Chivey was not soft, but he was not competent to cope with such a keen spirit as this Spanish notary.
Señor Velasquez walked up to the hotel in which Herbert Murray was staying, and the first person he chanced to meet was Murray himself.
"I wish to have a word with you in private, Señor Murray," said the notary.
Murray looked anxiously around him, starting "like a guilty thing upon a fearful summons."
The bland smile of the Spanish notary reassured him, however.
"What can I do for Señor Velasquez?" he asked.
"I begged for a few words in private," answered Velasquez.
"Take a seat, Señor Velasquez," said Herbert Murray, "and now tell me how I can serve you," after entering his room.
The notary made himself comfortable in his chair.
"I can speak in safety now?" he said.