"I'm flattered that you thought about me at all." Kit rejoined.
She laughed and played with her fan. "Oh, well; we are curious about strangers, particularly when they are friends of the president's. One wonders why they come."
"I imagine most of us come to get money."
"In this country, one gets nothing unless one runs some risk, and you are cautious," Francisca remarked.
Kit noted her insistence on this trait of his. He thought her remarks had a meaning that did not appear on the surface.
"I wonder what grounds you have for thinking so," he said.
"Are they not obvious?" she answered. "Not long since you hesitated to pick up a sprig of heliotrope."
"I durst not think the compliment was meant for me."
Francisca glanced at him with quiet amusement. "You are modest, señor; it looks as if you had a number of virtues. For one thing, I imagine you are honest, and honesty is not very common here." She paused and resumed in a meaning tone: "It is a drawback, if one wants to get rich."
"I don't know that my character is worth your study," Kit replied carelessly.