CHAPTER XXX.LOYAL FRIENDS.
Minister Throgmorton was still in his library when Virginia returned. He had sent his report to Washington and had just received a reply. He was in the act of opening this dispatch when his daughter entered the room.
“Father, are you aware that Mr. Hawley was not alone when he went to take the snapshot at the fortress last night?” she began abruptly.
The diplomat nodded. “I am informed that he had a woman confederate with him. But, really, my dear girl——”
“You have been correctly informed,” Virginia quickly interrupted. “But did they tell you who the woman was?”
Her father looked at her searchingly. “No, they did not. Do you know?”
“I do; and I think that you ought to know, too, before you fully make up your mind that it will be impossible to use your influence with the government to prevent this case from coming to trial. Surely you wouldn’t want your own daughter to be convicted as accessory before the fact?”
“My own daughter! Why, what do you mean? It can’t be possible that you——” He stopped short, and a look of alarm came to his face.
“Yes; it was I,” the girl announced, her voice ascalm as if she had been telling him of a visit to her milliner. “I accompanied Mr. Hawley to the fortress last night, and helped him to get his snapshot. You might as well hear the truth now, for you are bound to learn it later on when I am brought to trial. For,” she added, with determination, “I have fully decided that I must confess my part in the adventure. It would not be honorable for me to remain silent and let Mr. Hawley suffer alone, when I am fully as guilty as he.”
Her father smiled incredulously. “I hate to doubt your word, Virginia, but I am inclined to believe that you are inventing this story in the vain hope of frightening me into helping the rascal.”
“If you doubt me,” said Virginia indignantly, “you have only to make inquiries at the fortress. Ask the commandant, or Captain Reyes; they can tell you that I was there. I told them a story which threw them off the track as to my part in the adventure and caused them to let me go, but when they hear my confession they will have no doubt as to its truth.”
A troubled expression came to the minister’s face. He got up and paced the room in agitation. “What made you do it?” he demanded presently. “What motive could you have for assisting this spy?”
Virginia shrugged her shoulders. “He couldn’t get his snapshot without an assistant, so I volunteered my services. The excitement of the adventure appealed to me. Things have been so slow around here lately.”
Her father scowled. “Do you realize the position you have put me in?” he exclaimed angrily. “Thedaughter of the United States minister mixed up in a conspiracy against the government of a friendly power! It is intolerable. It is liable to cause international complications. It may result in my recall.”
“It needn’t do either of these things, if only you could see your way to do as I have suggested—use your influence with the government here to have Mr. Hawley set free without a trial. I’m sure everything will be all right so far as I am concerned.”
Minister Throgmorton scowled again. “That is quite out of the question,” he began. Then he happened to glance at the cablegram in his hand which he had been about to read when his daughter had interrupted him. The message, which was in cipher, was very brief. Translated it read as follows:
“You must make every fair and legitimate effort, at your discretion, to obtain Hawley’s release.”
“You must make every fair and legitimate effort, at your discretion, to obtain Hawley’s release.”
The United States representative did not have to consult his code book for the identification of the name which was signed to the message. He knew that it was the personal cipher of the President of the United States.
As he was working out the translation his daughter took a step toward the door. With an intuitive apprehension of her purpose he looked up from his desk. “Where are you going, Virginia?” he asked uneasily.
“To give myself up to the authorities,” the girl answered, a resolute tilt to her chin. “I have fully made up my mind that if Mr. Hawley is going to suffer I am going to share his punishment with him.”
“You are going to do nothing of the sort,” her harassed parent declared peremptorily. He got up from his chair and took his hat and cane. “Wait here,” he commanded. “I am going out for a little while. I forbid you to leave the house until I return.”
“Very well, father,” the girl meekly assented. Her blue eyes twinkled as she spoke. Something about the envoy’s manner caused her to believe that she could guess his destination.
A few minutes after he had gone a young man visited the embassy. He wore the uniform of a lieutenant of the United States navy. He wore also an exceedingly perturbed expression. From the card which the servant brought, Virginia learned that the visitor’s name was Ridder, and that he was attached to the battleshipKearsarge. The servant announced that the young man desired an audience with the United States minister, but the girl, hoping that his business might have something to do with the Camera Chap, ordered that he be shown into the library.
“My father is not in just now,” she announced. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“I’m afraid, not,” Lieutenant Ridder replied. “I have come to see your father about a friend of mine who was arrested last night.”
“Mr. Hawley?”
“Yes; do you know if anything is being done for him? I am anxious to know whether my telegram has already brought results.”
“Your telegram?” Virginia exclaimed with eager curiosity.
“Last night when a mob of chocolate soldiers marched into the hotel and arrested my friend,” the naval officer explained, “I sent a dispatch to the managing editor of the New YorkSentinel, notifying him of what had happened. I figured that he might have a pull with Washington.”
“What a clever idea!” exclaimed Virginia, looking at him admiringly. “That scheme never even entered my mind. Did you get a reply?”
“Yes; he assured me that he will do everything in his power to stir up Washington. I was in hopes that he might have succeeded in getting the state department to send word to Minister Throgmorton to demand Hawley’s release.”
“My father received an official dispatch a short time ago,” Virginia informed him, “but of course I don’t know what it contained. Are you a very great friend of Mr. Hawley’s?” she inquired.
Lieutenant Ridder smiled. “Well, that depends on what you mean by friend. We’ve only met a few times, but—well, you see, he saved my life once. That was the first time we met. A gang of toughs had me down and pretty nearly out. They would have finished me, I guess, if Hawley hadn’t come along. There were at least six of them, but he sailed into the bunch and routed them all. He’s the gamest, whitest chap I’ve ever met, and now that he’s in trouble I’d go the limit to help him.”
Virginia regarded him with interest. “I wonderjust how far you really would go,” she said, a challenge in her tone. “If all other measures failed, would you be willing to land a rescue party to the jail and get him out by force?”
The naval officer smiled sheepishly. “Are you a mind reader, Miss Throgmorton? Ever since last night,” he confided to her, “I’ve been figuring whether that very thing couldn’t be done, if things should come to a pinch. I know I could pick out at least a dozen men on theKearsargewho would be eager to help me. The only difficulty is that if I took them in on the scheme it would get them into trouble.”
“It would get you into trouble, too,” the girl reminded him. “I am afraid that, at the very least, it would cost you your commission.”
Ridder smiled. “Possibly it would,” he said simply, “but—well, didn’t Hawley risk more than that when he sailed into that bunch down in Chinatown and saved me from being beaten to death? As I said before, I’m willing to go the limit to help him.”
“I feel sure that you would,” said Virginia, noting with admiration the breadth of his shoulders and the strong set of his jaw. “Mr. Hawley is indeed fortunate to have such a loyal friend so near at hand. Let us hope, however,” she added, “that such desperate measures will not be necessary. I have an idea, Mr. Ridder, that my father has gone now to the national palace to interview President Portiforo on behalf of our friend. When he returns he may have good news for us.”