- description
- # Family's Eagerness and Narrator's Delay
## Overview
This is a segment extracted from the short story "[I and My Chimney](arke:01KG6YFYGCYAYC9GHGT2Z086S9)" by Herman Melville. The segment, titled "Family's Eagerness and Narrator's Delay," spans lines 673-693 of the source file, "[i_and_my_chimney.txt](arke:01KG6YDDFE1YJ2Q37Q9JT1AJVB)". It captures a dialogue between the narrator, his wife, and daughters regarding the removal of a chimney.
## Context
The segment is part of a larger narrative contained within the [Melville](arke:01KG6YCG626JN4FCG8QK17CQCF) collection. The story revolves around the narrator's attachment to a large chimney in his house and his family's desire to have it removed. This segment follows "[Consultation with Mr. Scribe and the Argument for Removal](arke:01KG6YGB4RPEMVS858YPW8EK44)" and precedes "[Philosophical Description and Wife's Ultimatum](arke:01KG6YGB4R6CCVVWR6MW72J1NN)" in the story's sequence.
## Contents
The segment depicts the family's eagerness for the chimney's removal, contrasting with the narrator's delaying tactics. The wife and daughters, Julia and Anna, repeatedly inquire about when Mr. Scribe will begin the demolition. The narrator responds with "Patience, patience, my dears," and excuses, stating that "such a big chimney is not to be abolished in a minute." The dialogue highlights the growing tension and the narrator's reluctance to proceed with the removal, despite his family's wishes.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T07:57:52.171Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- Family's Eagerness and Narrator's Delay
- end_line
- 693
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T07:57:24.702Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 673
- text
- “It is all arranged, then,” cried my wife with great glee, bursting
from the nighest room.
“When will they begin?” demanded my daughter Julia.
“To-morrow?” asked Anna.
“Patience, patience, my dears,” said I, “such a big chimney is not to
be abolished in a minute.”
Next morning it began again.
“You remember the chimney,” said my wife. “Wife,” said I, “it is never
out of my house and never out of my mind.”
“But when is Mr. Scribe to begin to pull it down?” asked Anna.
“Not to-day, Anna,” said I.
“_When_, then?” demanded Julia, in alarm.
- title
- Family's Eagerness and Narrator's Delay