controlling a conversation

[carolinepetherick]

Hi
- I'm a newbie to this forum; I came here in the hope of finding an answer to a specific question ... but I see there's a lot more for me to find out about. Yay!!

Meanwhile, my question: in one of the discworld books there's someone in a street in Ankh-Morpork who expresses amazement that someone near him doesn't know how to control a conversation.

Anyone know where I can find that quote?

Caroline Petherick
http://www.the-wordsmith.co.uk
http://www.thelabyrinth.org.uk

 

[Tonyblack]

Hi Caroline and welcome.

First off, can you get rid of those links in your post please by clicking the edit button? We are pretty easy going here, but get suspicious when someones first post contains a link to a site (albeit your own) selling good and/or services.

Once we get to know you better, you can put one of the links as your Homepage.

As to your question - no, that's not ringing any bells with me at the moment. :think:

 

[Dotsie]

Hi Caroline. Sorry but no idea. Do you have any more details?

 

[=Tamar]

in one of the discworld books there's someone in a street in Ankh-Morpork who expresses amazement that someone near him doesn't know how to control a conversation.
Anyone know where I can find that quote?

I think that's Vimes. It's probably in Night Watch, where he is astonished at how poorly trained the watchmen were back then, even the captain.

=Tamar

 

[KnightOfFewWords]

I think that's Vimes. It's probably in Night Watch, where he is astonished at how poorly trained the watchmen were back then, even the captain.

=Tamar

I think you're right. Could it be one of the conversations he has with Captain Tilden?

 

[=Tamar]

I think that's Vimes. It's probably in Night Watch, where he is astonished at how poorly trained the watchmen were back then, even the captain.

I think you're right. Could it be one of the conversations he has with Captain Tilden?

Probably. I know he took over the conversation with Captain Tilden, in order to get the authority he needed so he wouldn't have to answer to any of the previously established officers. If it was Tilden, that explains why older-Sam didn't remember it before the conversation. His younger self was so recently hired that he probably wouldn't have noticed that about Tilden before Tilden retired, so it fits that older-Sam hadn't remembered it.

 

[The Mad Collector]

Tilden looked furious. 'You could've known that, what?' he said. 'It doesn't prove anything!' 'Ask me something else, then,' said Vimes. 'Ask me what Macklewheet said about me.' And I just hope I've got the answers right. 'Well?'
'Said I was the best officer on his force and he was sorry to see me go,' said Vimes. 'Said I was of good character. Said he wished he could pay me the twenty five dollars a month I was going to get here-'
'I never offered you-'
'No, you offered me twenty dollars and now that I've seen the mess here I'm not taking it!' Vimes rejoiced. Tilden hadn't even learned how to control a conversation. 'If you pay Knock twenty dollars he owes you nineteen dollars change! The man couldn't talk and chew gum at the same time.

 

[KnightOfFewWords]

Good spot Mr Collector. I actually looked at that passage, but missed the relevant line somehow.