One can hardly help but think back to the early days of English.

The players can hardly help but make the most of such a gift.

He could hardly help himself, and I was so awful to him.

I couldn't hardly help laughing at the things he said.

But on account of the mirror itself, I could hardly help it.

And in this sense a replacement can hardly help but make a part his own.

Some said they saw little reason to stay out on strike when the rest of labor was hardly helping.

She could hardly help it if Colin's touch left her cold.

It would hardly help to lose either of you now.

"Not in the middle," he had said, which hardly helped at all.