I Forbid the Banns! — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

98 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” Cyril Southcote was actually ashamed of himself—for close upon a minute and a half ; then he lay back in his chair, looked at Charlton, and laughed. But while Charlton was having his smoke on the bridge, in pursuing the policy of disarming suspicion among the passengers, Miss Lancaster was honored with three pro- posals of marriage inside the space of an hour and a half. This is rather over than under the average to which young women have to submit in the course of a contemplative even- ing. But then all young women are not blessed with an income of their own amounting to over ten thousand pounds a year. If they were, the returns of the Registrar General bearing upon spinsterhood would present a healthier appear- ance than they do just now. The Parliamentary Nuisance—the disguise of the indi- vidual under this name is perfect ; for who could identify a cat from being told simply that the animal was white ?— approached the girl’s seat almost immediately after dinner ; and in the course of his conversation remarked that if he could induce Miss Lancaster to become his wife, the future of the International Gallery of Photography might be regarded as certain. Miss Lancaster assured him that, though the prospect was fascinating, still circumstances pre- cluded the possibility of her assisting the Nuisance in the capacity in which he had suggested she might appear by his side. On hearing his fate he was downcast for some time ; but his nature, naturally sanguine, had been rendered still more callous to rebuffs through his being called to order by the Speaker almost every time that he got up to address the House ; and he left Miss Lancaster’s side assuring her that he would hope. The place which he had vacated was almost immediately occupied by the interpreter of “ Alice in Wonderland.” He Gomichookssco m