His Grace — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

HIS GRACE. 269 protector of my only sister. Nora, when she came to make her necessary confession to me, was pleased to carry things off with a very high hand. She told me in so many words that she didn’t care an atom whether her conduct struck me as inconsequent or not; she said her life was her own and she had a right to do as she pleased with it ; furthermore she took the liberty to insinuate that, if I didn’t consider the Duke of Hurst- bourne to be one of the noblest and most exemplary of contemporary magnates, I must have singularly misused the opportunities which had been granted to me of studying his character. “My dear girl,” I ventured to remonstrate, “ you surely can’t have forgotten that your swan was a goose only the other day! Who deplored his unfortunate weakness? Who urged her brother to act as a benev- olent mentor to him? Who was never weary of im- pressing upon me that he would always be sure to do what those about him did ?” | “ T never called him a goose,” she affirmed unblush- ingly. “I did think that he was liable to be deceived ; and it is just because he is so much better and simpler than commonplace folks like you and me that he was in danger of being taken in. Only he hasn’t been, you see.” | . “I’m not so sure about that,” I returned. “ If he hasn’t been taken in by you, you may depend upon it that most people will say he has.” “Tet them!” answered Nora, with her chin in the air ; “we can very well afford to despise them and their — ill-natured tittle-tattle. So long as 4e is satisfied and Lady Charles is satisfied, they’ may say anything they like, for me. Of course I want you to be satisfied too, Eomichooks:-c m