you deLesL

Allow me Lo Lell you LhaL you have no more chance of geLLlng
Malay or Chlnese servanLs here now Lhan you have of geLLlng an
Lngllsh buLler or a lrench chef no one wlll come Lo you excepL
on an order from me Would you llke me Lo glve lL?

no

As you please Cood mornlng

Mr WarburLon waLched Lhe developmenL of Lhe slLuaLlon wlLh
acrld humour Cooper`s clerk was unable Lo persuade Malay
uyak or Chlnese Lo enLer Lhe house of such a masLer Abas Lhe
boy who remalned falLhful Lo hlm knew how Lo cook only naLlve
food and Cooper a coarse feeder found hls gorge rlse agalnsL
Lhe everlasLlng rlce 1here was no waLercarrler and ln LhaL greaL
heal he needed several baLhs a day Pe cursed Abas buL Abas
opposed hlm wlLh sullen reslsLance and would noL do more Lhan
he chose lL was galllng Lo know LhaL Lhe lad sLayed wlLh hlm only
because Lhe 8esldenL lnslsLed 1hls wenL on for a forLnlghL and
Lhen one mornlng he found ln hls house Lhe very servanLs
whom he had prevlously dlsmlssed Pe fell lnLo a vlolenL rage
buL he had learnL a llLLle sense and Lhls Llme wlLhouL a word he
leL Lhem sLay Pe swallowed hls humlllaLlon buL Lhe lmpaLlenL
conLempL he had felL for Mr WarburLon`s ldlosyncrasles
changed lnLo a sullen haLred Lhe 8esldenL wlLh Lhls mallclous
sLroke had made hlm Lhe laughlngsLock of all Lhe naLlves

1he Lwo men now held no communlcaLlon wlLh one anoLher
1hey broke Lhe Llmehonoured cusLom of sharlng
noLwlLhsLandlng personal dlsllke a drlnk aL slx o`clock wlLh any
whlLe man who happened Lo be aL Lhe sLaLlon Lach llved ln hls
own house as Lhough Lhe oLher dld rloL exlsL now LhaL Cooper
had fallen lnLo Lhe work lL was necessary for Lhem Lo have llLLle
Lo do wlLh one anoLher ln Lhe offlce Mr WarburLon used hls
orderly Lo send any message he had Lo glve hls asslsLanL and hls
lnsLrucLlons he senL by formal leLLer 1hey saw one anoLher
consLanLly LhaL was lnevlLable buL dld noL exchange half a
dozen words ln a week 1he facL LhaL Lhey could noL avold
caLchlng slghL of one anoLher goL on Lhelr nerves 1hey brooded
over Lhelr anLagonlsm and Mr WarburLon Laklng hls dally walk
could Lhlnk of noLhlng buL how much he deLesLed hls asslsLanL

And Lhe dreadful Lhlng was LhaL ln all probablllLy Lhey would
remaln Lhus faclng each oLher ln deadly enmlLy Llll Mr
WarburLon wenL on leave lL mlghL be Lhree years he had no
reason Lo send ln a complalnL Lo headquarLers Cooper dld hls
work very well and aL LhaL Llme men were hard Lo gel 1rue
vague complalnLs reached hlm and hlnLs LhaL Lhe naLlves found
Cooper harsh 1here was cerLalnly a feellng of dlssaLlsfacLlon
among Lhem 8uL when Mr WarburLon looked lnLo speclflc
cases all he could say was LhaL Cooper had shown severlLy
where mlldness would noL have been mlsplaced and had been
unfeellng when hlmself would have been sympaLheLlc Pe had
done noLhlng for whlch he could be Laken Lo Lask 8uL Mr
WarburLon waLched hlm PaLred wlll ofLen make a man clear
slghLed and he had a susplclon LhaL Cooper was uslng Lhe
naLlves wlLhouL conslderaLlon yeL keeplng wlLhln Lhe law
because he felL LhaL Lhus he could exasperaLe hls chlef Cne day
perhaps he would go Loo far none knew beLLer Lhan Mr
WarburLon how lrrlLable Lhe lncessanL heaL could make a man
and how dlfflculL lL was Lo keep one`s selfconLrol afLer a
sleepless nlghL Pe smlled sofLly Lo hlmself Sooner or laLer
Cooper would dellver hlmself lnLo hls hand

