contra mundum
A Kinder, Gentler Look at Rex Mottram, by Din Bittner:
In describing one of Rex’s good qualities, it occurs to me to turn to another of my favorite novels, The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham, in which the character of Elliott Templeton is described by means of the French word “serviable.” Maugham says the equivalent word “serviceable” is archaic in English but that “serviable” is still a perfectly good French word, which means “helpful, obliging, and kind.” This is a good description of Rex.