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CONSPIRACY
A CUBAN ROMANCE
CONSPIRACY
A CUBAN ROMANCE
BY
ADAM BADEAU
LONDON
FREDERICK WARNE AND CO.
BEDFORD STREET, STRAND
[All Rights Reserved]
Copyright, Entered at Stationers' Hall
CONTENTS
—$—
CHAP. PAGE
PROLOGUE ....... 7
I. CONDITION OF CUBA ...... 25
II. THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA . . . .29
III. THE PALACE AT HAVANA ..... 55
IV. WASHINGTON SOCIETY ..... 63
V. THE EXECUTIVE MANSION ... 83
VI. THE STATE DEPARTMENT ..... 92
VII. A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY . . . . .102
VIII. THE MORRO CASTLE . . . . .118
IX. CONSPIRACY IN CUBA ..... 131
X. HOLY THURSDAY IN HAVANA . . . .147
XI. GOOD FRIDAY ...... 158
XII. EASTER SUNDAY AT THE PALACE .... 171
XIII. AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR .... 178
XIV. ESPIRITU SANTO IN THE EVENING .... 203
XV. MACHINATIONS ...... 214
5
6 CONTENTS
XVI. DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
XVII. CONSULAR AFFAIRS .
XVIII. COMPLICATIONS
XIX. CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON
XX. DELIVERANCE
PROLOGUE
On Wednesday, the 22nd of November 18—, at three
o'clock in the afternoon, some forty or fifty medical
students were waiting for their professor at the uni¬
versity building, called San Dionisio, immediately with¬
out the city of Havana. The professor was detained
an hour or more, and the students strolled into the old
cemetery, close at hand. They were all young fellows,
full of boyish spirit, and the spot was not so mournful
to them as to those who had lived longer and been there
oftener on mournful errands. They amused themselves
gazing at the inscriptions or sauntering among the
tombs. Graves there were none; the cemetery is a
columbarium, divided into oblong courts enclosed with
walls of stone, into which the dead are thrust in
receptacles that remind one of ovens. In one of these
niches were laid the remains of Gonzalo Castanon, a
Spaniard who had made himself peculiarly obnoxious
to the Cuban insurgents.
For this was the period of the Insurrection in Cuba,
and feeling ran high. The Creole population was hostile
to the Government, but Havana had remained in the
possession of the authorities; the forts and the large
majority of Spanish residents had saved the capital.
7
8
PROLOGUE
Nevertheless, all the Havanese of Cuban birth favoured
the insurgents, and these lads of the university were
doubtless rebels at heart against Spain.
After a while a few of the younger boys found a cart
and mounted it, in front of the cemetery; one child of
sixteen years plucked a flower from a garden plot within
the walls.
The ecclesiastical person in charge came up at this
and rebuked the lads, and they at once perceived the
impropriety of their behaviour. Those who were on
the cart stepped down, the boy who had pulled the
flower dropped it penitently, and, obediently and in
order, they all quitted the cemetery.
On Thursday and Friday the students were at the
university, and the entire incident of Wednesday had
passed out of their minds. But on Saturday, the 25 th
of November, when they were again at their class, the
Political Governor of Havana, Don Dionisio Lopez
Boberts, entered, with two other officers and a party of
police, while a company of Volunteers was stationed at
the door.
The occurrence at the cemetery had been reported,
first to the police and then to higher authority. The
Governor himself had visited the spot, and examined
the custodian, and discovered certain scratches on the
glass before the niche where Castanon was laid. These
marks, however, were covered with the results of damp¬
ness, indicating that they had not been recently made.
Lopez Boberts at once took the chair of the pro¬
fessor, and announced that he had come to discover the
authors of the outrage. The boys were amazed, and at
first could not imagine his meaning. But he went on
to declare that between two and three o'clock on the
afternoon of the 22nd they had desecrated the tomb of
PROLOGUE
9
Castanon. " You all know what occurred," he said;
" which of you is the criminal ?"
Several of the lads replied, denying the charge, but
Lopez Roberts roughly insisted that the culprit was
among them, and demanded his name. The youths
repeated that they could not give it, for none of them
had done the deed. One called to the Governor him¬
self to name the offender, since he was so confident.
But Lopez Roberts declared: " Unless you confess his
name, every one of you shall go to the gaol." After
some further harangue he began a formal interrogatory.
The statement of the curator was taken, and the declara¬
tions of the youths, but no evidence could be obtained
of any misdeed other than the boyish frolic already
described, or of any desecration beyond the scratches
on the glass before the tomb. One lad was too
energetic in his replies, and the Governor sent him off
at once to prison.
The hour was now getting late, and the whole party
was ordered to the gaol, where the Inspector of Police was
to continue the examination. All who were at the class
on the 25th were made responsible for the offence,
whether they had been present on the 22nd or no.
The lads were formed in two files, and marched like
common criminals to the civil prison at the foot of the
street called the Prado, about a mile from the university.
As they left the room one of the associates of Lopez
Roberts, Triay by name, called to the youngest of them,
him who had plucked the flower, " Neither the money
of your father nor the influence of your family will
save you from the punishment you deserve."
It was eight in the evening when the forty-five lads
entered the gaol. Their names were inscribed on the
prison register, and the examination went on, but not
IO
PROLOGUE
in the general hall. Every now and then one of the
party was summoned to another chamber. One, a
stripling of seventeen, who confessed that he had played
with the cart, did not return. He was sent for his
outrageous crime to the convict cell. So also Alonzo
Alvarez de la Campa, the child who had plucked the
flower. Those who came back from the investigation
passed the night in the jaula — the " cage," as it is
called—without bed or blanket or food. Their parents
were forbidden to supply them, and in the Havana
Gaol only those already condemned are furnished with
rations or beds by the authorities. But the alcalde of
the prison was pitiful, and allowed them a few loaves
of bread and some boxes of sardines, for which they
were grateful. They remained in the jaula all day of
the 26 th, without a chair or seat of any kind among
them. The floor was their only resting-place, and no
more food was brought.
Meanwhile the profanation of the tomb was noised
abroad. Castanon had been shot in a duel at Key
West, but the Spaniards chose to consider him a martyr,
and had brought his remains to Havana with great
pomp. An insult offered to his ashes was more than
an ordinary sacrilege. The story grew, of course, with
repetition. Not only had the glass been broken and
the garlands of everlasting destroyed, but the stone
that sealed the tomb had been removed, and the bones
taken from the coffin. Yet whoever looked could see
the unbroken glass at the opening, and the two
scratches over the name. Many now remembered
observing these marks three weeks before, on the day
of All Saints, when the tombs of the dead are decorated.
Nevertheless, the news of the desecration spread through¬
out the city, and especially among the Volunteers.
PROLOGUE
ii
The Volunteers were the young Spaniards in Cuba
who sided with the Government. The authorities them¬
selves were weak, the regular military force was entirely
unable to suppress the insurrection, and the civilians of
Spanish birth had come to the rescue. They were the
tradesmen, the servants, the mechanics of Cuba, officered
by men of higher position, whom, however, they com¬
pletely controlled.
For these Volunteers knew that Cuba was lost to
Spain unless they preserved it. They knew, too, the
Cuban hate for themselves, and were incensed beyond
measure when the Creoles announced their intention to
expel every Spaniard from the island. Brutal, bloody,
unforgiving, they were legitimate descendants of the
soldiers of Alva and Philip n., in all their coarser
traits, and a sinister element to introduce into a country
at the moment of civil war.
Being, however, the most potent ally of the Govern¬
ment, they were petted and cajoled, or rather dreaded
and obeyed. They had absolutely dismissed one captain-
general, and sent him home to Spain. Collecting in
front of the official palace, they demanded that the
representative of royalty should resign, because he
treated the rebels too leniently to suit the tradesmen
of Havana; and his Excellency had resigned, and re¬
turned to the Peninsula the next day, and the Madrid
authorities had pretended not to notice the circumstance.
The Volunteers, however, did not ignore it, and thence¬
forth knew their own importance.
At this moment they were the only soldiers in
Havana. The regular troops were all in the field with
the Captain-General; but there were ten thousand
Volunteers at the capital. When these men heard that
a party of Cuban youths had profaned the tomb of
12
PROLOGUE
Gonzalo Castahon, their rage at once mounted high.
Before morning of the 26th, rumours of some terrible
calamity were abroad. People gathered on the streets,
looking askant at the uniformed men who galloped or
marched about, and early in the day it was known that
the Volunteers meditated vengeance. As it was certain
that the authorities dared resist no demand of their
imperious subordinates, the friends of the lads were
appalled at the possibilities that impended.
The day wore on, and toward the close a review of
the entire Volunteer force was held by General Crespo,
the Segundo Cabo, or Second in Command, and, in the
absence of the Captain-General, the highest personage
on the island. More than once during the parade the
cry arose, " Mueran los Traidores ! "—" Death to the
Traitors!" and at the close, deputations from several
battalions followed Crespo to the palace. They were
admitted to his presence, and laid their complaints
before him. Four-and- twenty hours had now elapsed,
they said, since the students had been arrested, and
proceedings had not yet been taken to convict them.
The confidence of the Volunteers in the authorities was
shaken. They believed there was an intention to
save or shield the prisoners, and they demanded the
immediate shooting of the whole forty-five.
Meanwhile the throngs from the review had followed
direct to the palace, in the Plaza de Armas. The palace
is an imposing structure, built in the style common in
Southern Europe in the sixteenth century, of a yellow
stucco, with balconies on the upper storeys, and pillars
and colonnades below. In front is a square, planted
with palms and Indian laurels, and surrounded with
stately buildings, most of which are used for official
purposes. The palace fills one side of the square, with
PROLOGUE
13
a facade of two hundred feet or more. Into this plaza
before evening the dark-brown, dark-skinned Southerners
began to crowd, bringing their weapons and wearing
their uniforms. Their officers hurried after, to incite
sometimes and sometimes to appease.
But the soldiers refused to be appeased. Messengers
were sent into the palace, and the weak representatives
of power inquired the will of the mob. Nothing but
blood would satisfy the infuriated animals; for a
Spaniard of the lower sort, fed on bull-fights, is nothing
but an animal when his passions, of whatever nature,
are aroused. They were like a crowd of beasts that
have scented prey, and these wretched Cuban boys must
be thrown out to them.
Meanwhile the entire Creole population was horror-
stricken. The students belonged to the very flower of
Cuban youth; their parents were among the most
important native citizens. The lads themselves were
charming, fresh, enthusiastic fellows, with thousands
of friends. Hardly a house of the better sort in
Havana where one of them had not been an inmate or
a visitor. One father hurried to the authorities, and
literally offered the weight of his son in gold as a
ransom; and the authorities would have accepted the
price, but the mob was implacable.
The troops were threatening now to burn the palace.
They rushed to the prison doors, shouting and sound¬
ing hoarse trumpets into the night; the cries and the
roll of the drums intermingled with intervals of silence
more terrible still. While the deputies were consulting
within, fresh battalions arrived each hour. More than
once they strove to burst the doors of the gaol. The
bells of the prison rang from time to time, and
Volunteers drove through the streets in the half-open
14
PROLOGUE
cabs, called coches in Havana, blowing their cornets to
arouse their fellows. The deputations went constantly
to and from the palace and the crowd, and the tumult
under the balconies was incessant. Three thousand
Volunteers were at last assembled. The shouts were
no longer sufficient, and through brazen trumpets they
cried for the blood of little Alonzo Alvarez de la Campa,
the boy who had plucked a rose.
. At last Crespo yielded to the clamour, and, not wait¬
ing for morning, consented to name a Court or Council of
captains of the army, with a colonel for president, to
proceed immediately to the trial.
