"Sir, I did, but between whiles managed to do fairly well in the Tripos, to finish a new and original translation of Quintilian, another of Petronius Arbiter and also a literal rendering into the English of the Memoirs of the Sieur de Brantome."
"For none of which you have hitherto found a publisher?" inquired Mr.
Grainger.
"Not as yet," said I, "but I have great hopes of my Brantome, as you are probably aware this is the first time he has ever been translated into the English."
"Hum!" said Sir Richard, "ha!—and in the meantime what do you intend to do?"
"On that head I have as yet come to no definite conclusion, sir," I answered.
"I have been wondering," began Mr. Grainger, somewhat diffidently, "if you would care to accept a position in my office. To be sure the remuneration would be small at first and quite insignificant in comparison to the income you have been in the receipt of."
"But it would have been money earned," said I, "which is infinitely preferable to that for which we never turn a hand—at least, I think so."
"Then you accept?"
"No, sir," said I, "though I am grateful to you, and thank you most sincerely for your offer, yet I have never felt the least inclination to the practice of law; where there is no interest one's work must necessarily suffer, and I have no desire that your business should be injured by any carelessness of mine."
"What do you think of a private tutorship?"