“Crunchie?” said Velvet, her face lighting. “I got them this morning.” “On tick still?” “Yes. She was cross but I swore we'd pay by Saturday.” In the gold paper was a chocolate stick. Beneath the chocolate was a sort of honeycomb, crisp and friable, something between biscuit and burnt sugar. Fry's chocolate crunchie.

A curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering.

It has a huge trickledown effect,” said Mr. Cost, who had to lay off four employees because business was slow this year and last.

Sea birds swooped and dived over the surf and called mewingly to one another.