Book Description

Augustus Does His Bit George Bernard Shaw The Mayor's parlor in the Town Hall of Little Pifflington. Lord Augustus Highcastle, a distinguished member of the governing class, in the uniform of a colonel, and very well preserved at forty-five, is comfortably seated at a writing-table with his heels on it, reading The Morning Post. The door faces him, a little to his left, at the other side of the room. The window is behind him. In the fireplace, a gas stove. On the table a bell button and a telephone. Portraits of past Mayors, in robes and gold chains, adorn the walls. An elderly clerk with a short white beard and whiskers, and a very red nose, shuffles in. AUGUSTUS [hastily putting aside his paper and replacing his feet on the floor]. Hullo! Who are you? THE CLERK. The staff [a slight impediment in his speech adds to the impression of incompetence produced by his age and appearance]. AUGUSTUS. You the staff! What do you mean, man? THE CLERK. What I say. There ain't anybody else. AUGUSTUS. Tush! Where are the others? THE CLERK. At the front. AUGUSTUS. Quite right. Most proper. Why aren't you at the front? THE CLERK. Over age. Fifty-seven. AUGUSTUS. But you can still do your bit. Many an older man is in the G.R.'s, or volunteering for home defence. THE CLERK. I have volunteered. AUGUSTUS. Then why are you not in uniform? We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.