One comical scene sees the main character masquerade at a seaside resort with a woman whom he is paying to act as his mistress and her child.  
Minor characters in this novel include a stablehand named Ben and an American pilot named Mrs. Rattery.  One comical scene sees the main character masquerade at a seaside resort with a woman whom he is paying to act as his mistress and her child.  The main female character impulsively thanks god when she realizes that it is her son who has died and not her lover because they both have the same first name.  The main character, who treasures his (*) family home that features rooms named after characters from Tennyson, Hetton Abbey, ends up joining the expedition of Dr. Messinger after he realizes his wife is having an affair with John Beaver; the expedition gets lost, though, and he is forced to live with Mr. Todd and read him Dickens incessantly.  For 10 points, name this novel about Brenda and Tony Last, a work of Evelyn Waugh.
Minor characters in this novel include a stablehand named Ben and an American pilot named Mrs. Rattery.  
A {Handful of Dust}