His Grace — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

HIS GRACE. 153 it was directed in a feminine hand. Lady Charles had shown it to me, inquiring whether the handwriting was Lady Deverell’s, and I had replied that it was not. The inference was obvious. So we were in a position toform our own conclusions when Hurstbourne, after reading that letter, said, “ Let’s see ; what day is it that they want me to open their beastly library? Oh, Thursday. H’m !—well, I sup- pose I had better swallow the pill and go. Compose a suitable speech for me, Martyn, will you, like a good chap? Chuck in a good lot of classical allusions and tags of poetry and all that, you know. If one is to do the thing at all, one may as well do it properly.” I said I would do my best. I assumed, and so, no doubt, did Lady Charles, that Miss St. George was to be present at the projected ceremony; but that we were both mistaken seemed to be proved by Hurst- bourne’s reply to the remark which his mother could not resist making, after an interval of expectation :— “You have heard from Lavenham, I see. What has Paul Gascoigne got to say to you?”’ “Oh, my letter wasn’t from him,” answered Hurst- bourne, with a somewhat exaggerated air of indiffer- ence; “it was from Miss St.George. She writes about a dog that I promised that I would try to get for her. She and her aunt are going south in a day or two; so I’m afraid I shan’t be able to execute the commission before they start.”’ All the same, he did contrive to execute it, and on the following Thursday we took a very handsome and well-bred little Halifax terrier to.the station with us, In the interim I had composed a speech for my noble patron, which I flatter myself was really brilliant and cS (E(0) m Gomichoo