cutting and running.

'Well we'll just have to get a move on!' said Bertha, who was a tad annoyed.

'But it didn't cause much of a delay,' replied Norma, 'I only stayed for the first 3 poems. I just thought he aught to have a little bit of support that's all!'

'Hmmm!' was all Bertha said in reply.

'Was it going well? asked Norman, who was keen to keep eveyone happy.

'The man who was asleep woke up!' replied Norma.

'Oh, that's a good sign!' said Norman.

'But that's not the point!' mooed Bertha,' the whole idea of the poetry reading was to give us time to get away unseen!'

'In which case,' said Norma, 'if you don't mind me asking, couldn't we have just gone out of the gap marked 'exit?'

'You know,' replied Bertha,'sometimes you have absolutely no sense of occasion....and anyway who would have thought Geraldine would have been that good with a saw?!'

And on that point everyone agreed.