Could I please come and use your telephone to cccall my DDDaddy collect? They only allow mmme to use the pppublic phone for fffive minutes but it tttakes a long time to fetch DDDady as we lllive in a bbbig house'

Johnathan was nineteen, delicate and embarrassingly shy with a serious stutter. I guessed, wrongly as it turned out, that he was on drugs. We couldn't contact Daddy until Johnathan remembered that it was August 12th. Daddy was, of course, on his estate in Scotland shooting grouse. I spoke to him. 'Be a good fellow and lend the boy a hundred pounds will you. Send the bill to me at the House of Lords.'

Over tea Johnathan told us about himself. 'I know you think I am taking drugs but I assure you I am not. I have nnnine elder sssisters and that is ffar worse. Daddy sent me away to see if I would become more mmmature and see what happens. In Australia I gggot arrested. I went outside and pppeed on a rock. How should I know that it was a sacred aborigine stone? Two days ago I got dddrunk and someone stole my wallet. I don't know what DDDaddy will think'.

Later Daddy wrote to me and this is what he thought. 'My son is quite young and extraordinarily naive! I am always concerned as to what further trouble he might get into. He doesn't often listen to me.'

He spoke to Pim who was home for the holidays. 'Our house is on the Solent will you come and stay with us? Do you like sailing? No neither do I but it is great fffun going across to CCCowes for the parties.'

Before he left Chiang Mai Johnathan came to say goodbye and thank you. He brought a bottle of Moet and Chandos champagne. In his note he wrote, 'the purpose of my travels was to really help me along the path to growing up and having some wits about me. I lived quite a sheltered life in England. I am pleased with my successes but I am not so pleased with or sure of my talents to organize myself.'

That was certainly true but perhaps he is by now a responsible member of the House of Lords.