“Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I mean, I know you’re not using it, you see, and it seems a shame for it to go to waste. I promise I’ll take excellent care of it. I wouldn’t normally ask—it’s just that I’m a bit down on my luck and really have nowhere else to go. I did try to set them straight but they just won’t listen—and now, well, I could do with a friend or two.”
