Quotes
Lord Peter: [Viewing his infant son for the first time] I never knew so convincing a body of evidence produce such an inadequate result. (408)
Lord Peter: [To Harriet about their son] Do you feel it’s up to standard? Of course, your workmanship’s always sound—but you never know with these collaborate efforts. (408)
Lord Peter: Tell those nurses of yours, if I want to pick my son up, I’ll pick him up. If his mother wants to kiss him, she can damn well kiss him. I’ll have none of your infernal hygiene in my house. (409)
Lord Peter: I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours wondering why, when I’d had the blazing luck to get on to a perfectly good thing, I should be fool enough to risk the whole show on a damned silly experiment. (412)
P.C. Alfred Burt: Seems to me, life’s like that. If you don’t take risks, you get nowhere. If you do, they may go wrong, and then where are you? And ‘alf the time, when things happen, they happen first, before you can even think about ‘em. (412)
"The Haunted Policeman"
The page numbers are from "Lord Peter" published by Harper & Row. The excerpts are copyrighted 1972 by Harper & Row.
410 ~ as Mr. Joseph Surface remarked to Lady Teazle, what is troubling you is the consciousness of your own innocence.
From "A School for Scandal," Act 4, Sc. III:
Lady Teaz
Well, well, I'm inclined to believe you. But isn't it provoking, to have the most ill-natured things said of one? And there's my friend Lady Sneerwell has circulated I don't know how many scandalous tales of me, and all without any foundation too; that's what vexes me.
Jos. Surf
Ay, madam, to be sure, that is the provoking circumstance without foundation; yes, yes, there's the mortification, indeed; for when a scandalous story is believed against one, there certainly is no comfort like the consciousness of having deserved it.
412 ~ Pol Roger 1926
A family-owned grande marque Champagne winery in Epernay, France. Grande marque -- meaning "great brand" -- was once a designation meaning it adheres to exacting standards for champagne-making. The Syndicat de Grandes Marques de Champagne disbanded itself in 1997 when it became difficult to agree on what those standards were. The loss of status didn't seem to affect Pol Roger, though. The wine is still made, and you can buy a 3-liter bottle for $239 over the Internet.
420 ~ Holborn Empire
A famous music hall in London.
421 ~ Colney Hatch
A large hospital for the mentally disturbed, situated in North London. It has since been renamed Friern Hospital.
428 ~ Van Hoogstraaten
Samuel van Hoogstraaten (1627-1678) was a Dutch painter known for many optical toys, most particularly his perspective boxes, highly realistic scenes that were viewed through a peephole.
Grace and Lambelet
No idea, but the best guess would be a vaudeville team.
430 ~ Maskelyn and Devant
Great British magicians: John Nevil Maskelyne (1839-1917) and David Devant (1868-1941).
p.b. policeman
Presumably a "poor bloody" policeman.