And now the crowds in the plaza hurried by every
street and lane and avenue to the prison. They
swarmed into the area that surrounds the huge yellow
building, and filled the square and the spaces on every
side, all armed, and shouting with tireless zeal; and
while the Court held its session within, a perpetual
court or council of horror on the outside cried incessantly
for the death of the accused.
From the hour when the proceedings began, there
were constant deputations from the battalions to visit
the Court and convince it of its duty. Two general
officers of the army attempted to pacify the multitude,
but the mutineers shut up the veterans in the hospital
of the prison. Lopez Eoberts himself, when he came to
the Court, was received with vociferous abuse, for he had
delayed the proceedings—and therefore the result—a
day. They bayoneted one of the horses of his carriage,
and would have killed the Governor but for the guards,
who, however, could not restrain the mob from crush¬
ing his hat over his shoulders. He, too, was forced to
hide himself in the hospital. Even the guardian of
Castanon's children, who proclaimed the innocence of
PROLOGUE
*5
the accused, was reproached and denounced by the
rabble.
Crespo remained in the palace. He was tempted, he
said, to go down and strive to appease the crowd, but
allowed his advisers to dissuade him, lest authority
should suffer in his person.
At midnight the session began. Before the Court
was laid the declaration of the custodian of the cemetery,
then the statement of the prisoners; but there was no
accuser, no witness, no proof, only a vague report
showing the damnable errors or intentions of Lopez
Roberts, the Political Governor.
The defender of the prisoners was a captain in the
army, worthy of the highest fame that Spanish soldier
or gentleman ever attained, Federieo R. y Capdevilla—
let his name be honoured! He argued with eloquence
and courage and splendid devotion to duty and honour,
asserting in the plainest and boldest words that it was
an outrage to condemn " without conviction, without
proof, without fact, without anything approaching evi¬
dence of the pretended crime." He declaimed against
the rancour, the violence, the frenzy of a parcel of muti¬
neers, " for I cannot even conceive of them as fanatics,
who, trampling on equity and justice, and on the very
principles of authority, abuse even force to impose it
upon reason and law."
" My obligation as a Spaniard, my sacred duty as a
defender, my honour as a gentleman and a soldier,
compel me to protect and shield the innocent—and
there are forty-five to be defended; to defend these
children, who have hardly emerged from boyhood, have
just entered upon that youth in which there is yet no
hate, no vengeance, no passion. What are you going to
expect from children? for you cannot call them men.
i6
PROLOGUE
You cannot judge them as men, these striplings of
fourteen, sixteen, eighteen—more or less. But even if
you judge them as men, where is the accusation—where
is the proof of the crime ?
" Gentlemen: From the opening of the session I have
been present. I have heard the reading of the report,
the declarations, the verbal charges, and either I am
utterly incompetent and ignorant, or there is nothing,
absolutely nothing, of culpability. Before entering this
hall I heard rumours without number that the students
had committed sacrilege and desecration in the cemetery;
but, in the name of truth be it said, nothing of this has
appeared in the proceedings.
" Gentlemen: Before all things we are honourable
soldiers, we are gentlemen. Honour is our motto, our
pride, our device, and like Spain, always honour, always
nobleness, always gentility; never passion, baseness, or
fear. The punctilious soldier will die at his post.
Well, then, let them assassinate us; but the lovers of
order, of society, the nations of the earth, will dedicate
to us an immortal memory."
Before this noble soldier could complete his task, the
Volunteers in the court-room were shouting to drown
his voice, and one bolder than the rest attempted to
strike him in the face, but the officer defended himself
with his sword. The President commanded that he
should be concealed in a neighbouring house, and in the
courtyard without they cried for the head of the
Captain Capdevilla.
Amid ceaseless uproar and outcry the Court closed its
proceedings. It found the prisoners guilty of profana¬
tion, and imposed the penalty prescribed by the law for
the offence—a fine of 1250 dollars, and what is called
" the greater imprisonment."
PROLOGUE
Then indeed the rage of the Volunteers knew no
bounds. They had assembled to obtain the death of
the students, and to celebrate it; they were waiting to
see the boys led out to punishment; they did not con¬
ceive it possible that the victims should be allowed to
live when they wished them to die. Deputations again
hurried to Crespo to inform him of their disapproval,
their indignation, their demand for another Court. The
tumult was portentous, and Crespo made haste to be
complaisant. Ignoring every principle of justice and
law, he named immediately a new Council, under the
presidency of a colonel, with six members from the army,
and nine from these very Volunteers who were demand¬
ing the blood of the prisoners. The excitement of the
soldiers then became delight; confidence in their triumph
returned when they found their leaders given authority
over the lives of the accused.
They entered the hall now in crowds, not in deputa¬
tions, soldiers as well as officers, while in the square
without arose again the cry of indignation because they
were not even yet sufficiently obeyed. They had re¬
jected one Court because it was not cruel enough in its
judgments; the law that it personified was not that to
which they conformed. In the permanent council of
war which they demanded there must be no law, no
judgment, but death to the forty-five.
At dawn the prisoners were ordered to find defenders;
but who would defend them after the treatment and the
danger of Capdevilla ? The lads selected from the lists
presented persons whose names were unknown to them.
At five in the morning they were placed in file at the
entrance of the council-hall, so that they could be passed
in, one after another, to ratify their previous declarations
or answer the new questions put to them. Here they
i8
PROLOGUE
remained until noon, under guard of the prison sentinels.
During all this time a stream of Volunteers, renewed
each moment, was marching by, glaring at them as if
they were beasts, hurling objurgations and obscene
taunts, showing them the bullets in their cartridges,
and by their ragged, bloody garments, betokening that
they had already begun to celebrate the conclusion of
the trial.
Again the declarations were read and the questions
put, but still not one proof of crime was found. Some
inquiry was made into the political opinions of the
striplings, and they were asked which of them wore
diamonds on their persons, with which they might have
scratched the glass over Castanon's tomb. Then, amid
threats and shouts, they were returned to their prison.
The defenders were weak or false: they said the case
was hopeless, that there was no defence; in fact, they
were cowards. And this time the President and the
army officers were equally dastard. The Court deliber¬
ated, not upon the guilt or innocence of the accused;
not whether the tomb of Castanon was intact—as to
that no deliberation was possible; not upon the justice
of the punishment to be imposed; but upon the number
of victims that would satisfy the fury of the mutineers.
Finally they determined to propose to the mob to
sentence eight to death, this number being obtained by
a division of the entire company by five, excluding one
American and one Volunteer, who by chance were found
among the prisoners, and three others who were
Spaniards. The legality of the sentence was determined
by the impatience of the seditious, and the number of
the guilty by the fury of the Volunteers.
Having weighed out the quantity of flesh that would
appease the hunger of these beasts of prey, the President
PROLOGUE
l9
and the members of the Court went out to the multitude.
The blast of a cornet called attention, and a sudden silence
ensued. But one blast indicated one victim, and immedi¬
ately a renewed outcry arose, and shouts of " Death to
the Council!" mingled with those that called for the
murder of the accused. The tumult lasted till a second
blast, similar to the first, was heard, and a new stillness
followed., Someone should explain : one more head had
been offered to the mob. But clamour more terrible, if
possible, followed the second silence. The cries of " Muera
el Consejo ! "—" Death to the Council!"—had more insist¬
ence, and ceased not till a third blast summoned attention
again. The shouting was hushed only a moment to break
out with redoubled fury. Seven times the cornet sounded,
and a tremendous vociferation followed each temporary
stillness. Then the cornet blew the eighth blast, and
then five thousand men shouted " Viva el Consejo ! " The
uproar augmented after the vivas, but it was different
now. The eighth head had been granted. Enough blood
for one day to quench the thirst of the Volunteers. The
horrible maximum of the sentence was reached.
Eight were to die, and in this way the Court designated
the victims. Alonzo Alvarez de la Campa merited the
sentence first. He had plucked the flower in the
cemetery. He had confessed it. They had demanded
his life with trumpets in the horrible night of the 26th.
What greater proof of guilt could the Court desire ?
Four others followed in the decree of the judges. They
had played with the cart. They had declared it. They
had ratified their declaration. What more could the
Council want before sentencing them to death ?
Still, three more names were needed, for eight had
been promised. And the Court had no other cart, and
no other flower. The others were determined by lot;
20
PROLOGUE
guilt and justice settled by chance. The horrible game
of life was played, and three more names responded to
the die. One name, however, was that of a lad who
had not been at the university on the 22nd. He had
declared it, and all the other declarations confirmed
him. But eight had been promised. Time pressed.
The Volunteers without were hoarse with shouting.
The lottery had decided, and the number was complete.
Thirty-five, however, remained, for whom other punish¬
ment must be devised. Without delay or discussion,
this was determined. Eleven were condemned to six
years of imprisonment, twenty to four years, and the
four remaining to six months of " minor imprisonment,"
three of these being native Spaniards. Two had already
been released, the American and the Volunteer.
Innocent all, the innocence of any real crime recog¬
nised by the first Court—no reason was assigned why
some were condemned to six years' imprisonment and
others to four. The only explanation was that the
older ones were to suffer two years more than the
younger. All under the same conditions, the same
accusations, the Court seemed to consider those most
guilty who had lived most years.
Next, all were condemned to confiscation of their
property, although a law of Spain expressly prohibits
such a penalty; and no law of the kingdom, nor decree,
nor ordinance, nor jurisdiction authorises the punish¬
ment of death for children of sixteen. The law also
prohibits a second penalty for a single crime; yet those
condemned to death or imprisonment all suffered the
second penalty of confiscation of their property.
At one in the afternoon the Court signed the sentence.
A deputation, with Captain Gener, of the Volunteers, for
president, carried it to Crespo, at the palace of the
PROLOGUE
21
Captain-General. He signed it promptly; the repre¬
sentative of the King of Spain put his name to the
decree, and Gener instantly rushed to the balcony and
read the sentence to the Volunteers. Did ever judge
before perform such task ? He read the names of the
victims and announced that execution would be im¬
mediate. Shouts of applause went up from the greedy
multitude that hastened now to the prison, agitated with
confused delight, satisfied at last.
The Boys, meanwhile, waited an hour before they
learned their fate — an anxious hour, but no more
anxious than those of all the night and all the day.
Everything denoted the speedy consummation of the
crime. They could see through the gratings, which in
Cuba are substituted for ordinary doors, that the cell
devoted to the condemned was guarded by Volunteers
—an indication that it was to be occupied; but as yet
they knew not which were to die. Without, the
barbarous festival was splendid. The bands on the
square were playing triumphant airs. The battalions
drank, they sang—and to sing at that moment was
infamous ; but they sang. All the Volunteers in Havana
were there. None were willing to miss the feast.
At last Gener came to the entrance and called to
three of the prisoners. The others, who had confessed,
had been separated before. Then the lads knew which
brothers they were to lose. But the gallant condemned
embraced the others, and declared that they died content,
for their death was the salvation of their friends.
They were manacled.
At four in the afternoon the eight were in the con¬
demned cell, and the priests were permitted to enter.
Half an hour was allowed for the rites of religion.
Then the eight passed the grating, and their comrades
22
PROLOGUE
bade them the last farewell. Alonzo, the martyr of
sixteen years, walked first. They all smiled as they
passed by. One was sixteen, three seventeen, one
nineteen.
They were forced to kneel, and, last indignity, they
were ordered to be shot in the back like traitors.
The drum was silent — a moment of terrible and
mortal silence. Then the sound of a discharge of
musketry. Three times the volley was repeated—and
the souls of the children had flown to a purer world.
One mother went mad that day.
