His college tutor hoped he would get a First.

From that it was an easy step to Holy Orders, and with his opportunities preferment was certain.
On his twenty-first birthday, his father, who had sympathized with his admiration for Turner enough to buy two pictures--the "Richmond Bridge" and the "Gosport"-- for their Herne Hill drawing-room, now gave him a picture all to himself for his new rooms in St.Aldate's--the "Winchelsea," and settled on him a handsome allowance of pocket-money.
The first use he made of his wealth was to buy another Turner.

In the Easter vacation he met Mr.Griffith, the dealer, at the private view of the old Water-colour Society, and hearing that the "Harlech Castle" was for sale, he bought it there and then, with the characteristic disregard for money which has always made the vendors of pictures and books and minerals find him extremely pleasant to deal with.

But as his love-affair had shown his mother how little he had taken to heart her chiefest care for him, so this first business transaction was a painful awakening to his father, the canny Scotch merchant, who had heaped up riches hoping that his son would gather them.
This "Harlech Castle" transaction, however, was not altogether unlucky.
It brought him an introduction to the painter, whom he met when he was next in town, at Mr.Griffith's house.

He knew well enough the popular idea of Turner as a morose and niggardly, inexplicable man.