“But the countess!”
“We—ll!” Miss Byrd raised her eyebrows and flashed an amused glance at the secretary. “Well! Why not?” she questioned. “A girl, countess or not, doesn’t often get a chance at a man like Walter, and I guess she’s not very conventional herself, is she? With her ancestry—”
“But it’s not possible! She’s fooling him—playing with him. It’s all bound up in some way with this dukedom business. She’s using him—though for the life of me, I can’t see how. Perhaps I could guess if I knew the Kaiser’s conditions; and if I did know them I might save him. That’s my unofficial reason for wanting to know. If you are a friend of Topham’s you will help me.”
“Of course! But I’ll help you more because you ask me to, for I believe the engagement is bona fide, preposterous as it may seem. What do you want me to do?”
Rutile leaned back in his chair. “That depends!” he answered. “Perhaps nothing at all. But when you get to Brazil find out all you can about the Ouro Pretos. They’re very prominent people. Perhaps the Kaiser’s conditions may be known down there before they are up here. There may be a big newspaper story in it, but if there is I rely on you to keep Topham’s name out. Again, there may be nothing. But if you’ll keep me informed of anything that may develop, whether you print it or not, you may do a service to Topham and also to the United States. Will you do it?”
“Will I? Of course I will.”
CHAPTER XIV
“Say, Topham! I’m mighty glad to see you.” Stites, secretary of legation in Tokio, lifted his wine glass and leaned across the spotless cloth. “Mighty glad to see you. A glass of wine with you, old man.”
Topham lifted his glass and smiled. “Thank you,” he answered. “It makes a fellow feel good to be welcomed like this. You people have been mighty good to me.”
“Oh! Well!” Stites laughed. “We’ll show you the other side of it tomorrow.”