The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Falk by Joseph Conrad: jumped out without leave-taking, he swore to him-
self steadily, horribly; muttering great, purpose-
ful, trooper oaths, to which the worst a sailor can
do is like the prattle of a child. For my part I had
just the strength to crawl into Schomberg's coffee-
room, where I wrote at a little table a note to the
mate instructing him to get everything ready for
dropping down the river next day. I couldn't
face my ship. Well! she had a clever sort of skip-
per and no mistake--poor thing! What a horrid
mess! I took my head between my hands. At
Falk |