Joseph Conrad: Nostromo

PART FIRST: THE SILVER OF THE MINE 6. CHAPTER SIX (continued)

"Our consuls get their mouths stopped with them," he continued,
with a twinkle of genial scorn in his eyes. But in a moment he
became grave. "A conscientious, upright man, that cares nothing
for boodle, and keeps clear of their intrigues, conspiracies, and
factions, soon gets his passports. See that, Mr. Gould? Persona
non grata. That's the reason our Government is never properly
informed. On the other hand, Europe must be kept out of this
continent, and for proper interference on our part the time is
not yet ripe, I dare say. But we here--we are not this country's
Government, neither are we simple souls. Your affair is all
right. The main question for us is whether the second partner,
and that's you, is the right sort to hold his own against the
third and unwelcome partner, which is one or another of the high
and mighty robber gangs that run the Costaguana Government. What
do you think, Mr. Gould, eh?"

He bent forward to look steadily into the unflinching eyes of
Charles Gould, who, remembering the large box full of his
father's letters, put the accumulated scorn and bitterness of
many years into the tone of his answer--

"As far as the knowledge of these men and their methods and their
politics is concerned, I can answer for myself. I have been fed
on that sort of knowledge since I was a boy. I am not likely to
fall into mistakes from excess of optimism."

"Not likely, eh? That's all right. Tact and a stiff upper lip is
what you'll want; and you could bluff a little on the strength of
your backing. Not too much, though. We will go with you as long
as the thing runs straight. But we won't be drawn into any large
trouble. This is the experiment which I am willing to make. There
is some risk, and we will take it; but if you can't keep up your
end, we will stand our loss, of course, and then--we'll let the
thing go. This mine can wait; it has been shut up before, as you
know. You must understand that under no circumstances will we
consent to throw good money after bad."