The Master of Balantrae Author:Robert Louis Stevenson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: nary and (in my eyes) immoral opinions, for I know him to be jealous of respect. But his version of the quarrel is really more than I can reproduce; for I knew t... more »he master myself, and a man more insusceptible of fear is not conceivable. I regret this oversight of the chevalier's, and all the more because the tenor of his narrative (set aside a few flourishes) strikes me as highly ingenuous. chapter{Section 4PERSECUTIONS ENDURED BY MR. HENRY YOU can guess on what part of his adventures the colonel principally dwelt. Indeed, if we had heard it all, it is to be thought the current of this business had been wholly altered; but the pirate ship was very gently touched upon. Nor did I hear the colonel to an end even of that which he was willing to disclose; for Mr. Henry, having for some while been plunged in a brown study, rose at last from his seat and (reminding the colonel there were matters that he must attend to) bade me follow him immediately to the office. Once there, he sought no longer to dissemble his concern, walking to and fro in the room with a contorted face, and passing his hand repeatedly upon his brow. "We have some business," he began at last; and there broke off, declared we must have wine, and sent for a magnum of the best. This was extremely foreign to his habitudes; and what was still more so, when the wine had come he gulped down one glass upon another like a man careless of appearances. But the drink steadied him. " You will scarce be surprised, Mackellar," says he, " when I tell you that my brother (whose safety we are all rejoiced to learn) stands in some need of money." I told him I had misdoubted as much; but the time was not very fortunate as the stock was low. " Not mine," said he. " There is the money for the mortgage." I reminded hi...« less