Goodbye, Mr. Chips

"James Hilton was a Hollywood scriptwriter of exceptional talent. Chips is the perfectly crusty teacher at the perfectly picturesque English school who yields to the perfectly complementary heart-warming wife. The book is gorgeously written. Every other line is blissful. I have two favourites. One is when Chips is quite elderly, and he hears that one of the new men fresh down from Cambridge allows the sixth form to call him by his Christian name. Chips doesn’t hold with that: “Might as well sign your terminal reports, ‘yours affectionately,’” he says. The other line I have used for years and years and years, it’s like a joke for myself. Chips has the new boys for tea because this is his way of keeping in touch. He’s got walnut cake and crumpets and they have an hour. Punctually at five he stands up to say: “Well, it’s been delightful seeing you. And I’m sorry you can’t stay.”"