The scene was the great Court ball, held in the magnificent salons of the Summer Palace, ablaze with light and beauty. The sumptuous decorations, the masses of flowers, the resplendent uniforms, the glittering crosses and orders upon the breasts of many of the men, the Court dresses, the blaze of jewels—composed a scene of the utmost brilliancy and splendor.
And the women! American women have ever been famed for their grace, their ineffable chic and their beauty, and certainly the race, as viewed from this ball-room floor, seemed by no means to have declined. Kearns, who had been a regular attendant at the opera in the old days, considered himself quite a judge of feminine loveliness. He remembered to have heard it urged by captious foreigners that the American woman’s weakest points were her walk and her voice. These defects seemed to have received attention, for in the noble bearing of the heads of these women, the graceful sweep of their walk, their sweet vocal intonations, there was no ground left for the most captious critic to stand upon. Decidedly, thought Kearns, both the walk and the voice had been cultivated to perfection under the regime of royalty.
“The notables,” he said in answer to General Mainwarren’s words. “Ah, yes! By the way,” he added with sudden animation, “could you point out to me the—the—distinguished Baron Gold.”
“Baron Gold—Baron Gold,” repeated General Mainwarren, “let me see if I can discover him for you.”
He glanced about the ball-room.
“There he is!” he exclaimed, after a brief search.
Kearns and the Professor followed the direction of the General’s glance and saw an old man, with gray eyes, sunken cheeks and high forehead, engaged in conversation with a white-moustached gentleman, in the uniform of the diplomatic corps, who sat at his side.
“So that is Baron Gold?” said Kearns.
“Yes,” answered General Mainwarren, “that is Baron Gold, one of the great Trust magnates and at one time Chancellor of the Exchequer. His country seat is Gorgan Court and his arms are an eagle with beak elevated and talons outspread, and the motto: ‘I dare and I do.’ That’s correct, I believe, Colonel?”
“Quite,” answered Colonel Cuming.