n, I think.'

'One doesn't think much about Mr. Ericson's personal appearance,' Helena
said, in a tone which distinctly implied that, according to her view of
things, Mr. Ericson was quite above personal appearance.

'Well, of course, he is a great man, and he did wonderful things; and he
was a Dictator----'

'And will be again,' said Helena.

'What troubles me is this,' said the Duchess, 'I don't see much of the
Dictator in him. Do you?'

'How do you mean, Duchess?' Helena asked evasively.

'Well, he don't seem to me to have much of a ruler of men about him. He
is a charming man, and a brainy man, I dare say; but the sort of man
that takes hold at once and manages things and puts things straight all
of his own strength--well, he don't seem to be quite that sort of
man--now, does he?'

'We haven't seen him tried,' Helena said.

'No, of course; we haven't had a chance that way, but it seems to me as
if you could get some kind of notion about a man's being a great
commander-in-chief without actually seeing him directing a field of
battle. Now I don't appear to get that impression from Mr. Ericson.'

'Mr. Ericson wouldn't care to show off probably. He likes to keep
himself in the background,' Helena said warmly.

'Dear child, I am not finding any fault with your hero, or saying that
he isn't a hero; I am only saying that, so far, I have not discovered
any of the magnetic force of the hero--isn't magnetic force the word? He
is ever so nice and quiet and intellectual, and I dare say, as an
all-round man, he's first-class, but I have not yet struck the
Dictatorship quality in him.'

The Duchess rose to go away.

'You see, there's nothing in particular for him to do in this country,'
Helena said, still lingering on the subject which the Duchess seemed
quite willing to put away.

'Is he going back to his own country?' the Duchess asked, languidly.

'His own country, Duchess? Why, _this_ is his own country.' Wrapped as
she was in the fortunes of Gloria, Helena, like a genuine English girl,
could not help resenting the idea of any Englishman acknowledging any
country but England. Especially she would not admit that her particular
hero could be any sort of foreigner.

'Well--his adopted country I mean--the country where he was Dictator. Is
he going back there?'

'When the people call him, he will go,' Helena answered proudly.

'Oh, my dear, if he wants to get back he had better go before the people
call him.