And when by the closest inspection at the mirror, in the
broadest light, she saw no flaw in skin, hair, or teeth, the Baroness
proceeded to dress for a drive. Even the most jealous rival would
have been obliged to concede that she looked like a woman of twenty-
eight, that most fascinating of all ages, as she took her seat in the
carriage.
In the early days of her life in Beryngford, when as the Baroness Le
Fevre she had led society in the little town, Mrs Lawrence had been
one of her most devoted friends; Judge Lawrence one of her most
earnest, if silent admirers. As "Baroness Brown" and as the landlady
of "The Palace" she had still maintained her position as friend of
the family, and the Lawrences, secure in their wealth and power, had
allowed her to do so, where some of the lower social lights had
dropped her from their visiting lists.
The Baroness seemed to exercise a sort of hypnotic power over the
fretful, nervous invalid who shared Judge Lawrence's name, and this
influence was not wholly lost upon the Judge himself, who never
looked upon the Baroness's abundant charms, glowing with health,
without giving vent to a profound sigh like some hungry child
standing before a confectioner's window.
The news of Mrs Lawrence's dangerous illness was voiced about the
town by noon, and therefore the Baroness felt safe in calling at the
door to make inquiries, and to offer any assistance which she might
be able to render.
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