His Grace — page 165: what you’re looking at

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

HIS GRACE. 159 I concurred promptly and cordially in his sentiments, as did also the ladies, and I believe that all three of us inquired at one and the same moment when he proposed to start. He did not seem to be in the least affronted by our alacrity, but answered : “Well, there isn’t much time to be lost, and if to- morrow won't be too soon for you, mother, I’ll just fire off a telegram to tell them that they may expect us and I’ll see about arranging for the removal of the horses.” ‘““So we are going to get rid of those good people at last ; how glad you must be!” I remarked subsequently to Nora, and perhaps it was not a very kind speech to make, though, as all the world knows, cruelty is some- times kinder than kindness, She looked me full in the face and replied com- posedly: “I am not glad at all; I am very sorry. You see, when I told you that I hoped they wouldn’t stay long, I didn’t know what good people they were.” I suppose she understood me, and I suppose she guessed that I understood her; but for the moment it seemed expedient to say nomore. If plainer language was to be resorted to, there would be time enough for that after the disturber of our peace should have de- parted ; for the present my chief anxiety was that she should maintain her self-control, which might have been shaken, had I forced her into making the most humil- lating avowal that a woman can make. It came within the range of my duty to extort a humiliating avowal from Hurstbourne that evening. I had to tell him that, unless I were made more fully acquainted with the state of his affairs than I had hitherto been, it would be impossible for me to frame my annual budget upon anything like sound financial GComicboo cS (E(0) m