Alonzo had died as Triay had foretold. His father
had paid for the arms of the company that shot him.
Before those gentle bodies filed all the battalions,
music playing. Spain was avenged.
The mutilated corpses were taken to the cemetery,
escorted by a company of Volunteers. Their families
were not permitted to bury them, and the bodies were
borne by convicted criminals.
The eight were murdered at five minutes past five,
and at half-past five the committee returned to notify
the others of their fate. At that moment those destined
to imprisonment were shackled. Marching two and two
behind each other, they proceeded through the streets
of Havana, where they were known, where they had
sauntered and played and kept holiday, the Volunteers
shouting all the way, " A las Canteras!"—" To the
Quarries!" — till the door of their new prison was
shut upon them. Then their clothes were changed for
felon's garb, their heads were shaved like those of the
criminals who had preceded them; for bed they had the
miserable mattress of the bridewell, and from that day
the names by which they were known were the numbers
that could be read upon their clothes.
PROLOGUE
23
On the morning of the 28th of November they were
marched again through the streets of their own Havana,
surrounded by spectators, who mocked at them as the
Jews did at Christ, till they arrived at the quarries of
San Lazaro, on the outskirts of the city. In that huge
mass of stone they fulfilled the terrible imprecations of
the day before—" A las Canteras !" " To the Quarries ! "
" Away with them." Into their delicate hands were
thrust the heaviest of hammers, and breaking, raising
stone, suffering the outrages of taskmasters paid by the
Volunteers to chastise them especially, working without
rest, submitting to cudgels and insults worse than death
— this was the life of the canteras.
They passed three months in the canteras; three
months of struggle between the weakness of their young
bodies and the strength of their young souls; three
months in which they could scarcely eat; three months
in which their backs were bent beneath repeated blows;
three centuries of martyrdom to their mothers.
Three months, then, in the pleasure-grounds of the
Captain-General, to make paths and summer-houses
and private theatres for his Excellency. And then the
indignation of the world forced the Madrid Government
to pardon them. The decree sanctioned all that had
passed, and committed the King and his ministers to
participation in the crime. It approved every action of
the authorities or the Volunteers, and again condemned
the innocent, both dead and living, before it freed the
prisoners.
But even yet the hate of the Volunteers was not
appeased. They threatened to kill every one of the
students who should appear in the streets of Havana,
and when the lads were taken from the penitentiary a
hundred other convicts were marched with them to the
24 PROLOGUE
wharves, to hide them in the crowd. There a launch
was waiting to convey them to a Spanish man-of-war by
night. On this they were safe till they could be put
aboard a steamer which took them to Spain. Tor in
their native Havana they might not remain.
The foregoing narrative is a condensation of the story of one of the
prisoners, published in Madrid, in 1873, under the title of Los Volun¬
taries de la Habana. It is absolute history, not romance.
CONSPIRACY
—♦—
CHAPTER I
condition of cuba
It was eight years after the events just narrated. The
rebellion had been quelled, the Cubans had returned to
their allegiance. Submission was absolute, and re¬
warded by oppression as absolute. There were not, it is
true, so many imprisonments or confiscations for political
cause as during the war, but a system of financial
tyranny prevailed, legal and illegal, which was destroying
the resources of the island, reducing the rich man to
bankruptcy and the poor man to beggary, and goading
the entire population to desperation and political crime.
Every class was aggrieved and resentful, from the
wealthiest planters and merchants down through all the
grades of shopkeepers, mechanics, and day-labourers, to
the miserable wretches at the bottom of all. Even the
resident Spaniards shared the universal discontent, for
they had made the repression of the Insurrection possible,
and were repaid by taxation and tyranny as heavy as
any imposed on the rebellious Cubans. There was no
distinction made by the rapacious officials; they took
25
26
CONSPIRACY
from all. The Government tax was greater than the
revenue of the country, and, in addition to this, an
illegal imposition was laid in a thousand forms of
extortion and spoliation upon the helpless population
of the island.
But these were not the only evils of the time.
Emancipation had been proclaimed by the rebels during
the war, and enforced by the victorious Spaniards
afterward. It was gradual in its operation, but had
now been nearly consummated, and hundreds of
thousands of slaves had been set free, most of whom had
been barbarously treated by their former masters, and
with many the recollection rankled, while nearly all
were destitute of the restraints of education or religion.
When the planters should become unable to employ or
to pay these people, the question of their subsistence
and control would be a terrible one.
The poor whites of the interior presented almost as
formidable a problem. They were a brutish, degraded
race, requiring hardly a single garment and no fuel for
warmth, and often only an orange or a plantain for food.
The huts in which they dwelt were of the rudest sort,
for the climate makes protection needless, except in the
hurricanes, when no protection would suffice. They
were dogged and slothful, yet full of ill-temper
dissatisfaction, and animal passion. This population
retained enough of the nature of civilised man to hate
the oppressor and detest those who had conquered them.
They could be roused; and although of necessity they
submitted to the hated presence of the Spanish officials
who patrolled the country and were supposed to
constitute a sort of police, the air where they lived was
full of discontent and anger, muffled, but not the less to
be despised.
CONDITION OF CUBA
27
Dissatisfaction extended to the towns. The destitu¬
tion there was not indeed so conspicuous, but when
absolute want came to those accustomed to something
better than the life of the brutes in the field, it was less
endurable. Strikes of cabmen and cartmen in Havana
interfered with what little business remained. When
the great merchants became bankrupt they dragged down
smaller [ones with them. Banks for the savings and
deposits of the humbler classes were unable to meet
their obligations, and their failure precipitated the
misery that everyone saw was imminent. Defalcations
were numerous, and corrupt directors of public institu¬
tions committed suicide. The factors refused to advance
upon the crops, and the planters were unable to raise
money to work their estates.
Nevertheless, the Spaniards persisted in their career
of oppression. Protests and appeals were offered by the
highest merchants and bankers to the Captain-General,
to the Madrid Government, to the King himself; but
fresh and often harsher inflictions were the only response.
Public demonstrations were made, public meetings were
held, and demands presented for the removal of officials
more obnoxious than the rest; but if these demands
were complied with by the supreme authorities on the
island, who being present saw the danger, they were
overruled in Spain, and the offensive subordinates re¬
turned in higher place. Threats of assassination became
rife, and rumours of risings in the interior. Political
processions were prohibited; radical newspapers were
repressed and their editors imprisoned, but the license
of the press was still great and often unpardonable
in its personality, the natural result of a situation so
intolerable.
To all this there seemed no prospect of a termination.
28
CONSPIRACY
The attempt to achieve independence had utterly failed,
and there was no reason to suppose that another, if un¬
aided, would prove more successful. The United States,
the only hope of the Cubans, was evidently disinclined
to interfere, and entertained no immediate desire to
possess the island. Although the American Republic
would certainly never permit the transfer of Cuba to
another Power than Spain, it was in no way anxious to
incorporate the population with its own, and quite able
to await the course of events, or to control them if they
took a turn unfavourable to its interests. Discontent
and despair were universal. Everyone believed that the
present state of affairs could not continue. Everyone
anticipated—in the near future—famine, brigandage,
perhaps a war of races or a servile insurrection, anarchy,
general and individual ruin.
CHAPTEE II
the plantation of casa-nueva
It was late in the afternoon of an April day. The sun
was gilding the tops of the western palms, and the
delicious coolness that comes at this hour in the tropics
almost compensated for the sultriness that was past. A
dozen or more young Cubans of the humbler sort were
riding cautiously along one of the rough bridle-paths
that serve for roads in the interior of the island. They
were mounted on the small and shaggy ponies native to
the country, beasts without much beauty, but with
qualities of speed and endurance worth to their masters
more than looks. Most of the riders were men between
twenty and thirty years of age, carelessly dressed, with
broad slouched hats, loose linen jackets thrown open
to expose the shirt, breeches, high boots, and dangling
spurs. All were armed with pistols in their holsters or
at their belts, and all carried the machete — a short
straight sword, broad in the blade but coming to a point,
and suitable either for hacking or thrusting an enemy.
They were rough in manner and appearance, their
garments soiled as if the wearers might have lain
out often at night, and their dark skins and flashing
eyes, their mobile features and expressive gesticulation,
betokened their Southern origin. As they made their
way slowly they peered into the woods or glanced
29
3°
CONSPIRACY
eagerly across the cane, occasionally looking back or
even halting as if to listen for an expected sound.
At their head rode one, evidently of higher rank,
who looked like a leader, sitting his horse gracefully,
and half turning, at times, to question or command his
followers. He was a man of twenty-eight or thirty
years, somewhat above the medium height, and more
robust than many of his race, but his hands and feet
were smaller than a woman's, and exquisitely shaped, like
those of all his band. He, like them, was swarthy in
complexion, and his dark eyes, like theirs, could be
fierce or soft by turns; but his strongly marked
features indicated energy rather than vivacity of feeling,
and an air of authority distinguished him from most of
his compatriots. He was richly, even showily, dressed;
his breast was crossed by a broad red sash, and almost
covered with medals and stars; his gauntlets were
embroidered, and the housings of his horse were
decorated with silver. He looked like the hero of an
opera; but in Cuba one meets these heroes on the
highway.
This was Carlos Aguero de la Campa, the chief of the
Creole partisans, and the brother of little Alonzo, who
had been murdered by the Volunteers. The boy had
been his pet and playmate, and the shock of his death
had left an ineffaceable impression on the memory and
character of the man. Aguero had fed the bitterness of
his own grief by contemplating the wrongs of his country¬
men, and nursed his indignation through all these years,
and it was the object of his life to avenge his brother
and his race.
He had already made several attempts to incite the
Cubans, and found not a few followers; but as yet his
exploits were confined to acts very nearly approaching
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA 31
brigandage, always, however, discriminating between
Spaniards and Cubans in his inflictions. This, he said
to himself, was his only course. It was only by making
the Spanish rule intolerable that he could goad his com¬
patriots into resistance; it was by displaying the weak¬
ness of the Government, its inability to preserve internal
peace or to protect the meanest citizen, that he could
rouse them to rise against it. He hoped by disturbing
the country to induce others to combine with him in a
better organised movement, and in the end bring about
a state of affairs which the Spaniards could neither
repress nor control. He knew, too, that he should excite
the authorities to acts of reprisal and revenge, which
would increase the disaffection of the Creoles. He was
a man of ideas, and had studied the situation closely;
and though neither by nature nor education inclined
to the career he had adopted, he had no doubt that he
was justified by the condition of the country, and that
events would raise him from the position of a brigand
to that of a leader of revolution, and possibly a success¬
ful one.
Aguero had qualities that fascinated and dominated
his countrymen. He had deliberately adopted the
dashing style of dress the Creoles fancy; perhaps, in¬
deed, he shared their preference for it. There was a
captivating manner about him, a tenderness at times in
his glance and a sweetness in his smile, to which the
roughest of his subordinates succumbed; while the
women, of course, admired his beauty and found him
irresistible. They sympathised, too, with his personal
hate for the Spaniard, for the Cuban women are even
more intense in their patriotism than the men. But he
made no attempt to engage their affections seriously.
If he amused himself with them at rare intervals, it
32
CONSPIRACY
was an amusement only, not a passion; and though he
knew his own attractions, he employed them only to
foster and fasten his authority, not to gratify his vanity
or excite a personal interest.
He had more than once been captured and sent out
of the country, and quite recently had been arrested in
Florida by the United States authorities, on the charge
of plotting an expedition against the neighbouring island.
He was brought before a tribunal, which could find no
evidence against him, and dismissed the case, and three
days afterward Aguero sailed in a schooner from Key
West under the eyes of the very authorities that had
pronounced him innocent.
