and navigators draw accurate parallel lines. The instrument comes in two main forms: two rectangular straight edges connected by brass or silver hinges, or a single frame surrounding a roller. The ...

A race! Oh, don't forget to stretch guys. Parallel lines always stay the same distance apart, so they will never cross, no matter how long they go on for. And that's why they're used in races.

In the hands of a writer less capable than Edward St Aubyn, it would probably add up to a fatal dose for a book that you were ...