Hitchhiker's Guide question...

Factual Questions
1

Don’t flame me for my vague questions, please; my copies were destroyed in a hurricane in 1992 and I never got around to replacing them.

There’s a scene in the book - the last one, I believe - concerning the name of one of the female characters. It has something to do with her not being named <whatever> after being conceived in the left-luggage office of <whatever> train station. Now a couple of years ago I realized that “left-luggage” had nothing to do with directions, but:

  1. What is said in this scene? Can someone please supply me with the lines that were written?

  2. Is there supposed to be a joke here? If so, what is it?

This is one of those annoying questions that’s been bugging me for years; if someone could help me out I’d greatly appreciate it.

2

Sigh I barely remember the scene, but it was in So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish. I went something like:

Fenchurch: My name is Fenchurch
Arthur: Fenchurch?
F: Yes, and you’re going to ask me a question now, so you might as well get it over with.
A: No, I wasn’t. But now that you mention it…
F: Yes you were. We’ll ask it together.
A: Were you born…
F: In the left luggage rack…
A: At Fenchurch station?
F: Now we have that over with.
A: Well?
F: Well what?
A: Were you?
F: No.
A: Oh.
F: I was conceived there.
A: What??
F: My parents won’t tell me the details except to say that you’ll find all sorts of ways to pass the time while waiting for your luggage.

I’m sure that I butchered that pretty well, but it’s enough for you to get the idea.

3

Yep, that was the quote, or close enough to it.

Now for the 2nd part of my question…anyone know the joke?

4

It’s an allusion to The Importance of Being Earnest. The hero of the play was found in a handbag in Victoria Station and given the name “Worthing” because the gentleman who found him had a ticket to Worthing.

5

Or Paddington Bear, who was found at Paddington Station.

6

I am in no way a Hitch Hikers expert but I would expect that was Fenchurch Street station. Apologies for the pedantry.

7

A reading from the book of Fish, Chapter 12:

Arthur turned, with a sigh, back to the girl that he found it hard to say whether he was in love with.

“You were about to ask me,” she said, “a question.”

“Yes,” said Arthur.

“We can do it together if you like,” said Fenchurch. “Was I found…”

“…in a handbag,” joined in Arhtur.

“…in the Left Luggage office,” they said together.

“…at Fenchurch Street Station,” they finished.

“And the answer,” said Fenchurch, “is no.”

“Fine,” said Arthur.

“I was conceived there.”

“What?”

“I was con–”

“In the Left Luggage office?” hooted Arthur.

“No, of couse not. Don’t be silly. What would my parents be doing in the Left Luggage office?” she said, rather taken aback by the suggestion.

“Well, I don’t know,” sputtered Arthur, “or rather–”

“It was in the ticket queue.”

“The–”

“The ticket queue. Or so they claim. They refuse to elaborate. They only say you wouldn’t believe how bored it is possible to get in the ticket queue at Fenchurch Street Station.”

LL

8

Thanks for the responses, guys :slight_smile:

9

For not having read the book in the past ten years, I’m just impressed that I remembered it that well!

Pats self on back

10

Douglas Adams should have stopped after the third book. The fourth and fifth were both wretchedly disappointing.

11

and then there’s Dirk Gently.

12

Apart from the fact that the first Dirk Gently novel is a rewrite of Adam’s script for the Doctor Who story, “City of Death”, I really enjoyed it.

13

Here’s a happy link for you…

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/u_haag/hhl_c.htm

zipped txt files of the series.