"'My soul is in Valencia,My body is in Madrid!'"
"'My soul is in Valencia,My body is in Madrid!'"
"Well, John, this is great seeing," said Rollo, when Etienne had departed to busy himself about horses and an escort; "what in the world has brought you hither? Surely your father cannot want you to make another thousand pounds in order that you may have the right to attend his twirling spindles from 8.30 every morning to 5.30 every night?"
"Oh, I am a partner now," Mortimer answered, "even though the old boy insisted upon pocketing every penny of the profit on the Abbot'sPriorato. Strict man of business, my father! He said it would teach me in the future to be spry about getting my goods shipped. And when I explained, he only said that what had been possible for him there in England, sitting at ease in his arm-chair, ought to have been possible for me on the spot and with money in my pocket!"
"And what did you do?" asked Rollo, smiling.
"Well, at any rate, I struck him for a commission on my having secured the order, and the Convent onions were good for the rest. So now I am a partner in the firm with a good quarter interest."
"And what are you doing here? More onions?" laughed his friend.
John blushed and looked down at the carpet. They had a carpet at the Governor's house—though in her heart Concha always wants to have it up when any one comes in lest they should tread upon it.
"No," he said slowly, "the fact is I think you spoiled me a bit for staying at home, mill hours—and that sort of thing. So now I am to be foreign agent and buyer. I've been taking lessons in the language, and if you can put any business in my way, I shall be glad."
Rollo took him to the window by the arm.
"Do you see those fellows?" he demanded.
As he spoke he pointed to a detail of the wiry little Valencian soldiers in their white undress blouses andbragas.
"Now, John," he went on, "I can't get stuff here that won't tear the first time they do the goose-step or even sneeze extra hard. The contractors are thieves every man Jack. What can you do for me? I have twenty thousand of these fellows and lots more coming on, down in thehuertasand rice fields!"
"Heavens!" cried John Mortimer, "this is an order indeed. Wait! I will let you know my best possible in a moment!"
And he pulled out a notebook crammed with figures.
"I can give you very good terms indeed," he said after a moment.
Concha jumped to her feet and clapped her hands.
"Oh," she cried joyously, "and I know Señor de Mendia, the head of the Customs. And oh, Rollo, you and he can arrange about getting it through, and all my dress materials as well. It will be quite an addition to our income, if Don Juan sells you the stuff cheap!"
For an instant Rollo looked a little indignant and then went up to his wife and kissed her.
"My dear," he said, "you can never understand! We don't do these things in our country!"
At which John grinned incredulously.
"I have done business in Glasgow," he said suggestively.
"At any rate," said Rollo, nettled, "Idon't do them."
Here Concha pouted adorably, and with her slippered toe kicked a footstool which certainly was not doing her any harm.
"I am sure we are very poor!" she cried. "I wish that wretch Ezquerra, whom they have made a General of, had given us much more than he did. I think you should write to him, Rollo!"
"Better keep friends with Ezquerra," laughed the Governor; "you and I are rich enough, Concha, and baby shall have an ivory ring to cut his teeth upon. You shall have one new dress a year, and there are always enough vegetables in the garden with which to toss you up a salad. Oh, we shall live, spoilt one, we shall live!"
And he kissed her, not heeding the others.
"But why must we keep in with Ezquerra?" said Concha, still unsatisfied; "he was an executioner once."
"Well," said Rollo, "the fellow has been at his old trade again, it seems. He may be Dictator any day now. They say he has ended the war in the north—murdered fourteen of his own brother Generals and bought fourteen of the other side. Bravo, Ezquerra, I always knew he would do something in the fine old style one of these days! But fourteen at a time is epic, even for Spain!"
"And so the war is ended—well, that is always one good thing anyway!" said Concha, careless of the means; "come, Dolóres, let us go and look at the babes! These people ache to talk politics. They don't want us. It is easy to see that!"
So taking the arm of Dolóres Garcia (who had glanced once at her husband when he came in and never looked at him again), little Concha walked to the door sedately as became a matron and the wife of a grandee. Then in her old flashing manner she turned about swiftly and from her finger-tips blew the company a dainty collective kiss.
The curtain closed, leaving the three men all staring after her.
But in another moment it was put aside and Concha's pretty head peeped out.
"Rollo," she said, softly, "you can come up when you like—when you have quite finished your politics—just to look at baby. He has not seen you since morning."