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THE CONFESSION OF A FOOL 53
syllables without moving her lips, and regarded me
scornfully.
I felt the blood rising to my head, and the storm would
have burst there and then if an unexpected incident had
not served as a lightning conductor.
In an adjacent room a boisterous party had been strum-
ming the piano for the last half-hour ; now they began
singing a vulgar song, with the doors standing wide open.
The Baron turned to the waiter: "Shut that door,"
he said curtly.
The door had hardly been closed when it was again burst
open. The singers repeated the chorus, and challenged
us with impertinent remarks.
The moment for an explosion had arrived.
I jumped up from my chair ; with two strides 1 was at
the door and banged it in the faces of the noisy crew.
Fire in a powder-barrel could not have had a more rousing
effect than my determined stand against the enemy.
A short struggle ensued, during which I kept hold of
the door-handle. But the door yielded to the vigorous
pull from the other side, and I was dragged towards the
howling mob, who threw themselves upon me, eager for a
hand-to-hand tussle.
At that moment I felt a touch on my shoulder, and
heard an indignant voice asking " these gentlemen whether
they had no sense of honour, that they attacked in a body
one single opponent ? " . . .
It was the Baroness who, under the stress of a strong-
emotion, forgetting the dictates of convention and good
manners, betrayed warmer feelings than she probably was
aware of.
The fight was over. The Baroness regarded me with
searching eyes.
"You’re a brave little hero," she said. "I was
trembling* for you."
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