and then , as though abandoning his heretofore saintly disposition , he , too , would begin to speak in an enthusiastic manner of trivial things related , for example , to a taxidermist he once knew ; or , for the sake of evading disappointment , he would speak delightfully ill of his neighbors , though he bore them no true resentment ; sometimes , when asked , he felt pressured to boast of his musical instruction by the gifted composer , valmiki-8 , although he had only , in truth , met the man once and it was at such a young age that the sort of instruction he had received was of the type that might be given to any child largely for the amusement of the pantalooned and petticoated souses standing around , watching , and guffawing complacently in the parlor of some faceless persons dinner party .