[BNP/E3, 79¹ – 10-14]

Mnemonics

Said Mrs. Jones to Mr. J.

(I only write the noun this way

For sake of shortness, for of course

I mean the Mr. to the Mrs.)

Said Mrs. Jones: My dear Jones[1], this is

Important, have in mind perforce

You must remember this to-morrow

And there she gave an errand[2]

To go some place without fail[3]

That doesn’t matter for the tale[4]

“Oh, he replied” great is my sorrow

But my poor memory is so bad.

Yet still my dear, ‘t will be good if

I tie a knot in my handkerchief.”

He did so but remarked, “I’m dead

That won’t do; now I must attempt

To bear in mind I tied the knot”

So a small paper he inserted

In his buttonhole. It used to be

(The paper) on the † so he

Saying this observed: “’Tis not enough.”

He took then an old box of snuff

[11^r]

And to have a mnemonic trace

He put it clearly out of its place

Where the paper used to be found

Saying with pride that can’t be drown’d

By being out of place the box

Reminds me of it, my eyes look

Upon it in the paper’s place

Then I remember the paper and then

‘Tis every quite easy way to trace

Back to this handkerchief of mine.

But it were better to do aught

That might reinforce his[5] vague thought,

So where the snuff-box used to be,

Lest he so quickly might not see

Its absence, he put there his watch.

“Now”, muttered he, “we[6] will not catch

My memory erring on the morrow.

But – blast me! – it were better still

Damn me this {…} to borrow

A metaphor from poet’s language

The[7] ham is likely in the sandwich.”

[12^r]

So where the watch was wont to be

He hung a portrait pane which he

Had on a table in his room

Then on that table he, believing

His memory still might be deceiving,

Put the vase that, as use made good,

Upon the dinner table stood.

Then on the dinner table he put

A chair – not large – that used to be

In his room. “This is good!” – cried he

But no, it might not be he feared

So further mnemonics appeared:

He took the cloths from off his bed

And placed them in the said chairs

{…} stead

Upon the floor {…}

Then still he was not satisfied

“Now ‘tis the last thing!” glad he cried

So from the hall-hat-stake took

A hat that there was old in look

And wrapped it in the clothes that were

On the floor where had been the chair

Then this so dare to understand

In substitute of the hat

And hoping to remember by that

He being himself on the hall-stand.

[13^r]

On the next morning – noise, uproar

The servants shout at the door

Our master was ‘ung in the ‘all.

The Mrs. woke but after all

He was not hung but only hanging

And far, quite far, from choked or strangling

At last they woke him up for he

|Was sleeping quite, peacefully|

But Mr. Jones’ joy was great

With his mnemonic skill elate.

“Here we are! Myself, and there the hat

And then the quilt and after that[8]

The chair of course[9] that used to be

Where the quilt is, and then you see,

The vase that’s usual on the table

And then the portrait – here – I’m able

To pin it all, see how I catch

The trail – oh yes – and there the watch

And there the snuff box, then, this, yes

The paper in my buttonhole

And there my handkerchief, I guess

The knot I made – here is the knot

You see how my expedient’s good

It is[10] successful mood

[14^r]

You see that I have not forgot

That I had to remember – eh?

That I hat to remember – I say

That I [had to remember] to-day

That I had to remember – what?

16 August 1907.

Alexander Search

[14^v]

“Mnemonics”

To correct

[1] Jones ^/love\

[2] And there she gave an errand ^{/She gave an errand then and said\}

[3] To ^/Him\ go some place without fail ^{/To go to Robinson’s shop I †\}

[4] That doesn’t matter for the tale ^{/Some shop, some {…}, some anything\}

[5] his ^/“my”\

[6] we ^/you\

[7] The ^/With\

[8] and after that ^{/where it is wrapt\}

[9] The chair of course ^{/And then the chair\}

[10] It is ^{/I am in a\}