He had never been for
me a person of prestige and power, like that awful governess to Flora de
Barral. See the might of suggestion? We live at the mercy of a
malevolent word. A sound, a mere disturbance of the air, sinks into our
very soul sometimes. Flora de Barral had been more astounded than
convinced by the first impetuosity of Roderick Anthony. She let herself
be carried along by a mysterious force which her person had called into
being, as her father had been carried away out of his depth by the
unexpected power of successful advertising.
They went on board that morning. The _Ferndale_ had just come to her
loading berth. The only living creature on board was the
ship-keeper--whether the same who had been described to us by Mr. Powell,
or another, I don't know. Possibly some other man. He, looking over the
side, saw, in his own words, 'the captain come sailing round the corner
of the nearest cargo-shed, in company with a girl.' He lowered the
accommodation ladder down on to the jetty . . . "
"How do you know all this?" I interrupted.
Marlow interjected an impatient:
"You shall see by and by .
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