Hints and tips:
...He adores the Contessa and her adopted Italian flair. “Now I need to speak to you on a serious matter,” he said. I knew the tone: it suggested that he was about to impart some avuncular advice....
...Politicians love the sound of their own voice, so coalitions are lethal, since everyone gets to speak. It’s all grandstanding.”...
...After this had happened just a few times, I said, “Listen, X, why don’t you ring me when you are free to speak,’ and terminated the call....
...When I point out that he is everybody’s idea of a writer, he says, somehow by this point for reasons I forget in the voice of an Italian contessa: “Yes!...
...Of course, once I am at these events I studiously avoid the very person that it would be “useful” to speak to....
...The darling Contessa is a perfect example; she has champagne tastes but wishes to part with only a beer budget....
International Edition