nions and remained cold to his rhapsodies, always oppressed him with a sense of ineffectuality. He knew them of old-knew them superficially, of course, for, since he was

s and their reserves, seemed to himself to be scrabbling for entrance to their souls through some sort of a slippery, impenetrable casing; he never tried to enter through their minds, where the door stood always open. The trouble was that he wanted to teach and be listened to; wherefore he was subtly more at home among the ignorant and in such streets as he was now traversing than with educated men. He had been born a few decades too late

hops or stalls, did not answer his "Au revoir." He wondered how much the priest had to do with their attitude. They had little also that he wanted-he shopped for a week before he found a gaudy pitcher and basin and a strip of matting for his floor. Chairs, bureaus, bookcases, and tables did not exist. He said as much to Madame Picard, and gathered from her growled response that he must find a carpenter. The cripple, his constant companion in his first days on the island, took him to one-a gray old negro who wore on a shoe-string about his neck a pouch which Simpson th

pson. "And the San Domingo w

arpenter said; "the Haytian

a dozen boards, their grain showing where the broad axe had hewed them s

crap of wrapping paper, while the carpenter, leaning down from his chair by the door, watched him, smoking, and now and then fingering the leather pouch about his neck. Simpson, looking up occasionally to see that his sketch was understood, could not keep h

p the paper and examining it. "And the seats of

but remained seated on the threshold, following his u

inting at he filled the cocoanut pipe again a

. A minister

aid the c

ion he intended to arrive at when he had gained firmer ground with the people-and on the other to refrain from hinting that Haytian civilization sto

age-something new to s

week now and have found

ed. "But that is easy if it is someth

sten to me," Si

ed for a moment, or s

aid. "We sit and drink a little rum bef

aid Simpson, rising.

ght hand rose to the pouch which wa

" said Simp

eplied, still immobile i

force; he did not like to feel small and lonely, and he did not want to believe in natural forces. Chosen vessel as he believed himself to be, thus far the island had successfully defied him, and he had feared more than once that it would do so to the end. He had compelled himself to frequent the markets, hoping always

hat straggled past him in the tail of three generals, dismayed him no longer, for the cathedral was but the symbol of a frozen Christianity which he need no longer fear, and the conscripts were his

he window of the consul

n hear

eerful," he said. "

hink-I think I've found the

was incredulous thoug

rst time since the day of his arrival that he had seen Witherbee to speak to, and he found

Vieux Michau

s name. Yo

with a pencil. "Very well. He's a clever workman. He'll follow a

more-receptive-than most of the natives, and it seems that his shop

Witherbee could

I sha'n't do that, of course, bu

sul's face was in the shadow. Evidently he had more to say, but he allowed a long silence to intervene befo

d at once. "It may be of use to you-in your work," he added quickly. "It's this. Somehow-by chance perhaps

voodoo," said Simpso

ou. There's the Picard woman-she's the one who had President Simon Sam under her thumb. Did you know he carried the symb

fear for m

It might save me trouble-possibly save our government trouble-in the end. But the c

pson, thoroughly angry, rose to go. "It is

ard woman is subtle, and Michaud is subtle." Simpson had crossed the threshold, and only half he

insisted, and the most enlightened country in the world was less than fifteen hundred miles away; he forgot that opinions and not figures number the centuries, and refused to see that distance had nothing to do with the case. These were a people groping through the dark; when they saw the light they could not help but welco

st was genuine. He joined in their conversation, somewhat stiffly at first, but perhaps no more so than became a stranger. Presently, because he saw that he could not refuse without offending his host, he conquered prejudice and took a little rum and sugar and water. It went to his head without his k

Michaud's door. The priest would have passed with h

Antoine

Simpson asked. "Can we not work t

my people, heretic!" F

hell wi

son and was gone dow

he came into the kitchen and sat down in a chair ne

t Michaud's,

were there

this evening, when hi

re sever

nificant in her tone, but Simpson had an uneasy feeling tha

toine on the way

amed into sudden vi

thought he saw an opening to her confidence and plunged in. "And h

uo

more hungry in the last three weeks-glowed, took on fervour; his hand shot out expressive fingers. The woman raised her head slowly, staring at him; more slowly still s

ashed open and narrowed again. "Save a renegade priest," Simpson concluded. "It is wrong, is it not? And I knew it was wrong, though I live f

holic?" asked

uspected that the qualifying adjective mean

le with Father Antoine, and now small numbers go to mass or confession." Her voice had the effect of shrillness though it remained low; her hands flew out, gras

a second with her hands raised and her fists clinched. Simpson, puzzled, amazed, and a little scared at last

z-vous, mon enfant

d do next, aware of an uncanny fascination that emanated from her. It seemed t

us-preach to many people. No house will hold them all." She leaned do

k it for joy at the promised fulfilment of his dreams. He stepped

ple? Some ti

ld; there was a snakiness in the a

side his bed. In the kitchen the cripple laughed-laughed for a long time