Book 26: "The Hippopotamus" by Stephen Fry
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 12:06![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kittiwakeInsanely, as if by the power of hypnosis, I found myself asking whether, since I'd shown him mine, he'd show me his.
He blushed like a ripe peach. 'You don't want to see it really,' he said.
'Well, can you recite any? Truly, I'd love to hear some.'
This from Ted Wallace, mind you, who'd been known to hurl himself into moving traffic at the prospect of verse recitation.
The poem was short, which was good. The poem was sweet, which was good. The poem had form, which was good. The poem was bad, which was bad. The poem was called 'The Green Man', which was unpardonable.
Another re-read. Everyone sees Ted Wallace as a grumpy old man, but underneath it all he has a kind heart, spending time with his godson David (who wrote the poem mentioned above) and going to the East of England show with David's brother Simon, when he couldn't think of anything he'd like less than trudging round a boiling hot field looking at pigs and tractors. He is also the only one to see the truth about what is happening at Swafford Hall, while everyone else succumbs to wishful thinking and sees what they want to see.
Nottingham Round the World Reading Challenge - UNITED KINGDOM / ENGLAND / NORFOLK
He blushed like a ripe peach. 'You don't want to see it really,' he said.
'Well, can you recite any? Truly, I'd love to hear some.'
This from Ted Wallace, mind you, who'd been known to hurl himself into moving traffic at the prospect of verse recitation.
The poem was short, which was good. The poem was sweet, which was good. The poem had form, which was good. The poem was bad, which was bad. The poem was called 'The Green Man', which was unpardonable.
Another re-read. Everyone sees Ted Wallace as a grumpy old man, but underneath it all he has a kind heart, spending time with his godson David (who wrote the poem mentioned above) and going to the East of England show with David's brother Simon, when he couldn't think of anything he'd like less than trudging round a boiling hot field looking at pigs and tractors. He is also the only one to see the truth about what is happening at Swafford Hall, while everyone else succumbs to wishful thinking and sees what they want to see.
