“Yes; that would spoil everything--for the time being,” Ridder agreed. “We should have to postpone the attempt. But why should we suppose anything so gloomy, my dear Miss Throgmorton? He has accepted the invitation, and he has assured you that he will be there.” A smile lighted up his face. “If you want to make absolutely sure that he won’t disappoint us, why don’t you ask him to call for you and escort you to the dinner? If he has any blood in his veins, he would jump at such an opportunity, and once he’s made the engagement he couldn’t be so unchivalrous as to back out.” Virginia received this suggestion with an ejaculation of delight. “If he escorted me to the dinner, it would be his duty, of course, to see me home, also,” she murmured, talking more to herself than to her companion. “That is a splendid idea of yours, Mr. Ridder--probably even a better one than you supposed. It has given me a big inspiration. I see a way, now, to change our original plans so as to reduce the danger of accidents to a minimum.” “What is it?” the naval officer demanded eagerly. To the eavesdropper’s keen disappointment, the pair walked away from that spot before the girl answered, so he was unable to learn the nature of the inspiration which had come to her. However, incomplete and puzzling though it was, he felt that he had good cause to congratulate himself on the information he had already gleaned. The next morning, Virginia sent a charmingly worded note to Captain Reyes, and, as Ridder had expected, the Baracoan was much flattered by this fresh proof of Miss Throgmorton’s favor, and eagerly grabbed at the opportunity which her note offered him to be her companion on the trip from the capital to the warship. Moreover, he triumphantly exhibited the note to his friend Gale, later that day, as a proof of his intimacy with the fair daughter of the United States envoy. The reporter smiled sardonically as he read the dainty missive. “Doesn’t it strike you as the least bit odd, my dear Ernesto, that Miss Throgmorton should put you to the trouble of coming all the way from the fortress to the embassy to call for her when she has both her father and myself to escort her?” he suggested. Reyes laughed quizzically. “Ah, my unfortunate friend, I cannot blame you for being jealous!” he exclaimed. Gale shrugged his shoulders, but let the taunt pass without verbal comment. He had suddenly changed his mind as to the advisability of striving to make the army officer see the matter from his viewpoint. The thought had come to him that, after all, it would be better not to interfere with Virginia’s mysterious plans at the present stage of the game. It would be time enough to open Reyes’ eyes when the situation had taken more definite shape.