“That was the man you spoke of in the hall, Mrs. Ebley, was it not?” Eustace Medlicott’s intoning voice said, as they went along to the restaurant.  “He certainly is a most remarkable person to look at close—­but I do not dislike his face, it has noble lines.”

“Really, how condescending of you!” Stella almost said aloud.  But the Aunt Caroline answered serenely: 

“Perhaps I am prejudiced, Eustace, but want of convention always shocks me to such a degree that I cannot appreciate anything else.”

Stella almost enjoyed her dinner, she was so excited with the prospect of some unknown coming events, and she had the satisfaction of observing that once Count Roumovski actually turned his head in their direction and met her eyes.  His were full of a whimsical smile for the instant he looked, and then he relapsed into his habitual indifference.

The crowd had begun to thicken when they got to the Embassy, and they waited among them for the Royalties’ arrival; Stella looking at everything with fresh, interested eyes.  When this ceremony was over people began to disperse about the large rooms, and Miss Rawson was conscious that her strange secret acquaintance was in conversation with the Grand Duke and Duchess; she had not seen him come in.  The Aunt Caroline noticed this, too, and drew her attention to the fact.

“Look, Stella, that dreadful man is talking to Royalty!” she said.  “I suppose he must be a gentleman, after all—­one never can tell with foreigners, as their titles mean nothing, and half of them are assumed.  Your Uncle Carford had a valet once who afterward was arrested for posing as a Polish count.”

“I should think anyone could see this man was a gentleman, Aunt Caroline,” Stella answered, “even without his talking to Royalties.”

They were soon joined by the secretary cousin, who was charmed to welcome so pretty a relation to Rome, and was profuse in his apologies for not having been able to do more than leave cards upon them as yet.

“We should so like to know the names of the celebrities,” Mrs. Ebley said, “especially can you tell us about the very curious-looking person now conversing with her Imperial Highness; he is at our hotel.”

“That—­Oh! that is by far the most interesting man here—­it is the famous Count Roumovski.  He is a most celebrated traveler; he has been all over the world and Africa and Asia in unaccessible places.  He is a fabulously rich Russian—­a real Muscovite from near Moscow, and he does everything and anything he pleases; he gives enormous sums for the encouragement of science.  He is immensely intelligent—­he lunched at the Embassy to-day.”

“Really!” said the Aunt Caroline, somewhat impressed.  “His appearance is greatly against him.”

“Oh, do you think so?” said the cousin.  “I think it adds to his attraction, it is such superlative audacity.  No Englishman would have the nerve to cut his hair like that.”