96 CONVERSATIONAL HINTS 



and who was going to be high sheriff, and all that. 

 So I got a little leffc at the first go off. 



1 Next week I shot with Blossom, another new 

 friend, who's come into money lately, after knocking 

 about all over America the greater part of his life. 

 I tried him with the Chicago Exposition, and 

 ranching as a business for younger sons. Did it 

 delicately, of course, and with any amount of 

 deference, but he only looked at me blankly, and 

 began talking about the bank-rate. After that, I 

 settled with myself I wouldn't talk to any more of 

 them about things that they might be expected to 

 feel an interest in. 



' In the following week I was due at Whichello's. 

 He's been a perfect lunatic all his life for music. 

 He got up an orchestra in his nursery, which came 

 to smash because his younger brother filled all the 

 wind instruments with soap-suds. Later on he 

 was always scraping, or blowing, or thumping, 

 scooting about from one concert to another, making 

 expeditions to the shrine of Wagner as he called it, 

 composing songs, and symphonies, and operas, and 

 heaven only knows what besides. He came into 

 the old place in Essex when his brother died, about 

 a year ago, and this was his first pheasant-shoot. 