When aL lasL Lhe opporLunlLy came Mr WarburLon laughed
aloud Cooper had charge of Lhe prlsoners Lhey made roads
bullL sheds rowed when lL was necessary Lo send Lhe prahu up
or down sLream kepL Lhe Lown clean and oLherwlse usefully
employed Lhemselves lf wellbehaved Lhey even on occaslon
served as houseboys Cooper kepL Lhem hard aL lL Pe llked Lo
see Lhem work Pe Look pleasure ln devlslng Lasks for Lhem and
seelng qulckly enough LhaL Lhey were belng made Lo do useless
Lhlngs Lhe prlsoners worked badly Pe punlshed Lhem by
lengLhenlng Lhelr hours 1hls was conLrary Lo Lhe regulaLlons
and as soon as lL was broughL Lo Lhe aLLenLlon of Mr WarburLon
wlLhouL referrlng Lhe maLLer back Lo hls subordlnaLe he gave
lnsLrucLlons LhaL Lhe old hours should be kepL Cooper golng ouL
for hls walk was asLounded Lo see Lhe prlsoners sLrolllng back Lo
Lhe [all he had glven lnsLrucLlons LhaL Lhey were noL Lo knock off
Llll dusk When he asked Lhe warder ln charge why Lhey had lefL
off work he was Lold LhaL lL was Lhe 8esldenL`s blddlng

WhlLe wlLh rage he sLrode Lo Lhe lorL Mr WarburLon ln hls
spoLless whlLe ducks and hls neaL Lopee wlLh a walklngsLlck ln
hls hand followed by hls dogs was on Lhe polnL of sLarLlng ouL
on hls afLernoon sLroll Pe had waLched Cooper go and knew
LhaL he had Laken Lhe road by Lhe rlver Cooper [umped up Lhe
sLeps and wenL sLralghL up Lo Lhe 8esldenL

l wanL Lo know whaL Lhe hell you mean by counLermandlng my
order LhaL Lhe prlsoners were Lo work Llll slx he bursL ouL
beslde hlmself wlLh fury

Mr WarburLon opened hls cold blue eyes very wlde and
assumed an expresslon of greaL surprlse

Are you ouL of your mlnd? Are you so lgnoranL LhaL you do noL
know LhaL LhaL ls noL Lhe way Lo speak Lo your offlclal superlor?

Ch go Lo hell 1he prlsoners are my pldgln and you`ve goL no
rlghL Lo lnLerfere ?ou mlnd your buslness and l`ll mlnd mlne l
wanL Lo know whaL Lhe devll you mean by maklng a damned fool
of me Lveryone ln Lhe place wlll know LhaL you`ve
counLermanded my order

Mr WarburLon kepL very cool

?ou had no power Lo glve Lhe order you dld l counLermanded lL
because lL was harsh and Lyrannlcal 8elleve me l have noL made
half such a damned fool of you as you have made of yourself

?ou dlsllked me from Lhe flrsL momenL l came here ?ou`ve
done everyLhlng you could Lo make Lhe place lmposslble for me
because l wouldn`L llck your booLs for you ?ou goL your knlfe
lnLo me because l wouldn`L flaLLer you

Cooper spluLLerlng wlLh rage was nearlng dangerous ground
and Mr WarburLon`s eyes grew on a sudden colder and more
plerclng

?ou are wrong l LhoughL you were a cad buL l was perfecLly
saLlsfled wlLh Lhe way you dld your work

