His Grace — page 257: what you’re looking at

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

HIS GRACE. 2cr hisreturn. As for eternal disgrace, that was nonsense ; since he really didn’t want to marry Miss St. George, he might safely count, I thought, upon the silence of Lady Deverell and his cousin. “My dear fellow, they may have the whole story printed in the form of a leaflet and stand at Hyde Park Corner, distributing copies to the passers-by all day long, if they choose,” he returned; ‘‘the disgrace is in there being such a story to tell, not in its being told.” “Yet, for the sake of destroying the evidence, you have risked getting yourself and me into a horrible mess,” I remarked, with a shade of irritation. ‘“ Why on earth did you do that?” “Now that you ask me, I hardly know. I suppose I wanted to show Paul Gascoigne that, if it came to bullying, two could play at that game. Very likely, as you say, he and that old woman will hold their tongues now; but it makes no difference, because I shan’t be able to hold mine. I mean I shall always have to con- fess the truth to anybody whom I—well, to anybody whose opinion signifies. You are good enough to de- clare that you wouldn’t hold a man responsible for his father’s misdeeds; but you admitted, when I asked you, that no girl who respected herself would marry the son of a forger.” “‘T never said that,” I replied ; “I said I didn’t think Miss St. George would accept you ; but it is no longer a question of Miss St. George, thank Heaven! It will be time enough to bother yourself when there comes to be a question of somebody else; but that won't be yet awhile, I hope. The truth is that you are too young and (considering your rank) too poor to think of marrying at present,” Gomicboo cS (E(0) m