Billy Budd no more found himself in
mysterious strange strange trouble at times about his
hammock or his clothes-bag or what not.
While, as to that smile that occasionally suned suned deluded sunned him,
him and the pleasant passing word,
these were if if not more frequent, yet
if anything more pronounced than
before. But for all that, there were
certain other demonstrations now.
When Claggart's unobserved glance
happened to But after the little matter at the mess
light on belted Billy rolling along
the
the upper gun-deck in the leisure of
the last second dog-watch exchanging passing
broadsides of fun with xa gaHS other young
promenaders in the crowd; that glance evil
eye would follow the cheerful
sea-Hyperion with
the upper gun-deck in the leisure of
the last second dog-watch exchanging passing
broadsides of fun with xa gaHS other young
promenaders in the crowd; that glance evil
eye would follow the cheerful
sea-Hyperion with
cheerfully
tarrying
would follow
the unconscious sailor
handsome good-fellow
with
cheerful tarrying young cheerful sea- Hyperion
a settled meditative and melancholly melancholy
expression, the his dark hazel eye eyes mysteriously strangely
suffused with incipient feverish tears.
Then would Claggart look like the
man of sorrows. Yes, and And And, yes sometimes the
melancholly melancholy look expression would have in it a
touch of soft yearning and softness , as if
he Claggart could even have loved Billy but
cheerful tarrying young cheerful sea- Hyperion
a settled meditative and melancholly melancholy
expression, the his dark hazel eye eyes mysteriously strangely
suffused with incipient feverish tears.
Then would Claggart look like the
man of sorrows. Yes, and And And, yes sometimes the
melancholly melancholy look expression would have in it a
touch of soft yearning and softness , as if
he Claggart could even have loved Billy but
for fate and ban. But this was an
evanescence, and quickly repented of, as
it were, by an immitigable look, pinching
and shrivelling the visage into the momentary
semblence of a wrinkled walnut.
evanescence, and quickly repented of, as
it were, by an immitigable look, pinching
and shrivelling the visage into the momentary
semblence of a wrinkled walnut.
But
Sometimes catching sight
along the
a
in advance
vistaed batterries lower deck of the foretopman
advancing coming in his direction, he Claggart would,
upon their nearing, would step aside a
little to let him pass, dwelling upon
Billy Billy him for the moment with an ambiguous the glittering dental
satire smile of a Guise of a Guise. But upon invariably any abrupt
unforseen encounter a red light
would forth from his eye like
a spark from a an struck anvil
in a dusk smithy.
vistaed batterries lower deck of the foretopman
advancing coming in his direction, he Claggart would,
upon their nearing, would step aside a
little to let him pass, dwelling upon
Billy Billy him for the moment with an ambiguous the glittering dental
satire smile of a Guise of a Guise. But upon invariably any abrupt
unforseen encounter a red light
would forth from his eye like
a spark from a an struck anvil
in a dusk smithy.
from orbs which in repose were of a color
nearest approaching a deeper violet, the
softist softest softest of shades.
Tho' some of these caprices of the pit caprices of the pit peculiar
emanations could not but be
observed by Bi their object, yet
were they beyond the construeing
of such a nature. That quick fierce light was a strange one, darted
of so
the
simple and untutored a
nature. And the thews of Billy
were not hardly in compatible with that sort of
sensitive spiritual organization organisationHS
which in less vigorous some soulsHS which in some cases instinctivly
conveys to ignorant innocense
a war n ing admonition of the proximity of the
malign. He thought the Master-
at-arms acted in a manner rather
queer at times. That was all.
But the occasional frank air and
pleasant word when those went for what they
purported to be, for the young athlete sailor
never not having heard as yet of was not yet of those who distrust
the "too fair-spoken man."
nature. And the thews of Billy
were not hardly in compatible with that sort of
sensitive spiritual organization organisationHS
which in less vigorous some soulsHS which in some cases instinctivly
conveys to ignorant innocense
a war n ing admonition of the proximity of the
malign. He thought the Master-
at-arms acted in a manner rather
queer at times. That was all.
But the occasional frank air and
pleasant word when those went for what they
purported to be, for the young athlete sailor
never not having heard as yet of was not yet of those who distrust
the "too fair-spoken man."
Had the foretopman been conscious
of having done or said anything to
provoke the ill will of the official, it
would have been different with him,
and his sight might would have been refined? purged purged if not sharpened.
As it was innocense was his blinder.
So was it with him in yet
another matter. Certain Two Two minor officers
and among them the armorer Armorer ship's yeoman, and apothecary Captain of the Hold, Apothecary &c for hi boHS and others
with whom he had never exchanged a word,
neither his needs nor his position in the ship not bringing him
into contact with them; these men began now
for the first began to cast upon Billy
when they chanced to seeseeDC meetHS meet encounter him, that peculiar
glance unmistakable to the experienced to him upon it falls, of a person of some experience
of having done or said anything to
provoke the ill will of the official, it
would have been different with him,
and his sight might would have been refined? purged purged if not sharpened.
