rew out her hands--"to pretend--to care! It is degrading, it makes
me feel unclean."

"You will make an enemy," asked the mother coldly, "of the only person
who can bring your father back to us? Sooner than let Pino think you
care for him, you would let him turn against us? You and Pino," she
pleaded, "are old friends. Your father is his friend. What more
natural!" She broke forth hysterically. "I beg of you," she cried, "I
command you not to make an enemy of Pino. Tell him to wait, tell him
that now you can think of nothing but your father, but that when your
father is free, that if he will only set him free--" The mother held
the girl toward her, searching her eyes. "Promise me," she begged.

Inez regarded her mother unhappily, and turned away.

This, then, on the afternoon of Colonel Vega's arrival at Curacao was
the position toward him and toward each other of the three women of
the Rojas household, and explains, perhaps, why, when that same
afternoon Captain Codman told them the marvelous tale of Roddy's
proposition, Senora Rojas and her daughter received the news each in a
different manner.

Before she had fully understood, Senora Rojas exclaimed with
gratitude:

"It is the hand of God. It is His hand working through this great
company."

"Not at all," snapped Captain Codman. "The company has nothing to
do with it. As far as I can see it is only the wild plan of a
harum-scarum young man. He has no authority. He's doing it for
excitement, for an adventure. He doesn't seem to know anything of--of
what is going on--and, personally, I think he's mad. He and his friend
are the two men who twice drove past your house this morning. What his
friend is like I don't know; but Forrester seems quite capable of
forcing his way in here. He wants what he calls 'credentials.' In
fact, when I refused to help him, he as much as threatened to come
here and get them for himself."

The voice of Senora Rojas was shaken with alarm. "He is coming here!"
she cried. "But if he is seen _here_ they will know at once at
Caracas, and my husband will suffer. It may mean the end of
everything." Her voice rose, trembling with indignation. "How dare he!
How dare he, for the sake of an adventure, risk the life of my
husband? How can he expect to succeed where our friends have failed,
and now, when Pino has returned and there is hope."

"I told him that," said the Consul.

"You warned him," insisted the Senora; "you told him he must not