Mr Carkerwasagentleman thirty-eightorfortyyears old, of a floridcomplexion, and with two unbroken rows ofglisteningteeth, whose regularity andwhitenesswerequitedistressing.
The prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, may be the most prolific (and florid) of all, with eight books to his name, including two of poetry and a history of Napoleon's 100 days.