He meant to devote himself to literature and politics.
'Is not that rather vague ?' inquired her ladyship.
'Everything is vague at first.' 'But literature now--as an amusement, no doubt, it is delightful--but as a profession--does literature ever pay ?' 'There have been such cases.' 'Yes, I suppose so.

Walter Scott, Gibbon, Macaulay, Froude, those made money no doubt.

But there is a suspicion of hopelessness in the idea of a young man starting in life intending to earn his bread by literature.
One remembers Chatterton.

I should have thought that in your case the law or the church would have been better.

In the latter Maulevrier might have been useful to you.