when he saw his wife's body on their wedding night, haven't we? She eventually, of course, obtained an annulment on the grounds of non-consummation.

I, in common with the rest of you sheep, always understood this story as an illustration of how naive Ruskin was, not realising that women come with pubic hair attached; however, having watched the film Effie Gray recently, I can confirm that Mrs Ruskin was, indeed, a ginger.

Imagine being confronted with an unkempt ginger minge on your wedding night. No wonder the poor bástard legged it.