"Perhaps so, my dear; anyhow, I am glad he has come out, and I hope he won't retire into his cell again after you have all gone." "I suppose it depends a good deal upon his work," Isobel said.
"My experience of men is that they can always make time if they like, my dear.

When a man says he is too busy to do this, that, or the other, you may always safely put it down that he doesn't want to do it.

Of course, it is just the same thing with ourselves.

You often hear women say they are too busy to attend to all sorts of things that they ought to attend to, but the same women can find plenty of time to go to every pleasure gathering that comes off.

There is no doubt that Mr.Bathurst is really fond of work, and that he is an indefatigable civil servant of the Company, but that would not prevent him making an hour or two's time of an evening, occasionally, if he wanted to.