A Conversation for Rumpole of the Bailey
She Who Must Be Obeyed
EyeofNewt Started conversation Jul 18, 2003
I've long been a fan of Rumpole in print, and Hilda Rumpole, a/k/a She Who Must Be Obeyed (sometimes shortened, by Rumpole, to She) is one of the best characters in a cast full of entertaining returning characters. One of the things I really love about this series is the way Mortimer, while always (almost always) telling the stories through Rumpole's eyes, gives us a glimpse of the way other characters see Hilda (for instance, in "Rumpole and the Last Resort", Fiona Allways describes Hilda as someone who "always seemed grateful for someone to talk to" and not all that alarming despite Rumpole's description).
On a couple of occasions, Hilda supplies Rumpole with the hint or clue that allows him to win his cases, as in "Rumpole and the Boat People," in which the defendant happens to be one of Hilda's many school chums, or "Rumpole and the Expert Witness", just to name a couple.
Much as I love Rumpole, I think Hilda must have an extraordinary character to have put up with him at home for so long.
Key: Complain about this post
She Who Must Be Obeyed
More Conversations for Rumpole of the Bailey
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."