CHAPTER LVI.
Considerably Sobered--Power of Writing--The Tempter--Hungry Talent--Work Concluded.
Rather late in the morning I awoke; for a few minutes I lay still, perfectly still; my imagination was considerably sobered; the scenes and situations which had pleased me so much over night appeared to me in a far less captivating guise that morning.

I felt languid and almost hopeless--the thought, however, of my situation soon roused me,--I must make an effort to improve the posture of my affairs; there was no time to be lost; so I sprang out of bed, breakfasted on bread and water, and then sat down doggedly to write the life of Joseph Sell.
It was a great thing to have formed my plan, and to have arranged the scenes in my head, as I had done on the preceding night.

The chief thing requisite at present was the mere mechanical act of committing them to paper.

This I did not find at first so easy as I could wish--I wanted mechanical skill; but I persevered; and before evening I had written ten pages.

I partook of some bread and water; and, before I went to bed that night, I had completed fifteen pages of my life of Joseph Sell.
The next day I resumed my task--I found my power of writing considerably increased; my pen hurried rapidly over the paper--my brain was in a wonderfully teeming state; many scenes and visions which I had not thought of before were evolved, and, as fast as evolved, written down; they seemed to be more pat to my purpose, and more natural to my history, than many others which I had imagined before, and which I made now give place to these newer creations: by about midnight I had added thirty fresh pages to my "Life and Adventures of Joseph Sell." The third day arose--it was dark and dreary out of doors, and I passed it drearily enough within; my brain appeared to have lost much of its former glow, and my pen much of its power; I, however, toiled on, but at midnight had only added seven pages to my history of Joseph Sell.
On the fourth day the sun shone brightly--I arose, and having breakfasted as usual, I fell to work.