“Well,” said the Spaniard, “I think you and the man, Payne, should watch over your friend, but it might be better if you did not tell him you are doing so or ask him any questions, and I would sooner you did not mention this interview. If, however, anything suspicious happens again, it might be an advantage if you let me know. You can send word to me at the hotel.”
“Not at Kenwardine’s?”
Don Sebastian gave him a quiet glance, but Jake thought it was keenly observant and remembered how, one night when a messenger entered Kenwardine’s patio, Richter, the German, had stood where he obstructed the Spaniard’s view.
“No,” he said, “I should prefer the hotel. Will you promise?”
“I will,” Jake answered impulsively. “However, you seem to suggest that I should leave my partner to grapple with this thing himself and I don’t like that. If he’s up against any danger, I want to butt in. Dick’s no fool, but there are respects in which he’s not very keen. His mind’s fixed on concrete, and when he gets off it his imagination’s sometimes rather weak——”
He stopped, feeling that he must not seem to censure his friend, and Don Sebastian nodded with a twinkle of amusement.
“I think I understand. There are, however, men of simple character and no cunning who are capable of going far and sometimes surprise the friends who do not know them very well. I cannot tell if Señor Brandon is one of these, but it is not impossible. After all, it is often the clever man who makes the worst mistakes; and on the whole I imagine it would be wiser to leave your comrade alone.”
He got up and laid his hand on Jake’s arm with a friendly gesture. “Now I will put you on your way, and if you feel puzzled or alarmed in future, you can come to me.”