Beautiful thoughts

     The distant sound of the dinner-gong floated in.

    "We settled that just in time," said Ashe. Mr. Peters regared him fixedly.

    "Young man," he said slowly, "if, after all this you fail to recover my Cheops for me, I'll - I'll - by George, I'll skin you."

    "Don't talk like that," said Ashe. "That's another thing you have got to remember. If my treatment is to be successful, you must not let yourself think in that way. You must exercise self-control mentally. You must think beautiful thoughts."

    "The idea of skinning you is a beautiful thought," said Mr. Peters wistfully.

(from Something Fresh, by Sir Pelham Wodehouse)