Thereupon Virginia proceeded to tell him the tragic story of the missing president of Baracoa, and when she had finished, the lieutenant’s face was very grim.
“It is the most amazing story I ever heard!” he declared. “It fairly makes my blood boil to think of that poor fellow being caged up there in the fortress with a battleship flying the Stars and Stripes less than half a mile away. But he’s not going to be there much longer,” he added, a determined expression coming to his strong face. “You’re quite right, Miss Throgmorton, we’ve got to set him free. If you’ll permit me, I’ll speak to the captain about it as soon as I get back to the ship. I’ll tell him the story, and——”
Virginia cut him short with a gesture of disapproval. “No, you mustn’t do that. What I have told you is in the strictest confidence. If I thought that any good would come of it, I would have gone to Captain Cortrell myself, long before this. But I know that he would take no action in the matter. You know how he acted in the case of Mr. Hawley. And if he couldn’t see his way to do anything for an American citizen, we can be sure he wouldn’t interfere to help a man who has no claims on our government.”
“I think you do him an injustice,” her companion protested, resenting the somewhat bitter tone in which she spoke of his commanding officer. “There isn’t a better-hearted or braver officer in the service than our old man. But, of course, he isn’t always free to do what he’d like to do. The commanding officer of a battleship has got to think of pleasing Washington, D. C., before he can think of pleasing himself. How about your father, Miss Throgmorton? Surely the American minister wouldn’t stand for such a conspiracy?”
Virginia sighed. “My father refuses to believe that there is any such conspiracy,” she said. “Knowing how favorably disposed father was toward that tyrant Portiforo, I have always realized the futility of trying to enlist him in our cause. But yesterday,” she added with a frown, “it occurred to me that, after all, it was worth trying. I was desperate, and saw no other way of helping poor President Felix. So I went to my father and told him my story. He laughed at me and told me that I was suffering from hallucinations, and when I insisted, he became very angry and forbade me ever to mention the subject to him or to anybody else again.”
A puzzled expression came to the naval officer’s face. “That’s queer,” he muttered under his breath.
“No, Mr. Ridder,” Virginia continued, “we can’t hope for any help from either Captain Cortrell or my father. We’ve got to handle this thing ourselves.”
“But what can we do?”
Virginia looked at him reproachfully. “The other day, when your friend Mr. Hawley was locked up, you were ready to go to the jail and attempt a rescue by force,” she reminded him. “Wouldn’t you do as much for this unhappy man?”
The lieutenant hesitated. “If I were sure that such an attempt would be successful, I wouldn’t mind tackling it,” he said. “But if I were to fail, Miss Throgmorton, you must realize what it would mean. There’d be the deuce to pay in Washington, and——”