"Jews?" exclaimed the Marquis, much puzzled.
"Did you--did you think Fromentin was a Jew? God bless
me! he's no more one than I am! Why, not even so much,
for there IS a Herschell in my pedigree. Why, dear man,
they were Crusaders!"

Thorpe smiled somewhat sheepishly. "I never noticed much,"
he said. "It was a foreign-looking name. I took it
for granted."

Lord Chaldon bent his brows a little. "Yes-s"--he murmured,
meditatively. "I've heard it mentioned that your
enterprise was suspected of an anti-Semitic twist.
Do you mind my talking a little with you about that?"

"Oh, not at all," the other answered with languid acquiescence,
as he seated himself.



CHAPTER XVII


LORD CHALDON'S instructive little monologue on the subject
of the Hebrew in finance afforded Thorpe a certain pleasure,
which was in its character, perhaps, more social
than intellectual.

It was both a flattering and striking experience to have