It turns out that "pushing the pills" means "playing billiards." And the young man was not hung-over, just tired. However, even an expert could have been mislead by the description of this fellow the morning after. (This is all vis-a-vis yesterday's post).
I'm glad that I stuck it out, because A Gentleman of Leisure is actually delightful (see Wodehouse misses). And Whiskey says that I mistook his emphasis--when he said that Joy in the Morning was the worst Wodehouse book, he simply meant that it was not as good as other Wodehouse. For reference, Joy in the Morning is the book where lady novelist Florence Craye (daughter of Aunt Agatha's husband) threatens to replace her current fiance with Bertie, the current fiance-cum-policeman (Stilton Cheesewright) threatens to kick Bertie's spine through his (Bertie's) teeth, Bertie is manipulated into renting a country cottage (where Jeeves can go fishing) and Bertie's Sinbad the Sailor costume is used to facilitate some big business deal. This description is for those of you who believe that you remember Wodehouse books by plot (rather than by what the cover looks like). I'm not sure I believe you, but there you go. Of course, the only distinctive feature here is the Sinbad the Sailor costume (with the ginger whiskers).
Those of you who have grieved over my hands' rapid change from lily-white beauty to reddened calloused masses will be delighted to hear that I have completed the 35th twine rosary (The World's Ouchiest Prayer Tool--64 knots which have to be tightened by wrapping the twine a couple of times around each hand and pulling). Only nine more to go (if they're not done by Thursday, I'll have single-handedly ruined a local school's yearly retreat, and 44 boys whose prayers might otherwise have saved their souls and others will have to make do with their natural merit on The Big Day).
Finally, the Pope's new encyclical (On Christian Love or Deus Caritas Est, depending on whether you want the title or the first three words) is hot stuff.
