His Grace — page 177: what you’re looking at

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

Hl1S GRACE. 171 will admit now—won’t you?—that it is out of the question for me to go on living here.” I could not tell her that I thought she ought to re- main at Hurstbourne Castle, nor could I wish her to do so; allI could say was that I meant to make my home with her and that, when she left, we would leave together. After all, my present appointment, lucrative though it was, was not in every way satisfactory to me, and even if I did not obtain another immediately, we should not starve. I don’t think I said much more than that, because I knew what it must have cost her to speak out to me as she had done, and that no con- ceivable remark could be made upon the subject which would not pain her. “My dear Phil,” was her reply, “I would rather beg my bread from door to door than let you leave the duke, and itisn’t only for your sake thatI sayso. He must have somebody to look after his affairs, and if you desert him, he will make straight for the Bankruptcy Court. I amvery grateful to you for wishing to sacri- fice yourself and him in order to suit my convenience ; but I shouldn’t be in the least bit grateful if you were actually to do anything so insane.”’ We argued the point for some little time ; but neither of us, I think, really shook the resolution of the other. However, I so far got the best of the argument that I obtained Nora’s consent to a temporary prolongation of existing arrangements. Hurstbourne was not at all likely to revisit his estates for another six months, and during his absence there was no reason why she should not remain with me. That she was anxious to turn her back upon a place which must always be full of pain- ful associations for her I could well understand; but I ¢om t = \ C boo cS (E(o) mM