"Enough of this," I said. "I will go over the matter in the morning,
and meanwhile hadn't you better go back to--"
"Mrs. Jones," interjected his Excellency. "And mind, silence, Mr.
Jones!"
He walked up to Jones as he said this, and looked hard at him.
"Silent men prosper best, and live longest, Mr. Jones."
Jones looked into his steely eyes, and suddenly fell all of a tremble.
The President was satisfied. He abruptly pushed him out of the room,
and we heard his shambling steps going up the staircase.
His Excellency turned to me, and said with apparent annoyance:
"You leave a great deal to me, Mr. Martin."
He had certainly done more than tell Jones it was a fine morning. But
I was too much troubled to thank him; I was thinking of the cable. The
President divined my thoughts, and said:
"You must prepare that cable."
"Yes," I replied; "that would reassure him. But I haven't had much
practice in that sort of thing, and I don't quite know--"
The President scribbled a few words on a bit of paper, and said:
"Take that to the post office and they'll give you the proper form;
you can fill it up."
Certainly some things go easily if the head of the state is your
fellow-criminal.
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