He was not a timid snob, a little ashamed of being impressed by his betters, nor a snob that sought the intimacy of persons who had acquired celebrity in politics or notoriety in the arts, nor a snob who was dazzled by riches, he was the naked, unadulterated common snob who dearly loved a lord. He was touchy and quick tempered, but he would much rather been snubbed by a person of quality than flattered by a commoner. His name figured insignificantly in Burke’s peerage, and it was marvellous to watch the ingenuity he used to mention his distant relationship to the noble family he belonged to; but never a word did he say of the honest Liverpool manufacturer from whom, through his mother, a Miss Gibbins, he had come by his fortune.
W. Somerset Maugham, “The Outstation”, 1926
