5
With the kitchen to himself, Lexington straight away began experimenting with dishes of his own
invention. The old favourites no longer interested him. He had a violent urge to create. There were
hundreds of fresh ideas in his head. ‘I will begin,’ he said, ‘by devising a chestnut¹ soufflé.’ He
made it and served it up for supper that very night. It was terrific. ‘You are a genius!’ Aunt
Glosspan cried, leaping up from her chair and kissing him on both cheeks. ‘You will make
history!’
From then on, hardly a day went by without some new delectable² creation being set upon the
table. There was Brazilnut soup, hominy cutlets, vegetable ragout, dandelion omelette, cream-
cheese fritters, stuffed-cabbage surprise, stewed³ foggage, shallots à la bonne femme, beetroot
mousse piquant⁵, prunes⁶ Stroganoff, Dutch rarebit, turnips⁷ on horseback, flaming spruce-needle
tarts⁸, and many many other beautiful compositions. Never before in her life. Aunt Glosspan
declared, had she tasted such food as this; and in the mornings, long before lunch was due, she
would go out on to the porch and sit there in her rocking-chair, speculating about the coming meal,
licking her chops, sniffing⁹ the aromas¹⁰ that came wafting¹¹ out through the kitchen window.
‘What’s that you’re making in there today, boy?’ she would call out.
‘Try to guess. Aunt Glosspan.’
‘Smells like a bit of salsify fritters to me,’ she would say, sniffing vigorously.

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