She glanced around her in all directions, and even when she had ascertained that there was nobody within earshot, lowered her voice almost to a whisper. “There is a certain young man of my acquaintance,” she began, “who is an officer in the Baracoan army. His name is Reyes—Captain Ernesto Reyes. You must promise me to forget that name as soon as you have heard the story, Mr. Hawley.”
“I have forgotten it already,” the Camera Chap assured her.
The girl smiled. “I met him at an embassy ball, about a year ago, and we became very good friends. He was attached to El Torro and had charge of the prison guard. It was through him that I was able to visit the prison.”
“He permitted you to enter the prison?”
“Yes; he smuggled me in there. He was running a great risk, of course.”
“So I should imagine,” said the Camera Chap. “He must be very fond of—President Felix,” he added dryly.
Virginia blushed. “No; I’m sorry to say that isn’t the case. If it were so it would make things so much easier for us. It wasn’t out of any consideration for President Felix that Captain Reyes allowed me to visit his prison. It—there were other reasons. Captain Reyes is far from being a Felix sympathizer. On the contrary, he has a deadly grudge against him. I guess that is why Portiforo has put him in charge of El Torro prison; he knows that there is no chance of Felix being allowed to escape while he is in charge.”
Hawley frowned. “Why is he so bitter toward Felix?” he inquired.
“He has cause, I must admit,” the girl explained, her face clouding. “Captain Reyes’ father was a colonel in the Baracoan army when Mr. Felix first became president. He was caught conspiring against the government, and Felix ordered him to be shot. I don’t know anything about the merits of the case, but, right or wrong, I suppose it is only natural that the son should hate the man who signed his father’s death warrant.”
Hawley nodded. “But if he feels that way about it, whatever could have possessed him to consent to your communicating with the prisoner?” he exclaimed.