The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-09-07

pledged himself to silence as to the sin
said nothing to Saumarez. who was half
bursting with repressed enthusiasm
about the coming dinner Whilst they
dressed together. the host ratified off d
list of the expected convives which in
cluded half a dozen of the best-knoWn
names in London.
II shouldn't have succeeded in getting
one of Them he said IF it hadn't been
that the chief is coming, and the chief
would not be here if he were not to meet
the Baron. The old gentleman will have
earned his fee before the night is over.
by the way he added, suddenly, hes
the most amazingly dignified old buffer
l ever set eyes on. Ono reads and hears
a good deal about the grand manner:
but he's the only man ever met who
has it. Have YOU ever seen him, by
any chance?"
Il met him once" Wilson answered,
and l quite agree with you. But 1
wonder how long he will keep that same
grand manner. now that he has become
a paid diner-out and a sort Of decoy duck
for people he wouldn't have known a
year ago"
ooh" said Saumarez. st suppose that
part of him. He'd keep the manner
if he came to the casual ward
Wilson was eager to escape the theme
and he led the talk elsewhere. Sauna
rez was excited at the prospect of the
evening, and SO was his WIFE, when the
two men descended to the drawing-roorA
She had brought a very handsome join
ture TO her husband, but she was a
stockholders daughter, and unaccustom-
ed to the entertainment of so eminent
and splendid a company as she expect
ed to meet that evening.
The guests arrived in due course. and
most of them were more familiar with
each other than with their host and
hostess; but the dinner passed off
triumphantly. thanks mainly to the de-
lightful conversation of the Baron Esse.
He made no apparent effort to make him.
self the center of interest: but gradual
ly and, as it We're, by force of nature,
he became SO, and before the meal was
half served the whole tide seemed to
flow his way, and he was here, as he had
been in a thousand more important
places, the head of the table. the soul
OF an urbane refined and genial hui
NOR. which sometimes fairly dazzled. al
though for the most part it maintained
no more than a cheerful and inspiring
brilliance.
Wilson had been unable to refrain from
close watch at the moment when the
Baron and the Chief Justice first became
aware of each other. The encounter
was made to appear as if it We're an
affair of every day. and If the distin-
guished Frenchmsn were embarrassed
or surprised. he gave not even momen-
tary sign of it. When the dinner was
over and the ladies had retired, the chief
reminded him of an episode Of their
school days, and the Baron told the story.
He was one of those rarely-encountered
people who. whilst gifted with an sx-.
quisite faculty of mimicry, lose no atom
of dignity in displaying it; and though
before ne had gone one minute into his
story he had the table in helpless
shrieks Of laughter, he was none the less
the finest of possible fine gentlemen. IN
bending in a moment OF relaXatlon
amongst gentlemen: and the perfect dis
tinction of his manner was not for an
instant obscured
Wilson could barely believe in that sor-
did and humiliating episode which had