Nostromo : A Tale of the Seaboard
well as the quick reflection of Sotillo that this was an Englishman, who would most likely turn obstinate under bad treatment and become quite unmanageable. At all events, the colonel smoothed the scowl on his brow.
"What! The excellent Señor Mitchell!" he cried, in affected dismay. The pretended anger of his swift advance and of his shout, "Release the caballero at once," was so effective that the astounded soldiers positively sprang away from their prisoner. Thus suddenly deprived of forcible support, Captain Mitchell reeled as though about to fall. Sotillo took him familiarly under the arm, led him to a chair, waved his hand at the room. "Go out, all of you," he commanded.
When they had been left alone he stood looking down, irresolute and silent, waiting till Captain Mitchell had recovered his power of speech.
Here in his very grasp was one of the men concerned in the removal of the silver. Sotillo's temperament was of that sort that he experienced an ardent desire to beat him; just as formerly, when negotiating with difficulty a loan from the cautious Anzani, his fingers always itched to take the shopkeeper by the throat. As to Captain Mitchell, the suddenness, unexpectedness, and general inconceivableness of this experience had confused his thoughts. Moreover, he was physically out of breath.
"I've been knocked down three times between this and the wharf," he gasped out, at last. "Somebody shall be made to pay for this. " He had certainly stumbled more than once, and had been dragged along for some distance before he could regain his stride. With
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