I Forbid the Banns! — page 372: what you’re looking at

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

362 ‘7 FORBID THE BANNS!” “ Hallo, Charlton, what on earth can bring you to this grimy place, when you might be on horseback in the park ? Good Lord, man, are you a fool to take an interest in the rabble that are babbling and bickering inside that den?” ‘T have come to see Sir Ecroyd Fairleigh,” said Julian. “TI suppose he is in the House ?”’ ‘He is either in his own room or in the library,”’ said the member. ‘I'll find him for you. The arrangements here are so miserable that if you want to send a message—if only to a pressman in the gallery—you must trust ittoa policeman, who trusts it to a telegraph boy ; now and again Y understand that a message has reached its destination after an hour or two. You have not made an appointment with the annexator-general ?”’ “No; but I think he will see me, if you are good enough to tell him that I am anxious for an interview.” “ All right; come along with me. I feel when anyone respectable comes here—it’s not often—like the acting manager of a theater when a bad piece is being played and some innocent acquaintance begs the favor of an order for the upper circle. We play damn bad pieces at this show of ours, and the privilege of giving orders to the performance is an empty one.” | The light-hearted legislator left Julian in the outer lobby, and went off into the privileged regions beyond. He returned in a few minutes with the Minister of Annexation, and then hurried off to elude the Whip, whom he saw med- itating a series of inquiries. ‘‘T hope you will pardon my coming to you on a private matter, Sir Ecroyd,”’ said Julian. ‘I knew that I should have no chance of seeing you at Piccadilly,”’ “T am very pleased, Mr. Charlton,” said the minister. * Will you come to the room I have succeeded in annexing for myself? It cost me more trouble than the acquisition of the entire Calipash Archipelago.” (EMMI! KS (EC)