His Grace — page 244: what you’re looking at

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

238 HIS GRACE. that I had to do with gentlemen; you have chosen to take what I should have imagined to be an impossibly base advantage of my error. Well and good; but you cannot close my lips, and I believe that, among gentle- men, my account of this fracas will be accepted rather than yours.” “T think, you know,” said I to Hurstbourne, “that that can’t be called an unfair way of putting the case. Mr. Gascoigne had no business to hold a pistol to your head ; but you had no business to ask leave to examine his weapon and then destroy it. You have both been in the wrong: can’t you both contrive to put yourselves in the right again by a compact which will injure neither of you? I donot understand Mr. Gascoigne to say that he himself contemplates marrying Miss St. George, but only that his regard for her will not permit him to let her marry you. Why, then, should it not be agreed that, so far as you and he are concerned, Miss St. George shall remain a spinster? It seems to me Ks ‘My good Martyn,” interrupted Hurstbourne impa- tiently, “ you mean well, but you talk greatnonsense. I'll fight fairly with any man who offers to fight me fairly ; but when he tries to stab me in the back I[’ll beat him the best way I can. I don’t care two straws whether this fellow calls me dishonorable or not; let him sum- mons me or take any other measure that he likes ; it’s all one to me. Now I’ve done what I came here to do, and I’m going away.” Paul Gascoigne made no attempt to intercept him, as he moved towards the door, but merely remarked : “You won’t carry your point. You have forfeited all claim to indulgence from me, and even if I were dis- posed to let you escape scot-free, Lady Deverell would <S (E(@) Gomicboo