“What am I to do?”

“Go in for politics. The losing side, of course. They’ll be having their spell of office in a few years.”

“I don’t know anything about politics.”

“No, but you’ve got intelligence; you’ll soon learn.”

He looked flattered. Inwardly I smiled at the idea of his being in the House of Commons.

“How does one begin?”

It was strange that Lionel, who was heir to a couple of newspapers, should know so little.

“Oh, you get to know all the right people. Let them know that you are ready to drop a certain amount of money. Lady Pebworth was saying only the other day that their people want money. She’s rather a power in the political world, you know.”

He looked vacant, and had the frankness to ask:

“Who’s Lady Pebworth?”