Shortly before this escapade the Consul-General at
Havana had telegraphed to his Government that twenty
highwaymen had started from Caibairien for the United
States. These also were arrested on their arrival, and
also discharged, there being, it was declared, no reason
to detain them. As soon as they were released they
joined Aguero at Key West, and formed part of the
band with which he landed on the Cuban coast, in the
neighbourhood of San Juan de los Kemedios. Adherents
were waiting with horses and provisions, and in two
days his company numbered fifty members. The skill
with which he had eluded the officials of the United
States was exasperating, and the American Government
at once sent out revenue-cutters and men-of-war in
search of him, after he had landed, while the Captain-
General of the island distributed troops east and west
of Havana for a hundred miles, to resist a debarkation,
long after Aguero was riding with his band in the palm-
groves of the interior.
The common people were with him, and neither blacks
nor whites attempted to betray him. He rode about
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA
openly, disappearing when he was warned of the ap¬
proach of regular troops; supplied by the population
with food and shelter, or taking by force from those
allied to the Spaniards or suspected of such affiliations.
There were, however, many who did not dare avow
their secret wish for revolution, and who were even
willing to suffer at his hands, if only he could succeed
in overthrowing the hated despotism. He committed
no murders, but engaged the Spanish troops whenever
his force was sufficient. His claim and cry were that
he was not a brigand, but a patriot, stirring up the
country to a turmoil, out of which revolution might arise.
He was on his way now to the ingenio1 of the Conde
de Casa-Nueva, one of the most important Spaniards
on the island, the owner of several plantations, head of
an ancient family, and in full sympathy with the Govern¬
ment. This nobleman had married an American lady,
long since dead, and their son had been educated in the
United States. The youth had become an American
citizen, but was, nevertheless, heartily in accord with
the Cubans, and Aguero had seduced him into a
promise to join the partisans. The chief had more than
political reasons for his efforts to gain over this young
man. The conde was the same colonel of Volunteers
who presided over the Court that had condemned his
brother, and there was revenge as well as retaliation in
converting this man's son into a rebel—in subjecting
Casa-Nueva's child to the possibility of the fate that
had been inflicted on Alonzo. Aguero did not, indeed,
contemplate treachery toward his expected comrade, but
he was more anxious to enlist him than he had ever
been to secure any other recruit, and besides the morti-
1 Strictly speaking, the ingenio is the grinding-house, but the word
is very generally used in Cuba for the plantation itself.
3
34
CONSPIRACY
fication and horror which the guilt of the son would
occasion the father, the chief confessed to himself a
certain satisfaction in the thought that the conde might
be compelled to endure the very agony with which he
had tortured others. Aguero went eagerly to the
rendezvous with the young Creole, who, he hoped, would
that night become his follower.
As the party approached a grove of palms and plan¬
tains, the remains of a deserted plantation on the banks
of a turgid stream, Aguero halted his companions. They
were within a few miles of the ingenio, where he ex¬
pected to meet his new colleague, and he bade them
remain concealed until his return, a few hours later.
The men entered the grove, and, dismounting, unsaddled
their horses and stretched themselves on the sward. A
ration of plantains was snatched from the trees, and the
milk of the coco or the water of the stream appeased
their thirst, for the Creoles are abstinent. One was
stationed near the road as an outpost, and the remainder
brought out cards from their holsters to while away the
hours till it became too dark for any occupation but
conversation or slumber.
There were no troops within twenty or thirty miles,
for the band had marched eastward from Santa Clara
the night before, and was now in a district without rail¬
ways, where the ordinary roads are bad beyond the
conception of those who have travelled only in civilised
lands. It was a rainy season, the mud was deep, the
rivers were high, and Aguero had destroyed the bridges.
The whole region was supposed to be favourable to the
insurgents, if such they could be called, and the chief
would be in no danger, although alone. It was nearly
nightfall when he reached the plantation where the
rendezvous was appointed.
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA 35
On a rising-ground beyond a mass of light-green cane,
that stretched unbroken for a thousand acres, the bound¬
aries marked only by long lines of palm, stood the
residence of the Conde de Casa-Nueva. The buildings
formed a little village by themselves ; the negro huts
laid out in a street, the grinding-house, a large brick
structure with a towering chimney, and the master's
dwelling with its dependencies. On the left, as one
approached, was the garden, covering an acre or two of
ground. It was little more than a grove of tropical
plants and trees, originally grouped with some degree
of taste, but now rank and overgrown. Large gaudy
flowers, scarlet-leaved, and gorgeous sprigs of yellow,
were in bloom; green cocoanuts dangled on the smaller
palms, oranges gleamed through the foliage, plantains—
bananas we call them—hung heavily in enormous clusters
from their slender stalks, and a multitude of fruits un¬
known except in the tropics were growing in a wilder¬
ness of verdure. A peacock stalked in the unweeded
walks, statues of naked nymphs and busts of Spanish
sovereigns were scattered among the trees, and in the
centre of the garden stood an aviary containing half a
dozen pigeons, a screaming parrot in green and gold,
and a whole covey of smaller birds. Iron seats were
arranged at intervals in the alleys, but the place looked
dank, and the odours it exhaled were oppressive; all
was luxuriant, but unkempt and uninviting, for the
Cuban gardens are seldom visited by their owners.
The house was low, with only a single storey, but long
and deep. It was built of stone with a stucco front, and
a verandah running the whole length was approached by
one or two steps from the ground. The long reed cur¬
tains, that when the sun is high are used to screen the
porch and inner rooms from the glare and heat of day,
36
CONSPIRACY
were raised. The windows, spacious, unglazed aper¬
tures, with wooden shutters and perpendicular gratings
reaching from the ceiling to the floor, were all thrown
open, and two or three lofty rooms within exposed.
There were no carpets nor curtains, the furniture was
scanty, the seats were of cane, the tables of marble un¬
covered with cloth. A pianoforte, a few books, flowers
on the tables and prints on the walls, were the only
indications of luxury or refinement; but in a long room
at the back, running across the house, a table was laid
for half a dozen persons, gleaming with silver and
decorated with fruits and flowers. Beyond this
comeclor, or dining - room, which was not separated
from the principal apartment by any wall, masses of
oleander and cactus formed the background, and behind
these in the distance appeared the tops of a line of
palms.
Aguero was startled as he advanced to discover a
party of four seated in the verandah, enjoying the evening
air—the Conde de Casa-Nueva, his son and daughter,
and a visitor. All rose in the Cuban provincial fashion
when he approached, and the conde, in a linen suit and
broad straw hat, came down the steps to greet the
stranger, calling a negro to hold Aguero's horse. The
brigand had not expected to meet his enemy, and the
sight of the man whom he regarded as the murderer of
his brother moved him profoundly. But he recognised
his danger, and succeeded in repressing any indication
of his feelings. Doffing his hat, and saluting the
company with a sweeping bow, he exclaimed at once,
with complete self-possession, " Senor Conde, do you
know that the brigand Aguero is in the neighbourhood ?
I have come to warn you."
" Ah," replied the conde, " I thought so. I came
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA 37
from Havana to-day to protect my house, and brought
a company of Volunteers. To-morrow I hope to catch
the rascal and take him back to the Morro. Where do
you suppose he is hiding ? "
" About ten miles south - west of here," said the
brigand (his camp being in exactly the opposite direc¬
tion). " I heard of him as I rode from Santa Clara.
There was news of him yesterday in the town where I
live, and the Governor asked me to notify you that he
was moving this way. I suspected he was hiding in the
woods at Escambray, and sent a negro to explore. He
brought me word that fifteen men with horses were
halting there till evening, when they mean to attack
this ingenio."
"We shall not wait for them," said the old soldier.
" I have a whole company with me, and we shall be
more than a match for the brigand if he has only
fifteen ^men, or even twenty - five. I am inclined to
think, however, that his band is larger."
" These rumours are always exaggerated," said Aguero ;
" but, in any event, a whole company, with the Conde
de Casa-Nueva at the head, will be sufficient. Those
fellows never fight well; they only plunder and murder."
" True, indeed," exclaimed the Spaniard ; " they are
a cowardly set, and led by a cowardly chief. They all
deserve to be shot without a trial."
" I hope you may catch them," replied the brigand;
"and I beg to offer my poor assistance—Jesus del
Monte, at your service."
" Thanks, indeed, senor; we shall be glad to have
your aid. 'Tis a pity you did not bring the negro, so
that we could march direct upon the band."
" Oh, they would not remain where he saw them.
We shall meet them on the road. There is hardly a
38
CONSPIRACY
chance of their escaping us, if we move in the direction
of Escambray."
" Well, after dinner, Senor del Monte, we can arrange
our plans. Let me present you to my family. My
daughter, Dona Catalina, my son, Carlos, and Don
Ramon de Arriete, aide - de - camp to the Captain-
General."
The young woman to whom Aguero was thus pre¬
sented was taller and statelier than many of the
high-born Creoles, with classic features and a noble form.
Her jet-black hair and eyes betrayed the Andalusian
breed, but her fair complexion she doubtless owed to
her American mother. She lacked, perhaps, the quick
variety of expression common to her countrywomen, and
had little of the extravagant gesticulation characteristic
of the Southern races ; but her ordinary bearing was a
snfficient index to her sentiments and moods, and when
she became aroused her whole face and figure were
significant of the highest emotion.
She was dressed in white, with a simplicity bordering
on severity, and wore her hair loosely floating over her
shoulders. She looked indeed like one born to affect
the destinies of nations, and she had been thrust by Fate
on this obscure and unhappy island. But she was a
true Hija de Cuba—a " Daughter of Cuba." Notwith¬
standing the sympathies of her father with Spain,
notwithstanding her Spanish blood—drawn from grandees
of the time of Ferdinand and Isabella — Catalina's
strongest feeling was her love for her native island, and
a passionate desire for its delivery from overwhelming
miseries. She was some years older than her brother,
and, so far as she could, had inspired him with her own
feeling. Carlos, indeed, since his return to Cuba, had
been entirely under her influence. He was a handsome
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA 39
fellow, full of fine instincts, enthusiastic, like all young
Cubans, in his devotion to the island, but absolutely
free from the horrible hate which so many Creole sons
entertain for a Spanish father.
The conde filled his high position creditably, according
to his lights; he was faithful to his king and to the
traditions of his rank, but harsh in his determination
to resist rebellion; not cruel by nature, although in
the hour of public and passionate alarm his weakness
had become vindictive. He had, indeed, forgotten
the offence which Aguero had never forgiven. It is
always those who inflict a wrong who are the first to
condone it.
Casa-Nueva was not a keen observer, and though fond
of his children and aware of their political preferences,
he had not guessed their force or extent; the son,
so very young, not twenty-two, he thought he could
control, and Catalina was a woman, and counted for
nothing in his calculations.
Lieutenant Arriete, the other member of the group,
was a relative, as well as aide-de-camp of the Captain -
General, detailed to accompany the conde on his present
visit to the interior. He was a charming, high-spirited
young officer, sent out to the Antilles to better his
fortune. He possessed ability and accomplishments, a
graceful manner and elevated sentiments, and he was
very much in love with Catalina.
When dinner was announced they all walked in
through the first sala, as it is called, to the comedor,
an oblong room, open at the back, where a crowd of
black servants in white clothes were waiting. It was
not yet dark enough for lamps and candles, the air was
soft and balmy, and the subtle odours from the garden
floated in on the evening breeze. Aguero was placed
40
CONSPIRACY
by the side of Catalina, and opposite her father, who
sat facing the sala. The girl had known from her
brother of his appointment with the brigand, and
when the conde so unexpectedly returned, it had
been agreed that they should await the chief in the
verandah and find means, if possible, to warn him or
extricate him from his danger. But Aguero's adroit¬
ness required no aid from others, and increased the
admiration for his ability which Catalina already
entertained.
