Such were Mr. Ransomes thoughts as he sat across from his wife, who was having another stab at Barbara Pym. She knew he wasnt listening to Mozart though there were few obvious signs and nothing so vulgar as a bulge in his trousers. No, there was just...
This way chaps and chapesses. Over here. Mr. and Mrs. Ransome stumbled across the last of the grass onto the concrete where silhouetted against the open door stood a young man. Dazed, they followed him into the hangar and in the light they made a sor...
The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett Mrs. Ransome, too, could see the cheerful side of things, but then she always did. When they had got married they had kitted themselves out with all the necessities of a well-run household; they had a dinn...
The Ransomes had been burgled. Robbed, Mrs. Ransome said. Burgled, Mr. Ransome corrected. Premises were burgled; persons were robbed. Mr. Ransome was a solicitor by profession and thought words mattered. Though burgled was the wrong word too. Burglar...
I need not tell you that it would be very awkward if this letter found its way into the hands of the prosecution. Your wife has lied, and she would be asked to explain the lie. It alters things a little if Hammond did not intrude, an unwanted guest,...
In these circumstances we need not go into the matter further, he said slowly, at last breaking the silence. If the possessor of this letter sees fit to place it in the hands of the prosecution you will be prepared. His words suggested that he had no...
She grew confused about what happened then. All that had been said before she remembered accurately, but now his words assailed her ears through a mist of horror and fear. He seemed to plead for her love. He broke into violent protestations of passio...
Outside on the quay the sun beat fiercely. A stream of motors, lorries and buses, private cars and hirelings, sped up and down the crowded thoroughfare, and every chauffeur blew his horn; rickshaws threaded their nimble path amid the throng, and the...
Richard and I sat on my porch, looking out over the dunes to the Gulf. The smoke from his cigar drifted mellowly in the air, keeping the mosquitoes at a safe distance. The water was a cool aqua, the sky a deeper, truer blue. It was a pleasant combina...
After the guy was dead and the smell of his burning flesh was off the air, we all went back down to the beach. Corey had his radio, one of those suitcase-sized transistor jobs that take about forty batteries and also make and play tapes. You couldn't...
Quite a decent-looking car, a Plymouth, was parked outside this hotel. It was very dirty, but how could you help that, with these roads? There were signs on the door advertising a brand of cigarettes, and of beer. She waited till the truck had turned...
Dear Mr. Ken Boudreau, I just thought I would write and send my thanks to you for the nice things you said about me in your letter to your daughter. You do not need to worry about me leaving. You say that I am a person you can trust. That is the mean...
Mr. McCauley would be upset when she left because shed given good service and it would be hard to replace her, but that would be all he thought about. Both he and his granddaughter were spoiled and self-centered. As for the neighbors, they would no d...
Years ago, before the trains stopped running on so many of the branch lines, a woman with a high, freckled forehead and a frizz of reddish hair came into the railway station and inquired about shipping furniture. The station agent often tried a littl...
He had never been involved with the mentally ill before, but he now felt more than ever that there should be strong international laws against them being too good-looking. How are you liking Zora? asked Mike over a beer, after work, after theyd mulle...
