What I read did not surprise me in the least when once I had read the circumstances.

It was just what I should have expected from the Duke.

It seemed that he had lent his name to the prospectus of a company formed for the purpose of working some worthless patent designed to revolutionize the silk weaving trade.

The Duke's reason for going on the Board was purely philanthropic.

He had hoped to restore an ancient industry in a decaying neighbourhood.