MONEY FOR NOTHING

COMFY AMBIANCE

"Along its narrow High Street, the only sign of life visible were a cat stropping its backbone against the Jubilee Watering Trough, some flies doing deep breathing exercises on the hot window-sills, and a little group of serious thinkers who, propped up against the wall of Carmody Arms(a pub), were waiting for that establishment to open.

TOILING BYWATER

Chas. Bywater is a live wire. He takes no afternoon siesta, but works while others sleep. (The town of) Rudge as a whole is inclined after luncheon to go to the back room, put a handkerchief over its face and take things easy for a bit.

{My Note: Chas. Bywater is a Nosy Parker who does not wish to miss any juicy bits of local gossip - the real reason for afternoon wakefulness!}

BURSTING WITH SECRET

Whether, if in a condition to give the matter careful thought, he would have selected Chas. Bywater as a confidant(to tell all), one can not say. But he(Colonel Wyvern) was not in such a condition. The stoppered bottle does not care whose is the hand that removes the cork - all it wants is chance to fizz and colonel Wyvern resembled such a bottle.

TOUCHING ON A STINGY UNCLE

{My Note: Mr Carmody's nephew, in order to humour his uncle before asking him for cash says}

"You look very fit, uncle."

Mr Carmody's reply to this was to make a noise like a buffalo pulling its foot out of the swamp. It might have been intended to be genial, or it might not Hugo(the nephew) could not tell. However, he was a reasonable young man, and quite understood that it would be foolish to expect the milk of human kindness to come gushing like a geyser out of a two hundred and twenty pound uncle who had been doing (strenuous) bending and stretching exercises.

[ All entries in the brackets are blog author's inputs for clarity of background facts]