Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:
From "The Gun Seller", by Hugh Laurie.
Ah, thank you for sourcing this excerpt at the outset. I understand much more clearly what's going on when I know the author is British.... :-)
I was ushered into a large, oak-panelled room, with
shelves of Regina versus The Rest Of The World on
three walls, and a row of wooden filing cabinets
along the fourth.
As with Agatha Christie's stories, a person's surroundings & the way s/he is dressed speak volumes. I gather this man specializes in criminal law.
There was a photograph on the desk of three
teenage children, who looked as if they'd been
bought from a catalogue,
Or sent to the "right" schools, at least. :-Q
and next to it, a signed picture of Denis Thatcher.
Margaret Thatcher's husband, a political conservative.... :-)
I was chewing on the peculiar fact that both these
photographs were pointing outwards from the desk,
when a connecting door opened, and I was suddenly
in the presence of Spencer.
And quite a presence it was. He was a taller version
of Rex Harrison, with greying hair, half-moon spectacles
and a shirt so white it must have been running off the
mains. I didn't actually see him start the clock as he
sat down.
1. What is "half-moon spectacles"?
Folks who have presbyopia, a type of far-sightedness associated with advancing age, may wear glasses for "close work" such as reading but push them farther down on their nose or take them off when they are speaking to somebody on the other side of the desk. If the problem is fairly minor & they can make do with whatever the local drug store has to offer, they may be able to get by that way. Prescription glasses, while they are more costly, allow for a range of options including "half-sized" lenses which make such antics unnecessary.
2. "a shirt so white it must have been running off the
mains"?
The whiteness of his shirt was dazzling, like that of a bright light ... from which I conclude he could afford to have it professionally laundered.
3. "I didn't actually see him start the clock as he
sat down."
Which clock?
I imagine this man would normally charge by the hour for his work... and would be keeping track of how much time he spent with the narrator even if nobody saw him doing it. The context appears to suggest this was not a social visit & these two individuals had never met in person before.
I hope my comments are of some assistance.... :-)
--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
* Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)