Сердце тьмы
Chapter 1
TheLawyer—thebestofoldfellows—had,becauseofhismanyyearsandmanyvirtues,theonlycushionondeck,andwaslyingontheonlyrug.TheAccountanthadbroughtoutalreadyaboxofdominoes,andwastoyingarchitecturallywiththebones.Marlowsatcross-leggedrightaft,leaningagainstthemizzen-mast.Hehadsunkencheeks,ayellowcomplexion,astraightback,anasceticaspect,and,withhisarmsdropped,thepalmsofhandsoutwards,resembledanidol.Thedirector,satisfiedtheanchorhadgoodhold,madehiswayaftandsatdownamongstus.Weexchangedafewwordslazily.Afterwardstherewassilenceonboardtheyacht.Forsomereasonorotherwedidnotbeginthatgameofdominoes.Wefeltmeditative,andfitfornothingbutplacidstaring.Thedaywasendinginaserenityofstillandexquisitebrilliance.Thewatershonepacifically;thesky,withoutaspeck,wasabenignimmensityofunstainedlight;theverymistontheEssexmarshwaslikeagauzyandradiantfabric,hungfromthewoodedrisesinland,anddrapingthelowshoresindiaphanousfolds.Onlythegloomtothewest,broodingovertheupperreaches,becamemoresombreeveryminute,asifangeredbytheapproachofthesun.
Andatlast,initscurvedandimperceptiblefall,thesunsanklow,andfromglowingwhitechangedtoadullredwithoutraysandwithoutheat,asifabouttogooutsuddenly,strickentodeathbythetouchofthatgloombroodingoveracrowdofmen.
Forthwithachangecameoverthewaters,andtheserenitybecamelessbrilliantbutmoreprofound.
