His Grace — page 200: what you’re looking at

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

194 HIS GRACE. evening, of the disappointment inflicted upon him by the rigid old chaperon in question. ‘She says she don’t approve of racing, and her con- science won’t allow her to take her niece toa race- course,” he grunted. “Did you ever hear such rub- bish! I told her she needn’t come unless she liked, because my mother would look after Miss St. George just as well as she could; but she wouldn’t give in. Only she said she wasn’t entitled to dictate to your sister; so I hope Miss Nora will join us. Miss Nora is such a good sportswoman that she’s sure to enjoy herself ever so much more than we poor devils, who can’t always afford to wish for the victory of the best horse, can expect todo. Besides, between you and me, I shouldn’t be sorry to get her out of this hurly-burly for a bit. You choose to shut yourself up, and you don’t see what’s going on; but I tell you I don’t half like the way in which some of these fellows are running after your sister. Old fellows too, a good many of them. And she’s inexperienced; you know, and there’s nobody to give her a hint or a caution, except that worldly-religious dowager—Ah, my dear Martyn, what a dog-hole of a world this is, and what asses we all are to live in the midst of it, when we might have lived outside it and been healthy and happy and jolly! ” I was not much surprised when Nora declined to avail herself of the somewhat inadequate loophole of escape from the fashionable world offered to her by a visit to Ascot. She said that, although she might not be under Lady Deverell’s orders, she was living in Lady Deverell’s house and ought to respect the prejudices of her temporary guardian—which sounded reasonable Gomichoo <S (E(0) m