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- 2026-01-30T07:57:34.136Z
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- structure-extraction-lambda
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- 108
- text
- boxing his papers about in a most indecorous manner, very sad to behold
in an elderly man like him. Nevertheless, as he was in many ways a most
valuable person to me, and all the time before twelve o’clock,
meridian, was the quickest, steadiest creature too, accomplishing a
great deal of work in a style not easy to be matched—for these reasons,
I was willing to overlook his eccentricities, though indeed,
occasionally, I remonstrated with him. I did this very gently, however,
because, though the civilest, nay, the blandest and most reverential of
men in the morning, yet in the afternoon he was disposed, upon
provocation, to be slightly rash with his tongue, in fact, insolent.
Now, valuing his morning services as I did, and resolved not to lose
them; yet, at the same time made uncomfortable by his inflamed ways
after twelve o’clock; and being a man of peace, unwilling by my
admonitions to call forth unseemly retorts from him; I took upon me,
one Saturday noon (he was always worse on Saturdays), to hint to him,
very kindly, that perhaps now that he was growing old, it might be well
to abridge his labors; in short, he need not come to my chambers after
twelve o’clock, but, dinner over, had best go home to his lodgings and
rest himself till teatime. But no; he insisted upon his afternoon
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