Lady Ethel was eager to get away, but her face grew white, for approaching her rapidly was Edward Drake. The Baron, too, saw him, and smiled deprecatingly.
“Lady Ethel, I shall be glad to take you home. You must know that both your sister and Mr. Gaunt have given orders that this gentleman is not to be allowed to enter their house again,” Drake said coldly, and stared at the Belgian, his eyes full of hostility.
“Then I have the honor of wishing you good-day.”
And so saying the Baron raised his hat and strolled away.
Lady Ethel was silent as they walked along, and Drake could not decide if she were angry with him or herself, but he came to the conclusion that she needed a lesson.
CHAPTER XXIII
The Baron was quite pleased at his encounter with Lady Ethel, for it was well to know that Gaunt and his wife were not on good terms, and it ought not to be a difficult matter to widen the breach. Upon arriving at the hotel several telegrams were handed to him, and a frown came to his face as he read the cipher message from Brussels which urged him to stop Gaunt’s campaign at all costs. But still he did not allow it to interfere with his enjoyment of a carefully selected lunch. The Burgundy was warmed to the exact temperature which suited his palate, and when the coffee was served he felt quite equal to the coming interview with Mr. Julian Weiss. He was dozing in an armchair before the fire when his visitor was announced, and he rose to greet the Jew with that suave pleasant manner for which he was famed.
“I am indeed pleased to see you. Of course you will smoke, and I can confidently recommend those Corona-Coronas.”
The Baron himself did not care for cigars, but he was an excellent judge of them, and knew their value as a gift to one whom he wished to place on good terms with himself.
“Sherren came to me and said that you wished to see me on most important business. As you know, I am always prepared to consider a scheme in which I can see a reasonable profit,” Weiss said, in his rather pompous manner, and then took a long draw at the cigar.