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eldest son of the late Algernon Cuffe Dennant; Esq。; J。 P。; and

Irene; 2nd daur。 of the Honble。 Philip and Lady Lillian March Mallow;

ed。 Eton and Ch。 Ch。; Oxford; J。 P。 for Oxfordshire。  Residence; Holm

Oaks;〃 etc。; etc。  Dropping the 'Landed Gentry'; he took up a volume

of the 'Arabian Nights'; which some member had left reposing on the

book…rest of his chair; but instead of reading he kept looking round

the room。  In almost every seat; reading or snoozing; were gentlemen

who; in their own estimation; might have married Penguins。  For the

first time it struck him with what majestic leisureliness they turned

the pages of their books; trifled with their teacups; or lightly

snored。  Yet no two were alikea tall man…with dark moustache; thick

hair; and red; smooth cheeks; another; bald; with stooping shoulders;

a tremendous old buck; with a grey; pointed beard and large white

waistcoat; a clean…shaven dapper man past middle age; whose face was

like a bird's; a long; sallow; misanthrope; and a sanguine creature

fast asleep。  Asleep or awake; reading or snoring; fat or thin; hairy

or bald; the insulation of their red or pale faces was complete。

They were all the creatures of good form。  Staring at them or reading

the Arabian Nights Shelton spent the time before dinner。  He had not

been long seated in the dining…room when a distant connection

strolled up and took the next table。



〃Ah; Shelton!  Back?  Somebody told me you were goin' round the

world。〃  He scrutinised the menu through his eyeglass。  〃Clear soup!

。  。  。  Read Jellaby's speech?  Amusing the way he squashes all

those fellows。  Best man in the House; he really is。〃



Shelton paused in the assimilation of asparagus; he; too; had been in

the habit of admiring Jellaby; but now he wondered why。  The red and

shaven face beside him above a broad; pure shirt…front was swollen by

good humour; his small; very usual; and hard eyes were fixed

introspectively on the successful process of his eating。



〃Success!〃  thought Shelton; suddenly enlightened〃success is what

we admire in Jellaby。  We all want success 。  。  。  。  Yes;〃 he

admitted; 〃a successful beast。〃



〃Oh!〃 said his neighbour; 〃I forgot。  You're in the other camp?〃



〃Not particularly。  Where did you get that idea?〃



His neighbour looked round negligently。



〃Oh;〃 said he; 〃I somehow thought so〃; and Shelton almost heard him

adding; 〃There's something not quite sound about you。〃



〃Why do you admire Jellaby?〃 he asked。



〃Knows his own mind;〃 replied his neighbour; 〃it 's more than the

others do 。  。  。  。  This whitebait is n't fit for cats!  Clever

fellow; Jellaby!  No nonsense about him!  Have you ever heard him

speak?  Awful good sport to watch him sittin' on the Opposition。  A

poor lot they are!〃  and he laughed; either from appreciation of

Jellaby sitting on a small minority; or from appreciation of the

champagne bubbles in his glass。



〃Minorities are always depressing;〃 said Shelton dryly。



〃Eh?  what?〃



〃I mean;〃 said Shelton; 〃it's irritating to look at people who have

n't a chance of successfellows who make a mess of things; fanatics;

and all that。〃



His neighbour turned his eyes inquisitively。



〃Eryes; quite;〃 said he; 〃 don't you take mint sauce?  It's the

best part of lamb; I always think。〃



The great room with its countless little tables; arranged so that

every man might have the support of the gold walls to his back; began

to regain its influence on Shelton。  How many times had he not sat

there; carefully nodding to acquaintances; happy if he got the table

he was used to; a paper with the latest racing; and someone to gossip

with who was not a bounder; while the sensation of having drunk

enough stole over him。  Happy!  That is; happy as a horse is happy

who never leaves his stall。



〃Look at poor little Bing puffin' about;〃 said his neighbour;

pointing to a weazened; hunchy waiter。  〃His asthma's awf'ly bad; you

can hear him wheezin' from the street。〃



He seemed amused。



〃There 's no such thing as moral asthma; I suppose?〃 said Shelton。



His neighbour dropped his eyeglass。



〃Here; take this away; it's overdone;〃 said he。  〃Bring me some

lamb。〃



Shelton pushed his table back。



〃Good…night;〃 he said; 〃the Stilton's excellent!〃



His neighbour raised his brows; and dropped his eyes again upon his

plate。



In the hall Shelton went from force of habit to the weighing…scales

and took his weight。  〃Eleven stone!〃  he thought; 〃gone up!〃 and;

