The shadow-line Author:Joseph Conrad 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: n He Shook hands with me: "Well, there you are, on your own, appointed officially under my responsibility." He was actually walking with me to the door. Wh... more »at a distance off it seemed! I moved like a man in bonds. But we reached it at last. I opened it with the sensation of dealing with mere dream- stuff, and then at the last moment the fellowship of seamen asserted itself, stronger than the difference of age and station. It asserted itself in Captain Ellis' voice. "Good-bye—and good luck to you," he said so heartily that I could only give him a grateful glance. Then I turned and went out, never to see him again in my life. I had not made three steps into the outer office when I heard behind my back a gruff, loud, authoritative voice, the voice of our deputy-Neptune. It was addressing the head Shipping-Master who, having let me in, had, apparently, remained hovering in the middle distance ever since. " Mr. R., let the harbour launch have steam up to take the captain here on board the Melita at half- past nine to-night." I was amazed at the startled alacrity of R's "Yes, sir." He ran before me out on the landing. My new dignity sat yet so lightly on me that I was not aware that it was I, the Captain, the object of this last graciousness. It seemed as if all of a sudden a pair of wings had grown on my shoulders. I merely skimmed along the polished floor. But R. was impressed. "I say!" he exclaimed on the landing, while the Malay crew of the steam-launch standing by looked stonily at the man for whom they were going to be kept on duty so late, away from their gambling, from their girls, or their pure domestic joys. "I say! His own launch. What have you done to him?" His stare was full of respectful curiosity. I was quite confounded. "Was it for me? I hadn...« less