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Organized by Salman Rushdie, an old chum and frequent subject of “the Hitch,” the PEN-sponsored event featured a smattering of Hitchens’ colleagues, among them Vanity Fair’s former editor Graydon Carter and Katha Pollitt of the Nation.

Vagabond Harry pays an unexpected visit to his old chum Gideon, who accepts the aimless man into his home, despite the fact that the household is already overcrowded.

A breathless military voice whispered from the undergrowth, “Will do, old chum. See you back at the Abbey. Have a good chase now, cheerio.”

“Hmm, a viper? Well, it’s an old poisonteeth snake y’know, an adder. Never had a lot of truck with the slimy fellers meself. You’d do best to stay away from them, old chum.”

An old chum of theirs, now world-famous, claims to be eager to help them stage comebacks.