SteveJ and Kevin
I posted a reply to both of you some time ago but it appears to have disappeared into that cyber-canyon that orphaned postings go.
Yes, it is the opening line of that intricate and intriguing novel by Herman Melville. So we are now onto SteveJ's poser:
#2 Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.