[CHAPTER XXII.]
"Mrs. St. John, allow me to present to you Lord Dudley."
Xenie turned with a languid smile and bowed to the tall, elegant gentleman who bent admiringly before her.
Only ten minutes before Mrs. Egerton had whispered to her eagerly:
"My dear, Lord Dudley, the great English peer, is present. There's a catch for you."
"I am not looking for a catch," Xenie said, almost bruskly.
"No," said her aunt, who was an indefatigable matchmaker; "but then you are too young and beautiful to remain always single. You are sure to marry some day again, and why not Lord Dudley?"
"He has not asked me, aunt," said Xenie, half-smiling, half-provoked. "I am not even acquainted with him."
"No, but you will be," said Mrs. Egerton. "I heard him asking just now about you. He said you were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen—a compliment worth having from such a man as Lord Dudley, so elegant and distinguished, with such an air of culture and travel. Besides, he is so wealthy, owning several castles in England, I'm told, and a fabulous bank account."