Not at all said our grizzled friend. No hero
at all. He was a Schiff-Fuhrer: Ship-conductor. That's
how they call a Master Mariner in Germany. I prefer our way.
The alliteration is good, and there is something in the nomen-\clature that gives to us as a body the sense of corporate existence:
Apprentice, Mate, Master, in the ancient and honourable craft of
the sea. As to my friend Hermann, he might have been a consummate
master of the honourable craft, but he was called officially
Schiff-Fuhrer and had the simple, heavy appearance of a well-to
do farmer, combined with the good natured shrewdness of a small
shopkeeper. With his shaven chin, round limbs, and heavy eyelids,
he did not look like a toiler, and even less like an adventurer
of the sea. Still, he toiled upon the seas, in his own way, much
as a shopkeeper works behind his counter, and his ship was the
means by which he maintained his growing family.

FALK

When the MS. of 'Falk' was originally received from Mr. Conrad it was found that pages 7 to 59 inclusive were wanting. He afterwards sent the missing pages which he stated filled the gap in the MS. as far as he could judge, but the first paragraph on page 162 of the first English Edition of 'Typhoon' was still wanting. That paragraph has been typewritten and inserted in the proper place. 'Falk' is therefore complete, though the text on pages 7 to 59 inclusive of the MS. differs somewhat from the printed text. Conrad stated that 'Falk' was begun three times over and that the pages he sent were found in an old sea-chest mixed up with a lot of cancelled pages. Outside of pages 7 to 59 the MS is all right. There are two pages numbered 111, and two pages numbered 170, but the sense continues.

THE SCRIBNER BOOK STORE

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

597 FIFTH AVENUE

NEW YORK 17, N.Y.

TELEPHONE ELDORADO 5-0650

ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT OF "FALK." Written on 247 folio pages. In a crushed brown levant morocco solander case.

The Original Manuscript of the third tale in "Typhoon and Other Stories." It is inscribed at the end "Winchelsea, May, 1901," indicating the date of its completion at this small historic but decayed English town.

Of this Manuscript Mr. Quinn imparts the following interesting information: "When the MS. of 'Falk' was originally received from Mr. Conrad it was found that pages 7 to 59 inclusive were wanting. He afterwards sent me the missing pages which he stated filled the gap in the MS. as far as he could judge, but the first paragraph of page 162 of the First English Edition of 'Typhoon' was still wanting. That paragraph has been typewritten and inserted in the proper place. Mr. Conrad stated that 'Falk' was begun three times over and that the pages he sent were found in an old sea-chest mixed up with a lot of cancelled pages." There are a number of variations between the Manuscript and the printed story.

Of this Manuscript Mr. Conrad says, writing to Mr. Quinn: "Falk is the prettiest of my Manuscripts. I hadn't seen the thing for ten years and I could hardly believe my eyes that I should ever have worked so neatly."

Three addressed wrappers to Mr. Quinn in Mr. Conrad's hand are laid in.

"Falk" owes much to things seen and heard by the author at the time he took over his first command in Bangkok. Mr. Conrad writes: "Falk is absolutely true to my experience of certain straightforward characters combining a perfectly natural ruthlessness with a certain amount of moral delicacy. . ."