I had no desire whatever to enlarge on this cryptic reply. 'Christ, how should I know?' Christ? Was that wise, what with her being half Jewish and all ? I held up a hand, to silence her, to call a halt. 'Why don't we talk about something that interests you? Make-up ... clothes ... babies... ? Anything you like. Let me get you a drink.'

'How do you know they interest me?'

'You're a girl.'

'So?'

'They interest you. All girls like talking about those things, surely you must know that. It's all all girls ever talk about. Shops ... pillow-slips ... hairbrushes.'

'You can't generalize like —'

'Why no—'

' — because, there are so many exceptions.'

'Oh really?'

She sighed. 'I'm an exception.'

'Then you're the exception that makes the rule.'

Bloodcurdling, I quite agree; yet the bookish teenager will often find himself behaving in this way.