His Grace — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

182 HIS GRACE. should have to stay on in Berkeley Square; I was very uneasy about Hurstbourne and did not want to leave him, if I could possibly help it; yet supposing that I did stay, it would be almost impossible to resist the importunities of Lady Charles, unless I either told her the truth (which was out of the question), or could plead as an excuse that Lady Deverell, who, after all, had provided my sister with a home when we had been deprived of our own, possessed a prior claim upon Nora’s companionship. Actuated by these considerations, I said: “ Well, thank you; it is very good of you, and I will write to Nora about it. I. don’t know whether she is par- ticularly ambitious of coming up to London; but I am afraid I shall not be able to return north yet awhile.” “That is all settled then,” returned Lady Deverell, who appeared to think that the assent of the person chiefly concerned was a guantité négligeable. “She shall be made welcome, and I hope there is no necessity for me to assure you that I shall be very careful to avoid introducing her to anyone of whom your mother would have disapproved. Of course I am not responsible for her being already acquainted with the Duke of Hurstbourne.” | “IT should never dream of being so unjust as to hold you responsible for that calamity,” I answered ; “you can’t even prevent your own niece from dancing with the wicked duke, I observe.” I think Lady Deverell must have been deprived of her self-control by the episodes of the evening; for, in- stead of snubbing me, she said: “ Leila is an obstinate, contradictious fool!” Then she dived into her pocket, Gomichboo “S (E(0)