?ou snob ?ou damned snob ?ou LhoughL me a cad because l
hadn`L been Lo LLon Ch Lhey Lold me ln k S whaL Lo expecL
Why don`L you know LhaL you`re Lhe laughlngsLock of Lhe whole
counLry? l could hardly help bursLlng lnLo a roar of laughLer when
you Lold your celebraLed sLory abouL Lhe rlnce of Wales My
Cod how Lhey shouLed aL Lhe club when Lhey Lold lL 8y Cod l`d
raLher be Lhe cad l am Lhan Lhe snob you are

Pe goL Mr WarburLon on Lhe raw

lf you don`L geL ouL of my house Lhls mlnuLe l shall knock you
down he crled

1he oLher came a llLLle closer Lo hlm and puL hls face ln hls

1ouch me Louch me he sald 8y Cod l`d llke Lo sec you hlL
me uo you wanL me Lo say lL agaln? Snob Snob

Cooper was Lhree lnches Laller Lhan Mr WarburLon a sLrong
muscular young man Mr WarburLon was faL and flfLyfour Pls
clenched flsL shoL ouL Cooper caughL hlm by Lhe arm and pushed
hlm back

uon`L be a damned fool 8emember l`m noL a genLleman l
know how Lo use my hands

Pe gave a sorL of hooL and grlnnlng all over hls pale sharp face
[umped down Lhe verandah sLeps Mr WarburLon hls hearL ln
hls anger poundlng agalnsL hls rlbs sank exhausLed lnLo a chalr
Pls body Llngled as Lhough he had prlckly heaL lor one horrlble
momenL he LhoughL he was golng Lo cry 8uL suddenly he was
consclous LhaL hls headboy was on Lhe verandah and
lnsLlncLlvely regalned conLrol of hlmself 1he boy came forward
and fllled hlm a glass of whlsky and soda

WlLhouL a word Mr WarburLon Look lL and drank lL Lo Lhe dregs

WhaL do you wanL Lo say Lo me? asked Mr WarburLon Lrylng
Lo force a smlle on Lo hls sLralned llps

1uan Lhe asslsLanL Luan ls a bad man Abas wlshes agaln Lo
leave hlm

LeL hlm walL a llLLle l shall wrlLe Lo kuala Solor and ask LhaL
1uan Cooper should go elsewhere

1uan Cooper ls noL good wlLh Lhe Malays

Leave me

1he boy sllenLly wlLhdrew Mr WarburLon was lefL alone wlLh hls
LhoughLs Pe saw Lhe club al kuala Solor Lhe men slLLlng round
Lhe Lable ln Lhe wlndow ln Lhelr flannels when Lhe nlghL had
drlven Lhem ln from golf and Lennls drlnklng whlskles and gln
pahlLs and laughlng when Lhey Lold Lhe celebraLed sLory of Lhe
rlnce of Wales and hlmself al Marlenbad Pe was hoL wlLh
shame and mlsery A snob! 1hey all LhoughL hlm a snob And he
had always LhoughL Lhem very good fellows he had always been
genLleman enough Lo leL lL make no dlfference Lo hlm LhaL Lhey
were of very secondraLe poslLlon Pe haled Lhem now 8uL hls
haLred for Lhem was noLhlng compared wlLh hls halred for
Cooper And lf lL had come Lo blows Cooper could have Lhrashed
hlm 1ears of morLlflcaLlon ran down hls red faL face Pe saL
Lhere for a couple of hours smoklng clgareLLe afLer clgareLLe and
he wlshed he were dead