As it was innocense was his blinder.
So was it with him in yet
another matter. Certain Two Two minor officers
and among them the armorer Armorer ship's yeoman, and apothecary Captain of the Hold, Apothecary &c for hi boHS and others
with whom he had never exchanged a word,
neither his needs nor his position in the ship not bringing him
into contact with them; these men began now
for the first began to cast upon Billy
when they chanced to seeseeDC meetHS meet encounter him, that peculiar
glance unmistakable to the experienced to him upon it falls, of a person of some experience
man casting from whom it comes
has been some way tampered with
and to the prejudice of him
upon whom the glance lights. Never
did it occur to Billy as a thing to be
noted or a thing suspicious, tho' he
well knew the fact, that the Armorer ship's-yeoman
and Captain of the hold Hold , & others c
with other men officers of that grade with the ship's-yeoman, apothecary,
and others of that grade, were by naval
usage, messmates of the master-at-arms,
men man with ears convenient to his confidential tongue . ;
and more further that the master-at-arms
what he did not know—
was in the man ascendant in that exclusive mess.
and, moreover—which he did not know—
that in this exclusive mess the master-at-
-arms was the ascendant man. glance which evidences that the
that our Handsome Sailor 's exemption
from all vanity, manly forewardness
upon occasion, and irresisable good nature
indicating no mental superiority
however, to tending to excite an
invidious feeling ; in any fellow sailor;
this popu good will on the part of most
of his shipmates made him the less
to concern himself about such mute
aspects toward him as those to
whereto allusion has just been made.
aspects he could not so fathom
as to take in then what infer their
whole import But the general popularity
As to that conundrum
problem
of the dark,
As to the afterguardsman, tho' Billy for reasons already given
necessarily saw little of him, and
for reasons already given
yet when the two did happen to meet,
invariably came the fellow's off-hand
cheerful recognition, which but
lacked the pleasant passing word
of the master-at-arms to make of
equally sometimes accompanied by
a passing pleasant word or two. Whatever that
man equivocal young man's person fellow 's original
design may really have been, or the design dep of which he might have
been but the deputy it certain
it was seemed evident from his manner upon
these occasions, that he had wholly
dropped that design. it.
As to the afterguardsman, tho' Billy for reasons already given
necessarily saw little of him, and
for reasons already given
yet when the two did happen to meet,
invariably came the fellow's off-hand
cheerful recognition, which but
lacked the pleasant passing word
of the master-at-arms to make of
equally sometimes accompanied by
a passing pleasant word or two. Whatever that
man equivocal young man's person fellow 's original
design may really have been, or the design dep of which he might have
been but the deputy it certain
it was seemed evident from his manner upon
these occasions, that he had wholly
dropped that design. it.
(and every vulgar villian is precocious )
in his villainy) had for once deceived
him, and the man he had sought to
play upon entrap as a simpleton, had through his
very simplicity ignominiously baffled him.
But Any shrewd one ones would may
think opine that it would be were was hardly
possible for Billy to restrain from
refrain from bluntly going up to
the afterguardsman and bluntly
demanding to know his purpose
in the initial interview so abruptly closed in the fore-chains . The shrewd Shrewd
one ones would may also think it likely that
but natural in Billy to set about It was as if his precocity of crookedness
other
impressed men
of the ship in order to discover
what basis, if any, there was for
the emissary's obscure suggestions
as to lurking plotting disaffection aboard.
Yes, any shrewd one would may so so think. sounding some of the
But something more, or rather, and something
else than mere shrewdness is
perhaps needful for the due
understanding of such a character
as Billy Budd's.
of the ship in order to discover
what basis, if any, there was for
the emissary's obscure suggestions
as to lurking plotting disaffection aboard.
Yes, any shrewd one would may so so think. sounding some of the
But something more, or rather, and something
else than mere shrewdness is
perhaps needful for the due
understanding of such a character
as Billy Budd's.
As to Claggart, the
monomania of in the man—if that indeed
it were—as involuntarily disclosed by
starts in the manifestations detailed, yet in
general
covered over by his self-contained
and rational demeanor; this, pent frenzy like
a subterranean fire was eating its
way deeper and deeper in him.
Something positive decisive must come of it.
monomania of in the man—if that indeed
it were—as involuntarily disclosed by
starts in the manifestations detailed, yet in
general
covered over by his self-contained
and rational demeanor; this, pent frenzy like
a subterranean fire was eating its
way deeper and deeper in him.
Something positive decisive must come of it.