"Do something for him! I think we do a great deal for him. He has the run of the house, and I introduce him right and left. And he is always asked to sing when we have people."
"That latter looks rather like his doing something for us, I think."
"Not at all. It's a great advantage for a young fellow in his position to be brought forward, and allowed to show off his little gifts in that way."
"He is wasting his time. I wish we could get him something to do."
"I am sure you have plenty of claims on you that come before him."
"I—I did speak to the Duke of Blazonville about him the other day," said my lord, with the slightest hesitation in the world.
The Duke of Blazonville was in the cabinet, and had been a colleague of Lord Seely's years ago.
"What on earth made you do that, Valentine? You know very well that the next thing the duke has to give I particularly want for Reginald."
"Oh, but what I should ask for young Ancram would be something at which your nephew Reginald would probably——"
"Turn up his nose?"