His Grace — page 276: what you’re looking at

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

270 HIS GRACE. Phil,” she added, by way of a complimentary after. thought. My satisfaction was not, I own, wholly unalloyed. It is a proud thing, no doubt, to be the brother-in-law of a duke; yet, notwithstanding the fine independence of one’s temperament and principles, there are certain accusations for which one would rather not afford an ex- cuse, and I could hear in advance the pleasant speeches which would be made when it should transpire that this duke was about to espouse the sister of his factotum. Moreover, I didn’t for a moment believe that they would manage to keep out of debt. It was all very fine to talk about living on second floors ; but to live on the second floor of the Hotel Bristol in Paris, for example (and that was just the sort of thing that Hurstbourne would do), a man ought to have an income of at least £5,000, and what I wanted him to do was to live for three or four years upon considerably less than half that sum. However, I was very soon made aware that any remonstrances of mine would be regarded as pure impertinences ; so I hardened my heart and endeav- ored to persuade myself that my skin was thick enough, or ought to be thick enough, to with- stand pin-pricks. Lady Charles, for her part, was so kind as to assure me that she did not hold me in the least to blame for what had occurred. She added that she had a strong personal affection for her future daughter-in-law and that, although Arthur might have done better, he might easily have done worse. “When you come to think of it, his father married me,” she remarked, with a quaint touch of humility which I did not feel entitled to resent. As regards those pin-pricks, I may say that I received Gomichboo Ss) (E(0) m