His Grace — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

58 HIS GRACE. Mr. Burgess was anxious to ascertain my wishes with regard to the funeral, and also displayed what struck me as a rather premature curiosity as to the disposition of my poor mother’s scanty fortune. I answered his questions upon the former point ; respecting the latter I was unable to give him any immediate information, and he went away, after expressing some dissatisfac- tion at Nora’s refusal to accord him an interview. He said he hoped she was not meeting affliction in a rebel- lious spirit, and I replied that, to the best of my belief, she was not, but that I could not have her disturbed for the present. He did not allude to his engagement, nor did I deem it incumbent upon me to make any reference to that subject. But of course I had to speak to Nora about it.. Not until after our mother’s body had been laid in its last resting-place, beneath the shadow of the old gray church- tower, were plans for the future mooted by either of us; but on the succeeding morning it was plain that we must no longer shirk what was almost sure to be a painful discussion. By that time we knew the provi- sions of the will which Uncle John, who came down from London to attend the funeral, informed us had been drawn up under his instructions and advice. A sum of £1,000 was to be held in trust for Nora, while the remainder of the personalty, amounting in all to something under £9,000, was bequeathed to me. Uncle John said the arrangement was a fair and usual one ; and perhaps it was so, although it had the obvious drawback of leaving practically unprovided for, a per- son who was not only incapable of providing for her- self, but was a great deal too proud to allow her brother to provide for her. com (@) boo “S