I woke this morning feeling slightly hangover

I woke this morning feeling slightly hangover and dyspeptic from last night’s consumption of food and wine (I fear I was probably over the limit when I drove myself home, albeit very slowly and carefully) so I went for a walk after breakfast to get some fresh air. The sky was not promising – a quilt of dark grey cloud sagged from horizon to horizon – and it began to rain as soon al I left the house. Trudging round the campus on a wet Sunday morning was not a spirit-lifting experience, but I persevered, making it an occasion to master the geography of the place, and learn the locations of the various departments and faculties. The buildings erected in the sixties and seventies have not weathered well. Their concrete facades absorb the rain patchily, like blotting paper, and the brightly coloured panels and tiles with which they are trimmed, designed to relieve the dominant grey, are chipped and cracked or missing in many places.
From the book ‘Thinks...’ by David Lodge

'They describe you as a viper,'

'They describe you as a viper,'I said to Mt. Visconti.
'They?'
'Well, in fact, it was not the detectives. it was the Chief of Police in Rome.'
'A Fascist,' Mr Visconti said.
'Ah, a collaborator then.'
'The war was over.'
.A collaborator nonetheless. One collaborates always with the victorious side. One supports the losing.' It sounded again like a quotation from Machievali.
We were drinking champagne together in the garden, for the house at the moment was impossible. Men were carrying furniture. Other men were up ladders. Electricians were repairing lights and hanging chandeliers. My aunt was very much in charge.
'I preferred flight to anew form of collaboration,' Mr Visconti said. 'One can never tell who will win in the end. Collaboration is always a temporary measure. It's not that I care much for security, but I like to survive.
From the book 'Travels with my aunt' by Graham Greene.