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I know only dthat you American vomans haf yust one fault: you air how you zay? spoil vidth too great power; you raispect no von's judgment, you need zome strong man to rule." "To rule!" I echo, scornfully; "that may do for Peruvians, but our women are neither slaves nor imbeciles." "No," he retorts, "but zome zay your men air a leedle of bodth!"
She is accustomed to these attacks." "If nodthing does gude dthen vhy stay you efer in dthat room; you vill be ill, too." "Oh, no," I say, "no fear of that." "But," he insists, "if you do nodthing only sit in dthat room, let me stay vidth her and you come out in dthe air. Madame Steele ees not like you; she like me vairy vell." "She likes me better, and I can't leave her."
"Yes," says the Baron, having regained his equilibrium. "You cannot zee, but he haf a basket tie vidth a cord to hees belt; he fill it vidth shaills, and vhen he make a pull dthey draw it up and empty it. Zee, now!" He points to the steamer where, hand over hand, they haul in a cable. At the end is the square wicker basket filled with great pearl shell oysters.
Is this the "Paris of Central America," with its 70,000 inhabitants? Mrs. Steele is met in the dépot by some friends, Californians, who live here part of the year. We promise to dine with them, and the Baron comes back from his search for a carriage, saying one will be here presently. "Vhile Madame Steele talks vidth her friends, vill you come zee dthe Trocadero, vhere dthey haf bull-fights?"
"Are you runnin' this ship, young man, or am I?" He seems to think he has made a forcible and irrefutable rejoinder and turns away like one who has settled something forever. "I vill spik vidth you inside." The Baron sets down his small valise and follows the apparently unheeding Captain into the saloon.
Steele, regretting we have to leave so early the following day, remembers a friend she must see that night, and we take our leave. "Señorita look fery tire she better stay in dthe hotel. I vill escort you, Madame, vidth plaisir." We stop a moment on the stairs. "Oh, no! I especially want Blanche to see the interior of a handsome native house. You're not too tired, are you, dear?"
"He tell me I act like I vas Capitan, dthen he call me 'damn. I tell him he vas a coachman!" The Baron looks surprised and a bit resentful at our laughter. "What made you call him a coachman?" Mrs. Steele is the first, as usual, to pull a straight face. "Madame forget I know not all Eenglish vords. I could dthink of nodthing more vorse I vas zo crazy vidth madness." "See the banana plantations!
"She zay she know dthe Señorita vidth dthe pretty eyes would like dthe shaills, and dthat vas vhy she follow her in dthe church, but Señorita ees easy frighten. Señor must take gude care off her and nefer leaf her." Mrs. Steele smiles indulgently and draws out her watch. "It's time we were going," she says. "The San Miguel's lights will be all out, I'm afraid."
"Madame, I do assure you," and the Baron is most emphatic, "if you vill trust to go vidth me I see dthat you come safe back before San Miguel sails." The second mate comes up with an amused look. "You ladies jest go 'long; th' Cap'n's alwus like that; nobuddy minds. We can't get away under two days, and he knows it.
Madame Steele haf promise to help us. She ask me to zay she will spik vidth you." With a show of indolence I accompany him to where Mrs. Steele's chair is stretched out under the awning, for the day is very sultry. "I haf play vidth Mees Rogair," he whispers on the way, "and haf make her promise to get out her camarah I vould haf your photographie." Mrs.
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