“Well, no doubt he is at home now. This fellow may be his brother, or something.”
For a moment we stood watching, and saw him make a servile bow. Fortunately he turned his back upon us, hastening to execute some command, otherwise he must have come towards us and met us face to face.
“I’m certain it is Helmholtz,” Ella exclaimed, in a tone of conviction.
“Without doubt it is a very striking resemblance,” I admitted. “But the servants of an Embassy are not recruited from the nearest registry office. Besides, they would never employ a German here.”
At that moment Paul approached and claimed her for the next dance, while I wandered on alone amid the crowd, my mind full of strange thoughts.
Presently, while watching the dancers, I chanced to glance aside and recognised a sparse, well-known figure approaching. It was the Earl of Warnham. Attired in plain evening dress of a rather antiquated cut, he wore no decorations, save the broad blue ribbon across his narrow strip of shirt-front, the highest honour his Sovereign had bestowed upon him. I was surprised to find him there, for I had believed him to be at Osborne in attendance on Her Majesty.
“Ah, Deedes,” he exclaimed in a low voice, with a slight smile upon his colourless, wizened face. “In the enemy’s camp—eh?”
“Yes, my wife wished to come,” I explained.
“Of course. Women like this sort of thing. I have never met her. You must introduce her presently.”
“She will esteem it an honour,” I said, adding, “She is over there in a cream dress, dancing with Verblioudovitch.”