“I’ve often thought about it,” she went on after a moment. “I’ve often thought of your future as an hereditary legislator. An hereditary legislator ought to know so many things, oughtn’t he?”
“Not if he doesn’t legislate.”
“But you will legislate one of these days—you may have to at any time; it’s absurd your saying you won’t. You’re very much looked up to here—I’m assured of that.”
“I don’t know that I ever noticed it.”
“It’s because you’re used to it then. You ought to fill the place.”
“How do you mean, fill it?” asked Lord Lambeth.
“You ought to be very clever and brilliant—to be ‘up’ in almost everything.”
He turned on her his handsome young face of profane wonder. “Shall I tell you something? A young man in my position, as you call it—”
“I didn’t invent the term,” she interposed. “I’ve seen it in a great many books.”
“Hang it, you’re always at your books! A fellow in my position then does well enough at the worst—he muddles along whatever he does. That’s about what I mean to say.”