The Nature of Blood by Caryl Phillips

Author:Caryl Phillips [Caryl Phillips]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781409079460
Publisher: Random House

It happened that my attendant was a man whose family were traditionally gondoliers. He confided to me that his class, the gondolier class, were frugal in their habits, spending little on food and drink, preferring a routine of sustenance that seldom varied. Apparently, some gondoliers neglect to cover the wood on the arms of their chairs, and often tolerate beds that are little more than narrow cots with iron bedsteads, while others mix water with the wine in their hogsheads, which renders it either dead or sour. By living life in this manner, gondoliers are able to indulge their weak side, relating to their love of fine clothes and costume. According to my attendant, when exterior show is deemed necessary, a gondolier never hesitates over cost. If the fashion dictates extravagance, then a gondolier will display extravagance. Sadly, it transpired that my man, being the third son, was unlikely to benefit from the family 'business', so, to his great disappointment, he was forced to enter the service of the army where, for twenty years, he had occupied himself without rising in anyone's estimation, either on or off the battlefield. On our first evening together, he spoke endlessly and with passion about the lives of gondoliers, and he confessed his regret that he had not been able to pursue this family profession.

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