His Grace — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

HIS GRACE. 63 was leading “a profligate life” and hoping that I should ere long sever my connection with one whose example could not but be injurious to me. I replied that the risk of contagion was compara- tively slight, seeing that the greater part of his time had been spent and was likely to be spent away from Hurstbourne Castle ; after which I effected a change of subject. I could not quarrel with the woman whose helping hand I had just taken on my sister’s behalf, nor could I very well help quarrelling with her if I allowed her to calumniate my friend any farther. I had, however, made up my mind, on other grounds than those so charitably urged by Lady Deverell, that I must resign the post which I heid at Hurstbourne Castle. What my future occupation was to be I hardly | knew (I am afraid I must confess that I had some thought of earning a living by my pen) ; but my first duty clearly was to secure a humble home in London and re- move Noratoit. She could not refuse to keep house for me even though she would not hear of putting her fingers into my purse. Nevertheless, she would, I knew, have refused to let me give up my present employment on her account, and for that reason I refrained from telling her what I proposed to do. A few days later we parted. We had only been yearly tenants of our cottage, for which a new occupant was found without difficulty; the furniture was to be sold by auction, and such of our belongings as we had been unwilling to relinquish had, by Lady Deverell’s permission, been transported to the lumber-room at Fern Hill. “T suppose the next time I shall see you will be on my wedding day, Phil,” Nora said rather wistfully Gomicboo 5 (C0) m