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He dwelt very strongly upon the sterling worth of Senor Alvaros' character, and the very high esteem in which that gentleman was held by all who enjoyed the privilege of his acquaintance; and mildly reproached the Englishmen for being so credulous as to believe the unsupported story of such an unmitigated ruffian as Panza had appeared to be.
I believe this is what has occurred in the case of the Montijos: this fellow Alvaros has somehow managed to work himself into a position of very considerable power, and I have little doubt that he, and he only, is responsible for the whole shameful business, which, in my opinion, has been neither more nor less than a determined but unsuccessful attempt to force the unhappy Senorita Isolda into a marriage with him!"
Then, after the lapse of a full week, there came another letter from the same source, informing them that the writer had received a communication from Senor Calderon, Don Hermoso's manager, stating that Senor Alvaros now promoted to the rank of major had appeared at the hacienda with the intelligence that Don Hermoso and his family, having been found guilty of the crime of conspiracy against the Spanish Government, had been shipped off to Fernando Po for life; and the estates, having been sequestrated, had been given to him as a reward for meritorious service: furthermore, that, Senor Calderon having had long experience in the management of the estate, Major Alvaros was disposed to allow him to retain the post of manager, at least for the present, upon condition that he was found to serve his new master faithfully: and that, finally, Senor Calderon was henceforward to account to Major Alvaros for all income and expenditure connected with the estate.
But he remained in Havana a full fortnight, during which he and Don Ramon learned many things among them, the facts that Senor Alvaros was solely responsible for the arrest and attempted transportation of the Montijos, and also for the seizure of the estate neither of which acts had been reported to the Capitan- General, or been officially recorded: and that, doubtless because of these important reasons, when he had set out on his last journey to visit the estate which he had thus secretly seized, he had omitted to mention to anyone his intentions, his destination, or the probable duration of his absence, with the result that eventually, when the accumulated arrears of his work at length attracted attention and provoked enquiry, nobody could throw the least light upon his whereabouts.
"I am sure it would do Mamma a vast amount of good," remarked Senorita Isolda; "and it might also have the effect of putting a stop to the visits of Senor Alvaros, who is fast becoming an unendurable nuisance." "Indeed! In what way?" demanded Carlos sharply. "Why," answered Senorita Isolda, "we are never free from him.
"You must know that Captain Alvaros made our acquaintance about a year ago, at a ball given in Havana by the Capitan-General of the island. After that he contrived to meet one or more of us on frequent occasions; and finally he requested the Padre's permission to visit us.
Jack most carefully observed every one of the instructions given him by his second, including that which referred to looking his antagonist steadily between the eyes, and he quickly saw that this simple proceeding had a most disconcerting effect upon Alvaros, whose return gaze at once became shifty and uncertain; the result being that the Spaniard's bullet flew wide, while Jack's, aimed by a hand as steady as a rock, struck Alvaros' right elbow, completely shattering the bone and inflicting an injury that the surgeon, at a first glance, thought would probably stiffen the arm for the remainder of its owner's life, to the extent of very seriously disabling him.
By Jove, this is an interesting country!" Carlos laughed rather bitterly. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" he responded. "And it has come to this under Spanish rule. That fellow knew perfectly well that, in accepting Alvaros' commission, he was incurring absolutely no risks whatever, beyond such small personal danger as was involved in his attack upon a sleeping man, and that is not much, as a rule.
But as day after day passed without bringing upon them the complication which they apprehended, their uneasiness rapidly lessened, until at length a day arrived when the conviction forced itself upon them that the attention of the Spanish Government was so fully occupied with other and much more important matters that the disappearance of Senor Alvaros seemed likely to be permitted to pass without especial notice.
These particulars had been gleaned by dint of very patient and careful enquiry on the part of Don Ramon, so judiciously conducted that not a particle of suspicion had anywhere been raised that any enquiry at all was being made: and with them Jack returned to the hacienda and restored tranquillity to the minds of its inhabitants, for it had now been made clear not only that they might dismiss all apprehension of embarrassing enquiry concerning the fate of Senor Alvaros, but also that nobody was likely to dispute Don Hermoso's right to retain his own property.
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