"Ce Vassili," he heard more than once whispered, "c'est un homme
dangereux."
And he smiled all the more pleasantly.
Now, if a very keen observer had taken the trouble to ignore the throng
and watch two persons only, that observer might have discovered the fact
that Claude de Chauxville was slowly and purposely making his way toward
the man called Vassili.
De Chauxville knew and was known of many. He had but recently arrived
from London. He found himself called upon to shake hands a l'anglais
with this one and that, giving all and sundry his impressions of the
perfidious Albion with a verve and neatness truly French. He went from
one to the other with perfect grace and savoir-faire, and each change of
position brought him nearer to the middle-aged man with upturned
mustache, upon whom his movements were by no means lost.
Finally De Chauxville bumped against the object of his quest--possibly,
indeed, the object of his presence at the Concours Hippique. He turned
with a ready apology.
"Ah!" he exclaimed; "the very man I was desiring to see."
The individual known as "ce Vassili"--a term of mingled contempt and
distrust--bowed very low. He was a plain commoner, while his
interlocutor was a baron. The knowledge of this was subtly conveyed in
his bow.
"How can I serve M. le Baron?" he enquired in a voice which was
naturally loud and strong, but had been reduced by careful training to a
tone inaudible at the distance of a few paces.
Pages:
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153