"You see!" she said. "Well, I am engaged for the next dance. You have my leave to go."
Kit left her and sat down in a quiet spot. On the whole, he thought the president's antagonists had been foolish when they tried to use the girl; she was, so to speak, too good, and perhaps too proud, for the part they expected her to play. This, however, was not important; he imagined she had meant well when she gave him a hint, although the hint was not worth much, because Kit thought Adam saw how things were going. Then he reflected with some amusement that he need not bother much about deceiving the enemy, since Galdar's friends would not suspect that Buccaneer Askew had knowingly chosen the losing side.
Presently Kit joined Adam, who sat near a lamp. His face was damp and looked pinched.
"Let's go and get a drink," he said. "I'm thirsty; got a dose of intermittent fever again."
Some tables behind the pillars were laid out with wine and fruit, and
Adam beckoned a mulatto waiter.
"Tinto and siphon. Bring some ice."
"There is no siphon, señor. We have sherry, vermouth, and some very good anisado."
"You have plenty siphon" Adam declared. "Go and look."
The waiter went away and Adam frowned. "I can't stand for their scented liquors; I want a long, cool drink."
After a few minutes, the waiter came back with a large glass, in which a lump of ice floated in red wine and mineral water. Adam, sending him away, remarked: "That's a stupid fellow. I wanted to mix the stuff myself."