And all the while he was himself maturing - not in
character or body, for these remained young - but in the stocked
mind, in the tolerant knowledge of life and man, in pious
acceptance of the universe. Here is a farrago for a chapter: here
is a world of interests and activities, human, artistic, social,
scientific, at each of which he sprang with impetuous pleasure, on
each of which he squandered energy, the arrow drawn to the head,
the whole intensity of his spirit bent, for the moment, on the
momentary purpose. It was this that lent such unusual interest to
his society, so that no friend of his can forget that figure of
Fleeming coming charged with some new discovery: it is this that
makes his character so difficult to represent. Our fathers, upon
some difficult theme, would invoke the Muse; I can but appeal to
the imagination of the reader. When I dwell upon some one thing,
he must bear in mind it was only one of a score; that the
unweariable brain was teeming at the very time with other thoughts;
that the good heart had left no kind duty forgotten.
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