The edition I have as a reference:

Copyright 1972 by The Provost and Scholars of King's College, Cambridge; first published as a Norton paperback 1987; introduction and other editorial matter copyright 1972 by Oliver Stallybrass; Norton Paperback Edition (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, London); printed in the USA.

Contents:

1. Introduction by Oliver Stallybrass
2. "Ansell"
3. "Albergo Empedocle"
4. "The Purple Envelope"
5. "The Helping Hand"
6. "The Rock"
7. "The Life to Come"
8. "Dr Woolacott"
9. "Arthur Snatchfold"
10. "The Obelisk"
11. "What Does it Matter? A Morality"
12. "The Classical Annex"
13. "The Torque"
14. "The Other Boat"
15. "Three Courses and a Dessert: Being a New and Gastronomic Version of the Old Game of Consequences"
1. The First Course by Christopher Dilke
2. The Second Course by E. M. Forster
3. The Third Course by A. E. Coppard
4. The Dessert by James Laver

"Ansell"

Opening line: "'It's a cruel box,' said the porter, who, beguiled by its moderate size, had hoisted it onto his shoulder and then hastily dumped it back on the platform. 'The weight's cruel. That'll need a barrow.' ..."

"Albergo Empedocle"

Opening line: "The last letter I had from Harold was from Naples. We've just come back from Pompeii (he wrote). On the whole it's decidedly no go and very tiring. ..."

This is divided into three parts, with a prologue-type of beginning.

"The Purple Envelope"

Opening line: "On the morning of his twenty-first birthday Howard shaved himself with particular care. He scraped his fat cheeks till they shone and smarted, he pursued an imaginary beard far down his neck, and then, taking hold of his small yellow moustache, he combed it and waxed it and pulled it till it was as straight as a ruler and as sharp as a needle. ..."

"The Helping Hand"

Opening line: "When Lady Anstey's book on Giovanni da Empoli was published, Mr Henderson found in it much that needed forgiveness. ..."

"The Rock"

Opening line: "We had been talking for some time, and she was so full of kindness and of insight that at last I ventured to ask about her husband. ..."

"The Life to Come"

Opening line: "Love had been born somewhere in the forest, of what quality only the future could decide. ..."

This story is divided into four sections: 1) Night, 2) Evening, 3) Day and 4) Morning.

"Dr Woolacott"

Opening line: "People, several of them, crossing the park. . . . Clesant said to himself, 'There is no reason I should not live for years now that I have given up the violin,' and leant back with the knowledge that he had faced a fact. ..."

This is arranged into three parts.

"Arthur Snatchfold"

Opening line: "Conway (Sir Richard Conway) woke early, and went to the window to have a look at the Trevor Donaldsons' garden. Too green. ..."

This story is divided into two unnamed parts.

"The Obelisk"

Opening line: "Ernest was an elementary schoolmaster, and very very small; it was like marrying a doll, Hilda sometimes thought, and one with glass eyes too. ..."

"What Does It Matter? A Morality"

Opening line: "Before the civil war, Pottibakia was a normal member of the Comity of Nations. She erected tariff walls, broke treaties, persecuted minorities, obstructed at conferences unless she was convinced there was no danger of a satisfactory solution; then she strained every nerve in the cause of peace. ..."

"The Classical Annex"

Opening line: "The Municipal Museum at Bigglesmouth was badly off for Greek and Roman stuff, and the Curator rather neglected what was known as the Classical Annex. ..."

"The Torque"

Opening line: "The little basilica was crammed. Perpetua sat to the left of the altar, robed in white. Through a thin veil her commanding nose and fastidious mouth could be clearly seen. She never moved, her eyes fixed ecstatically upon the godhead. ..."

"The Other Boat"

Opening line: "'Cocoanut, come and play at soldiers.' 'I cannot, I am beesy.' 'But you must, Lion wants you.' 'Yes, come along, man,' said Lionel, running up with some paper cocked hats and a sash. It was long long ago, and little boys still went to their deaths stiffly, and dressed in as many clothes as they could find. ..."

This story is divided into five untitled sections.

"Three Courses and a Dessert: Being a New and Gastronomic Version of the Old Game of 'Consequences'"

The first course by Christopher Dilke

Opening line: "Out of the bright sunshine of July, Captain Jervis stepped in one pace into the restful obscurity of the hotel. He stopped, hoping to hear some sound which would indicate the whereabouts of the person left in charge. There was silence. ..."

The second course by E. M. Forster

Opening line: "'The fish will be sherved in the selter,' announced Brigadier Miles, when the siren had completed its third ululation. 'Hullo, a spoonerism! Don't often achieve a spoonerism.' ..."

The third course by A. E. Coppard

Opening line: "You would be inclined to think, would you not, that Fate has some inking of individual limitations and would therefore be enjoying a good snigger at the problem she had thus posed for a young and untried Army officer. ..."

The dessert by James Laver

Opening line: "The smart little touring car came to a halt in the cobbled market square. The dust of what had evidently been a long and rapid journey had dimmed its shining surface, but could not conceal the elegance of its line. ..."

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Created 19 December 1996. Content last modified 27 July 2001, 04:32 PDT.
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