He was somewhat of a bon-vivant, and a man who thoroughly understood dinner-parties; and with much good nature he took Frank under his special protection.
"You stick to me, Mr Gresham," he said, "when we go into the dining-room.

I'm an old hand at the duke's dinners, and know how to make a friend comfortable as well as myself." "But why doesn't the duke come in ?" demanded Frank.
"He'll be here as soon as dinner is ready," said Mr Athill.

"Or, rather, the dinner will be ready as soon as he is here.

I don't care, therefore, how soon he comes." Frank did not understand this, but he had nothing to do but to wait and see how things went.
He was beginning to be impatient, for the room was now nearly full, and it seemed evident that no other guests were coming; when suddenly a bell rang, and a gong was sounded, and at the same instant a door that had not yet been used flew open, and a very plainly dressed, plain, tall man entered the room.

Frank at once knew that he was at last in the presence of the Duke of Omnium.
But his grace, late as he was in commencing the duties as host, seemed in no hurry to make up for lost time.