The boys’ beard styles back-story
Beard styles rather than farting was the main topic of interest for the two brothers but it didn’t stop them playing make-believe games together.
Cuthbert was 12 years old and had grown a beard in the under-chin curtain style, which he kept well-trimmed. This allowed him to mock his six-year-old brother, Teddy, whose attempt to sprout an old Dutch-style beard and look like Abraham Lincoln was making slow and untidy progress.
But as they played at sailing boats, using a dog biscuit, a slice of processed cheese and one of granny’s knitting needles, Teddy felt once again a rising resentment at his brother’s hirsute success…