ked him to perform in persuading
Lord Henry to abandon his mission to China, and bade his secretary show
St. Maur in.

The young man who followed Denis back into the room was a person of
refined and handsome appearance, who, as he advanced towards Sir Joseph,
introduced himself and explained his business with a degree of grace and
composure at which even the seasoned old Stuart furniture seemed to
stare in amazement.

St. Maur took a chair beside Sir Joseph's vast table, and Malster
returned to his place.

"You are doubtless aware," said the stranger, "that Lord Henry was due
here at this very moment."

Sir Joseph looked furtively towards his secretary and nodded.

St. Maur then proceeded to explain that owing to urgent Party duties at
Westminster Lord Henry could not possibly reach Lombard Street before
six o'clock that evening, and begged Sir Joseph to say whether he could
see him at that hour. He was to return to Westminster at once and convey
Sir Joseph's reply to Lord Henry.

The baronet fixed the appointment with Lord Henry for that hour, and St.
Maur rose to go.

"Half a minute!" exclaimed Sir Joseph. "Please remain seated a moment
longer, Mr. St. Maur, and tell me something about Lord Henry. I am a
busy man and have not much time to keep myself informed of all these
matters. Lord Henry must be a younger son of the Marquis of Firle, is he
not?"

"He's the third and youngest son," replied St. Maur.

"And may I ask for details about the title;--you must think me
dreadfully ignorant!"

"Not at all, sir," St. Maur answered. "It is a Charles I. creation. They
are a Sussex family. As you probably know, Charles I. did not create
peers indiscriminately. The Stuart creations are, on the whole, a credit
to the monarchs who were responsible for them, particularly those of
Charles I."

Sir Joseph nodded politely, but looked as if this information did not
quite harmonise with his own conception of that prince.

"The fourth Earl of Chesterfield perhaps disgraced himself a little over
Dr. Johnson," St. Maur added, "but as a rule the families who owe their
rank to the Royal Martyr have upheld their great traditions with
singular success. And possibly against the case of the fourth Earl of
Chesterfield we may set that of the sixth Lord Byron, who gave us
_Childe Harold_ and _Manfred_."

Sir Joseph was genuinely interested. "Lord Henry is, I believe, a very
wonderful personality," he remarked.

"You are right,