Another Whim

The following selection is taken from a scene in Unnatural Death, a Lord Peter Wimsey novel, whom I have previously written about here with useful links and such. The situation is thus:

Lord Peter and his friend Inspector Parker are discussing an ingenious arrangement (which I will keep vague for those who may read it someday) created by Peter in which single women - unmarried, widowed, divorced - are finding useful work and adequate pay. The time period is the late 1920's in Great Britain. Lord Peter speaks first.

"One of these days they will put up a statue to me, with an inscription:

'To the Man who Made
Thousands of Superfluous Women Happy
without Injury to their Modesty
or Exertion to Himself.'"

"I wish you wouldn't talk so much," complained [Inspector Parker]. "Are you turning philanthropist in your old age?"

"No - no," said Wimsey, rather hurriedly hailing a taxi. "Tell you more later. Little private pogrom of my own - Insurance against the Socialist Revolution - when it comes. 'What did you do with your great wealth, comrade?' 'I bought First Editions.' 'Aristocrat! a la lanterne!' 'Stay, spare me! I took proceedings against 500 money lenders who oppressed the workers.' 'Citizen, you have done well. We will spare your life. You shall be promoted to cleaning out the sewers.' Voila! We must move with the times. Citizen taxi-driver, take me to the British Museum. I am going to collate a 12th century manuscript of Tristan, while the old order lasts."

~Dorothy Sayers, Unnatural Death, 1927.

posted by Headless-in-GR @ 3/04/2006 12:43:00 PM