His Grace — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

66 | HIS GRACE. of you; and for about three quarters of the year you'll have it to yourselves. I tell you plainly, Martyn, that I shall think it deuced unfriendly of you if you leave me in the lurch like this at a moment’s warning, and you will hardly be such an old humbug as to pretend that I shall lay you under any obligation by offer- ing your sister house-room. You know as well as any- body that the amount of food which a young lady is likely to consume won’t make a perceptible difference in the cost of keeping up the establishment.” That, of course, was a statement which could not be controverted; but I pointed out to him that the extent of an obligation is not always to be measured by the standard of pounds, shillings and pence, and sincerely though I was touched by his kindness, I felt compelled to decline it. He argued with me for the best part of an hour, and I had some ado to resist appeals the force of which I could not help inwardly acknowledging. However, I did resist them, and at length he jumped up suddenly and made for the door, halting upon the threshold to say, “‘ Stay where you are ; I’ll be with you again in half a second.” He did not return quite so soon as that ; but I don’t think more than twenty minutes had elapsed before he re-entered the room, dragging after him a lady who appeared to have arrayed herself somewhat hurriedly in a lace-bordered dressing-gown and whose golden locks were piled on to the top of her head after a fash- ion which displayed the silver undergrowth only too plainly to the amazed beholder. “ Don’t look at me, Mr. Martyn!” exclaimed Lady Charles, who, like the good-natured soul that she was, was evidently almost as much tickled as vexed at be Gomichoo cS) (El) nm