Condition precedent: Difference between revisions

Valour got the better part of discretion, and I did. It turned out to be a partner from that famous derivatives firm<ref>Not famous. It was and, as far as I know, still is, a shipping and marine insurance specialist.</ref> Stephenson Harwood. He announced himself as the prospective client’s solicitor, and told me he had some comments on the [[swap]]. Only he pronounced it “[[sw-æp]]”, to rhyme with “crap”, and not “[[sw-ŏp]]”, to rhyme with chop — something that after [[Noel Edmunds]], you would think no self-respecting British child would ever do, let alone a [[derivatives]] whizz.  

In any case this chap sent in his mark-up of the, er, [[sw-æp]], and he had rather gone to town on it, in a manner indicating only a passing acquaintance with the derivatives market, but great expertise in the issues arising when one ships things by sea.  

My supervising partner was an excitable fellow<ref>''Highly'' excitable. To keep a lid on his blood pressure, he retired shortly thereafter and now runs a newsagent in Gillingham.</ref>. I confess it was with a guilty glee that I trotted around and dropped the comments — they were compendious as they were ill-informed  — on his desk, the way an obstreperous child might drop a match into a canister of petrol. It had the anticipated effect. Whilst the young [[JC]] was patiently explaining this setback to our client, represented by a callow but quick young fellow from Dublin in his first year out from Trinity College.