A Bit off the Map and Other Stories by Angus Wilson

was part of Henry’s ironical teasing of me. In fact, however, he was pretty bad. He said ghastly things in an Olympian way – not with humour like Henry and me, but with ‘wit’ which is always rather awful. However, I must admit that even at that first dinner I didn’t mind Rodney’s wit as much as all that, partly because he had the most lovely speaking voice (I don’t know why one says speaking voice as though most of one’s friends used recitative), very deep and resonant which always ‘sends’ me; and partly because he introduced his ghastly views in a way that made them seem better than they were. For example: Henry said, ‘I imagine that a good number of your best friends are Jews, Galt.’ And Rodney raised his eyebrows and said, ‘Good heavens, why?’ And Henry answered, ‘Most anti-Semitic people make that claim.’ And Rodney said, ‘I suppose that’s why I’m not anti-Semitic. I can’t imagine knowing any Jews. When would it arise? Oh, I suppose when one’s buying pictures or objects, but then that’s hardly knowing. It’s simply one of the necessities. Or, of course, if one went to Palestine, but then that’s hardly a necessity.’ And I said, ‘What about Disraeli? He made the Tory party of today.’ I said this with a side glance at Henry because he used then to describe himself as a Tory Democrat, although since Suez he has said that he had not realized how deeply Liberalism ran in his veins. Rodney said, ‘What makes you speak of such unpleasant things?’ And I asked, ‘Aren’t you a Tory the