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“Father’s just unpacking some cases that have come in this morning. I’ll tell him you’re here.”

He sat down and the girl went out behind the shop. In a moment her mother waddled in, a huge old woman, a chiefess, who owned much land in her own right; and gave him her hand. Her monstrous obesity was an offence, but she managed to convey an impression of dignity. She was cordial without obsequiousness; affable, but conscious of her station.

“You’re quite a stranger, Mr Mackintosh. Teresa was saying only this morning: ‘Why, we never see Mr Mackintosh now.’ “

He shuddered a little as he thought of himself as that old native’s son-in-law. It was notorious that she ruled her husband, notwithstanding his white blood, with a firm hand. Hers was the authority and hers the business head. She might be no more than Mrs Jervis to the white people, but her father had been a chief of the blood royal, and his father and his fathers father had ruled as kings. The trader came in, small beside his imposing wife, a dark man with a black beard going grey, in ducks, with handsome eyes and flashing teeth. He was very British, and his conversation was slangy, but you felt he spoke English as a foreign tongue; with his family he used the language of his native mother. He was a servile man, cringing and obsequious.

“Ah, Mr Mackintosh, this is a joyful surprise. Get the whisky, Teresa; Mr Mackintosh will have a gargle with us.”

He gave all the latest news of Apia, watching his guest’s eyes the while, so that he might know the welcome thing to say.

“And how is Walker? We’ve not seen him just lately. Mrs Jervis is going to send him a suckingpig one day this week.”

“I saw him riding home this morning,” said Teresa.

“Here’s how,” said Jervis, holding up his whisky.

Mackintosh drank. The two women sat and looked at him, Mrs Jervis in her black Mother Hubbard, placid and haughty, and Teresa, anxious to smile whenever she caught his eye, while the trader gossiped insufferably.

“They were saying in Apia it was about time Walker retired. He ain’t so young as he was. Things have changed since he first come to the islands and he ain’t changed with them.”

“He’ll go too far,” said the old chiefess.”The natives aren’t satisfied.”

“That was a good joke about the road,” laughed the trader.”When I told them about it in Apia they fair split their sides with laughing. Good old Walker.”

Mackintosh looked at him savagely. What did he mean by talking of him in that fashion? To a half-caste trader he was Mr Walker. It was on his tongue to utter a harsh rebuke for the impertinence. He did not know what held him back.

“When he goes I hope you’ll take his place, Mr Mackintosh,” said Jervis.”We all like you on the island. You understand the natives. They’re educated now, they must be treated differently to the old days. It wants an educated man to be administrator now. Walker was only a trader same as I am.”

Teresa’s eyes glistened.

“When the time comes if there’s anything anyone can do here, you bet your bottom dollar we’ll do it. I’d get all the chiefs to go over to Apia and make a petition.”

Mackintosh felt horribly sick. It had not struck him that if anything happened to Walker it might be he who would succeed him. It was true that no one in his official position knew the island so well. He got up suddenly and scarcely taking his leave walked back to the compound. And now he went straight to his room. He took a quick look at his desk. He rummaged among the papers.