His Grace — page 230: what you’re looking at

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224 HIS GRACE. much humiliation as I can bear; he has reached the end of my patience. I shouldn’t so much have minded his dancing with me and sitting out dances with me and all that, if he hadn’t thought it necessary to play the whole comedy. It wasn’t necessary. He might just as well have talked about hunting or about any- thing else that would have given us the appearance of being deeply interested in one another ; but, instead of that, he must needs say things which—vwell, I am not going to let him speak to me again as he spoke this evening, even to keep him out of the reach of Miss St. George’s clutches.” This was pleasant hearing for an already irate brother. 1 was about to demand a fuller explanation when Hurstbourne himself ran breathlessly up the last flight of stairs to join us. . “So there you are, Miss Nora!” he exclaimed; “I hope you feel ashamed of yourself. You can’t have forgotten that you promised me the dance which is just over.” “Ts it over?” she returned. “Then I may as well sit down again.” And she suited the action to the word. “ Phil and I are enjoying ourselves together,” she added; “ we mustn’t keep you in this remote spot, or you won't be able to find your partner for the next dance.” He stared at her with a comical mixture of surprise and penitence. “What have I done?” he asked. “Why am I to be first thrown over and then kicked downstairs ?” One often laughs when one is not feeling particularly merry. His phrase brought to my memory a familiar quotation the first words of which struck me as so pain- Gomichboo m