“But I shall have to give both the President and the Secretary of State this information,” insisted Enoch.

“That is in your hands,” said Senor Cadiz.

“Then,” Enoch nodded as Jonas appeared with the inevitable tinkling glasses, “remain quietly in Washington until you hear from me again.”

Jonas held the door open on the departing callers with disapproval in every line of his face.

“How come that colored trash to be setting in the parlors of the government, boss?” asked he.

“They are Mexicans, Jonas,” replied Enoch.

“Just a new name for niggers, boss,” snapped Jonas, following Enoch up the stairs.  “Don’t you trust any colored man that ain’t willing to call hisself black.”

Enoch laughed and settled himself to an entry in the journal.

“This was the happiest day of my life, Diana.  We are going to be great friends, are we not!  And the philosophers tell us that friendship is the most soul-satisfying of all human relationships.  I have been very vacillating in my attitude to you, since you came to Washington.  But I cannot lose the feeling that those wise, wistful eyes of yours have seen my trouble and understood.  I wonder how soon I can see you again.  I’m rather proud of my behavior to-day, Diana, dearest.”

CHAPTER VI

A NEWSPAPER REPORTER

“I wonder if Christ ever cared for a woman.  He may have, for God wished Him to know and suffer all that men know and suffer, and all love must have been noble in His eyes.”—­Enoch’s Diary.

“Abbott,” said Enoch the next day, “do you recall that I have commented to you several times on the fact that some of the southwestern states did not back the Geological Survey in its search for oil fields as we had expected they would?”

“Yes, Mr. Secretary,” answered Charley, looking up from his notebook with keen interest in eye and voice.  “I have wondered just why the matter bothered you so.”

“It has bothered me for several different reasons.  It has, to begin with, conflicted with my idea of the fundamental purpose of this office.  What could be a stronger reason for being for the Geological Survey than to find and show the public the resources of the public lands?  When the Bureau of Mines reports to me that certain oil fields are diminishing at an alarming rate, and when any fool knows that a vital part of our future history is to be written in terms of oil, it behooves the Secretary of the Interior to look for remedial steps.  Certain sections of our Southwest are saturated with oil and yet, Abbott, the states resent our locating oil fields.  As far as I know now, no open hostility has been shown, unless”—­Enoch interrupted himself suddenly,—­“do you recall last year that some Indians drove a Survey group out of Apache Canyon and that young Rice was killed and all his data lost?”