His personal desire in the matter was neither more nor less noble than
are the average feelings of well-meaning people towards such enterprise.
He would have been glad to find an excellent excuse to think no more of
this mission--very glad indeed to have a more attractive opening for
work set before him; but, on the other hand, the thought of movement and
of fresh scenes was more attractive than staying where he was. Then, it
would be such a virtuous thing to do and to have done; his own
conscience and everyone who heard of the action must applaud it. And he
did not think so much of the applause of others as of the real
worthiness of the deed. Then, again, if he came back safely in the
spring, he hoped by that time the offer of some good post would be
waiting for him; and it would be more dignified to return from such an
excellent work to find it waiting, than to sit at home humbly longing
for its advent.
Caius went to Souris and questioned the merchants, talked to the
captains of the vessels in the port, saw the schooner upon which Madame
Le Maitre had engaged his passage. What seemed to him most strange in
the working out of this bit of his life's story, was that all that the
letter said appeared to be true. The small island called Cloud Island,
where the pestilence was, and to which he had been invited, was not one
at which larger ships or schooners could land, so that it was only from
the harbour of another island that the seamen got their news.
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