“Which is the case!—for my niece. Ought I not to be so?”
“Assuredly; but will M. Goefle lend himself to this slight exaggeration?”
“A lawyer hesitate to embellish the truth a little? Nonsense! When your dear uncle has a suit to gain he is not so scrupulous!”
“No doubt; but will the baron believe him?”
“He will believe whatever M. Goefle tells him. According to him, he is the only sincere man alive.”
“The baron, then, wishes to be loved for himself?”
“Yes, he has that fancy.”
“If he loves Countess Margaret he will find it easy to deceive himself.”
“Loves her? Do you suppose any one falls in love when they have reached his age? That has nothing to do with it. The baron is a man of serious character, who wishes to marry for the sake of leaving an heir, having lost his son five years ago. If his wife is pretty, and of good family, he will be satisfied, and his only request of her will be not to make him ridiculous. Now he runs no risks with my niece; she is a girl of good principles, and, whether contented or not, she will never forget her dignity. You can tell your uncle so, to set his doubts at rest. Tell him, also, that he can rely upon my gratitude, which, as he knows, is not to be despised. In my position I can reward slight services with important ones; and, to begin with, what would he like for you? What would you like for yourself? Do you want to be attaché at once, and on a good footing with the Russian embassy? I have only to say the word. The ambassador is here.”
“God forbid!” said Cristiano, who detested Russia.