Answer: The narrator is not entirely truthful.
In this excerpt, the narrator is describing the reasons why he has decided to stay in Venice longer. He explains how he persuaded his friends, and almost persuaded himself, that the reason for his long stay was the deisre to study Venetian culture. However, he implies that there are hidden motives for it, indicating that the author is not being entirely truthful.
(B). present
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The history of Captain Nemo in the book "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" remains a mystery. However, in the course of the narrative, the reader is given some clues of what forged him as a stern captain. When he says "There I am free", referring to the ocean, it is possible to infer that he had a somehow captive life on land. He also reaffirms his refusal to go back to land for he would sacrifice the freedom of knowing the submarine world in his Nautilus. The words "builder" and "engineer" denote an academic education, the best disponible back then; he was able to design a submarine with electrical technology, the great Nautilus that made that under water journey possible.