Seizing the earliest opportunity, the brigand said
to her in an undertone, " I have so long wished for
this honour—to speak to a Cuban lady, who sees that
I am not a robber and a highwayman." She gave
him a glance that spoke volumes, without one spark
of coquetry, but with more than patriotic fervour, for
she was a woman. That glance caused Aguero a
strange sensation, and the man, hitherto impenetrable,
was touched and moved. Catalina, on her side, was
not indifferent to the attractions that fascinate her sex.
This handsome, graceful, dashing man, the representative
of Cuban nationality, coming to her in the dusk of
the evening, like a flashing picture—this realisation
of her fancies seated by her side, talking to her of
independence—affected her imagination. The fire was
struck, and before she knew it she was involved.
" You know my sentiments," she replied. " I am
ready always to do whatever is in my power for my
unhappy country. I am especially glad to say," she
continued, urged by an impulse she could not control,
" that I understand your position. There is no way
to succeed but that which you have chosen. I do not
think you could do otherwise; and I thank you for
your moral courage."
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA
The girl blushed deeply as she spoke, for she had
already said more than she intended, or than she
had even thought before; but the contagion of the
moment drew her on, and she believed now, though
she had doubted before, that Aguero was right in
his course. The brigand was not a brigand, but a
patriot.
Her companion looked his thanks, his gratification,
and even something like a warmer feeling; but before
he could express himself in words he was interrupted
by a remark from the conde. The general conversa¬
tion, however, gave them a chance to say much to
each other. When Aguero talked with the conde or
with Carlos of the condition of the island, or discussed
affairs in Spain with the aide-de-camp, his remarks were
meant for the woman by his side; and more than
once she responded, if not in language, by a glance, or
sometimes only by the tone in which she uttered
apparently indifferent words. He understood her mean¬
ing, and thus they carried on an interchange of thought
and sentiment that only Carlos could have interpreted,
and he only in part.
" What do you think, Senor del Monte," asked the
conde, " will be the result of these outbreaks ? Shall
we soon be able to repress them ?"
" Much will depend on the wisdom of our rulers,"
replied the brigand; and looking at Arriete, " the
Captain-General is sagacious, we know, and impressed
with the difficulty of the situation. I think a frank
report from him to the authorities at Madrid would
impress them. I fear the Spanish Government is not
sufficiently aware of the critical condition of the
country."
" You are right, senor," replied his host; " the people
42
CONSPIRACY
at home have no idea of the danger we are in. And as
we are among ourselves," he added, " I will admit that
they might do much to alleviate the sufferings of us all."
"Everything depends upon them," said Aguero again,
emboldened by this remark, at which, indeed, both
Catalina and Carlos were surprised, and Arriete raised
his eyebrows. " All depends upon Spain. If the
Government does not see the crisis, and take measures
to avert it, who can answer for the consequences ? There
is a widespread ; dissatisfaction among the planters
themselves, and a far deeper feeling of discontent lower
down."
Catalina looked up anxiously, fearing that the guest
might compromise himself, and Arriete exclaimed—
" Yes, but I trust this feeling will not ripen into
anarchy. These disturbances of which we hear—what
can they do for Cuba ?"
" They may compel the Government to look at the
causes that produce them. They may, if the Govern¬
ment is not careful, ripen into something more than
anarchy—into another attempt at insurrection."
" Yes," said the conde, " and that is why they should
be severely repressed. No measures are too harsh to
preserve the public order. While I am most anxious to
see the sufferings of the country abated, I am more
than indignant at those who seize this opportunity to
increase them."
Catalina was now still more alarmed at the turn the
conversation was taking, as well as afraid lest Carlos
might be impressed by the views of her father, and she
turned to Arriete with some inquiry about his aunt,
the wife of the Captain-General. There was no other
opportunity to take up the dangerous theme. Aguero
understood her anxiety, but was again unable to express
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA
his appreciation or his thanks. But for this very
reason they became more interested in each other.
Throughout the dinner each was watching to say some¬
thing that only one must hear. The contact of the
two natures could indeed have but one result, for neither
had ever found a compeer in the peculiar circumstances
in which they had been placed. But neither, as yet,
realised the significance of the feeling that was spring¬
ing up between them. Catalina, seated by the embodi¬
ment of her patriotic dreams, fancied that her interest
was only a natural sensation, while the man, more
conscious, detected an emotion he had never known
before, yet hardly supposed that he, the chief of a great
revolutionary movement, had become the subject of
a girl.
As they left the dining-room, Aguero found means
to indicate to Carlos that he had something to com¬
municate, and the latter inquired if he should show the
stranger to a room. It was bare and uncarpeted, like
the more public apartments they had left, with neither
curtains nor decorations on the lofty walls.
No sooner were they alone than Aguero exclaimed,
" I shall move eastward to-morrow, Carlos. Are you
ready to join me ?"
"Yes," said the youth, "I have made up my mind.
It will pain my father; but I can no longer be a passive
witness to the outrages on my countrymen. I will join
you this night. Only do not ask me to attack the
houses of my friends."
" You should have no friends who are enemies of
your country," said Aguero sternly. " Carlos, you must
learn," he added, as he saw the youth shrink at the
remark—"my dear boy, you must learn that in this
matter country is all. You, who desert your father,
44
CONSPIRACY
certainly can afford to do whatever else is required of
you. Does not this sister of whom you have told me
share my views ? Does she not see that the only way
to accomplish our great purpose is to subordinate every
personal feeling ? You leave her, you go directly con¬
trary to the will of your father. How then can you
hesitate when it is mere acquaintances whose interests
are concerned ?"
"Yes," replied the lad; "but to rob and burn their
houses, to injure those I have played with, to set fire to
the roof that has sheltered me—this is what troubles
me. If it were open war "—
" Open war will be precipitated," said the other, " only
by these means. Look upon it thus, and your scruples
will be allayed. We can rouse the people of Cuba
only by making them understand that Spain and
Spanish officials cannot protect them, and that we can
make head against every attempt to subdue us. Con¬
sider, my boy," he continued, with insinuating tender¬
ness ; " I have known the same feeling which you
describe; but by doing as I urge, we accomplish all.
In every war individuals must suffer. You may fight
your dearest friend, if he is of another nation. You
must feel that the independence of Cuba is paramount
to every other consideration. If you cannot sacrifice
all, you are not worthy of us."
The youth was convinced, or overcome ; but his head
still drooped as he answered slowly, " I must do as
you desire. I will join you this night, and obey you in
everything, my chief," he added, looking up proudly at
the other. Aguero, who was taller, leaned over and
kissed him.
The malice of the bandit was past. He had originally
determined to entice the boy more out of vindictive
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA
rancour than from any desire to secure a partisan; but
now under Casa-Nueva's roof, and especially since he
had spoken with Catalina, he was full of compunction.
He soothed his conscience, however, by the thought that
he was inducing Carlos to serve his country, and he
promised himself to screen him from danger as carefully
as if it had been that other youth whose death he had
once thought that the fate of Carlos might avenge.
It was no compact of Mephistopheles and Faust.
It was a stronger nature, itself misled, overcoming and
overruling a weaker one. It was, indeed, far nobler in
Carlos than in Faust, for there was no temptation offered
him of wine or woman, of pleasure or fortune, but
simply the generous aim of doing something for his
country. Nor was the tempter altogether evil, although
he advised to evil. He believed the means he proposed
were the only ones to accomplish a great end, and,
until we are placed in similar circumstances, let us
not judge too harshly. The beginnings of all great
revolutions strangely resemble crime.
" Well," said Aguero, " I shall leave here this night,
and move eastward. Your father will dispose his force
before morning, and when he finds he is not attacked,
will march to the west, if we can deceive him."
The youth shrank at the idea of deceiving his father.
Aguero saw the involuntary movement, and continued,
as if he had not observed it—
" You will not have to fight his force." (They clasped
hands.) " My band is at the bottom of the hill, beyond
the ingenio Santa Eosa. I shall leave almost immediately.
When will you join me ?"
" An hour before midnight."
"Agreed—I will wait for you;" and they returned
to the sala.
46
CONSPIRACY
" When did yon say that Aguero would be here ?"
asked the conde as they entered.
" Before midnight," replied the bandit. " You should
be making your preparations. If I might suggest, it
would be better to move out against him. Where is
your company ?"
" In a grove behind the ingenio. But I think I will
leave my son here with a part, to defend the place in
case of need, and take the remainder myself to find
Aguero. Do you think you can conduct us ?"
" Certainly," replied the other. " But would it not
be better that I should go in advance and ascertain the
exact position of the enemy ? "
He had promised the boy that there should be no
conflict with his father, and he meant to keep his word;
as much now perhaps for Catalina's sake as for that of
Carlos.
There was a short conference after this. Aguero
showed some credentials he had obtained, or forged,
from the Governor of Santa Clara, and convinced the
cautious colonel that he was to be trusted; and it was
finally agreed that Carlos should remain with a dozen
men and the servants to guard the house and his sister,
while Aguero with the conde and the remainder of the
force was to move against the brigands.
The colonel and the aide-de-camp went out to inspect
the troops, and Aguero was left with Catalina and her
brother. Carlos was immersed in his own thoughts
and speculations, and the others sat for a while in,
what seemed afterward to both, a very dream, though
neither appreciated even yet their interest in the other.
Nevertheless, those moments which passed so rapidly
they would remember through all their after years.
Strange that at the instant we so often do not recog-
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA
nise the circumstances that make the crises of our
lives.
After a while a messenger came for Carlos from his
father, and the unconscious lovers were alone. Aguero
suggested that they should walk into the garden; it was
somewhat contrary to Cuban etiquette, but Catalina
assented. The moon was rising, and they sauntered in
the unweeded alleys and under the palms that threw no
heavy shade, talking of Cuba and her destinies.
" Have you any hope," asked Catalina, " that we can
induce the United States to intervene ? "
" I do not know what to reply," said the chief. " The
Americans are so selfish, so absorbed in themselves, so
ignorant of their opportunities. We cannot possibly
accomplish anything permanent unless they aid us, or at
least recognise us. It is to their interest, but they do
not perceive this. They think they are secure, that
Cuba must eventually fall to them, and that they can
afford to wait."
" But how unworthy of a great nation," said the
woman. " Have they no sympathy with a down-trodden
race ? They themselves never endured half the wrongs
from England that are put upon us by Spain, but they
rebelled."
" Ah, they think, ' who would be free, themselves
must strike the blow,'" replied the brigand, and Catalina
felt the force of the remark.
" Then," she continued, after a moment of silence,
" you are doing the only thing possible. You must
show that Cubans will not submit to the outrages in¬
flicted on us; and when this is apparent, America will
in some way come to our aid."
" That is my belief, senorita," said the brigand. " But
pardon me," touching her hand, which was instinctively
48
CONSPIRACY
withdrawn; " I do so heartily and anxiously desire that
I may not be regarded as a common highwayman by my
countrymen — and countrywomen," he added, with a
tenderness that could neither be mistaken nor resisted.
" Your countrymen—and countrywomen," said Cata-
lina, " do not misunderstand you. Be sure of that;"
and she offered the hand which a moment before she
had withheld. Aguero raised it to his lips, but said
no word. " I think my father must be ready," said the
senorita; " shall we go in ? "
Aguero was in a turmoil of emotion. The quick blood
of the tropics was already aroused. He recognised his
interest in the daughter of the man who had murdered
his brother, and with the rapidity natural in the South¬
ern races, the new passion was even now contending
with the old one. " How can I forget Alonzo ?" he said
to himself; " How can I forgive his murderer ?" The
image of the tender lad led out to execution by Casa-
Nueva's order, rose reproachfully before him and made
him recoil from Catalina. Yet when he glanced at her
to see if she bore the hateful likeness, he was conquered.
