I Forbid the Banns! — page 273: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE HABITS OF ACQUATIC FOWL. 263 ‘Why, your travels have made you cynical, Charlton,”’ said Lord Ashenthorpe. They parted the graceful boughs and got beneath the dome of leaves. ‘‘Hallo! what’s this?’’ cried the under secretary. They were standing alone under the shade of the ash. The seat around the trunk bore neither Bertha nor Sir Ecroyd. ‘“The portfolio of the Annexation Department is no honorary one,’’ remarked Julian. ‘You said that Fairleigh was here with your wife. Perhaps it was another ash—there are plenty of ashes at Ashmead.’’ ‘‘And dust,’’ said Julian. ‘‘Yes, I saw them on their way here's ‘“They have gone elsewhere since then—so much is cer- tain,’’ said the host. ‘‘Let us try some of the summer- houses.”’ Charlton allowed himself to be led away by Lord Ashen- thorpe in the direction of a summerhouse, almost wholly concealed among the thick laurels of one of the mounds arti- ficially introduced by the landscape gardener who had planned Ashmead. A young couple were sitting within the summerhouse, doing their best not to look guilty. Charlton wondered if the parliamentary experience of the Minister of the Annexation Department would stand him in good stead were he to try and look comparatively innocent. ‘“These summerhouses, Charlton,’’said Lord Ashenthorpe, hurrying away, ‘‘have brought about more matches than the most designing of matrons. My wife said it would be an insult to your host to avoid making love in nooks such as these. Now where can those young things be?’’ They were not in any of the summerhouses—the search for them in these nooks caused much incidental swearing among the temporary settlers. (E(0) E@ONMNIELOOKS