I Forbid the Banns! — page 373: what you’re looking at

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

ON THE EMBANKMENT. 363 Julian followed him to the room. ‘It held an aroma of tobacco. It was liberally furnished with blue-books; but the visitor did not fail to notice that the latest of Paul Bourget’s novels lay, face downwards, across the arm of an armchair at a window. “You are not such a fool as to go in for politics, Mr. Charlton?”’ said Sir Ecroyd, sweeping a pile of blue-books off.a chair which he placed at the disposal of his visitor. “ No,” said Julian mechanically, “no.” He was beginning to wonder why he had come here. So was Sir Ecroyd. ‘You are right, indeed,” resumed the minister. ‘The time is fast approaching when it will be the same in Eng- land as it is in America—politics will be exclusively in the hands of the rabble.”’ “Sir Ecroyd,” said Julian suddenly, “I have come to talk to you about my wife.”’ Sir Ecroyd’s expression did not change to the extent of a hair’s breadth. ‘‘T beg your pardon,” said he; “your “My wife,” repeated Julian boldly. ‘“T did not know that you were a married man,” said the minister. ‘Vou know what my relations were with the lady who is accepted in the world as Mrs. Charlton,” said Julian. ‘TI have always regarded her as my wife. She told me that you understood our relations and sympathized with her views.” “So I did—so I do.” ‘‘We need not discuss the question now. I mean to be frank with you, Sir Ecroyd. She has left me; you were the last person with whom she spoke; I come to ask you if she said anything that would lead vou to believe that she contemplated this step—if she said anything that would suggest to you where she meant to go. I must find her—I must find her, and bring her back to her home.” 99 EOMMIC LOOKS. EC)