Having heard so much of the gaiety to be found in Porto Rico's capital the ladies had had curiosity enough to come ashore.
Who could blame them, when listening to the delightful strains of melody, and amid such enchanting and romantic surroundings as the many tinted houses fronting the grand plaza afforded!
Not Roderic, surely.
He thought it wise not to make his presence known, as it might seriously compromise his safety in this hostile city.
Nevertheless his eyes were frequently drawn toward the trio, and somehow rested upon the face of his Virginia cousin with a peculiar satisfaction.
If Cleo was not divinely handsome like Georgia she had a fine figure and carried her head like an American queen, so that any man might feel proud to claim kinship with her.
Roderic noticed how eagerly she looked around.
At first he had the assurance to wonder whether she could be seeking him in the crowd, and man-like was beginning to even feel flattered at the idea when he noticed that those whom she scrutinized so eagerly were of the gentler sex, wives and daughters of San Juan's better class of citizens.
Then it flashed upon him that she hoped to discover Georgia in the midst of the throng.
He dared not follow out this thought to its legitimate conclusion, lest it make him appear egotistical even in his own eyes.