His Grace — page 39: what you’re looking at

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

HIS GRACE. 33 not, as I gathered, been suggested or promoted by her ; Lady Deverell and Mr. Burgess appeared to have done the courtship between them, and the responsibility of having brought it to a successful issue rested upon them, in so far as it did not rest upon Nora herself. “ But the whole thing has really been my own doing, Phil,” Nora declared, when I gave expression to the above sentiment before taking leave of her. “I don’t want to beg my bread, and I don’t know how to earn it; so i She shrugged her shoulders and made a grimace which, I daresay, was intended to convince me what a heartless and selfish little cynic she was. That was not the impression produced upon me by it, for her eyes were swimming in tears, and I knew her too well to suspect her of heartlessness or selfish- ness; but what could I do, except answer in a hurried and shamefaced manner that I supposed beggars must not be choosers? If I had spoken kindly to her, she would only have broken down, which would have done neither her nor me nor my mother any good. As I said before, I was resolved not to let her marry old Burgess; but I believe I was wrong in hinting, at the end of the last chapter, that she herself had any ar- riere-pensée in the matter, beyond a not unpardonable desire to put off the evil day as long as might be. The sacrifice which she contemplated is one which is made by hundreds—thousands, perhaps—of women every year, and since the results are seldom openly tragic, no doubt their examples encourage the others. I should not think, however, that there can be many men to whom the idea of marriage without love is anything short of inherently repulsive. 3 Gomichoo CSG