Either Horace must escape by flight, which would be ignominious, or he must knock his visitor down, which would be rude, or he must grin and bear it.

The middle course was what he most inclined to, but failing that, he decided on the latter.
So he shook his head and waited patiently for the next question.
"What do you do, eh?
dirty work, ain't it ?" "Yes, isn't yours ?" said Horace, in a tone that rather surprised the limb of the law.
"Mine?
No.

What makes you ask that ?" he inquired.
"Only because I thought I'd like to know," said Horace artlessly.
Mr Shuckleford looked perplexed.

He didn't understand exactly what Horace meant, and yet, whatever it was, it put him off the thread of his discourse for a time.

So he changed the subject.
"I once thought of going into business myself," he said; "but they seemed to think I'd do better at the law.