In the code of the Stanwood Cobbolds of this world there is a commandment which stands out above all others, written in large letters, and those letters of gold. It is the one that enacts that if, by his ill-considered actions, the man of honour has compromised a lady he must at once proceed, no matter what the cost, to de-compromise her.
He did not hesitate. Tripping over the skirt of his dressing-gown and clutching at a pedestal bearing a bust of the late Mr. Gladstone, and bringing pedestal and bust with a crash to the ground, he said with quiet nobility:
"It's all right, ma'am. We're engaged!"
(from Spring Fever, by Sir Pelham Wodehouse)
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