"I'm sure you know best, madam."
"My idea," said Mrs. Eames, "would be to start with Sir Evelyn Dent. He has promised to support us and I'm sure he'll have no objection to the use of his name as a patron. An ex-Cabinet Minister with a title! Don't forget the title, Hinton. And he has an honourable all of his own besides the knighthood."
"Sir Evelyn," said Hinton, "might perhaps secure the support of the present earl."
"Present earl? Oh, of course, his nephew, Lord Colavon. Yes. He would be quite good. An earl is an earl of course, but except for being an earl he's nothing particular, is he? I mean to say he's not well known."
"Not in political or literary circles, madam. The tastes of the present earl are understood to be sporting and dramatic."
"Dramatic!" Mrs. Eames became suddenly interested.
Hinton was drying the last saucer. Mrs. Eames, the task of washing up finished, was rubbing her dripping hands on her apron.
"Scarcely dramatic in the higher sense of the word," said Hinton. "The tastes of the present earl are rather in the direction of comic opera."
"He won't do us any harm, I suppose," said Mrs. Eames, "and I dare say Sir Evelyn will get him for us. Now who else would you suggest?"
"Did I mention the bishop, madam?"