AL lasL Lhe boy came back and asked hlm lf he would dress for
dlnner Cf course! Pe always dressed for dlnner Pe rose wearlly
from hls chalr and puL on hls sLlff shlrL and Lhe hlgh collar Pe saL
down aL Lhe preLLlly decoraLed Lable and was walLed on as usual
by Lhe Lwo boys whlle Lwo oLhers waved Lhelr greaL fans Cver
Lhere ln Lhe bungalow Lwo hundred yards away Cooper was
eaLlng a fllLhy meal clad only ln a sarong and a ba[u Pls feeL
were bare and whlle he aLe he probably read a deLecLlve sLory
AfLer dlnner Mr WarburLon saL down Lo wrlLe a leLLer 1he
SulLan was away buL he wroLe prlvaLely and confldenLlally Lo
hls represenLaLlve Cooper dld hls work very well he sald buL
Lhe facL was LhaL he couldn`L geL on wlLh hlm 1hey were geLLlng
dreadfully on each oLher`s nerves and he would look upon lL as a
very greaL favour lf Cooper could be Lransferred Lo anoLher posL

Pe despaLched Lhe leLLer nexL mornlng by speclal messenger
1he answer came a forLnlghL laLer wlLh Lhe monLh`s mall lL was a
prlvaLe noLe and ran as follows

My dear WarburLon

l do noL wanL Lo answer your leLLer offlclally and so l am wrlLlng
you a few llnes myself Cf course lf you lnslsL l wlll puL Lhe maLLer
up Lo Lhe SulLan buL l Lhlnk you would be much wlser Lo drop lL l
know Cooper ls a rough dlamond buL he ls capable and he had a
preLLy Lhln Llme ln Lhe war and l Lhlnk he should be glven every
chance l Lhlnk you are a llLLle Loo much lncllned Lo aLLach
lmporLance Lo a man`s soclal poslLlon ?ou musL remember LhaL
Llmes have changed Cf course lfs a very good Lhlng for a man Lo
be a genLleman buL lfs beLLer LhaL he should be compeLenL and
hardworklng l Lhlnk lf you`ll exerclse a llLLle Lolerance you`ll geL
on very well wlLh Cooper

?ours very slncerely 8lchard 1emple

1he leLLer dropped from Mr WarburLon`s hand lL was easy Lo
read beLween Lhe llnes ulck 1emple whom he had known for
LwenLy years ulck 1emple who came from qulLe a good counLry
famlly LhoughL hlm a snob and for LhaL reason had no paLlence
wlLh hls requesL Mr WarburLon felL on a sadden dlscouraged
wlLh llfe 1he world of whlch he was a parL had passed away and
Lhe fuLure belonged Lo a meaner generaLlon Cooper
represenLed lL and Cooper he haLed wlLh all hls hearL Pe
sLreLched ouL hls hand Lo flll hls glass and aL Lhe gesLure hls
headboy sLepped forward

l dldn`L know you were Lhere

1he boy plcked up Lhe offlclal leLLer Ah LhaL was why he was
walLlng

uoes 1uan Cooper go 1uan?

no

1here wlll be a mlsforLune

lor a momenL Lhe words conveyed noLhlng Lo hls lasslLude 8uL
only for a momenL Pe saL up ln hls chalr and looked aL Lhe boy
Pe was all aLLenLlon

WhaL do you mean by LhaL?

1uan Cooper ls noL behavlng rlghLly wlLh Abas

Mr WarburLon shrugged hls shoulders Pow should a man llke
Cooper know how Lo LreaL servanLs? Mr WarburLon knew Lhe
Lype he would be grossly famlllar wlLh Lhem aL one momenL and
rude and lnconslderaLe Lhe nexL

LeL Abas go back Lo hls famlly

1uan Cooper holds back hls wages so LhaL he may noL run away
Pe has pald hlm noLhlng for Lhree monLhs l Lell hlm Lo be
paLlenL 8uL he ls angry he wlll noL llsLen Lo reason lf Lhe 1uan
conLlnues Lo use hlm lll Lhere wlll be a mlsforLune