The demon in him struggled, but was subdued. He felt
that he would—he must be loyal to Carlos ; for the
sake of the sister he must not strike the brother; for
the sake of the daughter he must pardon even the
father. " If this woman knew," he said, " how much I
sacrifice for her, she could not be indifferent." Catalina
was not indifferent. She, too, was disturbed, but she
had no conception of the tornado that raged in the
breast of the partisan.
The conde, meanwhile, had donned his uniform of
Volunteers, and the troop was waiting. Aguero's horse
was brought up with the others. They mounted and
rode off into the stillness, across the sea of waving cane,
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA 49
beyond the barriers of palm. The girl watched them
with a curious sensation that she had never known
before. All anxiety for her father was strangely dulled
by the interest in her new acquaintance. She understood
that Aguero would conduct the party away from his own
troops, and that no contest was probable; but still, in
times like these all things are possible, and she won¬
dered why she was not so anxious as heretofore for what
might happen to her father. She flattered herself that
it was because the brigand was with him, but in reality
her feeling for her father was swallowed up in the new
emotion which as yet she had not distinguished from
patriotism. They filed off slowly into the distance, as
she stood in the verandah, in the soft light and atmos¬
phere of the tropics, and when they had disappeared
Catalina sank back into a chair — alone with her
thoughts.
She had not sat there long when her brother came
out. " Catalina," said he, " I am going to join Aguero.
He will leave our father shortly, and move in another
direction, toward Gabriel, where I am to meet him. I
shall then be a brigand."
" No, no, Carlos ; a patriot."
" Do you still urge me, sister ? "
" I do, Carlos; with this noble man you cannot be
doing wrong."
" Well, if you assure me that this act is worthy of
our race "—
"I do, I do, my brother;" and she put her arms
around his neck. " Go, and defend your country, and
be true to those who lead you." The unconscious
sophistry prevailed, and brother and sister were be¬
trayed into a course from which their natures would
have recoiled but for their noble sentiments, mixed,
4
CONSPIRACY
in Catalina's case, with the commonest passion of
humanity.
" I must leave you, sister," at last cried the young
man.
" And when shall I see you again ?" asked Cata-
lina.
" Who can tell ? "
" She clung to him tenderly, and murmured, " God
will return you to me safe; I know He will. Be true
and loyal."
" I am, I will be, Catalina," said the youth, and kissed
her warmly on the forehead.
One more embrace, long and tender, and they parted.
Catalina was again alone. Now, father and brother
both were gone, on different sides in the contest which
might begin that night, and another, a lover, though
she knew it not, all involved in the strife which was
certain to engulf in the end every man on the island.
The conde and his men, all mounted, led by Aguero,
proceeded westward, at first through fields of cane and
between towering lines of palm, and then by the
ordinary road. In about an hour the bandit struck
into a thick forest of pine and cedar. The country was
hilly and broken, the moon, which was young, had set
an hour before, and the sky was now obscured. Aguero
at first rode by the side of the conde, but the conver¬
sation soon became limited, for riding was difficult in
the thicket, and they were occasionally separated in
the darkness. Taking advantage of this, while the
colonel and Arriete were giving some directions to the
men, Aguero pretended that his saddle-girths required
adjustment. Dismounting, he said to the troopers next
to him that he would rejoin them in a moment, and the
party went on, Aguero remaining behind. His absence
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA
was not at once discovered by the officers, and the
cavalcade had proceeded half a mile or more before
the conde sharply inquired, " Where is Senor del
Monte ?"
" He stopped to arrange his saddle-girths."
" But where ? when ?—he has not rejoined us. We
must wait for him. Go back, some of you, and find him.
You, Lopez, Mendoza, Silva, go at once."
Fifteen or twenty minutes were consumed in the
search before it was evident that Aguero had left the
company. Then for the first time the conde discovered
that he had been deceived. " He is a traitor, a spy,"
he exclaimed. " He has brought us here so that his
band may attack the ingenio. Fool! Why could I not
have known it before !"
" What is to be done ? " asked Arriete anxiously.
"We must get out of this thicket at once and back
on the main road. We are doubtless led into an
ambush. Move to the left, but be careful."
They groped their way cautiously for several minutes,
but could not discover their own track in the forest and
the darkness. Finally they came upon the brink of a
gully overgrown with chaparral. As they descended
warily they heard the clatter of cavalry in front, and
the colonel ordered a halt. They were now on the
edge of a stream that ran through the bottom of the
ravine. The water was high, there was no bridge, and
after a moment they distinguished on the opposite bank
a small body of horsemen apparently prepared to defend
the crossing—as well as they could discern through
the tangle and the gloom, not half a dozen in number.
These could not be friends, and they might be the
advance of a much larger force; but the colonel, with
the instinct of a soldier, at once gave the order to
52
CONSPIRACY
charge. His men dashed through the thicket with some
difficulty, and made their way across the rapid stream.
They were so much more numerous that it was impos¬
sible for the others to escape. Each party fired a
volley, but in the darkness there was no opportunity to
aim, and no one appeared to be hurt. Before there
was time to reload, the Volunteers had surrounded and
captured the whole company of unknown enemies.
The prisoners were brought at once before the conde.
They were a detachment of the brigands, sent out in
quest of Aguero because of his delay. They had lost
their way in the chaparral, missed their chief, and
stumbled instead upon the colonel's command. While
he was questioning them, the conde observed that one
held back more than the others, and he ordered the
prisoner forward. The man advanced, but still strove
to conceal his features, and the conde said to him
angrily, " Come forward, sir, and show your face. Do
I know you ?" The brigand then approached still
nearer, and the unhappy Spaniard discovered that he
had made his own son a prisoner. Carlos had met the
party soon after he left the ingenio, and, joining in the
search for Aguero, had been captured with the others.
The old man was at first almost overcome, but he
succeeded in controlling his emotion, though he could
not disguise it. " Carlos, my son," he exclaimed, " what
has brought you here ? I knew your sympathies, but I
did not dream you would become a brigand." Carlos
made no reply, and the colonel, in a voice that was
harsh and broken by the very effort to appear unmoved,
called up an officer.
" This gentleman," he said, " must be considered a
prisoner like the rest. Let him be disarmed. We will
return at once to the ingenio and take him with us."
THE PLANTATION OF CASA-NUEVA
53
The boy was apparently impassive, and the whole
party set out for the plantation.
It was past midnight when they arrived. Catalina
had retired, supposing that her father had been purposely
misled by Aguero, and that no encounter would take
place. She rose, however, at the sound of their approach,
and met the conde at the threshold. Immediately after
him came Carlos, disarmed and under guard. The other
brigands were confined in the out-buildings, but Carlos
was a prisoner in the house where he had been born.
They entered the large and empty sala, where a single
light was burning, and Catalina, in a loose robe of white,
stood looking anxiously at both, but hardly daring to
speak, for she was afraid to learn the truth.
The conde flung himself into a chair, bewildered and
overcome. He had hardly realised until now that his
son was his prisoner. Catalina sank at his knees, and
comprehended all only too easily. Carlos remained
apart, disarmed, with a soldier on either side.
" Oh, my son!" the old man at last exclaimed.
" Carlos, I have no resource ; I must send you to Havana,
to be tried as a common brigand."
" I am not a brigand, father," said Carlos, " and you
know it. Everyone knows it. But do your duty and
send me to Havana. I have taken my chances and
lost; and I can pay the forfeit like a man."
Catalina buried her face in her father's knees, and
said not a word.
After two or three moments of silence the conde
ordered his son to be sent to his own apartment, closely
guarded; a soldier was to remain in the room, with
strict orders to allow neither exit nor entrance to any¬
one. The father looked at Carlos long and with an
effort at calmness, but could not trust himself to utter
54
CONSPIRACY
a word. Catalina threw herself on her brother's neck
and kissed him, and thus obtained the chance to say,
" Carlos, I love you more than ever." The boy needed
no stimulus, but the touch and whisper of his sister
nerved him anew; and thus the unhappy family
separated.
In the morning they all proceeded to Havana, riding
a few miles, and then taking the train, the conde and
Catalina in a different car from that of the prisoner.
CHAPTER III
the palace at havana
It was four o'clock in the afternoon when the wretched
party arrived at the Regla, a station on the eastern
shore of the Bay of Havana. From this point Carlos
was conducted by land to the Morro Castle, under
orders from the Captain-General, to whom the conde
had telegraphed before starting. The father and sister
crossed the bay, and proceeded to their home, a stately
mansion without the city, with gardens and surround¬
ings suitable to the residence of a man of rank. The
carriage drove directly into a paved hall, beyond which
was the jpatio—an uncovered court at the centre of the
building, surrounded by colonnades and filled with
fountains and oleanders and dwarf, fan - like palms.
Among the pillars supporting the upper storey, two or
three servants in white shirts and trousers were making
cigarettes, and another, in black clothes, came hurrying
down a marble staircase to receive his master at the
door.
Catalina was exhausted with fatigue and excitement,
and went direct to her own apartment, where she found
a note from the Marquesa de Manzanillo, the wife of the
Captain-General, inviting her father and herself to dine
at the palace the same evening. It was Sunday, and
after dinner the marquesa would receive; but as it was
55
56
CONSPIRACY
Holy Week, there would be no dancing, only a sacred
concert, in which Catalina, who was a superb musician,
was invited to take part. She had often assisted on
these occasions, but the request seemed mockery now,
with her brother imprisoned for an offence that might
involve his life. But at the end of the note she read
that the American Assistant Secretary of State, who was
on a visit to Havana, would be present at the dinner.
The thought instantly occurred to her that Carlos was
an American citizen, and she might perhaps interest this
official stranger in his behalf. She went to her father's
study and was promptly admitted. The conde was
sitting, sad and dejected, but looked up tenderly as she
handed him the note.
" You do not wish to go out to-night, I suppose ?"
" Yes, father, I particularly wish to go. This new
American, who is here, may be able to save my brother,
and I am determined to approach him."
" Well, there may be something in the thought, and
there can at least be no harm in trying. I will go, if
you wish it."
" And will you please go early, father ? I wish to see
the marquesa before the other guests arrive; she may
help me."
" As you say, my child. When shall we order the
carriage ?"
" At half-past seven, for the dinner is at eight."
They dared not trust themselves to speak on the
subject that was uppermost in the thought of both, and
Catalina returned to her own apartment and wrote a
note accepting the invitation, adding that she particu¬
larly desired a few moments' conversation with the
marquesa before the dinner. She was intimate enough
to make the request, and said—
THE PALACE AT HAVANA 57
" I shall venture to come at a quarter of eight, and
am sure you will not be angry."
At the appointed hour the conde and his daughter
alighted in the covered courtway under the palace,
among sentinels and orderlies, who bowed and opened
a way respectfully, but made no military salute, for the
colonel was in ordinary evening dress. They mounted
four or five short flights of marble steps, passed the
entresol, and ascended to the first storey, where the
Havanese of importance have their reception-rooms as
well as their personal apartments. A waiting-room on
the right was little used, for the Cubans need few wrap¬
pings, night or day. Catalina wore no mantilla, and her
father carried his hat with him into the inner halls.
They first entered a long corridor overlooking on the
left a courtyard at the centre of the palace. In this
gallery card - tables and light sofas and chairs were
disposed, and a few huge tropical plants. Here, after
dinner, the gentlemen were accustomed to smoke or play
at cards or chess, or even to read, when, as often hap¬
pened, they were disinclined to join the ladies. On the
right a row of arched and lofty doorways opened into a
hall fifty feet long and twenty or thirty wide, uncarpeted,
and paved, like all the floors of the palace, with marble.
