himself alive to work out some great scheme
of business."

I pricked up my ears.

"Ah! what scheme is that?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't know! Something about that horrid debt. But I was told
not to say anything about it!"

The debt was becoming a bore. The whole air was full of it. I hastily
paid Donna Antonia a few incoherent compliments, and took my leave.
As I was putting on my coat Colonel McGregor joined me and, with more
friendliness than he usually showed me, accompanied me down the avenue
toward the _Piazza_. After some indifferent remarks he began:

"Martin, you and I have separate interests in some matters, but I
think we have the same in others."

I knew at once what he meant; it was that debt over again!

I remained silent, and he continued:

"About the debt, for instance. You are interested in the debt?"

"Somewhat," said I. "A banker generally is interested in a debt."

"I thought so," said the colonel. "A time may come when we can act
together. Meanwhile, keep your eye on the debt. Good-night!"

We parted at the door of his chambers in the Piazza, and I went on to
my lodgings.

As I got into bed, rather puzzled and very uneasy, I damned the debt.
Then, remembering that the debt was, as it seemed, for some reason a
common interest to the signorina and myself, I apologized to it, and
fell asleep.

CHAPTER V.

I APPRECIATE THE SITUATION.

The flight of time brought no alleviation to the troubles of
Aureataland. If an individual hard up is a pathetic sight, a nation
hard up is an alarming spectacle; and Aureataland was very hard up.
I suppose somebody had some money. But the Government had none; in
consequence the Government employees had none, the officials had
none, the President had none, and finally, I had none. The bank had a
little--of other people's, of course--but I was quite prepared for
a "run" on us any day, and had cabled to the directors to implore a
remittance in cash, for our notes were at a discount humiliating to
contemplate. Political strife ran high. I dropped into the House of
Assembly one afternoon toward the end of May, and, looking down from
the gallery, saw the colonel in the full tide of wrathful declamation.
He was demanding of miserable Don Antonio when the army was to be
paid. The latter sat cowering under his scorn, and would, I verily
believe, have bolted out of the House had he not been nailed to his
seat by the cold eye of the President, who was looking