I Forbid the Banns! — page 279: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE HABITS OF AQUATIC FOWL, 269 under secretary with a heart. Lady Ashenthorpe is com- ing toward us.”’ ‘‘Here is Ecroyd Fairleigh, Grace,’’ said Lord Ashen- — thorpe; ‘‘and he has been feeding the ducks and the drakes in the pond all the afternoon by the side of Mrs. Charlton.’’ ‘That was very pretty on the part of Sir Ecroyd,’’ said Lady Ashenthorpe. “And on the part of Mrs. Charlton,’’ said the minister. ‘“No doubt; but you cannot guess what I have been hear- ing regarding that charming young person. She is not married to Mr. Charlton.”’ ‘““What!’’ cried Lord Ashenthorpe. ‘‘She is no more married to him thanI am. She holds certain terribly advanced theories regarding marriage, and all that sort of thing, and she and Mr. Charlton made it up between them on the steamer that brought them from the Cape that they would not go through any ceremony of mar- riage. How amusing, is it not?’’ ‘“Amusing? Good God! Grace, I have just insisted on their coming to dine with us some night next week.”’ Lady Ashenthorpe’s smile vanished. Lord Ashenthorpe looked imploringly toward Sir Ecroyd. Sir Ecroyd’s face was as impassive as it always was when the opposition were clamoring for a complete explanation regarding the treatment of the aborigines in some newly annexed territory. ‘By Heavens,’’ thought Lord Ashenthorpe, ‘‘that man is thinking that he has achance of marrying that bright young thing yet.’’ And so he was. comicbooks (C6)