This was the ordinary dancing-room. It was furnished
with a few gilded chairs and a profusion of mirrors
and marble tables ranged along the walls. Enormous
chandeliers of crystal, brilliantly lighted, hung from the
ceiling, and at the centre a mass of variegated foliage
made the room look fresh and cool.
Beyond this sala was another, greater in width, and
a hundred feet long, with more mirrors and lights and
flowers, and carpets spread here and there, around which
were arranged the inevitable estradas, the figures in
5«
CONSPIRACY
which the seats are always grouped in a Cuban drawing-
room. No one knows the origin of the custom; it does
not exist in Spain, but prevails more or less in all
Spanish America. Two parallel rows of chairs are
placed facing each other, with a sofa across the top, and
into this compartment the women are ushered, those of
highest rank taking the top; but the men may only
come in to talk for a while or look over the sides or
backs of the chairs. It is a very unsocial fashion, and
breaks the company into ungenial coteries. It divides
the men too much from the women, and makes it
difficult for those within to change their place, so that
ladies often retain for a whole evening the seats assigned
them on entering, and depend on the courage or gallantry
of their male acquaintances for any attentions they may
receive.
No one had preceded Catalina and her father as they
entered this inner sala. The windows in front, almost
the only ones in Havana that are glazed, were all
thrown open upon a long balcony overlooking the plaza,
where a military band was playing selections from
masses and other music appropriate to Holy Week. On
the right the doors were open into another chamber
hung with pictures of past viceroys—the cemetery it
was irreverently called by the aides-de-camp. On the
left was the throne-room, where levies were held, the
Captain-General standing on a dais under a life-sized
picture of the King. Here they were met by a servant
with a message from the marquesa, begging Catalina to
come at once to her boudoir, and informing the eonde
that the General would receive him very shortly.
Catalina went on into an apartment smaller than any
that have been described, but with more furniture—
carpets, a pianoforte, a little bookcase, an easel with an
THE PALACE AT HAVANA 59
exquisite Murillo on it, and prints and drawings scattered
around. Everything indicated taste and refinement.
The mistress entered at once.
She was not tall, but yet imposing in appearance;
her air was noble; her arms and bust were sumptuous,
and her dark eyes and handsome features had a touch of
intellectuality about them not often seen in Spanish
beauties; a great lady undoubtedly, familiar with
courts, used herself to holding high positions, maintain¬
ing her rank, but not over-conscious of it. She was
highly cultivated, spoke French and Italian perfectly,
had a good acquaintance with English, and was an
accomplished musician; had sung and acted in court
theatres in the Queen-Mother's time.
She was also a politician. Her husband was reported
to owe his place to her high-bred tact and courtly
acumen. When Isabella one day visited Alfonso with¬
out notice, coming over suddenly from Paris, the
ministers were taken aback and knew not what to do
with the unwelcome guest. Her former Majesty had
never been in Spain since her dethronement, and she
might be inclined to reassume her ancient place. There
were questions of etiquette about her reception. But
the Marquesa de Manzanillo, whose husband was in
command at the frontier, at once persuaded him to
receive the Queen with royal honours and in his fullest
uniform. Isabella never forgot his sagacious devotion,
offered when others failed. She proceeded to Madrid
and attained considerable influence, and although she was
finally induced to return to Paris, it was not until she
had rewarded her adherents, and Manzanillo received the
captain-generalship of Cuba.
His wife was thought to like the vice-regal role, and
not to have forgotten her political arts ; yet she had
6o
CONSPIRACY
many enemies. The Spanish party of course was at her
feet; but though she made strenuous efforts to establish
an understanding with the important Cubans, she never
succeeded in attracting them to her society. Neverthe¬
less, she made the palace most inviting. Her dinners
and receptions were constant; there was always music,
and generally dancing; the company was distinguished,
for the high Spaniards all have good manners, even when
their morals are bad; the aides-de-camp were attentive,
and the marquesa herself strove to entertain, as well as
receive, her guests; and but for the political feeling at
the bottom of the social disaffection the little court would
have been a delightful one. There was an ease about it
that existed nowhere else in Cuban society, and yet a
quiet dignity that reflected the manner of its mistress.
But the violence of party hate did not hesitate to
attack the lady herself, whose husband was at the head
of the Government. She was accused not only of per¬
sonal favouritism, but of fomenting political intrigues,
and even of selling her ascendency with her husband;
and though this, of course, was the aspersion of partisans,
the scandal embittered her life and affected her influence.
She was very devout, much given to charities, and at
the head of every benevolent enterprise in Havana; but
malice followed even in the train of her virtues, and
declared that the alms she collected for the poor and the
suffering were reserved, in part, for her own purse, to
gild, it was said, her recent corona. She knew of these
calumnies, but never betrayed to any but her intimate
friends that she felt the sting of the accusations of her
enemies. She was proud, reserved, when she chose, and
so far as she chose; a woman fit not only for the position
which she worthily and gracefully filled, but for higher
ones, if fortune ever called her to them.
THE PALACE AT HAVANA 61
She was dressed always in black, the mourning for a
long-lost relative, but it was becoming; it lessened the
appearance of embonpoint, it contrasted with her magni¬
ficent bosom and arms, and formed a background for her
jewels, which were fine. Her gown was cut low, and her
sleeves were short, but a delicate black lace scarf thrown
over her shoulders lessened the appearance of full dress.
Her hands were ungloved, and she glided quickly and
gracefully to Catalina, to prevent her coming too far to
meet her.
The two handsome women kissed each other, and the
marquesa at once exclaimed—
" My dearest, I have this moment heard the terrible
news. The General has just told me about your brother.
How good you are to come. And how I wish I could
do something for you ! But you know, in a matter like
this my hands are tied. I wish, indeed, the General had
more power. But perhaps we shall learn something that
will enable the courts to be lenient." She evidently
feared that Catalina's request for an interview meant an
application in behalf of Carlos.
But the girl at once relieved her.
" You can do nothing, marquesa; I know it too well.
But I have an idea that may prove important. This
American diplomatist, can he not aid me ? My brother
is an American citizen, you know; and if he will ask for
the release of Carlos, perhaps the General may find him¬
self able to comply."
Quick as thought the marquesa grasped the possibili¬
ties. She was fond of Catalina, and would be glad to
serve her. It would be well, too, not to exasperate so
important an adherent, at this juncture, as the Conde de
Casa-Nueva. The Captain-General might, indeed, yield to
the representations of a foreign statesman—a member of
62
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a foreign Government speaking in behalf of his fellow-
citizen—what, under other circumstances, it would be
impossible to concede.
" You have the right thought!" she exclaimed ; " and
in this I can help you. Between us two women we
ought to be able to effect our purpose, and save your
brother; but we must work, both of us," she added,
stopping with a gesture the thanks that Catalina was
about to pour forth. " You must impress this American,
who is young, and not a great man by any means—not
fit for his position ; but, of course, he thinks otherwise.
Come this way, and I will tell you about him."
CHAPTEE IV
washington society
A fortnight before the circumstances just narrated, the
Assistant Secretary of State was seated in the chair of
his chief at Washington. This was no unusual occur¬
rence, for the Secretary himself, Mr. Littleton, was a
man verging upon age, and lacking mental vigour, who
evaded responsibilities, and preferred to leave the irksome
duties of his office to his subordinates whenever possible.
He was so fortunate as to have been born in a small
and unimportant State, and of a political family; he
was early pushed, and he had few rivals, so that,
although destitute of qualities entitling him to such
preferment, he had arrived successively at the positions
of governor, senator, and foreign minister, all of which
he filled respectably, but without distinction of any sort.
A charming wife, long dead, had aided him in maintaining
the social advantages that he enjoyed by birth, and
developed whatever opportunities his moderate wit, and
still more moderate energy, had been able to secure.
He was well enough bred, but uninteresting, and alto¬
gether an excellent specimen of the class so rare here,
but so often seen abroad, of statesmen by circumstance
and position, without either native ability or force of
character—the most un-American product possible of
63
64
CONSPIRACY
the soil—a distinct survival, in fact, of the anti-revolu¬
tionary period.
When, on the death of the President, the Vice-
President had succeeded, the latter, who aspired above
all things to social distinction and the reputation of
decorous surroundings, invited Mr. Littleton to the first
seat in his Cabinet, and after due deliberation, weighing
the prestige of place against the drudgery of office and
the burden of responsibility, that gentleman accepted
the position of Secretary of State, and immediately set
about reversing everything that had been spirited or
patriotic in the policy of his predecessor. He had, at
first, for Assistant Secretary, a man who was strong
enough, and able enough, and experienced enough
in courts and politics and diplomacy to have filled
the highest place with acceptance to the country
and credit to himself and the Government; but such
a man had too much energy, originality, and knowledge
to suit his superior, who, unwilling to take the trouble
himself to rule, was yet loath to seem to be ruled by
others, and preferred the yoke of chief clerks and
people who were never heard of, and could not be
supposed to exercise influence, much less control, to a
connection with men conversant with great affairs. The
chief clerks, of course, disliked a real master, and found
means to suggest to Mr. Littleton that his able subordi¬
nate was initiating too many policies and accomplishing
too many purposes, and, above all, acquiring too much
repute. This was enough for the indolent but jealous
principal. The intrigues of the clerks succeeded, and
the supposed master of the palace was obliged to
resign. "We want no Capets here," said the fainidant
of the State Department.
In his stead, Littleton called in his only child, a youth
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
65
unknown to the country, ignorant of affairs, and destitute
of any marked ability, whose previous career had fitted
him rather to rule a club or manage a provincial ball¬
room than to engage in diplomacy or undertake the
administration of a department of the Government, and
who, until fortune was thus thrust upon him, had not
suspected himself of any qualities higher than those of his
associates in society, or in that vapid life which young
Americans—called well-connected—lead when they are
neither in the professions nor in trade. But in the
exalted spheres where statesmen are created by the fiat
of a President, all miracles are credible, and Bainbridge
sprang full-fledged, like Pallas, from the brain of his
progenitor, and surprised the world. He was unmarried,
and having good looks and good manners, had found
favour in the eyes of one of the most attractive women
in America.
The beauty of Adelaide Harrison was peculiar. She
was tall and graceful, lithe, yet ample in form, a blonde,
with light hair but dark eyes, and an expression in
which intellectual brilliancy was subdued by the indica¬
tions of passionate possibilities. Her manner, also, was
unusual. It provoked rather than invited admiration,
and there was an air of apparent indifference about her
which, added to her personal charms, at once made a
man of spirit desire to conquer it. She was supremely
ambitious, though less, perhaps, of position than of
power. A woman of genius, she yet cared only enough
for culture in literature or art to enable her to summon
cultivated men about her and detain them after they had
arrived. Her realm was the world, her role to rule in
a real society, such a one as in America exists nowhere
except at Washington.
Contradictions were of the essence of her character.
5
66
CONSPIRACY
She could hardly be called a manceuvrer, and was by no
means a calculating or intriguing person, preferring to
accomplish her aims by sheer force of beauty and genius.
But though she often took people by storm, she some¬
times conquered by strategy, and was learned in all
womanly wisdom, full of womanly spirit, and bright
in all womanly arts and ways—exactly the person
who if thrust by fortune into extraordinary cir¬
cumstances would know how to control or mould
them to her own purposes and desires. She was,
above all, a living argument in favour of materialism.
You could not conceive of her soul or brain apart from
her body. Brain and soul were with her not only
enveloped in flesh and blood and manifested through
them, but permeated by them in return.
