Yes, I am re-reading the canon — as the Gunroom calls it, doubtless enjoying the man-of-war pun all the while. I think this is my third or fourth run-through, but I still marvel at O'Brian's writing, now spare, now elegantly discursive — this is from The Mauritius Command, listening to the speeches celebrating a naval triumph of the previous day —
Something, reflected Jack, something came over officers who reached flag-rank or the equivalent, something that made them love to get up on their hind legs and produce long measured periods with even longer pauses between them. Several gentlemen had already risen to utter slow compliments to themselves, their fellows, and their nation, and now General Abercrombie was struggling to his feet, with a sheaf of notes in his hand. 'Your Excellency, my lords, Admiral Bertie, and gentlemen. We are met here together,' two bars of silence, 'on this happy, eh, occasion,' two more bars, 'to celebrate what I may perhaps be permitted to call, an unparalleled feat, of combined operations, of combination, valour, organization, and I may say, of indomitable will.' Pause. 'I take no credit to myself.' Cries of No, no; and cheers. 'No. It is all due,' pause, 'to a young lady in Madras.'
'Sir, sir,' hissed his aide-de-camp, 'you have turned over two pages. You have come to the joke.'
And the D.E. Stevenson list is reading Miss Buncle's Book, which I have begun, but already I am woefully behind on the discussions, though to be sure the book is as charming as ever!
