I Forbid the Banns! — page 378: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER L. ON PARLIAMENT AND THE PADDED ROOM. ULIAN CHARLTON went out of the room without | another word. When the minister found himself alone he went slowly to the armchair at the window, and, having seated himself, sent his eyes wandering over the river beneath the ter- race. The river at this place is like the interior of the House of Commons—it contains nothing that has a tend- ency to divert thought from any particular subject upon which thought may be directed. If the interior contained anything that might cause thought to be less concentrated upon a subject than it is at present, the Sarey Gamp and Betsy Prig form of debate, which is the model of the rep- resentatives of the people at their best just now, would become the Cesar and Pompey style of a Carolina cot- ton field. This would be a degeneration—yes, to some extent. Sir Ecroyd watched the shining river—it shines where the tar buckets have been washed—and his thoughts took a certain course. It had happened—the event which he had laid his plans to bring about had happened. He meant that the man who had just left the room, and the woman of whom he had been talking, should be separated, and the separation had occurred. He knew perfectly well how it had occurred. Hewas as certain of the accuracy of his belief on this point as he was 368 GoOmMmichbooks (E(@)