at least he once and for all abandoned the harebrained idea of writing Alec a cheque! (Or giving him a bike or whatever.)
Oh, a cheque would have been a disaster! A thoughtful gift might not have been, it could have worked as a way establish future contact (although anything too obviously expensive and gentlemanly would have been suspect--which I think means nice watches and cufflinks and the like would have been out too, at least if they're too nice... and Maurice strikes me as a person who might go overboard a bit).