“Then, whoever that person is, my dear,” replied the old man, “I’ll guarantee she is a lovely woman. And you mustn’t mind what I say; nobody else does, otherwise my boy Donal here would be much higher in the service than the present moment finds him; but I am pleased to tell you that the journey he has now finished will prove greatly to his advantage.”
“Indeed, uncle, that is true,” said the young man, looking at his betrothed, “for on this journey I met again Miss Baxter, whom, to my great grief, I had lost for some time. And now, uncle, I want you to do me a great favour. Do you know Mr. Hardwick, editor of the Daily Bugle?”
“Yes, I know him; but I don’t like him, nor his paper either.”
“Well, neither do the Russians, for that matter, by this time, and I merely wish to tell you that if it hadn’t been for his action, and for the promptness of a member of his staff, I should have failed in this mission. I was drugged by the Russian police and robbed. Miss Baxter, who was on the train, saw something of what was going forward, and succeeded, most deftly, in despoiling the robbers. I was lying insensible at the time and helpless. She secured the document and handed it back to me when we had crossed the frontier, leaving in the hands of the Russians a similar envelope containing a copy of the Daily Bugle; therefore, uncle, if in future you can do anything to oblige Mr. Hardwick, you will help in a measure to cancel the obligation which our family owes to him.”
“My dear boy, I shall be delighted to do so. I am afraid I have been rather uncivil to him. If you wish it, I will go at once and apologize to him.”
“Oh, no,” cried Jennie, “you must not do that; but if you can help him without jeopardizing the service, I, for one, will be very glad.”
“So shall I,” said Donal.
The old man took out his card-case, and on the back of his card scribbled a most cordial invitation to Hardwick, asking him to call on him. He handed this to Jennie, and said,—
“Tell Mr. Hardwick that I shall be pleased to see him at any time.”
“And now,” said Lord Donal, “you must let us both escort you home in the carriage.”