"He has set his heart on your going into Parliament as you know. Well, he told me that last week he had spoken about you to the Chief Whip, and that they are arranging for you to stand as Government candidate for Balham North at the next general election."
There was a long pause.
"For where?" inquired Tony faintly.
"For Balham North. It's a large constituency in South London close to Upper Tooting."
"It would be," said Tony. "And may I ask what I have done to deserve this horrible fate?"
"That's just it," said Guy. "You haven't done anything. Henry feels—indeed we all feel that as head of the family it is quite time you made a start."
"You don't understand," said Tony with some dignity. "I am sowing my wild oats. It is what every wealthy young baronet is expected to do."
"Leaving out the war," retorted Guy, "you have been sowing them for exactly six years and nine months."
Tony smiled contentedly. "I always think," he observed, "that if a thing is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well."
There was another pause, while Guy, crumbling a bit of bread between his fingers, regarded his cousin with a thoughtful scrutiny.