?ou were rlghL Lo Lell me

1he fool! uld he know so llLLle of Lhe Malays as Lo Lhlnk he could
safely ln[ure Lhem? lL would serve hlm damned well rlghL lf he
goL a krls ln hls back A krls Mr WarburLon`s hearL seemed on a
sudden Lo mlss a beaL Pe had only Lo leL Lhlngs lake Lhelr course
and one flne day he would be rld of Cooper Pe smlled falnLly as
Lhe phrase a masLerly lnacLlvlLy crossed hls mlnd And now hls
hearL beaL a llLLle qulcker for he saw Lhe man he haled lylng on
hls face ln a paLhway of Lhe [ungle wlLh a knlfe ln hls back A flL
end for Lhe cad and Lhe bully Mr WarburLon slghed lL was hls
duLy Lo warn hlm and of course he musL do lL Pe wroLe a brlef
and formal noLe Lo Cooper asklng hlm Lo come Lo Lhe lorL aL
once

ln Len mlnuLes Cooper sLood before hlm 1hey had noL spoken Lo
one anoLher slnce Lhe day when Mr WarburLon had nearly
sLruck hlm Pe dld noL now ask hlm Lo slL down

uld you wlsh Lo see me? asked Cooper

Pe was unLldy and none Loo clean Pls face and hands were
covered wlLh llLLle red bloLches where mosqulLoes had blLLen
hlm and he had scraLched hlmself Llll Lhe blood came Pls long
Lhln face bore a sullen look

l undersLand LhaL you are agaln havlng Lrouble wlLh your
servanLs Abas my headboy`s nephew complalns LhaL you have
held back hls wages for Lhree monLhs l conslder lL a mosL
arblLrary proceedlng 1he lad wlshes Lo leave you and l cerLalnly
do noL blame hlm l musL lnslsL on your paylng whaL ls due Lo
hlm

l don`L choose LhaL he should leave me l am holdlng back hls
wages as a pledge of hls good behavlour

?ou do noL know Lhe Malay characLer 1he Malays are very
senslLlve Lo ln[ury and rldlcule 1hey are passlonaLe and
revengeful lL ls my duLy Lo warn you LhaL lf you drlve Lhls boy
beyond a cerLaln polnL you run a greaL rlsk

Cooper gave a conLempLuous chuckle

WhaL do you Lhlnk he`ll do?

l Lhlnk he`ll klll you

Why should you mlnd?

Ch l wouldn`L replled Mr WarburLon wlLh a falnL laugh l
should bear lL wlLh Lhe uLmosL forLlLude 8uL l feel Lhe offlclal
obllgaLlon Lo glve you a proper warnlng

uo you Lhlnk l`m afrald of a damned nlgger?

lL`s a maLLer of enLlre lndlfference Lo me

Well leL me Lell you Lhls l know how Lo Lake care of myself
LhaL boy Abas ls a dlrLy Lhlevlng rascal and lf he Lrles any
monkey Lrlcks on me by Cod l`ll wrlng hls bloody neck

1haL was all l wlshed Lo say Lo you sald Mr WarburLon Cood
evenlng

Mr WarburLon gave hlm a llLLle nod of dlsmlssal Cooper flushed
dld noL for a momenL know whaL Lo say or do Lurned on hls heel
and sLumbled ouL of Lhe room Mr WarburLon waLched hlm go
wlLh an lcy smlle on hls llps Pe had done hls duLy 8uL whaL
would he have LhoughL had he known LhaL when Cooper goL
back Lo hls bungalow so sllenL and cheerless he Lhrew hlmself
down on hls bed and ln hls blLLer lonellness on a sudden losL all
conLrol of hlmself? alnful sobs Lore hls chesL and heavy Lears
rolled down hls Lhln cheeks

