CHAPTER X
I DON MY TOPI AND WE CALL ON PETER
Then I went and joined Berengaria and John in the veranda, where we had 'chota hazri' as if nothing had happened. In return to Berengaria's inquiries as to whether I had slept well I lied politely. I always think that, because you have had a bad night yourself, there's no need to upset your hostess about it in the morning. Of course, there are people who have such an absurdly exaggerated idea of the truth that they think it necessary to tell it on every possible occasion. But they are very uncomfortable people to live with. Anybody who knows anything of life, and has picked up a little common-sense by the way, knows quite well that the truth is often so dreadfully rude and brutal that it has to be watered down considerably to make things swim at all in ordinary civilised society. Nobody is quite so annoying as the painfully truthful person. Say you're in the midst of a glowing narration of a real exciting incident, what can be more annoying than to be pulled up short by the truthful person because, forsooth, you said it
