Page:The Portrait of a Lady (1882).djvu/15

7 THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. 7 too idle. You think too much of your pleasure. You are too fastidious, and too indolent, and too rich." " Oh, I say," cried Lord Warburton, " you're hardly the person to accuse a fellow-creature of being too rich ! " "Do you mean because I am a banker 1 " asked the old man. " Because of that, if you like ; and because you are so ridicul- ously wealthy." " He isn't very rich," said the other young man, indicating his father. "He has given away an immense deal of money." "Well, I suppose it was his own," said Lord Warburton; " and in that case could there be a better proof of wealth ? Let not a public benefactor talk of one's being too fond of pleasure." "Daddy is very fond of pleasure of other people's." The old man shook his head. " I don't pretend to have contributed anything to the amuse- ment of my contemporaries." " My dear father, you are too modest ! " " That's a kind of joke, sir," said Lord Warburton. " You young men have too many jokes. When there are no jokes, you have nothing left." "Fortunately there are always more jokes," the ugly young man remarked. " I don't believe it I believe things are getting more serious. You young men will find that out." "The increasing seriousness of things that is the great opportunity of jokes." " They will have to be grim jokes," said the old man. " I am convinced there will be great changes ; and not all for the better." "I quite agree with you, sir," Lord Warburton declared. " I am very sure there will be great changes, and that all sorts of queer things will happen. That's why I find so much difficulty in applying your advice ; you know you told me the other day that I ought to 'take hold' of something. One hesitates to take hold of a thing that may the next moment be knocked sky-high." "You ought to take hold of a pretty woman," said hi& companion. " He is trying hard to fall in love," he added, by way of explanation, to his father. " The pretty women themselves may be sent flying ! " Lord Warburton exclaimed. " No, no, they will be firm," the old man rejoined ; " they will not be affected by the social and political changes I just referred to."