I Forbid the Banns! — page 257: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE SMILE AND THE FROWN. 247 son of the Marquis of Brackenshire, and he was one of the members for the county. He had gained a reputation with the government for being the best man to bewilder in amaze of words any member of the opposition who asked an awk- ward question. Sucha giftis becoming more valuable every day in the House of Commons; consequently the value of Lord Ashenthorpe was appreciably increasing in the eyes of the government. They had even some thought of making him Chief Secretary for Ireland, in order to prevent the possi- bility of his faculty becoming dull through disuse. It would be certain to remain bright if he were to become Chief Secre- tary for Ireland. He declined to accept the Irish portfolio. It wasall very well for aman who was a bachelor, who was short-sighted, and who could look back on a youth well spent in the study of Christian evidences and golf to yawn the Irish members into a frenzy. For his part, Lord Ashenthorpe declared that, having none of these qualifications for success as chief secretary—he could not even yawn at will—he preferred remaining in a humbler sphere of usefulness. The county made an imposing display at the garden party. Lord Ashenthorpe could not afford to neglect anyone who had electioneering interest. He looked forward to the time when all the licensed victualers within the constituency would be invited to such a function as a garden party, and when the chiefs of the miners’ trade organization would be found choosing their partners for lawn tennis. He felt certain that if he could only get the leaders of the temper- ance party down toa garden party at Ashmead, he could convince them that he was perfectly sound on _ local option; but he also knew that the temperance leaders are more objectionable socially than the heads of the miners’ organization whom he hoped to convince as to his sound- ness on the eight hours’ question. He believed that he could make them think that he was sound even on a seven (EMPMIGLYOOLKS (EC) m