ock. Between the two
he was hemmed in, on a narrow strip of land, enclosed between the
mountain wall and the curving reach of sea. He and all his futile
interests lay within that narrow strip of land, between the mountain
wall and the sea--and the strip was very narrow and small.

He went forth from his bungalow, pulling upon his feet clumsy native
sandals of wood, with a button between the toes. For underfoot lay the
things he dreaded, the heat things, the things bred by this warm
climate enclosed between the high wall of the mountains and the
infitting curve of the sea. He tramped awkwardly along in his loose
fitting sandals, fast at the toe, clapping up and down at the heel.
The one street of the town through which he passed was bordered by the
houses of the officials, all sleeping. They were accustomed to
sleeping. Only he, Mercier, could not sleep. He was not yet accustomed
to being a prisoner. Perhaps--in time----

He clapped along gently, though to him it seemed very noisily, past
the bungalows of the officials, past the big prison, also sleeping.
Past the Administration buildings, past the weed-grown, unused tennis
courts, out upon the red road leading to the mountains. Turn upon turn
of the red road he passed, and then stopped, halted by a sight. A
sight which for weeks past he had worn in his heart, but which he had
never hoped to see fulfilled. She was there, that child! That child so
young, so voluptuous in her development, so immature in her mentality,
and beside her, a little way away, sat the Kling prisoner who guarded
her. The Kling squatted upon his heels, chewing areca nut, and
spitting long distances before him. The child also squatted upon the
grass by the roadside, very listless. The Kling did not move as
Mercier approached, clapping in his sandals. But the child moved and
cast upon him a luminous, frightened gaze, and then regarded him
fixedly. Therefore Mercier sat down by the child, and noted her. Noted
her with a hungry feeling, taking in every beautiful detail. Her
exquisite little hands, and her exquisite little feet, shod in wooden
sandals, with a button between the toes, such sandals as he was
wearing. He talked to her a little, and she answered in half-shy,
frightened tones, but underneath he detected a note of passion--such
as he felt for her. She was fourteen years old, you see, and fully
developed, partly because she was half-witted, and partly because of
these hot temperatures under t