It was only after the arrival of Mrs. Adair that he consented to show
himself, and it was soon noted that it was only when she was invited
that he would appear, and that on these occasions he devoted himself
entirely to her. In the presence of others, he still was shy, gravely
polite, and speaking but little, and never of himself; but with Mrs.
Adair his shyness seemed to leave him, and when with her he was seen to
talk easily and eagerly. And, on her part, to what he said, Polly
Adair listened with serious interest.
Lady Firth, who, at home, was a trained and successful match-maker, and
who, in Zanzibar, had found but a limited field for her activities,
decided that if her companion and protegee must marry, she should marry
Fearing.
Fearing was no gentleman adventurer, remittance-man, or humble clerk
serving his apprenticeship to a steamship line or an ivory house. He
was one of the pillars of Zanzibar society. The trading house he had
purchased had had its beginnings in the slave-trade, and now under his
alert direction was making a turnover equal to that of any of its
ancient rivals. Personally, Fearing was a most desirable catch. He
was well-mannered, well-read, of good appearance, steady, and, in a
latitude only six degrees removed from the equator, of impeccable
morals.
It is said that it is the person who is in love who always is the first
to discover his successful rival. It is either an instinct or because
his concern is deeper than that of others.
And so, when Hemingway sought for the influence that separated him from
Polly Adair, the trail led to Fearing. To find that the obstacle in
the path of his true love was a man greatly relieved him. He had
feared that what was in the thoughts of Mrs. Adair was the memory of
her dead husband. He had no desire to cross swords with a ghost. But
to a living rival he could afford to be generous.
For he was sure no one could care for Polly Adair as he cared, and,
like every other man in love, he believed that he alone had discovered
in her beauties of soul and character that to the rest of mankind were
hidden. This knowledge, he assured himself, had aroused in him a depth
of devotion no one else could hope to imitate, and this depth of
devotion would in time so impress her, would become so necessary to her
existence, that it would force her at last into the arms of the only
man who could offer it.
Having satisfied himself in this fashion, he continued cheerfully on
his way, and the presence of a rival in no way discouraged him. It
only was Polly Adair who discouraged him. And this, in spite of the
fact that every hour of the day he tried to bring himself pleasantly to
her notice. All that an idle young man in love, aided and abetted by
imagination and an unlimited letter of credit, could do, Hemingway did.
But to no end.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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