clipping a cigar; he sat down in the smoking…room with a novel。



After half an hour he dropped the book。  There seemed something

rather fatuous about this story; for though it had a thrilling plot;

and was full of well…connected people; it had apparently been

contrived to throw no light on anything whatever。  He looked at the

author's name; everyone was highly recommending it。  He began

thinking; and staring at the fire 。  。  。  。



Looking up; he saw Antonia's second brother; a young man in the

Rifles; bending over him with sunny cheeks and lazy smile; clearly

just a little drunk。



〃Congratulate you; old chap!  I say; what made you grow that

b…b…eastly beard?〃



Shelton grinned。



〃Pillbottle of the Duchess!〃  read young Dennant; taking up the book。

〃You been reading that?  Rippin'; is n't it?〃



〃Oh; ripping!〃 replied Shelton。



〃Rippin' plot!  When you get hold of a novel you don't want any rot

aboutwhat d'you call it?psychology; you want to be amused。〃



〃Rather!〃  murmured Shelton。



〃That's an awfully good bit where the President steals her diamonds

There's old Benjy!  Hallo; Benjy!〃



〃Hallo; Bill; old man!〃



This Benjy was a young; clean…shaven creature; whose face and voice

and manner were a perfect blend of steel and geniality。



In addition to this young man who was so smooth and hard and cheery;

a grey; short…bearded gentleman; with misanthropic eyes; called

Stroud; came up; together with another man of Shelton's age; with a

moustache and a bald patch the size of a crown…piece; who might be

seen in the club any night of the year when there was no racing out

of reach of London。



〃You know;〃 began young Dennant; 〃that this bounder〃he slapped the

young man Benjy on the knee〃is going to be spliced to…morrow。  Miss

Casserolyou know the CasserolsMuncaster Gate。〃



〃By Jove!〃 said Shelton; delighted to be able to say something they

would understand。



〃Young Champion's the best man; and I 'm the second best。  I tell you

what; old chap; you 'd better come with me and get your eye in; you

won't get such another chance of practice。  Benjy 'll give you a

card。〃



〃Delighted!〃  murmured Benjy。



〃Where is it?〃



〃St。 Briabas; two…thirty。  Come and see how they do the trick。  I'll

call for you at one; we'll have some lunch and go together〃; again he

patted Benjy's knee。



Shelton nodded his assent; the piquant callousness of the affair had

made him shiver; and furtively he eyed the steely Benjy; whose

suavity had never wavered; and who appeared to take a greater

interest in some approaching race than in his coming marriage。  But

Shelton knew from his own sensations that this could not really be

the case; it was merely a question of 〃good form;〃 the conceit of a

superior breeding; the duty not to give oneself away。  And when in

turn he marked the eyes of Stroud fixed on Benjy; under shaggy brows;

and the curious greedy glances of the racing man; he felt somehow

sorry for him。



〃Who 's that fellow with the game legI'm always seeing him about?〃

asked the racing man。



And Shelton saw a sallow man; conspicuous for a want of parting in

his hair and a certain restlessness of attitude。



〃His name is Bayes;〃 said Stroud; 〃spends half his time among the

Chinesemust have a grudge against them!  And now he 's got his leg

he can't go there any more。〃



〃Chinese?  What does he do to them?〃



〃Bibles or guns。  Don't ask me!  An adventurer。〃



〃Looks a bit of a bounder;〃 said the racing man。



Shelton gazed at the twitching eyebrows of old Stroud; he saw at once

how it must annoy a man who had a billet in the 〃Woods and Forests;〃

and plenty of time for 〃bridge〃 and gossip at his club; to see these

people with untidy lives。  A minute later the man with the 〃game leg〃

passed close behind his chair; and Shelton perceived at once how

intelligible the resentment of his fellow…members was。  He had eyes

which; not uncommon in this country; looked like fires behind steel

bars; he seemed the very kind of man to do all sorts of things that

were 〃bad form;〃 a man who might even go as far as chivalry。  He

looked straight at Shelton; and his uncompromising glance gave an

impression of fierce loneliness; altogether; an improper person to

belong to such。  a club。  Shelton remembered the words of an old

friend of his father's: 〃Yes; Dick; all sorts of f

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