“Quite,” said the tall Miss Knowles. “I’ve read one or two of them—charming, leisurely things, in the most beautiful handwriting.”
“The Count knew so many wonderful people,” said Miss Hohenlo. “His anecdotes of them are so striking and so characteristic. It was a day when personal quality told in one’s favour. Nowadays people are so hopelessly alike.”
Ashton-Kirk smiled. “Don’t you think they only appear to be so?” said he.
But Miss Hohenlo shook her head.
“No,” she said, “I am quite sure that as time goes on, people grow more and more alike. We live in such crowds, you see, there is very little opportunity for us to be different.”
“In the Count’s day, dress had so much to do with the impression one made,” said the special detective. “Many a man has won fame by introducing a new periwig, or had himself talked about in the coffee houses for months because of an elaboration of the buckles of his shoes.”
When the car containing the two women and young Campe rolled through the gateway and the gate closed behind them, Scanlon looked at Ashton-Kirk.
“Well,” said he, “where do we begin?”
CHAPTER XX
TELLS HOW ASHTON-KIRK POINTED OUT CERTAIN MATTERS OF INTEREST
AS Ashton-Kirk was about to reply to his friend’s question, the door opened and Kretz came into the room. He saluted stiffly.