He, too, was shocked, as I had
been, and at first would have put the blame entirely upon the
shoulders of Cousin Egbert, but at this I was obliged to admit that
the Honourable George had too often shown a regrettable fondness for
the society of persons that did not matter, especially females, and I
cited the case of the typing-girl and the Brixton millinery person,
with either of whom he would have allied himself in marriage had not
his lordship intervened. Belknap-Jackson was quite properly horrified
at these revelations.
"Has he no sense of 'Noblesse oblige'?" he demanded, at which I quoted
the result of my own use of this phrase to the unfortunate man. Quite
too plain it was that "Noblesse oblige!" would never stop him from
yielding to his baser impulses.
"We must be tactful, then," remarked Belknap-Jackson. "Without
appearing to oppose him we must yet show him who is really who in Red
Gap. We shall let him see that we have standards which must be as
rigidly adhered to as those of an older civilization. I fancy it can
be done."
Privately I fancied not, yet I forbore to say this or to prolong the
painful interview, particularly as I was due at the United States
Grill.
The _Recorder_ of that morning had done me handsomely, declaring
my opening to have been a social event long to be remembered, and
describing the costumes of a dozen or more of the smartly gowned
matrons, quite as if it had been an assembly ball.
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