Ностромо
Chapter 8
ItwasasortofintoxicationwhichmadehimutterlyindifferenttoDecoud’sfate,butlefthiswitsperfectlyclearfortheappreciationofDecoud’spoliticalidea.Itwasagoodidea—andBarrioswastheonlyinstrumentofitsrealization.Thedoctor’ssoul,witheredandshrunkbytheshameofamoraldisgrace,becameimplacableintheexpansionofitstenderness.Nostromo’sreturnwasprovidential.Hedidnotthinkofhimhumanely,asofafellow-creaturejustescapedfromthejawsofdeath.TheCapatazforhimwastheonlypossiblemessengertoCayta.Theveryman.Thedoctor’smisanthropicmistrustofmankind(thebittererbecausebasedonpersonalfailure)didnotlifthimsufficientlyabovecommonweaknesses.Hewasunderthespellofanestablishedreputation.TrumpetedbyCaptainMitchell,growninrepetition,andfixedingeneralassent,Nostromo’sfaithfulnesshadneverbeenquestionedbyDr.Monyghamasafact.Itwasnotlikelytobequestionednowhestoodindesperateneedofithimself.Dr.Monyghamwashuman;heacceptedthepopularconceptionoftheCapataz’sincorruptibilitysimplybecausenowordorfacthadevercontradictedamereaffirmation.Itseemedtobeapartoftheman,likehiswhiskersorhisteeth.Itwasimpossibletoconceivehimotherwise.Thequestionwaswhetherhewouldconsenttogoonsuchadangerousanddesperateerrand.Thedoctorwasobservantenoughtohavebecomeawarefromthefirstofsomethingpeculiarintheman’stemper.Hewasnodoubtsoreaboutthelossofthesilver.
