I Forbid the Banns! — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE HABITS OF AQUATIC FOWL. 265 “That brings us well up to date,’’ said Lord Ashen- thorpe. ‘“‘You are to be thanked for having civilized Sir Ecroyd, Mrs. Charlton To be civilized is to unbend occa- sionally. I never knew him unbend before to-day. Will you not complete your conversion of him by coming to dine with us ex famille some night before next Thursday—the House, alas! resumes next Thursday?’’ Bertha looked at Julian, waiting for him to reply. He made no sign. “I don’t think that we have any engagements,’’ said she at length. ‘‘Have you any plans for the week, Julian?’’ ‘‘I cannot say at a moment’s notice,’’ he replied. ‘“‘I fear we may have to run up to town for some days.”’ ‘“My wife will write to-morrow,’’ said Lord Ashenthorpe. ‘‘It would be a great pleasure toeus all if you could come: Fairleigh must be civilized.”’ ‘‘Yes,’’ said Sir Ecroyd. ‘“‘I feel that it has become one of the necessities of life with me since I first tasted its sweet- ness half an hour ago. You will not be a party to my lapse, Mrs. Charlton. Do you know what it means to ‘go Fantee’ ?’’ ‘IT never heard the expression,’’ said Bertha. ‘‘The natives on the west coast of Africa become Chris- tians occasionally, when they have no other means of subsist- ence. They wear clothes—sometimes even coats, But the time comes when the old Adam is too strong for them, and they throw off everything wearable, and become wilder barbarians than they were originally. Will you see me ‘go Fantee’ before your eyes?”’ ‘Certainly not,’’ said Bertha. ‘‘I should run away.”’ ‘“Then you would live with the consciousness that some- where in the cold world a ‘gone Fantee’ man is wandering, whose fate you might have averted.”’ ‘‘All these speak like angels trumpet-tongued in favor of your dining with us,’’ said Lord Ashenthorpe. 9 CONMIELIOOKS (E(0)