In 1950, Stephen was the Acting Director of the British Council. When his superior was rushed to hospital, Stephen found himself having to deputise for His Britanic Majesty's Consul General at a very posh do ...
"I was invited to the French Consulate to join in the Bastille Day celebrations. It was held in a very elegant Second Empire salon where I was received by the consulate's 3 very pretty daughters along with all the other consuls and their ladies. I think I was pretty well persuaded by them that I was God's gift to the diplomatic scene.
There was champagne and a tray of bon bon from which like a complete idiot I selected a very large meringue - the size of a boxing glove! At this point, and that's how fate operates, the consul brought in his lady for introduction to the company. Now, it's difficult to get rid of a meringue - there were no plates handy and it's not something you can give to anybody, really.
I was in the process of producing a bow in salutation of madame's hand which would have graced the court of Louis X1V, with the hand holding the meringue extended in the air - when there was a sound of a small detonation. It was the meringue going off! Without realising it, I had been subjecting it to increasing pressure. Hell descended! One of the girls issued a shriek which close focused the attention of the whole room. I remember removing a large piece of meringue from Madame's coiffure. Her very splendid decolletage was liberally sprinkled with sugar crystals...
It has haunted me ever since, and after a decent lapse of time, I did partake of meringue, but always strictly in private!"
