and he's quite likely to make a
mess of things unless we look after him. He may turn out to be a very
great engineer or he may go back to Boveyhayne and play the
turnip-headed squire!..."

"Always rotting a chap," Ninian mumbled.

"And Quinny ... what about little Quinny? He's written a novel!..."

"Written a what?" Ninian demanded, sitting up sharply.

"Have you, Quinny?" said Roger.

Henry blushed and nodded his head. "It isn't good," he said. "I shall
have to re-write it!"

"My Lord," said Ninian, "fancy one of us writing a book!"

Gilbert slapped him on the side of the head. "You forget, Ninian, that
I've written a play!..."

"A play's not a book!..."

"_My_ plays are books," Gilbert retorted. "Well, now," he went on,
"what's to become of little Quinny: a tip-top novelist with a limited
circulation or a third-rater who sells millions?"

"What about yourself?" Ninian said.

"I'm coming to myself. Will I become a great dramatist, like Shakespeare
and Bernard Shaw and all those chaps, or merely turn out hack plays?..."

"And the answer is?"

"I don't know, but I'll tell you in ten years' time. We're a brainy lot
of lads, and I'm the brainiest of the lot!..."

"Oh, no, you're not," said Ninian. "I've quite a respectable amount of
brain myself, but the very best brain in the room belongs to Roger.
Doesn't it, Roger?"

"I don't despise my brain, Ninian!" Roger answered.

"Observe the modest demeanour of the truly great man," Gilbert
exclaimed. "You'll have to go into politics, Roger. It isn't any good
being a barrister unless you do!"

"I've thought of that," Roger answered. "At the moment, I'm wondering
which side I'm on. I might manage to get a seat as a Liberal, but I
don't believe it would be of much use to me if I got it. I think I shall
join the Tories!..."

"Are you a Tory?" Ninian said, "I thought you were a Liberal!"

"No, I'm a barrister. You see," he went on, as if he were arguing a
case, "the Liberal majority is too big and there are far too many
clever young men in the party. I should only be one of a crowd if I went
into the House now as a Liberal ... and of course I'm not likely to be
given a chance of standing for a seat because they've a lot of people on
the list already. But the Tories have hardly any clever chaps left.
There's Balfour and there's Chamberlain ... and then what is there?"

"Nothing!" said Gilbert.

"A clever man of my age has the chance of a lifetime with the To