He is the life and soul of it; the energy comes from him, though others higher in the scale may be the nominal heads.

And the nominal heads, knowing that he can be relied upon politically, are grateful, and give him their good word freely.

He hunts, and is a welcome companion--the meet frequently takes place at his house, or some of the huntsmen call for lunch; in fact, the latter is an invariable thing.
Everybody calls for lunch who happens to pass near any day; the house has a reputation for hospitality.

He is the clergyman's right hand--as in managing the school committee.

When the bishop comes to the confirmation, he is introduced as 'my chief lay supporter.' At the Rural Diaconal Conference, 'my chief supporter' is one of the lay speakers.