s report, not mine. He had
written it in English, and all I did was to copy it on the typewriter,
and to make the English stronger at points. So I am not the
author--merely the clerk."

Don Luis frowned for a fleeting instant. Then his brow cleared, and
one of his charming smiles lighted his face.

"The report is a superb piece of work, and you must not believe
as much as Senor Tomaso's modesty would lead him to believe, chiquita.
But this is an engineer's report, and, as such, it is not complete
until it is signed. Hand it to Senor Reade, _chiquita_, and ask
him to sign it. Then Senor Hazelton will do the same."

Francesca accepted the document from her father, turned, and,
with a fascinating smile, handed it to the young chief engineer.

It was a cleverly contrived bit of business, in which the girl
played a wholly innocent part. Francesca dipped a pen in ink
and offered it to Tom, who accepted it. Surely, he could not
embarrass the girl, nor could he seem to refuse to add to her
fortune by any means within his power. Don Luis had brought about
the climax with great cleverness, for he felt certain of Tom Reade's
gallantry.

And gallant Tom Reade ever was. Yet he was keen and self-possessed
as well. While he held the pen in his hand be turned to the Mexican
with one of his pleasantest smiles.

"Don Luis," said the young engineer, "I feel certain that you
did not wholly understand what I said yesterday. What I meant
to make clear was that an engineer's signature to a report is
his written word of honor that every word in the report is true,
to his own knowledge. As I merely transcribed this report from
your own, and have not yet had sufficient opportunity to prove
to myself the value of the mine, I could not in honor sign this
report as yet. As a man of honor you will certainly understand
my position."

"But you are too particular on a point of honor," insisted Don
Luis Montez, with a shrug of his shoulders. "You do not need
to draw the line so sharply with a man of honor. I assure you
that every word in the report is true. Therefore, will you not
be so good as to sign the report?"

"I regret that I have not yet succeeded in making an engineer's
point of honor clear," Tom replied, placing the pen back on the
stand. "It will be some weeks, Don Luis, before Hazelton and
I can possibly hope to find ourselves sufficiently well informed
about the mine to sign the report."

Francesca was by no m