And then you get that sort of lyrical moment of interpretation: "He had the feeling that everything he saw was a broken-off piece of some giant blank thing he had forgotten had happened to him."
It was the only blemish in an impressive spell and a wicket maiden confirmed Hampshire's fate as Plunkett bowled Mascarenhas, who tried a desperate heave and saw his off-stump knocked back.
Spirit - backed by private equity firms Texas Pacific Group and CVC Capital Partners as well as US investment bank Blackstone - saw off rival bids from pubs group Laurel and Japanese bank Nomura.