Ностромо
Chapter 4
Hewaslikehisfather.Hehadnoironiceye.Hewasnotamusedattheabsurditiesthatprevailinthisworld.Theyhurthiminhisinnategravity.HefeltthatthemiserabledeathofthatpoorDecoudtookfromhimhisinaccessiblepositionofaforceinthebackground.Itcommittedhimopenlyunlesshewishedtothrowupthegame—andthatwasimpossible.Thematerialinterestsrequiredfromhimthesacrificeofhisaloofness—perhapshisownsafetytoo.AndhereflectedthatDecoud’sseparationistplanhadnotgonetothebottomwiththelostsilver.
TheonlythingthatwasnotchangedwashispositiontowardsMr.Holroyd.TheheadofsilverandsteelinterestshadenteredintoCostaguanaaffairswithasortofpassion.Costaguanahadbecomenecessarytohisexistence;intheSanTomeminehehadfoundtheimaginativesatisfactionwhichothermindswouldgetfromdrama,fromart,orfromariskyandfascinatingsport.Itwasaspecialformofthegreatman’sextravagance,sanctionedbyamoralintention,bigenoughtoflatterhisvanity.Eveninthisaberrationofhisgeniusheservedtheprogressoftheworld.CharlesGouldfeltsureofbeingunderstoodwithprecisionandjudgedwiththeindulgenceoftheircommonpassion.Nothingnowcouldsurpriseorstartlethisgreatman.AndCharlesGouldimaginedhimselfwritingalettertoSanFranciscoinsomesuchwords:“....
