The Marquis paused and then resumed,
“I have not met the Comtesse, but I cannot help thinking, from all I have heard, that she is just the sort of lady who might help and influence my mother at this particular moment in her life.”
“That is a marvellous idea!” Susi exclaimed.
“Perhaps,” the Marquis continued, “if she could see how another woman as beautiful as she was has not only accepted old age gracefully but has also been exceedingly brave about her disability, I believe that there would be no further need for her to seek the assistance of quacks and crooks.”
“Which we tried to be,” the Comte confessed frankly. “And that reminds me, I forgot this in all the enthusiasm.”
As he spoke, he drew from the inside pocket of his evening coat a cheque, which he passed across the table to the
