The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-08
By
JOSEPH
CONRAD

abominable adventure.
He thought Of the moody weLdressed young
man with whom he had exchanged glances in tbs
crowd around the band stand and who. he felt con-
fdent, was the robber. Would he recognize him
again? Doubtless But he did not want to ever
see him again The best thing was to forget this
humiating episode.
He looked round anxiously for the coming Of his
YSofto and there to the left against the wall-thera
was the young mani He sat alone at table with
a bottle Of Of wine or syrup and a carafe
Of iced water before him. The smooth olive cheeks
the red lips, the little jet-black mustache turned
calamity, and the fine black eyes, little heavy
and shaded by long eyeashes, that peculiar express
sion OF cruel discomfort which is in all its force
only in the buSts OF some Roman emperors-it was
he, no doubt at all But that was a type. The
Count looked away hastily. The young officer over
there reading paper was like that too. Same
type. Two young men farther away playing drafts
also resembIed-
The Count lowered his head with the fear IN his
heart of being everlastngly haunted by the vision
of that young He began to eat his riSotfo
Presently he heard the young on his left call
the waiter in a bad-tempered tone.
At the call not only his own waiter, but two 9TH
idle walters belonging to quite different set Of
tables, rushed toward him with obsequious alacriy
which is not the general characteristic Of the wait
ers in the Cafe Umberto. The young ncuttured
something and one Of the walters, walking rapidly
to the nearest door, called cut loudly into the Cal
leria, ~Pasquale." He is the old fellow who. shut
fling between the tables, offers for sale cigars
cigarettes picture postcards, matches to the clients
OF the cafe. He Is an engaging ScOundreL The
Count knew Pasquale He the gray-haired, IN
shaver, sallow ruffian come in his shabby clothes
the glass case hanging from his neck by a leather
strap, and a word from the waiter make his shut
fling way with sudden squirt to the young mans
table. The young man was in need of a cigar,
with which Pasquae served him, fawningly. The
old peddler going out when the Count,
sudden impulse, beckoned to him.
He approached his smile of deferential recog
milton combining oddly with the ironic, searching
expression Of the eyes Leaning his the
table. he lifted the glass lid without word. The
Count took box of cigarettes and, urged by fear
ful, ainless curiosity, asked casually:
Tell me- Pasquale, who is that young sgnors
over there?"
The other bent his box at once
"That, Signor Conte" he said, beginning TO 70
arrange his wares busily, and without looking UP
Once-"that is young caU1EeTe Of very good fam
fly from Bari He studies in the university and Is
the chief cdbo Of an association OF young men-of
very nice young men,"
He paused and then, with mingled discretion and
pride Of knowledge u1urmured the word "cansorra"
and shut down the lid "a very powerful rGmorTG,"
he breathed out The professors themselves re-
spect it greatly. Il is Ira ciHqRnItG eeEteS-
imi Signor Conte.'
Our friend paid. While Pasquale was making UP
the change he observed that the young man OF
whom he had heard much in very few words
was watching the transaction covertly. After the
old vagabond had withdrawn, with a bow, the
Count settled with the waiter and sat still.
numbness, he tod me, had him.
The young man paid. too got up and crossed
over, apparently for the purpose Of looking at him
self In the mirror a little behind and at right
a dark green bow tie The Count looked round and
was startled by meeting vicious glance out Of the
corners Of the others eyes. The young oGTGIiers
from Bari according to Pasquale (but Pasquale
IS OF course an accomplished liar) went on arrang
ing his tie, settling his hat before the glass; and
meantime he spoke just loud enough to be heard
BY the Count He spoke through his teeth with the
most insulting venom OF contempt gazing straight
into the mirror.
~Ahi So you had gold on you-you old 5ir5a-
You fnrfaHte. But you are not done with ne yet"
The fendishness Of his expression vanished like
lightning and he lOunged out Of the Cafe with
moody, impressive face.
The Door Count when telling me this tremble5
and fell back in his chair. His forehead broke into
perspiration- There was extravaganza Of wan
tonness in this outrage which appalled, even me.
What it was to the Counts delicacy I can't even
imagine am sure that If he had not been too
fined, too correct, to do such q blatantIy vulgar
thing as dying from apoplexy in cafe. he would
have had fatal stroke there and then But, irony
apart, my great difficulty was to keep him from
seeing the extent Of my conmiseration- He shrank
from every excessive sentiment and my commits
Grafton was practically unbounded It did not sur
prise me to hear that he had been ii bed two
days. Then he got up to make his arrangements
for leaving Southern Italy at once.
And he was convinced that he could not live q
whole twelve unopths in any other climate
No argument could advance had any effect 1t
was not fear, though he did say to me once, You
do not know what cdH0TTG is. my dear sir.
q marked man." He was not afraid OF what could
be done to him. To be marked hurt his delicate
conception OF Iifes and serenity. He couldn't
stand it No japanese gentleman hurt in his exag-
gerated sense Of honor could have gone about his
preparations for hGyi-khi with greater steadfast-
ness of purpose For it really amounted to that
with the Count He going and there
end of it He going the very next day-to die
on his estate ! suppose, from the excessive nfamy
of that outrage taintng life itseR-as it was.
There is a saying Of Neapoitan patriotism in-
tended for the information of foreigners presume
ASee Naples and then die" Il IS saying OF ex-
cessve vanity, and everything excessive ab-
borrent to the nice moderation Of n Conte Yet as
I was seeing him off at the railway station, !
thought he was behaving with singular fidelity to
its conceited spirit He had seen Naples. He had
seen it completely He had seen 1t with startling
and excessive thoroughness He had more
than his niceness could stand He had nothing
else to see. He had seen-and now he was going
to his grave He was going to 1t by the Interna-
tional Sleeping Car Company's train de luxe Via
Trieste and Vienna AS the four long. sornber