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if the local left book club branch represents progress； old porteous stands for culture。 neither of them cuts much ice in west bletchley。
the light was burning in the little room where old porteous sits reading till all hours of the night。 as i tapped on the front door he came strolling out as usual； with his pipe between his teeth and his fingers in a book to keep the place。 he’s rather a striking looking chap； very tall； with curly grey hair and a thin； dreamy kind of face that’s a bit discoloured but might almost belong to a boy； though he must be nearly sixty。 it’s funny how some of these public…school and university chaps manage to look like boys till their dying day。 it’s something in their movements。 old porteous has got a way of strolling up and down； with that handsome head of his； with the grey curls； held a little back that makes you feel that all the while he’s dreaming about some poem or other and isn’t conscious of what’s going on round him。 you can’t look at him without seeing the way he’s lived written all over him。 public school； oxford； and then back to his old school as a master。 whole life lived in an atmosphere of latin； greek； and cricket。 he’s got all the mannerisms。 always wears an old harris tweed jacket and old grey flannel bags which he likes you to call ‘disgraceful’； smokes a pipe and looks down on cigarettes； and though he sits up half the night i bet he has a cold bath every morning。 i suppose from his point of view i’m a bit of a bounder。 i haven’t been to a public school； i don’t know any latin and don’t even want to。 he tells me sometimes that it’s a pity i’m ‘insensible to beauty’； which i suppose is a polite way of saying that i’ve got no education。 all the same i like him。 he’s very hospitable in the right kind of way； always ready to have you in and talk at all hours； and always got drinks handy。 when you live in a house like ours； more or less infested by women and kids； it does you good to get out of it sometimes into a bachelor atmosphere； a kind of book… pipe…fire atmosphere。 and the classy oxford feeling of nothing mattering except books and poetry and greek statues； and nothing worth mentioning having happened since the goths sacked rome— sometimes that’s a fort too。
he shoved me into the old leather armchair by the fire and dished out whisky and soda。 i’ve never seen his sitting…room when it wasn’t dim with pipe…smoke。 the ceiling is almost black。 it’s a smallish room and； except for the door and the window and the space over the fireplace； the walls are covered with books from the floor right up to the ceiling。 on the mantelpiece there are all the things you’d expect。 a row of old briar pipes； all filthy； a few greek silver coins； a tobacco jar with the arms of old porteous’s college on it； and a little earthenware lamp which he told me he dug up on some mountain in sicily。 over the mantelpiece there are photos of greek statues。 there’s a big one in the middle； of a woman with wings and no head who looks as if she was stepping out to catch a bus。 i remember how shocked old porteous was when the first time i saw it； not knowing any better； i asked him why they didn’t stick a head on it。
porteous started refilling his pipe from the jar on the mantelpiece。
‘that intolerable woman upstairs has purchased a wireless set；’ he said。 ‘i had been hoping to live the rest of my life out of the sound of those things。 i suppose there is nothing one can do？ do you happen to know the legal position？’
i told him there was nothing one could do。 i rather like the oxfordy way he says ‘intolerable’； and it tickles me； in 1938； to find someone objecting to having a radio in the house。 porteous was strolling up and down in his usual dreamy way； with his hands in his coat pockets and his pipe between his teeth； and almost instantly he’d begun talking about some law against musical instruments that was passed in athens in the time of pericles。 it’s always that way with old porteous。 all his talk is about things that happened centuries ago。 whatever you start off with it always es back to statues and poetry and the greeks and romans。 if you mention the queen mary he’d start telling you about phoenician triremes。 he never reads a modern book； refuses to know their names； never looks at any newspaper except the times； and takes a pride in telling you that he’s never been to the pictures。 except for a few poets like keats and wordsworth he thinks the modern world—and from his point of view the modern world is the last two thousand years—just oughtn’t to have happened。
i’m part of the modern world myself； but i like to hear him talk。 he’ll stroll round the shelves and haul out first one book and then another； and now and again he’ll read you a piece between little puffs of smoke； generally having to translate it from the latin or something as he goes。 it’s all kind of peaceful； kind of mellow。 all a little like a school…master； and yet it soothes you； somehow。 while you listen you aren’t in the same world as trains and gas bills and insurance panies。 it’s all temples and olive trees； and peacocks and elephants； and chaps in the arena with their nets and tridents； and winged lions and eunuchs and galleys and catapults； and generals in brass armour galloping their horses over the soldiers’ shields。 it’s funny that he ever cottoned on to a chap like me。 but it’s one of the advantages of being fat that you can fit into almost any society。 besides we meet on mon ground when it es to dirty stories。 they’re the one modern thing he cares about； though； as he’s always reminding me； they aren’t modern。 he’s rather old…maidish about it； always tells a story in a veiled kind of way。 sometimes he’ll pick out some latin poet and translate a smutty rhyme； leaving a lot to your imagination； or he’ll drop hints about the private lives of the roman emperors and the things that went on in the temples of ashtaroth。 they seem to have been a bad lot； those greeks and romans。 old porteous has got photographs of wall…paintings somewhere in italy that would make your hair curl。
when i’m fed up with business and home life it’s often done me a lot of good to go and have a talk with porteous。 but tonight it didn’t seem to。 my mind was still running on the same lines as it had been all day。 just as i’d done with the left book club lecturer； i didn’t exactly listen to what porreous was saying； only to the sound of his voice。 but whereas the lecturer’s voice had got under my skin； old porteous’s didn’t。 it was too peaceful； too oxfordy。 finally； when he was in the middle of saying something； i chipped in and said：
‘tell me； porteous； what do you think of hitler？’
old porteous was leaning in his lanky； graceful kind of way with his elbows on the mantelpiece and a foot on the fender。 he was so surprised that he almost took his pipe out of his mouth。
‘hitler？ this german person？ my dear fellow！ i don’t think of him。’
‘but the trouble is he’s going to bloody well make us think about him before he’s finished。’
old porteous shies a bit at the world ‘bloody’； which he doesn’t like； though of course it’s part of his pose never to be shocked。 he begins walking up and down again； puffing out smoke。
‘i see no reason for paying any attention to him。 a mere adventurer。 these people e and go。 ephemeral； purely ephemeral。’
i’m not certain what the word ‘ephemeral’ means； but i stick to my point：
‘i think you’ve got it wrong。 old hitler’s something different。 so’s joe stalin。 they aren’t like these chaps in the old days who crucified people and chopped their heads off and so forth； just for the fun of it。 they’re after something quite new—something that’s never been heard of before。’
‘my dear fellow！ there is nothing new under the sun。’
of course that’s a favourite saying of old porteous’s。 he won’t hear of the existence of anything new。 as soon as you tell him about anything that’s happening nowadays he says that exactly the same thing happened in the reign of king so…and…so。 even if you bring up things like aeroplanes he tells you that they probably had them in crete； or mycenae； or wherever it was。 i tried to exp