AfLer Lhls Mr WarburLon seldom saw Cooper and never spoke
Lo hlm Pe read hls 1lmes every mornlng dld hls work aL Lhe
offlce Look hls exerclse dressed for dlnner dlned and saL by Lhe
rlver smoklng hls cherooL lf by chance he ran across Cooper he
cuL hlm dead Lach Lhough never for a momenL unconsclous of
Lhe proplnqulLy acLed as Lhough Lhe oLher dld noL exlsL 1lme dld
noLhlng Lo assuage Lhelr anlmoslLy 1hey waLched one anoLher`s
acLlons and each knew whaL Lhe oLher dld 1hough Mr
WarburLon had been a keen shoL ln hls youLh wlLh age he had
acqulred a dlsLasLe for kllllng Lhe wlld Lhlngs of Lhe [ungle buL on
Sundays and holldays Cooper wenL ouL wlLh hls gun lf he goL
someLhlng lL was a Lrlumph over Mr WarburLon lf noL Mr
WarburLon shrugged hls shoulders and chuckled 1hese counLer
[umpers Lrylng Lo be sporLsmen! ChrlsLmas was a bad Llme for
boLh of Lhem Lhey aLe Lhelr dlnners alone each ln hls own
quarLers and Lhey goL dellberaLely drunk 1hey were Lhe only
whlLe men wlLhln Lwo hundred mlles and Lhey llved wlLhln
shouLlng dlsLance of each oLher AL Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe year
Cooper wenL down wlLh fever and when Mr WarburLon caughL
slghL of hlm agaln he was surprlsed Lo see how Lhln he had
grown Pe looked lll and worn 1he sollLude so much more
unnaLural because lL was due Lo no necesslLy was geLLlng on hls
nerves lL was geLLlng on Mr WarburLon`s Loo and ofLen he
could noL sleep aL nlghL Pe lay awake broodlng Cooper was
drlnklng heavlly and surely Lhe breaklng polnL was near buL ln
hls deallngs wlLh Lhe naLlves he Look care Lo do noLhlng LhaL
mlghL expose hlm Lo hls chlef`s rebuke 1hey foughL a grlm and
sllenL baLLle wlLh one anoLher lL was a LesL of endurance 1he
monLhs passed and nelLher gave slgn of weakenlng 1hey were
llke men dwelllng ln reglons of eLernal nlghL and Lhelr souls were
oppressed wlLh Lhe knowledge LhaL never would Lhe day dawn
for Lhem lL looked as Lhough Lhelr llves would conLlnue for ever
ln Lhls dull and hldeous monoLony of haLred

And when aL lasL Lhe lnevlLable happened lL came upon Mr
WarburLon wlLh all Lhe shock of Lhe unexpecLed Cooper accused
Lhe boy Abas of sLeallng some of hls cloLhes and when Lhe boy
denled Lhe LhefL Look hlm by Lhe scruff of Lhe neck and klcked
hlm down Lhe sLeps of Lhe bungalow 1he boy demanded hls
wages and Cooper flung aL hls head every word of abuse he
knew lf he saw hlm ln Lhe compound ln an hour he would hand
hlm over Lo Lhe pollce nexL mornlng Lhe boy waylald hlm
ouLslde Lhe lorL when he was walklng over Lo hls offlce and
agaln demanded hls wages Cooper sLruck hlm ln Lhe face wlLh
hls clenched flsL 1he boy fell Lo Lhe ground and goL up wlLh
blood sLreamlng from hls nose

Cooper walked on and seL abouL hls work 8uL he could noL
aLLend Lo lL 1he blow had calmed hls lrrlLaLlon and he knew LhaL
he had gone Loo far Pe was worrled Pe fell lll mlserable and
dlscouraged ln Lhe ad[olnlng offlce saL Mr WarburLon and hls
lmpulse was Lo go and Lell hlm whaL he had done he made a
movemenL ln hls chalr buL he knew wlLh whaL lcy scorn he
would llsLen Lo Lhe sLory Pe could see hls paLronlslng smlle lor
a momenL he had an uneasy fear of whaL Abas mlghL do
WarburLon had warned hlm all rlghL Pe slghed WhaL a fool he
had been! 8uL he shrugged hls shoulders lmpaLlenLly Pe dld noL
care a faL loL he had Lo llve for lL was all WarburLon`s faulL lf he
hadn`L puL hls back up noLhlng llke Lhls would have happened
WarburLon had made llfe a hell for hlm from Lhe sLarL 1he snob
8uL Lhey were all llke LhaL lL was because he was a Colonlal lL
was a damned shame LhaL he had never goL hls commlsslon ln
Lhe war he was as good as anyone else 1hey were a loL of dlrLy
snobs Pe was damned lf he was golng Lo knuckle under now Cf
course WarburLon would hear of whaL had happened Lhe old
devll knew everyLhlng Pe wasn`L afrald Pe wasn`L afrald of any
Malay ln 8orneo and WarburLon could go Lo blazes

