"Well, then, breakfast to-morrow at eleven," Warburton urged, for he had taken a fancy to this affable Russian. "Alas! See how I am placed. I am forced to leave for Washington early in the morning. We poor diplomats, we earn our honors. But my business is purely personal in this case, neither political nor diplomatic." The count drew his gloves thoughtfully through his fingers. "I shall of course pay my respects to my ambassador. Do I recollect your saying that you belonged to the United States Army?" "I recently resigned. My post was in a wild country, with little or nothing to do; monotony and routine." "You limp slightly?" "A trifling mishap,"--modestly. "Eh, you do wrong. You may soon be at war with England, and having resigned your commission, you would lose all you had waited these years for." Warburton smiled. "We shall not go to war with England." "This Army of yours is small." "Well, yes; but made of pretty good material--fighting machines with brains." "Ha!" The count laughed softly. "Bah! how I detest all these cars and ships! Will you believe me, I had rather my little chateau, my vineyard, and my wheat fields, than all the orders.... Eh, well, _my country_: there must be some magic in that phrase. Of all loves, that of country is the most lasting. Is that Balzac? I do not recall. Only once in a century do we find a man who is willing to betray his country, and even then he may have for his purpose neither hate, revenge, nor love of power." A peculiar gravity sat on his mobile face, caused, perhaps, by some disagreeable inward thought. "How long shall you be in Washington?" asked Warburton. The count shrugged. "Who can say?" "I go to Washington myself within a few days." "Till we meet again, then, Monsieur." The count lifted his hat, a courtesy which was gracefully acknowledged by the American; while the clerks at the desk eyed with tolerant amusement these polite but rather unfamiliar ceremonies of departure. These foreigners were odd duffers. "A very decent chap," mused Warburton, "and a mighty shrewd hand at poker--for a foreigner. He is going to Washington: we shall meet again. I wonder if she's in the restaurant now." Meet again? Decidedly; and had clairvoyance shown my hero that night how he and the count were to meet again, certainly he would have laughed.