" "He
began anywhere," continues this irresistibly comic sketch; "you put
some question to him, made some suggestive observation; instead of
answering this, or decidedly setting out towards an answer of it, he
would accumulate formidable apparatus, logical swim-bladders,
transcendental life-preservers, and other precautionary and
vehiculatory gear for setting out; perhaps did at last get under way
--but was swiftly solicited, turned aside by the flame of some
radiant new game on this hand or on that into new courses, and ever
into new; and before long into all the universe, where it was
uncertain what game you would catch, or whether any." He
had, indeed, according to the dissatisfied listener, "not the least
talent for explaining this or anything to them; and you swam and
fluttered on the mistiest, wide, unintelligible deluge of things for
most part in a rather profitless uncomfortable manner." And the few
vivid phrases of eulogy which follow seem only to deepen by contrast
the prevailing hue of the picture. The "glorious islets" which were
sometimes seen to "rise out of the haze," the "balmy sunny islets of
the blest and the intelligible, at whose emergence the secondary
humming group would all cease humming and hang breathless upon the
eloquent words, till once your islet got wrapped in the mist again, and
they would recommence humming"--these, it seems to be suggested, but
rarely revealed themselves; but "eloquent, artistically expressive
words you always had; piercing radiances of a most subtle insight came
at intervals; tones of noble pious sympathy recognisable as pious
though strangely coloured, were never wanting long; but, in general,
you could not call this aimless cloud-capt, cloud-bound, lawlessly
meandering discourse, by the name of excellent talk, but only of
surprising.
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