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Updated: June 20, 2025
The letter had been written to Lady Frances by her stepmother at the dictation of the Marquis. But the words absolutely dictated had not perhaps been religiously followed. The father had intended to be soft and affectionate, merely expressing his gratification that his girl's lover should turn out to be the Duca di Crinola. Out of this the Marchioness had made a stipulation.
Lord Hampstead has been left standing for a long time in Marion Fay's sitting-room after the perpetration of his great offence, and Mrs. Roden has been standing there also, having come to the house almost immediately after her return home from her Italian journey. Hampstead, of course, knew most of the details of the Di Crinola romance, but Marion had as yet heard nothing of it.
No Duca di Crinola, at any rate, no respectable Duca di Crinola, could be in England even as a temporary visitant without being considered as entitled to some consideration from the Foreign Office. The existing duke of that name, who had lately been best known, was at present a member of the Italian Ministry. Had he come he would have been entitled to great consideration.
"But what have they heard?" "It seems that Roden isn't an Englishman at all." "That will be as he likes, I take it. He has lived here as an Englishman for five-and-twenty years." "But of course he'll prefer to be an Italian," said Vivian. "It turns out that he is heir to one of the oldest titles in Italy. You have heard of the Ducas di Crinola?" "I have heard of them now."
No doubt he refused them when they came. No doubt they generally consisted of tradesmen's circulars, and were probably occasioned by manoeuvres of which Lady Persiflage herself was guilty. But they had the effect of spreading abroad the fact that George Roden was George Roden no longer, but was the Duca di Crinola.
Isn't it a wonderful thing, that one's particular friend should turn out to be Duca di Crinola! And he didn't know a word of it himself. I feel quite sure that he didn't know a word of it." "I really can't say, Mr. Crocker; but as you have now expressed your wonder, perhaps you had better go back to your room and do your work."
But he, as now appeared, was not the real Duca di Crinola. The real duke was an Englishman, or an Anglicized Italian, or an Italianized Englishman. No one in the Foreign Office, not even the most ancient pundit there, quite knew what he was. It was clear that the Foreign Office must take some notice of the young nobleman.
I shouldn't be worth my salt," said Roden. "That's a kind of thing that wears itself out very quickly. You would feel odd at first, and so would the other men, and the messengers. I should feel a little odd when I asked some one to send the Duca di Crinola to me, for we are not in the habit of sending for Dukes. But there is nothing that you can't get used to.
Otherwise the name would not have been inserted there by the Italian Minister and British Secretary of State. Whereas George Roden himself knew nothing about it. In this way attempts were made to carry out that line of action which Lady Persiflage had recommended. Letters, too, were delivered to Roden, addressed to the Duca di Crinola, both at Holloway and at the Post Office.
But she was not going to have the tidings repeated to her by him, so as to give him any claim to gratitude for having brought them. "You mean the Duca di Crinola!" "Oh," exclaimed Mr. Greenwood. "I have heard all that, Mr. Greenwood." "That the Post Office clerk is an Italian nobleman?" "It suited the Italian nobleman for a time to be a Post Office clerk. That is what you mean."
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