Nothing fosters suspicion like the act of
watching; a man spied upon can hardly blow his nose but
we accuse him of designs; and I took an early
opportunity to go forward and see the woman for myself.
She was poor, elderly, and painfully plain; I stood
abashed at the sight, felt I owed Bellairs amends for
the injustice of my thoughts, and, seeing him standing
by the rail in his usual attitude of contemplation,
walked up and addressed him by name.
"You seem very fond of the sea," said I.
"I may really call it a passion, Mr. Dodd," he replied.
"'AND THE TALL CATARACT HAUNTED ME LIKE A
PASSION,'" he quoted. "I never weary of the sea, sir.
This is my first ocean voyage. I find it a glorious
experience." And once more my disbarred lawyer dropped
into poetry: "'ROLL ON, THOU DEEP AND DARK BLUE
OCEAN, ROLL!'"
Though I had learned the piece in my reading-book at
school, I came into the world a little too late on the
one hand--and I daresay a little too early on the
other--to think much of Byron; and the sonorous verse,
prodigiously well delivered, struck me with surprise.
Pages:
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486