Very lovely! he said, staring her straight in the face. You needn't try and be funny! she said. If you mean me, I'm no oil-painting, and I know it!

Genius, enamor'd of his fruitful bride, Assumes new force and elevates his pride. No more, recumbent o'er his finger'd style, He plods whole years each copy to compile, Leaves to ludibrious winds the priceless page, Or to chance fires the treasure of an age; But bold and buoyant, with his sister Fame, He strides o'er earth, holds high his ardent flame, Calls up Discovery with her tube and scroll, And points the trembling magnet to the pole.

I couldn't see the funny side myself, but Tristan could; after a while he could hardly control his merriment, in fact, so that he collapsed back on the bed, continuing to chortle, more of his rather unpleasant teeth making an unwelcome appearance in my ken.

A tipu tree serves as an umbrella, while an Indonesian door on the wall carries the ethnic motif and an iron table and chairs keep it modern.