plan," he added enthusiastically. "We shall sweep the
country with it."

He flicked off the ash of his inevitable cigarette, much as if it were
the opposition of the governments they were to encounter.

It was evident that the Captain was much impressed by Constance. Yet
she instinctively disliked the man. His cameraderie had something
offensive about it, as contrasted with the deferential friendship of
Santos.

With all her energy, however, Constance plunged directly into her work.
Indeed, even at the start she was amazed to find that money for a
revolution could be raised at all. She soon, found that it could be
done more easily in New York than anywhere else in the world.

There seemed to be something about her that apparently appealed to
those whom she went to see. She began to realize what a tremendous
advantage a woman of the world had in presenting the case and
convincing a speculator of the rich returns if the revolution should
prove successful. More than that, she quickly learned that it was best
to go alone, that it was she, quite as much as the promised concessions
for tobacco, salt, telegraph, telephone monopolies, that loosed the
purse strings.

Her first week's report of pledges ran into the thousands with a
substantial immediate payment of real dollars.

"How did you do it?" asked Santos in undisguised admiration, as she was
telling him one night of her success, in the dusty, cobwebbed little
ship chandlery on South Street where the Junta headquarters had been
established.

"Dollar diplomacy," she laughed, not displeased at his admiration. "We
shall soon convert American dollars into Vespuccian bullets."

They were alone, and a week had made much difference in the fascinating
friendship to Constance.

"Let me show you what I have done," Ramon confided. "Already, I have
started together the 'counterfeiting plant,' as you call it."

Piece by piece, as he had been able to afford them, he had been
ordering the presses, the stamping machine, and a little "reeding" or
milling machine for the edges of the coins.

"The paper, the ink, and the bullion, we shall order now as we can," he
explained, resting his head on his elbow at the table beside her.
"Everything will be secured from firms which make mint supplies for
foreign governments. A photo-engraver is now engaged on the work of
copying the notes. He is making the plates by the photo-etching
process--the same as that by which the real money pla