On a fine Tuesday morning I suggested to Mr. Chips that we take a brief constitutional around the park. I reasoned that it would be a rather invigorating experience, what with the sun beaming so grandly and all. Mr. Chips concurred; even going as far as to say my idea was delightful. But after rambling on for a few minutes, extolling the virtues of morning constitutionals, Mr. Chips admitted that he would have to take a rain check until Wednesday. Apparently today was the day he earmarked for his monthly viewing of "Breakfast at Tiffany's." I said that was quite understandable and that I would look forward to his company tomorrow morning. However, I declined his gracious invitation to join him in watching his monthly screening of the Hepburn classic. I'm not a terribly large admirer of Miss Hepburn's silver screen endeavors. Mr. Chips, on the other hand, is my polar opposite on this subject. I have no doubt that had he opposable thumbs; he would be publishing the Audrey Heyburn fan letter.

After he finished the movie Mr. Chips joined me at the dining room table and observed as I struggled with a Post crossword puzzle. Once I set down my pen in mild frustration and glanced in his direction he began his customary analyzation of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Mr. Chips reasoned that it was useless to watch a movie unless one was prepared to thoroughly analyze every nuance of the film. I usually regarded movies as an optimal time to take a nap, much to Mr. Chips' chagrin). He went off on the fact that the cat had no name, how no one in the movie ever ate breakfast at Tiffany's, how Lula-Mae was an awfully lovely name, and how, in his opinion, the traditional scholarly view of Augustus' reign over Rome was flawed and that Augustus wasn't any more effective, then say, Vespasian. When I noted that neither Augustus nor Vespasian were in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" Mr. Chips just gave me a blank stare. He then trotted off into the next room saying something about how my tendency to state the obvious amused him. I just shrugged my shoulders and decided to give the crossword puzzle another go-around.