"
The Duke of Devenham, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whose
wife entertained for his party, and whose immense income, derived
mostly from her American relations, was always at its disposal,
was a person almost as important in the councils of his country
as the Prime Minister himself. It sometimes occurred to him that
the person who most signally failed to realize this fact was the
lady who did him the honor to preside over his household.
"My dear Margaret," he said, "you can take my word for it that we
know what we are about. It is very important indeed that we
should keep on friendly terms with this young man,--I don't mean
as a personal matter. It's a matter of politics--perhaps of
something greater, even, than that."
The Duchess liked to understand everything, and her husband's
reticence annoyed her.
"But we have the Japanese Ambassador always with us," she
remarked. "A most delightful person I call the Baron Hesho, and I
am sure he loves us all."
"That is not exactly the point, my dear," the Duke explained.
"Prince Maiyo is over here on a special mission. We ourselves
have only been able to surmise its object with the aid of our
secret service in Tokio. You can rest assured of one thing,
however. It is of vast importance to the interests of this
country that we secure his goodwill."
The Duchess smiled good humoredly.
"Well, my dear Ambrose," she said, "I don't know what more we can
do than feed him properly and give him pleasant people to talk
to.
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