I was going through various hypothetical situations: What if we receive a stolen object? What if it turns out one of our dealers — say someone like Symes — turns out to be a fence?

Presently [Bridey] said: “If I was Rex”—his mind seemed full of such suppositions: “If I was Archbishop of Westminster,” “If I was head of the Great Western Railway,” “If I was an actress,” as though it were a mere trick of fate that he was none of these things, and he might awake any morning to find the matter adjusted—“if I was Rex I should want to live in my constituency.

I will not discuss future hypothetical situations.

There was one recommendation, and from that we agonized over the plan. Other options should have been considered.

He's in one of those situations where you just have to go through it, man. You just have to go through the punishment and move on.

Many look with one eye at what they give, but with seven at what they receive