No 11009, Saturday 15 Feb 2014, Arden

ACROSS

1   Woman has the right to pull away (6) WRENCH {W{R}ENCH}

4   Mean to keep husband in old jail (8) BASTILLE {BAS{TILL}E}

9   I get on sadly mending my socks (6) TOEING*

10 Stout girl has nothing, just a plant (4,4) ALOE VERA {AL{O}E} {VERA}

12 Principal way to vary rate with foreign currency (8) ARTERIAL {RATE*}{RIAL}

13 Praise gives rise to hope (6) ASPIRE*

15 Cheerful having stayed back for a month on treatment (5-3-4) DEVIL-MAY-CARE {DEVIL<=}-{MAY}-{CARE}

18 Mob drags Ross away from such buffets (12) SMORGASBORDS*

21 A poet finds love on the ship (6) ABOARD {A}{B{O}ARD}

22 It could pop in front of Dravid, say in England (8) CORNWALL {CORN}{WALL}

24 I lecture about a hand bag (8) RETICULE*

25 Force Henry in to an organisation (6) THRUST {T{H}RUST}

26 Being parochial the local gets back in the fight (8) CLANNISH {CLA{NNI<=}SH}

27 A despatch told to go up (6) ASCEND {A}{SCEND}(~send)

DOWN

1   Lads went away to bogs (8) WETLANDS*

2   Pick one empty vase as a subject of study (8) ELECTIVE {ELECT}{1}{VasE}

3   Reliance Mart can get one from Panama (7,8) CENTRAL AMERICAN*

5   Shaft length cut externally (4) AXLE {AX{L}E}

6   That’s where the money is — with number of seats in the parliament (8,7) TREASURY BENCHES {TREASURY} {BENCHES}

7   Two transgressions when one oversleeps (4,2) LIES IN {LIE}{S IN}

8   Paint hair over without outside help (6) ENAMEL {ENAM<=}{hELp}

11 Men keen to have the hot stuff brought up (7) CAVALRY {C{AVAL<=}RY}

14 Figure the pain’s reduced after a month (7) OCTAGON {OCT}{AGONy}

16 Reuse art, it may be worth a lot (8) TREASURE*

17 One betrayed having had the food cut off…. (8) ISOLATED {1}{SOL{ATE}D}

19 ….material to cook up, not having had any food (6) FABRIC FABRICate

20 Fictional character left Indian airlines (6) PORTIA {PORT}{IA}

The quality of mercy is not strain'd.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

23 More luxurious? Not entirely (4) PLUS PLUSh