soft laugh.

When he reached the presidio he sat down on the balcony that overlooked
the patio outside his room. There was nobody about and he began to muse.
It was rash to take things for granted, but he thought he had been made
the subject of three experiments. Somebody had put a gold onza in the
Indian jar; Olsen had tried to find out if he was ambitious; and the girl
in the alameda meant to learn if he could be moved by beauty. Well, they
ought to know something about him now, but they were not very clever or
they would have extended their experiments over a longer time. It looked
as if they thought him something of a fool, and this was, perhaps, an
advantage.

Kit smiled as he remembered that when Janet Bell tried to flirt with him
he had been rather humiliated and felt himself a prig. He was older now
and had not been much embarrassed in the alameda, although he nearly
picked up the flower. His curiosity was excited and he wanted to find out
the girl's object. Indeed, it was hard to see why he had left the flower
alone, but he had a vague feeling that it was unfair to use a charming
girl in a dark intrigue. Since he had known Grace Osborn, he had given
women a higher place. For her sake, he would not try to gain an advantage
against his and the president's antagonist by embarking on an adventure
with the Spanish girl.

Then he began to wonder whether he would see Grace again, but presently
got up with an impatient shrug. Grace, in all probability, had forgotten
their friendship and married Thorn. Anyhow, she was not for him and it
was futile to indulge a barren sentiment.

CHAPTER IV

THE PRESIDENT'S BALL

Breakfast was over and Alvarez, sitting at a table in the arcade, smiled
as he indicated the transformed patio. The broken pavement had been
swept, the fountain scrubbed until the marble showed white veins, and the
old brass rails of the balconies gleamed with yellow reflections where
the sunshine fell. Small palms and flowering plants in tubs stood among
the pillars, flags hung from crumbling cornices, and barefooted peons
were fastening up colored lamps.

"When the people are discontented they must be amused," the president
remarked. "In Rome, they gave them circuses and I had thought of a
bull-fight. There is a Spanish quadrilla in Cuba but I found it would
cost too much to bring the company across. Besides, I do not know if
strong excitement would be good for the citizens."

"A ball is saf