“I am sure you would, sir, but the dear old Papa was too proud to accept charity. Surely it was to his credit that he did not sponge on his old friends?”
“Just like him, just like him, a dear, kindly, impracticable creature. Well, now to your affairs. Do you want to stick to the artistic line, or not?”
“Not if there is anything better in prospect, Baron,” answered the shrewd Nello.
The Baron swept him with his keen glance.
“I am rather a judge of men. You seem just the sort of man who would make good. Let me think a little. There is something running in my mind. You might serve my immediate purposes, and at the same time, I might help you in your artistic career. You might have two strings to your bow. What do you think?”
“I am quite in your hands, Baron,” was Nello’s answer.
The mind of the great financier worked swiftly. He took up two letters, one in French, the other in Italian.
“Take these over to the table by the window, and translate the French into Italian and the Italian into French. Take your time, but do them well.”
Nello complied with his patron’s request. Salmoros was evidently a man who thought swiftly.
While Nello was engaged on his task, the Baron’s private secretary entered.