The Antiques price guide? I repeat.
Yes, for 2009, the lady replies.
No, sorry, I say, I don't keep it in stock, but I could certainly get you one for tomorrow.
You don't keep it in stock?
No, but like I say, I could get you one for tomorrow.
How much is it, please?
Thirty pounds, I say.
Thirty, the lady says, adding, I've seen it for twenty.
Which is precisely why I don't keep it in stock, I say. That and the fact that it's the most stolen book in the whole of the printed world.
I see, says my customer. A thought bubble hovers above her head. It contains a word. That word is, *loser*.
But we don't care, do we children.