The End Of Solomon Grundy by Julian Symons Page A

fear. When the gang attacked him, Guffy overthrew them with judo. When they practised judo on him it turned out that he had become proficient in oduj, a higher form of wrestling. This particular adventure ended with Guffy raising funds for a community centre, which, as created by Archie Accurit the architect with the new build-it-in-a-day material Prefabconstricuct, proved such an attraction that leaders of industry put up new factories, concert halls and theatres were erected, Slumside was transformed, and Charlie Corncrackle the teenage gangster found himself isolated, saw the error of his ways, became a missionary in the Noncongelical Church, and was last heard of in Congojumbaland where he was helping the natives to rule their own country.
    Who had thought of Guffy McTuffie? This was something that Grundy himself could no longer remember. He had been elaborated in casual talk, drawn by Theo as a little man with a big head, an inquiring look and a single lock of hair that would never stay down, and had been sold at once to a national newspaper. As time passed Guffy had come to occupy more and more time, and to provide a larger share of Grundy’s and Theo Werner’s income. Guffy’s activities were protean. He had solved the problems of young lovers, obtained a new drainage system for Middletown, rescued a would-be suicide from the top of a tall building although terrified of heights himself, and exposed an atom spy group. Guffy had become much more concerned lately with politics, the fate of the world, and nuclear disarmament, and in the new series that was now being designed and drawn, “Guffy’s Sooperdooper Bomb”, he was going to bring the world leaders to a disarmament conference and then compel them to make peace by the threat of using his Sooperdoopernootral Bomb, designed by his friend Snowy Syentist, which had the effect of neutralising all other bombs and rendering them useless.
    Comic strips are prepared long in advance, and Theo had been drawing some of the final scenes of this particular series. Theo Werner was a few years older than Grundy, a puckish little Austrian whose family had fled from his country when Hitler took over. He pranced round the study now, showing the big drawings he had put on card.
    “Here you are, Sol my dear, here’s Krosscross talking to Johnno, they’re going to shut Guffy up, Krosscross wants to seal him in the Crumlin, Johnno’s going to bury him in Castle Knocks. And there’s Hum-hum.” Theo giggled with pure enjoyment. Krosscross and Johnno were deep in discussion, and stiff-necked Hum-hum trailed behind them, holding up a tiny model of the Tower of London, saying: “Let’s stuff Guff in here.”
    Grundy laughed half-heartedly. Werner broke off.
    “What’s wrong, Sol? You’re not up to the mark, as they say.” Theo liked occasionally to drop in an “as they say” or “as you put it” to show that he was a foreigner.
    “Nothing.”
    “Yes. You haven’t got your usual zing, my dear. I shall tell Marion.”
    “Perhaps she knows already.”
    “What have you done to your face?”
    “A cat scratched it.”
    “We are in rapport, you and I, eh? When anything bothers you I know it.”
    “Perhaps. These are fine. Clacton’s got the outline.”
    Clacton was the editor of the paper that ran the strip, and he had the whole new story in rough outline. These were the finished drawings that would appear in the paper.
    Werner cocked his head to one side. “And you do not know why he has asked to see us tomorrow, eh?”
    “To talk about the next series, very likely. But he didn’t say.” Grundy rose from the desk, shook his shoulders as though he were dispersing rain. “Let’s have a drink.”
    “A sooperdooperexcellent idea.”
    Marion liked Theo, who always paid her extravagant compliments which she enjoyed, although she publicly disapproved of them. Theo stayed for half an hour talking to them both, had two drinks, then said, “I must get back to my Lily of