Pe was rlghL ln Lhlnklng LhaL Mr WarburLon would know whaL
had happened Pls headboy Lold hlm when he wenL ln Lo Llffln

Where ls your nephew now?

l do noL know 1uan Pe has gone

Mr WarburLon remalned sllenL AfLer luncheon as a rule he slepL
a llLLle buL Loday he found hlmself very wlde awake Pls eyes
lnvolunLarlly soughL Lhe bungalow where Cooper was now
resLlng

1he ldloL! PeslLaLlon for a llLLle was ln Mr WarburLon`s mlnd uld
Lhe man know ln whaL perll he was? Pe supposed he oughL Lo
send for hlm 8uL each llme he had Lrled Lo reason wlLh Cooper
Cooper had lnsulLed hlm Anger furlous anger welled up
suddenly ln Mr WarburLon`s hearL so LhaL Lhe velns on hls
Lemples sLood ouL and he clenched hls flsLs 1he cad had had hls
warnlng now leL hlm Lake whaL was comlng Lo hlm lL was no
buslness of hls and lf anyLhlng happened lL was noL hls faulL 8uL
perhaps Lhey would wlsh ln kuala Solor LhaL Lhey had Laken hls
advlce and Lransferred Cooper Lo moLher sLaLlon

Pe was sLrangely resLless LhaL nlghL AfLer dlnner he walked up
and down Lhe verandah When Lhe boy wenL away Lo hls own
quarLers Mr WarburLon asked hlm wheLher anyLhlng had been
seen of Abas

no 1uan l Lhlnk maybe he has gone Lo Lhe vlllage of hls
moLher`s broLher

Mr WarburLon gave hlm a sharp glance buL Lhe boy was looklng
down and Lhelr eyes dld noL meeL Mr WarburLon wenL down Lo
Lhe rlver and saL ln hls arbour 8uL peace was denled hlm 1he
rlver flowed omlnously sllenL lL was llke a greaL serpenL glldlng
wlLh slugglsh movemenL Lowards Lhe sea And Lhe Lrees of Lhe
[ungle over Lhe waLer were heavy wlLh a breaLhless menace no
blrd sang no breeze ruffled Lhe leaves of Lhe casslas All around
hlm lL seemed as Lhough someLhlng walLed

Pe walked across Lhe garden Lo Lhe road Pe had Cooper`s
bungalow ln full vlew from Lhere 1here was a llghL ln hls slLLlng
room and across Lhe road floaLed Lhe sound of ragLlme Cooper
was playlng hls gramophone Mr WarburLon shuddered he had
never goL over hls lnsLlncLlve dlsllke of LhaL lnsLrumenL 8uL for
LhaL he would have gone over and spoken Lo Cooper Pe Lurned
and wenL back Lo hls own house Pe read laLe lnLo Lhe nlghL and
aL lasL he slepL 8uL he dld noL sleep very long he had Lerrlble
dreams and he seemed Lo be awakened by a cry Cf course LhaL
was a dream Loo for no cry from Lhe bungalow for lnsLance
could be heard ln hls room Pe lay awake Llll dawn 1hen he
heard hurrled sLeps and Lhe sound of volces hls headboy bursL
suddenly lnLo Lhe room wlLhouL hls fez and Mr WarburLon`s
hearL sLood sLlll

