CHAPTER XXIX.A VAIN APPEAL.
Greatly alarmed by what Gale had told her concerning the Camera Chap’s peril, Virginia lost no time in seeking an interview with her father. She found the latter seated in his library engaged in the preparation of a long dispatch to Washington. He looked up from his cipher code with a frown as she entered.
“Some other time, my dear; I am exceedingly busy just now,” he protested. “This dispatch has got to be sent off at once.”
“But I can’t wait,” the girl announced. “The business I want to talk over with you is more important than what you are doing. Unless,” she added, with a flash of intuition, “that telegram you are writing concerns the arrest of Mr. Hawley.”
The United States minister swung around in his swivel chair and regarded his daughter with surprise. “How on earth did you guess that?” he demanded.
“Then it is about Mr. Hawley!” the girl exclaimed joyously. “You are cabling the state department that you are going to get him out of prison immediately?”
Minister Throgmorton shook his head. “On the contrary, my dear, I am informing Washington that we can do nothing for him, except to make sure that he gets a fair trial,” he said coldly. “The young man has only himself to blame for his predicament. If he is guilty of the serious offense with which heis charged—and I am given to understand that the government of Baracoa has the strongest kind of a case against him—he must suffer the consequences. The United States government cannot afford to affront a friendly nation by acting in behalf of a mercenary adventurer who has been caught red-handed as a spy for the revolutionists.”
“But Mr. Hawley isn’t a mercenary adventurer,” Virginia protested. “Nor is he a revolutionary spy. I happen to know that he——” She stopped short, suddenly realizing the danger of completing what she had started out to say. In her zeal to save her plucky friend, she had been about to take her father into her confidence concerning the worthy mission which had brought the snapshot wizard to Baracoa, but just in time she recalled that she had made a promise to Hawley that, no matter what happened, she would not give away his secret.
Observing her hesitancy, Throgmorton looked at her keenly. “You happen to know that he is—what?” he demanded sharply.
“I happen to know that he is a newspaper man,” the girl replied evasively.
“ASentinelman, you mean,” the diplomat rejoined tartly. “That certainly is nothing in his favor. My own experience with that sensational sheet has been quite sufficient to convince me that everybody connected with it is capable of almost anything.”
Virginia’s blue eyes flashed indignantly. “And that is why you are taking this attitude toward Mr. Hawley,” she said bitterly. “Just because the paper herepresents has been unkind to you in its editorial columns you have made up your mind not to interfere in his behalf. It is incredible to me, father, that you could be as small as that.”
The diplomat frowned. “I think you forget yourself, my dear Virginia,” he said with dignity. “Your insinuation is not only disrespectful, it is preposterous. I hope that I am conscientious enough not to allow my personal prejudices to influence me in the discharge of my duty. By the way,” he added sharply, “might I inquire why you appear to be so greatly interested in the fate of this spy? Surely it cannot be possible that you number him among your friends?”
“I do,” the girl answered warmly. “He is the bravest, most unselfish man I have ever met, and I am proud to be able to say that he is my friend. And what’s more,” she added, a light of determination in her blue eyes, “whether you will do anything for him or not, he’s not going to be made the victim of Portiforo’s vengeance if I can help it.”
Her father’s frown deepened. “My dear child, you are talking most intemperately. The object of your misplaced sympathy is not going to be made the victim of anybody’s vengeance. You can rest assured, as I said before, that he will have a fair and impartial trial. As the representative of his country I shall see to that. And that is all that he or any other fair-minded person could expect me to do for him.”
“It isn’t all,” the girl protested. “There needn’t be any trial at all if you don’t wish it. You have sufficient personal influence with the Portiforo administrationto have him set free even though he were guilty.”
Minister Throgmorton shrugged his shoulders. “I fear that you overestimate my power, my dear,” he said deprecatingly. “However, even if I had sufficient influence, I don’t think I should feel justified in using it in that way. The prisoner’s demeanor is scarcely such as to entitle him to clemency. His bearing toward the authorities is almost defiant; and, as for his attitude toward me——”
Virginia interrupted him with an excited exclamation. “You have been to see him?” she inquired eagerly.
