Page:Robert Barr - Lord Stranleigh Philanthropist.djvu/216

 distance from London and the expense of the journey.

Those whom Wynn wished to meet were in the main poor men, and the question even of railway fare was to many of them a serious one. It was at once an odd and an encouraging thing that people who helped to guide the destinies of a great Empire and one of the richest on earth, had yet to be so economical that the price of a third-class railway ticket from one end of the island to the other was a matter for consideration.

At this point Wynn's friend, the Warden of the Cinque Ports, placed at the Minister's disposal the official Castle of these five harbours, a retreat as secluded as any stronghold in the Highlands, and yet but two hours from London.

During the first few moments of his inspection of this sumptuous residence and its noble park, Wynn could not help feeling exultant that he, born in poverty, in a humble cottage, should in so short a time have risen to such a position that he was owner pro tem., of this historic palace, with numerous servants at his disposal, and yet this thought brought with it a disturbing element. Wynn was still a poor man, although in the enjoyment of a salary that a few years ago would have seemed to him wealth.