He welcomed Falconer in very good English and at once introduced him to his niece, Françoise Biringer, a tall, rather slim, dark-eyed girl, very smartly attired, who spoke to him in French. Apparently she knew but very little English.
Then when the girl had gone to dress for dinner, the two men sat down and discussed the business in hand.
The Baron seemed an extremely affable and cultured man, as so many Hungarians are. He lived mostly in Paris, he explained, but since the war he had assisted his Government in various matters.
“I hope you will have an enjoyable time, Mr. Falconer,” he went on. “When I was at Marconi House they told me they would send out an expert engineer to fit both stations and get them going. How far do you think I can speak over the set they have sent me?”
“Speech should carry from seven hundred to nine hundred miles—perhaps more under favourable conditions, but Morse signals will carry very much further.”
The Baron seemed highly satisfied.
“You see, my Government is greatly interested in certain mining enterprises, and it is my plan to set up two wireless stations on either side of Hungary, so that we can conduct rapid business from one zone of operation to the other, and also with Budapest when we so desire. But,” he added, “it is annoying that the plant should have been sent to Arad. There must have been some mistake. I went to Arad last week and saw the railway people there. It has already been passed on to its proper destination. But I do not expect it will arrive for a week or even ten days, so during that time I hope you will honour me by being my guest here, as well as during the time you are engaged in fitting the installation.”
“I shall require assistance,” Geoffrey said. “Do you happen to know of, say, two good electricians whom I could engage as assistants?”
“I will inquire,” replied the Baron. “No doubt we can find two good men who, during the war, were engaged in radio-telegraphy.”
Afterwards Geoffrey, well-impressed by the genial Baron, returned to dress for dinner, and later on took a perfectly cooked meal with his elegant and courteous host and his niece. The young man found the pretty Françoise extremely interesting. They discussed many things at table, new books, new plays, and, of course, the terrible havoc of the war.