"The result sometimes being exceedingly unpleasant to the real _grands
seigneurs_ who honour this country at times with their visits," replied
the man in the corner. "Now, take the case of Prince Semionicz, a man
whose sixteen quarterings are duly recorded in Gotha, who carried enough
luggage with him to pay for the use of every room in an hotel for at
least a week, whose gold cigarette case with diamond and turquoise
ornament was actually stolen without his taking the slightest trouble to
try and recover it; that same man was undoubtedly looked upon with
suspicion by the manager of the Liverpool North-Western Hotel from the
moment that his secretary--a dapper, somewhat vulgar little
Frenchman--bespoke on behalf of his employer, with himself and a valet,
the best suite of rooms the hotel contained.

"Obviously those suspicions were unfounded, for the little secretary, as
soon as Prince Semionicz had arrived, deposited with the manager a pile
of bank notes, also papers and bonds, the value of which would exceed
tenfold the most outrageous bill that could possibly be placed before
the noble visitor. Moreover, M. Albert Lambert explained that the
Prince, who only meant to stay in Liverpool a few days, was on his way
to Chicago, where he wished to visit Princess Anna Semionicz, his
sister, who was married to Mr. Girwan, the great copper king and
multi-millionaire.

"Yet, as I told you before, in spite of all these undoubted securities,
suspicion of the wealthy Russian Prince lurked in the minds of most
Liverpudlians who came in business contact with him. He had been at the
North-Western two days when he sent his secretary to Window and
Vassall, the jewellers of Bold Street, with a request that they would
kindly send a representative round to the hotel with some nice pieces of
jewellery, diamonds and pearls chiefly, which he was desirous of taking
as a present to his sister in Chicago.

"Mr. Winslow took the order from M. Albert with a pleasant bow. Then he
went to his inner office and consulted with his partner, Mr. Vassall, as
to the best course to adopt. Both the gentlemen were desirous of doing
business, for business had been very slack lately: neither wished to
refuse a possible customer, or to offend Mr. Pettitt, the manager of the
North-Western, who had recommended them to the Prince. But that foreign
title and the vulgar little French secretary stuck in the throats of the
two pompous and worthy Liverpool jewellers