“I shall soon have to change my life radically” he thought “or it will become completely empty. How best should that be done?” Somewhere in the link of cause and effect he detected a hollow space which crystallized in his mind about the word “companionship”. He repeated it aloud to himself in the mirror. Yes, there was where a lack lay. “I shall have to get myself a dog” he thought, somewhat pathetically “to keep me company. It will be something to look after. I can take it for walks by the Nile.” Then a sense of absurdity beset him and he smiled. Nevertheless, in the course of his customary tour of the Embassy offices that morning, he stuck his head into the Chancery and asked Errol very seriously what sort of dog would make a good house pet. They had a long and pleasurable discussion of the various breeds and decided that some sort of terrier might be the most suitable pet for a bachelor. A fox-terrier! He repeated the words as he crossed the landing to visit the Service attachés, smiling at his own asininity. “What next!”
Extract from Mountolive, book three in The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell.
Extract from Mountolive, book three in The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell.
6 comments:
Nice pet blog!
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a lovely extract ED, thanks for cheering my day - and a lovely fox terrier to boot!
Did they hunt foxes along the Nile?
Lovely story. I wonder what would make a good pet for Amy? A small dog with an excellent temperment. Any ideas?
CJ xx
WW, something to do with green and pleasant land!
CJ, Border Collies have a sweet temperament except Belle. Boxers are ideal with children but in the light of the BBC report on dogs suffering from genetic diseases and pain after years of inbreeding, I am not sure what to say.
I like the extract, and the choice of photograph.
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