Farrant. Your neuralgia better?

Amy O'Connell. By fits and starts.

Farrant. [Robustly.] Come and play billiards. Horsham and Maconochie started a game. They can neither of them play. We left them working out a theory of angles on bits of paper.

Walter Kent. Professor Maconochie lured me on to golf yesterday. He doesn't suffer from theories about that.

Blackborough. [With approval.] Started life as a caddie.

Walter Kent. [Pulling a wry face.] So he told me after the first hole.

Blackborough. What's this, Kent, about Trebell's making you his secretary?

Walter Kent. He thinks he'll have me.

Blackborough. [Almost reprovingly.] No question of politics?

Farrant. More intrigue, Blackborough.