"Officious curate (whilst preaching): 'Will someone wake the village clerk?' V. Clerk: 'I'm not asleep, I'm listening'!' 

Thus reads the caption on the front of this late 19th/early 20th century hand-drawn British postcard, with wonderful portrait of the sleeping/listening clerk, top hat at his feet. Almost as good is the matter of fact message on the back: "This really happened in Somersham church. The old clerk died a short time ago."

Approx 3 1/2" x 5 1/2". Good condition, with some light foxing mostly around the edges and a tiny smudge to the text that would have occurred when wet.