It was intensely amusing to Jack, and scarcely less so to Carlos, to observe the sympathetic courtesy with which the English Consul listened to all this rigmarole, which, from his manner, one might have believed to have been absolutely convincing--until he remarked, in turn: "Well, my dear General, after all has been said, one fact remains; which is, that Senor Singleton's life has been attempted by a man whom he never saw before, and who could therefore have had no personal animus against him. The obvious inference therefore is that he was hired by someone to make the attempt; and he asserts that the man who hired him was Senor Alvaros. Therefore, notwithstanding all that you have said, if anything further of an untoward nature should happen to Senor Singleton, I warn you that very grave suspicion will attach to Senor Alvaros, and I shall be compelled to insist upon the most stringent enquiry being made into the matter. I would therefore suggest--if you will pardon me for taking so great a liberty--that Senor Alvaros should be made aware of all the circumstances of the case; and that a hint should be given him of the extreme necessity for the utmost circumspection on his part. And now, General, I must offer you my most sincere apologies for having occupied so much of your valuable time, and tender you my warmest thanks for the great patience and courtesy with which you have listened to what I have had to say. Good-morning!" CHAPTER NINE. AN URGENT APPEAL FOR HELP.