Page:Robert Barr - Lord Stranleigh Philanthropist.djvu/278

 submitted to his lordship was one which he answered immediately. It was a request, now a week old, from Alexander Corbitt, asking for an interview as soon as possible after Stranleigh reached London. In response to the appointment Corbitt, with that politeness which is the attribute of kings and bankers, appeared exactly at the moment set.

"I'm very glad to see you home again," he began. "Indeed, a fortnight ago I'd almost determined to sail for New York, but the situation being rather ominous, I was compelled to remain in London."

"My dear Alexander; it was to escape such strenuous personalities as yours that I fled to America. I found the seclusion of Stranleigh Park was not enough to protect me from business worry, so I fled to the innocent peace and quiet of Chicago and New York, so restful to jaded nerves. You've been in a crisis, Corbitt?"

"I've been between the devil and the deep sea, with no Stranleigh to advise me."

The younger man laughed.

"Your implied compliment is refreshing. I have always found my advice to be at a discount; at a bank discount, I might say, with financiers like yourself. My advice was to be shaken, but not