Gray Robert Brown

She is a lady.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I hear.

But she says of John Gabriel, the downside is that it's a pity that he's got such common legs.

And Hugh says, I knew what she meant.

And he sort of speculates about what it is that gives you a way that you're common in the leg.

But it's a great metaphor that Westmacott chooses because, of course, Hugh no longer has the use of his legs.

No.

I felt like Hugh's depiction as a disabled character was quite layered and quite interesting.

And I think this is one way in which that reading is drawn out.

Even like, you know, the common metaphor, we all use it, to stand for an election, is emphasized because of course that contributes to this metaphorical spot and Hugh's disability and his incapacitation to enact the agency on the plot that he maybe wants to.

He's not fit for office.

He looks like a hero.

He's making it look like he's doing, so all he's doing is making things worse.

But also in that classic way of, I say this as someone that can't swim, as we talk about on the podcast all the time, lol, but he's accidentally showing himself up as inadequate for office because he's not quite up to the job.

He's not quite up to that job.

Yes, you're completely right.

And the same incident she cleverly repeats, a similar incident with the dog,

later in the book, but there is some speculation that he might have given the child a shilling to throw itself into the harbour.

Gabriel is appalled at that suggestion, but you're kind of invited to believe that he's not beyond that necessarily.