40 CONVERSATIONAL HINTS 



whiskeys and sodas. And what's more, he won't 

 let any of his guests smoke when he's got a shoot 

 on. He's got ' No Smoking' posted up in big letters 

 in every room in the house. Reggie said it was 

 awful. He had to lock his bed-room door, shove 

 the chest-of-drawers against it, and smoke with his 

 head stuck right up the chimney. He got a peck 

 of soot, one night, right on the top of his nut. 

 Now, I call that simple rot. 



Second Sp. Ah, I've heard of that man. 

 Never met him, though, I'm thankful to say. Let 

 me see, what's the beggar's name ? Jackson or 

 Barrett, or Pollard, or something like that. He's 

 got a big place in Suffolk, or Yorkshire, or some- 

 where about there. 



Young Sp. Yes, that's the chap, I fancy. 



Now, that kind of thing starts you very nicely 

 for the day. It isn't necessary that either of the 

 sportsmen whose dialogue has been reported should 

 believe implicitly in the absolute truth of what he 

 is saying. Observe, neither of them says that he 

 himself met this man. He merely gets conversa- 

 tion out of him on the strength of what someone 

 else has told him. That, you see, is the real trick 



