s a week. Outside of business hours I choose my own
company."

Caldwell came closer to him and dropped his voice.

"Are you sober?" he demanded.

"Perfectly," said Roddy.

Caldwell surveyed him grimly.

"You are more out of hand than we thought," he commented. "I have
heard some pretty strange tales about you this afternoon. Are they
true?"

"You have your own methods of finding out," returned Roddy. He waved
his hand toward the table. "If you wish to join these gentlemen I am
delighted to withdraw."

Caldwell retreated a few steps and then turned back angrily.

"I'll have a talk with you to-morrow," he said, "and to-night I'll
cable your father what you are doing here."

Roddy bowed and slightly raised his voice, so that it reached to every
part of the room.

"If you can interest my father," he said, "in anything that concerns
his son I shall be grateful."

As Caldwell made his way to the door, and Roddy, frowning gravely,
sank back into his chair, the long silence was broken by a babble of
whispered questions and rapid answers. Even to those who understood
no English the pantomime had been sufficiently enlightening.
Unobtrusively the secret agents of Alvarez rose from the tables and
stole into the night. A half-hour later it was known in Caracas that
the son of Mr. Forrester had publicly insulted the representative of
his father, the arch-enemy of the government, and had apparently
ranged himself on the side of Alvarez. Hitherto the _Dos Hermanos_ had
been free from politics, but as Roddy made his exit from the cafe, the
officers of the army chose the moment for a demonstration. Revolution
was in the air, and they desired to declare their loyalty. Rising to
their feet and raising their glasses to Roddy they cried, "Bravo,
bravo! Viva Alvarez!"

Bowing and nodding to them and wishing them good-night, Roddy hurried
to the street.

Under the lamps of the Alameda McKildrick regarded him quizzically.

"And what do you gain by that?" he asked.

"Well, I force Sam into the open," declared Roddy, "and I'm no longer
on the suspect list. Look at my record! I've insulted everybody. I
have insulted Rojas, insulted Vega, insulted Caldwell, all enemies of
Alvarez. So now the Alvarez crowd will love me. Now they trust me! If
they caught me digging the tunnel and I told them I was building a
light-house, they'd believe me. If I insult a few more people they'll
give me the Order of Bolivar."

The next morning Ro