Титаник
Chapter 6
These,thefriendsandcompanionsofherinfancy,hadcometoo,wemaysuppose,toadmireherinhermomentofsuccess,asthenursesandhumbleattendantsofsomebeautifulgirlwillwatchinabodyherdepartureforthetriumphsofherfirstball.
OfallthisthrongIhadpersonalknowledgeofonlytwo;andyetthetwohappenedtobeextremelytypical.IknewJohnJacobAstorafewyearsagoinNewYork,whenhesometimesseemedlikeapoliteskeletoninhisowngayhouse;anablebutsuperficiallyunprepossessingman,sorichthatitwasalmostimpossibletoknowaccuratelyanythingabouthimaman,Ishouldsay,towhommoneyhadbeennothingbutahandicapfromhisearliestdays.Hewastypicalofthiscompanybecausehewassoconspicuousandsounknown;forwhenamanhasthirtymillionsofmoneytheworldhearsabouthisdoingsandpossessionsendlessly,butknowslittleofthemanhimself.Itisenoughtosaythatthereweregoodthingsandbadthingscreditedtohisaccount,ofwhichthegoodweremuchmoreunlikelyandsurprisingthanthebad.
Theothermanandhowdifferent!wasChristopherHead.Hewastypicaltoo,typicalofthatalmostanonymousworldthatkeepsthenameofEnglandlikedandrespectedeverywhere.IsaidthathewastypicalbecausethesefewconspicuousnamesthatIhavementionedrepresentonlyonenarrowclassofmankind;amongtheunnamedandtheunknownyoumaybesure,ifyouhaveanywideexperienceofcollectivehumanity,thatvirtuesandqualitiesfarmorestrikingandfarmoreadmirablewereincluded.
