I think Simcox will treat the suggest with suitable contempt, and when he passes the message on to Alec, he will do so in a way that relates to Alec that Simcox thinks he's been treated well above his station in life. But, of course, Maurice is master whilst Clive is in absentia so he has to get on and do it. Much gritted teeth, though, I imagine...

Hmm, I disagree about the 'friend' reference. I think Alec does get it, perhaps not when Maurice says it, but when he meets Maurice at the boathouse at the end of the book, I think he knows he's thrown everything in for this chance to be with a 'friend' for life. I also disagree that it's a Uni/Classics reference, simply because it predates that time and as youngster it was Maurice who lacked the frame of reference of what the 'friend' actually meant, and didn't realise that it was a 'life partner' he was looking for ( and meaning) until much later.