twice in a lifetime. Was he in the mystic ordering of common events the
ambassador of my future, sent out to turn the scale at a critical moment
on the top of an Alpine pass, with the peaks of the Bernese Oberland for
mute and solemn witnesses? His glance, his smile, the unextinguishable
and comic ardour of his striving-forward appearance helped me to
pull myself together. It must be stated that on that day and in the
exhilarating atmosphere of that elevated spot I had been feeling utterly
crushed. It was the year in which I had first spoken aloud of my desire
to go to sea. At first like those sounds that, ranging outside the
scale to which men's ears are attuned, remain inaudible to our sense of
hearing, this declaration passed unperceived. It was as if it had not
been. Later on, by trying various tones I managed to arouse here and
there a surprised momentary attention--the "What was that funny noise?"
sort of inquiry. Later on it was--"Did you hear what that boy said? What
an extraordinary outbreak!" Presently a wave of scandalised astonishment
(it could not have been greater if I had announced the intention of
entering a Carthusian monastery) ebbing out of the educational and
academical town of Cracow spread itself over several provinces.
It spread itself shallow but far-reaching. It stirred up a mass of
remonstrance, indignation, pitying wonder, bitter irony and downright
chaff. I could hardly breathe under its weight, and certainly had no
words for an answer. People wondered what Mr. T.B. would do now with his
worrying nephew and, I dare say, hoped kindly that he would make short
work of my nonsense.

What he did was to come down all the way from Ukraine to have it out
with me and to judge by himself, unprejudiced, impartial and just,
taking his stand on the ground of wisdom and affection. As far as is
possible for a boy whose power of expression is still unformed I opened
the secret of my thoughts to him and he in return allowed me a glimpse