"Thought I would drop in and see if there was any message you would like to send to the general or to Consul Wyman."
"You mean that you were sent to see if we were ready to talk yet, don't you?"
"Just a different way of putting it."
"Well, you may tell General What-You-May-Call-Him that we have nothing more to say than we said yesterday; and you may also inform him that our situation is known to our friends by this time, and that he will be held to a strict accounting by Uncle Sam for this outrage upon two American citizens."
"You have communicated with your friends—how?"
The genial smile on the man's face faded into a look of surprise and anxiety. He glanced quickly around the room to see if there was any means by which they could have communicated with the outside world.
"That is another one of those questions that we claim the privilege of refusing to answer."
"I will deliver your message, but I warn you that it will not be well for you to arouse the anger of General Serano. He fears no one."
"It is entirely up to the general whether he gets angry or not. I really do not see any necessity for it."
"Will you send any message to Consul Wyman?"