But memory has its blind spots. I knew a man who remembered historical facts so sickeningly that he could ring off the dates upon which every king was crowned, whether with a symbol of sovereignty or a brick, from the first king of Scotland to the last king of Ireland (who got it in both ways)., He was an authority on crowns but his memory didn't cover half-crowns-notably the one he bor- page 45 rowed from me, for a couple of days, on Armistice night. There were no half measures about his memory. But money has a peculiar effect on memory. A man with a memory so colossal that he can even remember his wife's mother's birthday, whilst deploring it, will often suffer complete mental dumbness regarding repayments. Yesterday be sang your praises in a fruity borrowtone. To-day he refuses to utter a note. Some say that money talks; he proves that it doesn't even whisper.