“Yes; I called at the arsenal immediately after his arrest. I deemed it my duty to interview him.” He paused, and an expression of annoyance came to his face. “But I could get absolutely nothing out of him. The fellow was almost contemptuous in his refusal to answer my questions. No; I certainly shouldn’t feel like doing any more than my duty calls for to help him.”
After some further pleading and argument, Virginia went out of the room convinced that so far as her father was concerned the Camera Chap was a doomed man. For a while she was in despair; then an idea came to her which caused her to order the touring car and journey therein to Puerto Cabero. Arrived at the seaport, she went down to the wharf which theKearsarge’slaunches were using for a landing. One of the battleship’s graceful little fifty-footers had just come in with a liberty party ofjackies. Virginia addressed a natty young officer in charge of the men. “Is this boat going right back to the battleship?” she inquired.
“In a few minutes, miss. Do you wish to go?”
“If Captain Cortrell is there. I must see him immediately.”
The officer replied that she would find the commanding officer in his cabin, and a few minutes later Virginia was speeding over the water toward the big gray fighter. As she reached the warship’s side and stepped to the main deck her hopes suddenly soared. The sight of the guns protruding from the grim turrets, and the sturdy, white-jacketed boys from her own land swarming over the decks, was decidedly reassuring. Somehow, in spite of what her father had said, she could not believe that the ruler of a “fussy little banana republic”—as she was wont to refer contemptuously to Baracoa—would dare to go to extreme lengths with a citizen of a country powerful enough to own such engines of destruction as this.
When the officer of the deck learned her identity he conducted her at once to the commanding officer’s cabin. Captain Cortrell had already met her at the embassy when he had called there to pay his respects to her father. The smile which came now to his weather-beaten countenance betokened how delighted he was to renew the acquaintance; for grim old sea dog though he was, he was always glad to see a pretty face aboard his vessel, especially when that pretty face belonged to one of his own countrywomen. His smile abruptly disappeared, however, when helearned the object of Virginia’s visit, and he shook his grizzled head sadly.
“I regret to say, Miss Throgmorton, that I am powerless to do anything. I sympathize greatly with Mr. Hawley, and, unofficially, would do anything in my power to help him, but you must realize that officially my hands are tied.”
“I don’t realize anything of the sort!” Virginia cried impetuously. “If you were to go to Portiforo and tell him that unless he releases your countryman immediately theKearsarge’sguns will wipe Baracoa off the map, I am confident that he would be impressed.”
Captain Cortrell received this suggestion with a laugh, but that the girl had struck a responsive chord within him was evident by the glint which came to his eyes. “I don’t mind admitting that such a step is exactly the one I’d like to take,” he confided to her. “But, of course, it is quite out of the question. You must see that. Your father is in command of the situation here. I could not presume to go over the head of the United States minister.”
“This is no time for red tape,” the girl protested. “What does it matter whose head you go over when the life of a brave man is in danger?” Her voice suddenly became softly coaxing. “I feel sure you, too, are a brave man, Captain Cortrell. Why not take the chance? Other American commanders have taken chances.”
The naval officer cut her short with another laugh. “I hate to forfeit your good opinion, Miss Throgmorton,”he said dryly, “but I am afraid I can’t let you tempt me to be guilty of such a gross breach of discipline. Why not try that line of argument on your father?” he suggested. “I will promise you this much—if you can persuade him to make a formal request to me to take steps to bring about Mr. Hawley’s release, I will proceed to take whatever action may be necessary, immediately, without waiting to hear from Washington.”
Virginia shook her head. “I know my father’s disposition too well to have any hope of being able to change his mind once it is made up,” she said. Then, suddenly her face brightened. “Well, anyway, I suppose it won’t do any harm to try,” she exclaimed. Without telling Captain Cortrell of the new idea which had come to her, she hurried from the warship and back to San Cristobal.