His Grace — page 278: what you’re looking at

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

272 HIS GRACE. would shortly take place between Mr. Paul Gascoigne, M. P., the nephew and residuary legatee of the late Duke of Hurstbourne, and Miss Leila St. George, whose claim to take rank amongst the prominent beauties of the expiring season had been universally admitted. When this very impertinent and mendacious news- paper fell into the hands of Lady Charles, her indigna- tion was extreme. She was for having the editor beaten within an inch of his life forthwith, and ex- pressed great astonishment that Hurstbourne and I, who were so ready to inflict personal chastisement upon people whom we didn’t like, should hesitate to beard such a scurrilous rascal in his editorialden. ‘ ‘Obscure origin’ indeed! And you stand smiling there, Mr. Martyn, as if you thought it rather’a good joke that your sister should be publicly insulted ! ” ‘“‘ But suppose the insulting statement should be true?” I suggested—“suppose our great-grandfather should have been, as I strongly suspect that he was, an altogether obscure individual? No, my dear Lady Charles, we had better not dispute our obscurity; but we may give this imaginative writer the lie by showing that we really don’t covet notoriety. If Hurstbourne will take my advice, he will get his wedding over very quickly and quietly and leave England immediately afterwards.” Upon that point Nora was quite of one mind with me ; she wished, if that could be managed, that her wedding should take place with the utmost secrecy at Dover or Folkestone an hour or so before the departure of one of the channel boats. But Hurstbourne demurred a little. He said he didn’t see why they should be married in a hole-and-corner way, as if they were (E(0) GOmiGchbooks