"The Queen and I are not married!" Francis pleaded, beside himself, overcome by what had taken place. "That heathen marriage before the Altar of the Sun was no marriage. In neither deed nor ceremony are we married. I assure you of that, Leoncia. It is not too late
That heathen marriage has lasted you thus far," she interrupted him with quiet firmness. Let it last you to New York, or, at least, to … Colon."
"The Queen will not have any further marriage after our forms," Francis said. "She insists that all her female line before her has been so married and that the Sun Altar ceremony is sacredly binding."
Leoncia shrugged her shoulders non-committally, although her face was stern with resolution.
Marriage or no," she replied, "you must go to-night the pair of you. Else I shall go mad. I warn you: I shall not be able to withstand the presence of you. I cannot, I know I cannot, be able to stand the sight of you while I am being married to Henry and after I am married to Henry. Oh, please, please, do not misunderstand me. I do love Henry, but not in the… not in that way… not in the way I love you. I and I am not ashamed of the boldness with which I say it I love Henry about as much as you love the Queen; but I love you as I should love Henry, as you should love the Queen, as I know you do love me."
She caught his hand and pressed it against her heart. "There! For the last time! Now go!"
But his arms were around her, and she could not help but yield her lips. Again she tore herself away, this time fleeing to the doorway. Francis bowed his head to her decision, then picked up her picture.
"I shall keep this," he announced.
"You oughtn't to," she flashed a last fond smile at him. "You may," she added, as she turned and was gone.
Yet Yi Poon had a commission to execute, for which Torres had paid him one hundred gold hi advance. Next morning, with Francis and the Queen hours departed on their way to Colon, Yi Poon arrived at the Solano hacienda. Enrico, smoking a cigar on the veranda and very much pleased with himself and all the world and the way the world was going, recognized and welcomed Yi Poon as his visitor of the day before. Even ere they talked, Leoncia's father had dispatched Alesandro for the five hundred pesos agreed upon. And Yi Poon, whose profession was trafficking in secrets, was not averse to selling his secret the second time. Yet was he true to his salt, in so far as he obeyed Torres' instructions in refusing to tell the secret save in the presence of Leoncia and Henry.