‘Don’t be too hard upon poor Felix.’ said Lady Carbury.  Roger, as he took his leave, thought that it would be impossible to be too hard upon Sir Felix Carbury.

The next morning Lady Carbury was in her son’s bedroom before he was up, and with incredible weakness told him that his cousin Roger was coming to lecture him.  ‘What the devil’s the use of it?’ said Felix from beneath the bedclothes.

‘If you speak to me in that way, Felix, I must leave the room.’

’But what is the use of his coming to me?  I know what he has got to say just as if it were said.  It’s all very well preaching sermons to good people, but nothing ever was got by preaching to people who...