Page:Robert Barr - Lord Stranleigh Philanthropist.djvu/304

 touch of foreignness that seemed an ornament rather than a defect.

"I must apologise, my lord earl, for this quite unwarrantable intrusion upon you. I come, however, at the suggestion of my father's friend, the Austrian Ambassador to England."

"So I understood, madam, but I beg to assure you that you are equally welcome on your own account. I hope that I may be of service to you, and thus in some slight measure make a return for the delightful hospitality I have myself received from citizens of your charming country." The Baroness bowed, and coloured with obvious pleasure at these words.

"I am deeply grateful to you, my lord, for what you have just said, and in order to begin at once upon my mission, I may perhaps remove a misapprehension from your mind. If you have been told anything about me, I daresay you have heard I am very rich. That is not true. I am in reality poor, and this poverty is the cause of my visit to England, although I left Vienna ostensibly for the benefit of my health."

I am sorry to hear that you are poor, but very glad to observe that your health seems in no need of improvement."