“You say the fellow’s name is not Pedro at all, but Pedrarias?” asked Ned.
“Yes, that is what father says. I gave him the name of Pedro for short. He is an offshoot of the Spanish family that ruled the Isthmus after Balboa was shot. He claims pure Castilian blood, and all that. How he ever consented to become a servant is more than I can make out.”
“Has it never occurred to you,” asked Ned, “that he might have had an object, besides that of salary, in acting the part of a menial?”
“I have thought, since the night of the robbery, that he might have scented the necklace from afar off and come there to get it.”
“Your father found him on the Isthmus?”
“Yes; on his latest trip.”
“He consulted with him, in a way, concerning conditions here?”
“Yes, I think he did. Pedro is a very intelligent man, and proud as the Son of the Morning. He gave me his pedigree about the first day of his service in the house.”
“Perhaps your father sought his advice regarding the emerald business.”
“Yes, I think he did, now and then.”