His Grace — page 121: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

HIS GRACE. Ne 3 in transactions which a grand seigneur would feel to be impossible for him.” I hardly know how he managed to convey to us the impression that in his opinion Hurstbourne’s position was absurdly incompatible with that of a grand seigneur; but such was the impression that he did convey, and he conveyed several others equally unflattering into the bargain: so it was no wonder that, after a time, a fine natural color asserted itself through Lady Charles’s powder and rouge, or that Nora affected to be pro- foundly interested in the contents of a book which she had snatched up at random from the table. Those plants seemed to require a great deal of ex- amination. I believe that I am guilty of no exaggera- tion when [ say that a good solid hour had elapsed before Lady Deverell lost patience and requested that a servant might be despatched in search of her niece. “Leila is a most good-natured girl,” said she, “ but I doubt whether she knows anything at all about botany, and I really think she has been victimized long enough, Besides, it is high time for us to be going.” Mr. Gascoigne rose with alacrity and offered to start in quest of the truants; but Lady Charles said we would all go, and the upshot of it was that we all went. Through the conservatories we trooped, a grim and silent phalanx, Lady Charles leading the way and the rest of us following ; we visited the palm-house and the intermediate houses and hot-houses and even the stove- house, where the big Farleyense is; but nowhere were we rewarded by a sign ora trace of our quarry! At last, somebody—the humble writer of these lines, per- haps, put forward a timid suggestion that it might be worth: while to draw the stables; and in the stable. Gomicbhoo cS im