I Forbid the Banns! — page 301: what you’re looking at

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

ON FRENCH PORCELAIN. 201 He saw how interested Bertha was as Sir Ecroyd made some critical remarks regarding Watteau and the limitations of his art—in what degree he was influenced by the artifi- cial taste around him, and in what measure he influenced the taste of the period of such art. Sir Ecroyd was well known to be an authority on Sévres porcelain. He was an authority on a considerable number of matters. Indeed, a certain scurrilous print—it was subsidized by the opposi- tion—had declared that, so varied was his information, if he knew a little about statesmanship, there would be no topic upon which he would remain completely uninformed. Bertha was greatly interested, Julian could see ; and he felt himself once more at the mercy of that demon which had exercised its power over him upon previous occasions —the demon that was accustomed to whisper into his ear those words : “She is not yours—she is bound to you by no tie—she may walk out of this house with that man, and you have no authority to prevent her.” He contrived to lead Lord Ashenthorpe up the room, still exclaiming against the prying habits of such papers as Thistledown. Sir Ecroyd was standing with his back turned to the lower part of the room and his face turned to Bertha, and the words that Julian heard him say were these : “Vou will come, Iam sure. It will be such a pleasure to me. Everyone knows my house in Piccadilly.” ‘‘T shall be delighted, indeed,’ was Bertha’s reply, and it seemed to Julian that it was spoken in a low tone. “ Ah, you have been examining the Sévres,’ said Lord Ashenthorpe. ‘I told Fairleigh about the jars, Charlton. He was most anxious to see your Sévres. I told him that you had jars.” “What family has not occasionally ?”’ said Charlton, with a smile. He flattered himself that no one could detect that he was under the influence of that sneering demon. CONNIELOOKS;: (E@)