I Forbid the Banns! — page 388: what you’re looking at

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

378 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” had only to apologize for the absence of Mrs. Charlton, who had, unfortunately, he said, been so knocked up with the unaccustomed festivities of the past few weeks that her doctor had ordered her without a moment’s delay back to Brackenshire. The loneliness of driving in his brougham to and from the house where the entertainment took place was appall- ing to him; but much more appalling was the loneliness of his house when he returned. He had been accustomed to smoke a cigarette by the side of Bertha on returning with her every night, while they chatted about the toilets, the music, the guests—it had been delightful, until that mad- ness had taken hold of him. How could he ever have said a word of unkindness to her, he asked himself as he now sat alone in his bedroom. Sir Ecroyd had confessed that he had been in love with her from the day he met her at Lady Ashenthorpe’s garden party ; and he had declared that he meant to try to induce her to marry him. Only for a moment did a jealous pang shoot through Charlton. ‘Then he was able to smile, as he contemplated the possibility of the minister succeeding. He could not entertain a doubt of her now. Even though he knew that he had behaved with incon- ceivable brutality to her he believed that she would forgive him. He recalled what Sir Ecroyd had told him regarding the horrible insult to which she had been subjected by the scoundrel whose punishment he had witnessed. What a fool he had been to fancy—no, not to fancy—only to fancy that he fancied that the troubled expression which she wore on that night was due to some other cause than that horri- ble incident about which Sir Ecroyd had spoken to him! The unhappy girl! Instead of having such comforting words spoken to her by the man whom she had trusted with all her soul as should make her forget the insult that had Eomichooksnue