She gave a slight rocking motion to her seat, leaning back with half-closed eyes, her long hair shading her face from the smoky light of the lamp on the table.

Almayer looked at her furtively, but the face was as impassible as ever.

She turned her head slightly towards her father, and, speaking, to his great surprise, in English, asked-- "Was that Abdulla here ?" "Yes," said Almayer--"just gone." "And what did he want, father ?" "He wanted to buy you for Reshid," answered Almayer, brutally, his anger getting the better of him, and looking at the girl as if in expectation of some outbreak of feeling.

But Nina remained apparently unmoved, gazing dreamily into the black night outside.
"Be careful, Nina," said Almayer, after a short silence and rising from his chair, "when you go paddling alone into the creeks in your canoe.
That Reshid is a violent scoundrel, and there is no saying what he may do.

Do you hear me ?" She was standing now, ready to go in, one hand grasping the curtain in the doorway.