His Grace — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

HIS GRACE. 126 adorned by two long scratches, as well as by various smears of mud. Miss St. George contemplated him with calm curi- osity. “ Have you insured your life?” I heard her inquire. And when he answered, laughing, that he had neg- lected that precaution, she returned: ‘“ Do you know, I don’t think I would neglect it any longer, if I were you.” He seemed to accept her observation as a compli- ment, very likely it may have presented itself to him in that light ; and while we were jogging along towards Kingstead Gorse, he was most assiduous in his atten- tions to her and superlative in his praises of the manner in which she had hitherto acquitted herself. Riding close behind them I caught occasional fragments of their dialogue which would have convinced me, if indeed any convincing process had been required, that he was making love to Lady Deverell’s niece with the uncom- promising thoroughness that was wont to characterize every action of his. Lady Deverell’s niece appeared to like it, and there was no reason to suppose that Miss St. George’s aunt would dislike it: because, after all, a duke is a duke, though he may have a cousin wealthier than himself. As for me, it was not to be expected of me that I should like-it: nor in truth, should I have liked it even if Nora had not, on an ill-starred day, come to take up her abode at Hurstbourne Castle: for, admi- rably adapted though Miss St. George was to adorn the station of a duchess, she did not strike me as being the sort of woman to render a kind-hearted, hot-tem- pered, matter-of-fact little man happy. — But the great merit of fox-hunting, as of all other Eomichboo (@) cS im