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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad: breeze she might come too late after all, unless we turned to and
tried to keep the brig afloat long enough to give you time to save
us all. I spoke like that to them, and then I gave the command to
man the pumps."
He gave the command, and gave the example, too, by going himself to
the handles, but it seems that these men did actually hang back for
a moment, looking at each other dubiously before they followed him.
"He! he! he!" He broke out into a most unexpected, imbecile,
pathetic, nervous little giggle. "Their hearts were broken so!
They had been played with too long," he explained apologetically,
lowering his eyes, and became silent.
 The Mirror of the Sea |