MS-WU-MSS008-2-47

[1643] been so he would have been so to no great purpose, so little
was he mwaster^[₰] of his movements. [1644] And what is the good of aiming
at the smooth and mossy places when the foot, missing its mark, c
comes down on the flints and shards or sinks up to tj^he knee
in the cowpads?

[1645] But to pass on now to considerations of another
order, it is perhaps not inappropriate to wish Macmann, since
wishing costs nothing, sooner or later a general paralysis
sparing at a pinch the arms if that is conceivable, in a place
impermeable as far as possible to wind, rain, sound, cold, great

[1645] heat (as in the seventh century) and daylight, with one or two
eiderdowns just in case and a charitable soul say once a week
bearing eating-apples and sardines in oil for the purpose of
postponing as long as possible the fatal hour, it would be won-
derful.

[1646] But in the meantime in the end, the rain still falling
with unav^bated violence in spite of his having turned over on
his back, Macmann grew restless, flinging himself from side to
side as though in a fit of the [^start] [^[]fever, buttoning himself and un-
buttoning and finally rolling over and over in the same direct-
ion, it little matters which, with a brief pause after each
roll to begin with, and then without break.

[1647] And in theory his
hat should have followed him, seeing it was tied to his coat,
and the string twisted itself about his neck, but not at all,
for theory is one thing and reality another, and the hat remain-
ed where it was, I mean in its place, like a thing forsaken.
[1648] But perhaps one day a high wind would come and send it, dry and
light again, spinning and bounding over the plain until it came
to the town, or the ocean, but not necessarily. [1649] Now this was