Joseph Conrad

To-morrow Joseph Conrad

Book Excerpt: ...ge, though, that sort of thing, he would confess, with the frankness of a superior intelli- gence, seemed to be catching. His establishment, for instance, was near the harbour, and whenever a sailorman came in for a hair-cut or a shave--if it was a strange face he couldn't help thinking di- rectly, "Suppose he's the son of old Hagberd!" He laughed at himself for it. It was a strong craze. He could remember the time when the whole town was full of it. But he had his hopes of the old chap yet. He would cure him by a course of judicious chaffing. He was watching the progress of the treatment. Next week--next month--next year! When the old skipper had put off the date of that return till next year, he would be well on his way to not saying any more about it. In other matters he was quite rational, so this, too, was bound to come. Such was the barber's firm opin- ion. Nobody had ever contradicted him; his own hair had gone grey since that time, and Captain Hag- berd's beard had turned quite white, and had a...