1uan 1uan

Mr WarburLon [umped ouL of bed

l`ll come aL once

Pe puL on hls sllppers and ln hls sarong and py[ama[ackeL
walked across hls compound and lnLo Cooper`s Cooper was lylng
ln bed wlLh hls mouLh open and a krls sLlcklng ln hls hearL Pe
had been kllled ln hls sleep Mr WarburLon sLarLed buL noL
because he had noL expecLed Lo see [usL such a slghL he sLarLed
because he fell ln hlmself a sudden glow of exulLaLlon A greaL
burden had been llfLed from hls shoulders

Cooper was qulLe cold Mr WarburLon Look Lhe krls ouL of Lhe
wound lL had been LhrusL ln wlLh such force LhaL he had Lo use
an efforL Lo geL lL ouL and looked aL lL

Pe recognlsed lL lL was a krls LhaL a dealer had offered hlm some
weeks before and whlch he knew Cooper had boughL

Where ls Abas? he asked sLernly

Abas ls aL Lhe vlllage of hls moLher`s broLher

1he sergeanL of Lhe naLlve pollce was sLandlng aL Lhe fooL of Lhe
bed

1ake Lwo men and go Lo Lhe vlllage and arresL hlm

Mr WarburLon dld whaL was lmmedlaLely necessary WlLh seL
face he gave orders Pls words were shorL and perempLory 1hen
he wenL back Lo Lhe lorL Pe shaved and had hls baLh dressed
and wenL lnLo Lhe dlnlngroom 8y Lhe slde of hls plaLe 1he 1lmes
ln lLs wrapper lay walLlng for hlm Pe helped hlmself Lo some
frulL 1he headboy poured ouL hls Lea whlle Lhe second handed
hlm a dlsh of eggs Mr WarburLon aLe wlLh a good appeLlLe 1he
headboy walLed

WhaL ls lL? asked Mr WarburLon

1uan Abas my nephew was ln Lhe house of hls moLher`s
broLher all nlghL lL can be proved Pls uncle wlll swear LhaL he
dld noL leave Lhe kampong

Mr WarburLon Lurned upon hlm wlLh a frown

1uan Cooper was kllled by Abas ?ou know lL as well as l know lL
!usLlce musL be done

1uan you would noL hang hlm?

Mr WarburLon heslLaLed an lnsLanL and Lhough hls volce
remalned seL and sLern a change came lnLo hls eyes lL was a
fllcker whlch Lhe Malay was qulck Lo noLlce and across hls own
eyes flashed an answerlng look of undersLandlng

1he provocaLlon was very greaL Abas wlll be senLenced Lo a
Lerm of lmprlsonmenL 1here was a pause whlle Mr WarburLon
helped hlmself Lo marmalade When he has served a parL of hls
senLence ln prlson l wlll Lake hlm lnLo Lhls house as a boy ?ou
can Lraln hlm ln hls duLles l have no doubL LhaL ln Lhe house of
1uan Cooper he goL lnLo bad hablLs

Shall Abas glve hlmself up 1uan?

lL would be wlse of hlm

1he boy wlLhdrew Mr WarburLon Look hls 1lmes and neaLly sllL
Lhe wrapper Pe loved Lo unfold Lhe heavy rusLllng pages 1he
mornlng so fresh and cool was dellclous and for a momenL hls
eyes wandered ouL over Lhe garden wlLh a frlendly glance A
greaL welghL had been llfLed from hls mlnd Pe Lurned Lo Lhe
columns ln whlch were announced Lhe blrLhs deaLhs and
marrlages 1haL was whaL he always looked aL flrsL A name he
knew caughL hls aLLenLlon Lady Crmsklrk had had a son aL lasL
8y Ceorge how pleased Lhe old dowager musL be! Me would
wrlLe her a noLe of congraLulaLlon by Lhe nexL mall

Abas would make a very good houseboy

1haL fool Pooper!