“Good Heavens, the President!” cried Jones; “and Mr. Martin!  Why, what on earth, gentlemen—­”

The President gently waved one hand toward me, as if to say, “Mr.
Martin will explain,” and went on placing his securities in the bag.

In face of this crisis my hesitation left me.

“I have received a cable from Europe, Jones,” said I, “instructing me to advance a sum of money to his Excellency; I am engaged in carrying out these instructions.”

“Cable?” said Jones.  “Where is it?”

“In my pocket,” said I, feeling for it.  “No!  Why I must have left it at the Golden House.”

The President came to my assistance.

“I saw it on the table just before we started.  Though I presume Mr. Jones has no right—­”

“None at all,” I said briskly.

“Yet, as a matter of concession, Mr. Martin will no doubt show it to him to-morrow?”

“Strictly as a matter of concession perhaps I will, though I am bound to say that I am surprised at your manner, Mr. Jones.”

Jones looked sadly puzzled.

“It’s all irregular, sir,” said he.

“Hardly more so than your costume!” said the President pleasantly.

Jones was a modest man, and being thus made aware of the havoc the draught was playing with his airy covering, he hastily closed the door, and said to me appealingly: 

“It’s all right, sir, I suppose?”

“Perfectly right,” said I.

“But highly confidential,” added the President.  “And you will put me under a personal obligation, Mr. Jones, and at the same time fulfill your duty to your employers, if you preserve silence till the transaction is officially announced.  A man who serves me does not regret it.”

Here he was making the most of another opportunity—­Jones this time.

“Enough of this,” I said.  “I will go over the matter in the morning, and meanwhile hadn’t you better go back to—­”

“Mrs. Jones,” interjected his Excellency.  “And mind, silence, Mr. Jones!”

He walked up to Jones as he said this, and looked hard at him.

“Silent men prosper best, and live longest, Mr. Jones.”

Jones looked into his steely eyes, and suddenly fell all of a tremble.

The President was satisfied.  He abruptly pushed him out of the room, and we heard his shambling steps going up the staircase.

His Excellency turned to me, and said with apparent annoyance: 

“You leave a great deal to me, Mr. Martin.”

He had certainly done more than tell Jones it was a fine morning.  But
I was too much troubled to thank him; I was thinking of the cable.  The
President divined my thoughts, and said: 

“You must prepare that cable.”

“Yes,” I replied; “that would reassure him.  But I haven’t had much practice in that sort of thing, and I don’t quite know—­”

The President scribbled a few words on a bit of paper, and said: