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Mermaid " everything he knew. He was not con-
spicuous there except for his spirits.
His form was presented to him by Marlow, his stories were the common talk of his associates or else some compiler set them before him. His types were particularly quickened with life about him.
Feeling the force of life, in his peculiar intelligence, the great dome of his head, he had no need of any- thing but writing material to relieve himself of his thoughts. His very lack of scientific training loosened his power. He was unencumbered.
For S. to pretend to knowledge would have been ridiculous — no escape there — but that he possessed knowledge, and extraordinary knowledge, of the affairs which concerned him, as they concerned the others about him, was self-apparent to him. It was not apparent to the others.
His actual power was PURELY of the imagination. Not permitted to speak as W.S., in fact peculiarly barred from speaking so because of his lack of information, learning, not being able to rival his fellows in scientific training or adventure and at the same time being keen enough, imaginative enough, to know that there is no escape except in perfection, in excellence, in technical excellence — his buoyancy
