You can amuse yourself with painting if there aren't any pheasants to shoot.

In fact, he will think that my wanting to become a musician is much the same thing as if I wanted to become a billiard-marker.

And if he and I talked about it till we were a hundred years old, he could never possibly appreciate my point of view." Michael got up and began walking up and down the room with his slow, ponderous movement.
"Francis, it's a thousand pities that you and I can't change places," he said.

"You are exactly the son father would like to have, and I should so much prefer being his nephew.

However, you come next; that's one comfort." He paused a moment.
"You see, the fact is that he doesn't like me," he said.