第68页 / 共490页

The son, who had been his father's secretary, had resigned along

with his chief, somewhat foolishly as was thought at the time,

and on succeeding some months later to the title, had set himself

to the serious study of the great aristocratic art of doing

absolutely nothing. He had two large town houses, but preferred

to live in chambers as it was less trouble, and took most of his

meals at his club. He paid some attention to the management of

his collieries in the Midland counties, excusing himself for this

taint of industry on the ground that the one advantage of having

coal was that it enabled a gentleman to afford the decency of

burning wood on his own hearth. In politics he was a Tory, except

when the Tories were in office, during which period he roundly

abused them for being a pack of Radicals. He was a hero to his

valet, who bullied him, and a terror to most of his relations,

whom he bullied in turn.