Chairback

Podson said nothing to that, but he undressed to examine his shirt and collar, and assure himself that they were still in presentable condition. He hung his coat over a chair-back and folded the crease in his pants for pressure under his mattress.

Nevertheless, the first thing I did after assuring myself that there were indeed no malicious persons or things lurking under the bed or elsewhere was to slip a chair-back under the door handle.

Hair-brushes were arranged carefully on wither side of a clean comb, and a pair of recently pressed trousers lay over a chair-back.

A new playing surface, a renovated seating bowl with 800 chairback seats, and enhanced ticketing and lobby areas are among the changes expected for the 2008-9 season.