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one of the effects of Janx spirit is to depress telepsychic |
power. |
As soon as a predetermined quantity had been consumed, the final |
loser would have to perform a forfeit, which was usually |
obscenely biological. |
Ford Prefect usually played to lose. |
Ford stared at Arthur, who began to think that perhaps he did |
want to go to the Horse and Groom after all. |
"But what about my house ...?" he asked plaintively. |
Ford looked across to Mr Prosser, and suddenly a wicked thought |
struck him. |
"He wants to knock your house down?" |
"Yes, he wants to build ..." |
"And he can't because you're lying in front of the bulldozers?" |
"Yes, and ..." |
"I'm sure we can come to some arrangement," said Ford. "Excuse |
me!" he shouted. |
Mr Prosser (who was arguing with a spokesman for the bulldozer |
drivers about whether or not Arthur Dent constituted a mental |
health hazard, and how much they should get paid if he did) |
looked around. He was surprised and slightly alarmed to find that |
Arthur had company. |
"Yes? Hello?" he called. "Has Mr Dent come to his senses yet?" |
"Can we for the moment," called Ford, "assume that he hasn't?" |
"Well?" sighed Mr Prosser. |
"And can we also assume," said Ford, "that he's going to be |
staying here all day?" |
"So?" |
"So all your men are going to be standing around all day doing |
nothing?" |
"Could be, could be ..." |
"Well, if you're resigned to doing that anyway, you don't |
actually need him to lie here all the time do you?" |
"What?" |
"You don't," said Ford patiently, "actually need him here." |
Mr Prosser thought about this. |
"Well no, not as such...", he said, "not exactly need ..." |
Prosser was worried. He thought that one of them wasn't making a |
lot of sense. |
Ford said, "So if you would just like to take it as read that |
he's actually here, then he and I could slip off down to the pub |
for half an hour. How does that sound?" |
Mr Prosser thought it sounded perfectly potty. |
"That sounds perfectly reasonable," he said in a reassuring tone |
of voice, wondering who he was trying to reassure. |
"And if you want to pop off for a quick one yourself later on," |
said Ford, "we can always cover up for you in return." |
"Thank you very much," said Mr Prosser who no longer knew how to |
play this at all, "thank you very much, yes, that's very kind |
..." He frowned, then smiled, then tried to do both at once, |
failed, grasped hold of his fur hat and rolled it fitfully round |
the top of his head. He could only assume that he had just won. |
"So," continued Ford Prefect, "if you would just like to come |
over here and lie down ..." |
"What?" said Mr Prosser. |
"Ah, I'm sorry," said Ford, "perhaps I hadn't made myself fully |
clear. Somebody's got to lie in front of the bulldozers haven't |
they? Or there won't be anything to stop them driving into Mr |
Dent's house will there?" |
"What?" said Mr Prosser again. |
"It's very simple," said Ford, "my client, Mr Dent, says that he |
will stop lying here in the mud on the sole condition that you |
come and take over from him." |
"What are you talking about?" said Arthur, but Ford nudged him |
with his shoe to be quiet. |