Reply #1: The Shoddy Lands by C. S. Lewis

[struggle4progress]

Being, as I believe, of sound mind and in normal health, I am sitting down at 11 p.m. to record, while the memory of it is still fresh, the curious experience I had this morning.

It happened in my rooms in college, where I am now writing, and began in the most ordinary way with a call on the telephone. “This is Durward,” the voice said. “I’m speaking from the porter’s lodge. I’m in Oxford for a few hours. Can I come across and see you?” I said yes, of course. Durward is a former pupil and a decent enough fellow; I would be glad to see him again. When he turned up at my door a few moments later I was rather annoyed to find that he had a young woman in tow. I loathe either men or women who speak as if they were coming to see you alone and then spring a husband or a wife, a fiance or a fiancee on you. One ought to be warned.

The girl was neither very pretty nor very plain, and of course she ruined my conversation. We couldn’t talk about any of the things Durward and I had in common because that would have meant leaving her out in the cold. And she and Durward couldn’t talk about the things they (presumably) had in common because that would have left me out. He introduced her as Peggy and said they were engaged. After that, the three of us just sat and did social patter about the weather and the news ...

<pdf file:> www.ele.uri.edu/faculty/vetter/Other-stuff/The-Shoddy-Lands.pdf