There was nothing common about her externals.
Her birth gave her access to the most desirable circles,
and she had sufficient fortune to maintain her place, at
least away from New York. In Washington her great
natural spirits, added to her intelligence, attractions, and
accomplishments, had made her the life and soul of that
delightful coterie of clever women and distinguished men
which is almost without a rival in the capitals of the
world for its intimacy, its unsuspected exclusiveness,
its simplicity and brilliancy combined—a brilliancy
kept carefully for itself, a simplicity so rare in American
society.
This woman when nearly thirty had enjoyed and
endured her own experiences, of course, but never
absolutely succumbed to the influence of any man. She
had met the most famous soldiers and statesmen and
diplomatists of her day, had interested many of them
and been herself interested in several in return; but her
great passion had not come. She had all the capabilities
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
67
of love, but had been too generally occupied with life
and with men to fall before the shaft of any individual.
But this very impenetrability by which she had been
protected made her armour peculiarly accessible if once
the joints were loose, and having gone through a decade
without losing her heart, she finally found herself
absolutely in love with Bainbridge Littleton.
She could not at first believe the report of her own
sensations, for she was used to studying herself, and
recognised at once a new emotion. How could it be
that she, an acknowledged belle and queen, who had
seen senators and generals and ministers at her feet
without concern or discomposure, was fascinated by a
man of hardly second-rate ability, of no reputation, of
some personal attractiveness, to be sure, but not even
an Apollo to excuse her infatuation. She struggled
hard, but it was of no use, and mortified, provoked, she
yet confessed to herself that she loved this man—this
youth to her, for he was of her own age ; and a woman
of thirty is ten years older in experience than a man of
the same date. This boy had done nothing to give him
knowledge, or dignity, or character. She knew, too,
that her feeling was not even requited. She saw that
Bainbridge was incapable of such a passion as that
which consumed her, and she was angry enough with
herself for its existence and with him for his com¬
parative indifference, to strangle either. But her own
experience with other men, and her observation of
other women, taught her that the situation was not
new, and that because it was intolerable was no reason
that it should be avoidable.
Bainbridge, however, was not cold ; and she, when
she found herself entangled, determined that she would
not be despised. She set herself to work with all her
68
CONSPIRACY
arts and all her charms to win him; and of course
succeeded. He was soon as much in love as, with
his nature, it was possible to be. Her own passion
increased with the effort, and was enhanced by the return.
At this juncture there came to Washington a new
personage.
This was the Vice-President, the Albert Edward of
America, as he liked to be called; the occidental Prince
of Wales, the heir-presumptive to the American throne;
the walking gentleman of the Washington play ; next
in rank and precedence—which no one valued so highly
as he — to the President, but less in power and real
importance than almost any political man in the country,
unless, indeed, under the most unexpected and unde¬
sirable of circumstances.
This potential potentate had hitherto lived in the
atmosphere of petty politics, and in the more recondite
walks of his profession had made himself a certain
reputation. He had a decided talent for working the
strings that party leaders hold, controlling the men
upon whom such leaders rely, and offering to the ignoble
the inducements which naturally affect their action; and
was soon reckoned one of the most adroit of those sub¬
ordinate statesmen whose acquaintance with certain
phases of human character is so highly prized by their
superiors. He was especially successful in the manage¬
ment of political conventions and in directing political
committees of the opposite party in their dispositions
to betray their own friends. He was decidedly more
than a stoker of the machine, he was an accomplished
engineer.
His politics, however, were purely mechanical. He
never aspired to the heights of principle in statesman¬
ship; he never penetrated to the fact that there are
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
69
men in affairs free from interested motives or susceptible
to noble impulses. He understood little about measures,
but busied himself with the means.
By one of those odd chances with which Fortune
delights to set at naught the calculations of her
worshippers, this man had greatness suddenly thrust
upon him. He was nominated for the vice-presidency
as a sort of sop or set-off to console his chief, who had
been disappointed in his plans; and as the presidential
candidate was young and strong, the nomination was
permitted, with a universal grin at its inappropriateness,
and here and there a shudder, as men thought of what
must happen if the President should die.
When he was elected, however, he at once displayed
commendable anxiety to fit himself for the outward
duties and graces of the position to which it had pleased
God to call him. He was sworn in as Vice-President,
was coached by the great statesman under whom he had
served, and decided points of order and decorum for
grave and reverend senators, who would probably not
have sought his acquaintance a year before. He began
at the same time to cultivate what is called society.
His position, of course, opened many doors to him,
and he soon became acquainted with Adelaide. At first
he was only a new study for her, an entirely different
type from those who made up her world, but he was
important and might prove useful, so she took him up;
for in Washington even vice-presidents must take their
degrees. She was in her turn a great novelty to him.
He had not dreamed that such people existed in the
fashionable world. He had supposed that world
composed of vapid nonentities, people of flesh and blood,
it is true, of position and fortune, but characterless and
frivolous exclusively, unable to say or do anything to
7°
CONSPIRACY
interest such flesh and blood as his own; and he found
it crowded with men of distinction and ability, and
women of culture and character—he discovered that
great events were discussed at dinners and important
affairs decided at balls. He was initiated into the
delights of conversation and the mysteries of coteries.
He took amazingly to this new phase of society presented
to him in Washington, which, to be sure, is as different
as possible from that existing in New York, and might
easily be supposed to be distinct in its nature. He took
especially, in time, to the most brilliant member of that
society. His attentions were, of course, flattering, and
the intimacy went on apace. Adelaide, however, was as
yet only his intimate friend, and in no way, false in
feeling or act to the man who had first touched her
heart.
But the President was taken ill. The immense
possibilities which this circumstance presented for the
Vice-President could not but be evident to every mind
in the nation, and, of course, to himself and his friend.
At first they did not speak to each other of these
contingencies, but as the illness was protracted and the
country became anxious, it was impossible to avoid the
theme. The man, so profoundly interested, was genuinely
shocked and grieved. He was awed, indeed, by the
shadow of the great destiny hovering over him, and
needed the support and sympathy which were not with¬
held. He came into the drawing-room of Adelaide's
mother one evening when the crisis was near, and paced
the floor in an agony of excitement, covering his face
with his hands. Adelaide's agitation was less, and her
appreciation of the future of her companion unmingled
with alarm. She had already, indeed, begun to con¬
template the effect which changes so extraordinary in
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
7i
his condition might have upon her own. She did not
love him. Her heart had never wavered in its choice,
or rather in its submission to the inevitable. For she
had not chosen her lover. He had been selected for her
by the Fates ; and the Fates were firm in their deter¬
mination that she should love him still. Her acts,
however, if not her feelings, she could control. Her
decisions were her own. And all the ambition of her
nature was aroused by the revelation of the imperial
vista opening before this man who was certainly within
her reach, if not already absolutely at her feet.
" Why are you so overcome ?" she asked. " You have
done nothing to bring about what you fear. You have
not sought to advance yourself still higher. You need
not dread a great destiny if it is really reserved for you."
" I know you are right," he replied; " but I feel my
unfitness for such a post. My present one even is
beyond me; but that, nevertheless, I do not disgrace.
But to put me up among the rulers of the earth—
me "— and he shuddered at the possibility.
Not so his companion. This very possibility gave
her nature the courage which it seemed to take from
the weaker man. It suggested to her daring thoughts
and deeds not noble, nor commendable, yet not without
a certain grandeur in their very culpability. She asked
herself at this moment whether she could sacrifice the
love that was now a part of her being, in order to share
the fate that the shrinking, awe-struck man before her
feared. Could she give this man the strength he
needed ? Would she be willing for a few years of
grandeur, of position, of power, to crush her own heart ?
She knew by the struggle she had made before she
succumbed to her passion for Bainbridge how terrific
would be the still greater strife that must ensue if she
72
CONSPIRACY
gave him up; and while she seemed to soothe and
encourage his rival, she was battling with her own
emotions and terrified at her own thoughts.
The Vice-President, however, felt a strength, if not a
calm, that emanated from her and reached him like a
magnetic influence.
" You," said he, " are strong. You could bear the
weight which it oppresses me even to contemplate."
He threw himself into a chair, and Adelaide rose and
approached him. " My friend," she said, " let me give
you strength."
He looked up at her, and a familiar thought in an
unfamiliar form flashed across his mind. " If I had
your strength, your will, your knowledge of a certain
world—I should not tremble."
She leaned over him. " You know," she said, " I am
your friend. If you are placed in any great emergency,
you can rely on me. Let me strengthen you. Let me
soothe you now," and she laid her hand upon his fore¬
head. The movement was not calculated. It was
inspired by the decision which at the same instant
made her know her own mind. She looked at him
almost tenderly, but with an expression of magnificent
moral force. The touch of her hand inflamed and
invigorated him, for he was a man susceptible to sudden
emotions. He was, besides, in a crisis of tremendous
excitement, when all the possibilities of his nature were
alive and aroused. He started up and exclaimed—
" Adelaide, will you really strengthen me, and soothe
me as only a woman can ? Will you bear this burden
of greatness with me ?"
" Hush," she said; " we must not calculate on such
contingencies. But I will surely do all in my power to
aid you."
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
73
At this instant her mother entered, and they said no
more.
Two days afterwards Adelaide was startled by the
news that the man who had asked her to share his
burdens was President. Would he now claim her
support? Would he offer her the brilliant destiny
which she could so well mould and ornament ? Was
she to be among the women who sit near thrones, the
consort of a potentate ? She had no doubt now of her
decision. Her love she cast behind her, wrenching it
from her as if she tore her heart from her bosom; but
her hand was firm and her will unrelaxed, her temper
stern. Passion was struck down at the feet of ambition ;
yet not struck dead: it lay there writhing before its
conqueror, but alive with agony. And then came the
terrible anxiety lest the crime should not be rewarded;
lest, having determined to sacrifice herself, the sacrifice
should be unclaimed; lest she should have sinned for
naught. The pride that she had trampled upon for the
sake of her ambition revolted at the punishment which
she felt that she deserved—to be guilty of the treason
and yet not invited to betray.
The new ruler was unable to visit her for a
week. The grave public duties devolving on him, the
tremendous glare of publicity that was turned on every
act, made it impossible for him to spare an hour, or if he
could have spared one, to devote it to a woman, neither
his relation nor announced as yet as his intended wife.
This was no time for gallantry, hardly indeed for courtesy.
But after seven days he walked in the evening to her
house, having first ascertained that she would be at
home. As his visit had been announced, she was left to
receive him alone. Her excitement was now greater
than his own, though she knew better how to hide her
74
CONSPIRACY
feeling. Her anxiety was keen, for her acceptance
depended on his proffer. He may, indeed, have been
uncertain of the answer he should receive, in case he
asked; but men at such moments are almost always
confident, if they are vain, and few men able to offer so
grand a destiny would have doubted, even if not vain.
But this man thought he had not determined. He
loved the woman, and yet, like all men, he loved his
liberty. But more than this, he felt something of the
weight that now hung upon his words. He was not,
after all, an ordinary man asking a woman worthy of
him to be his wife; he was the head of the State con¬
templating an act in which the whole world was
interested, an act that without vanity might be called
historical; upon which grave public interest might
hinge. The smallest mind in the freshness of such an
elevation might have paused. Then, too, the very
consciousness of exalted position, though the contempla¬
tion had awed him in advance, when the dignity had
really come, gave him a poise and deliberation not his
own.
Something of all this was apparent to Adelaide as
she gave her hand to him who was to decide for her,
for she had already determined. This was what galled
her, that her own decision was made before she knew
what his would be. He was her master now, at least.
She nerved herself to be strong; to be, or to appear to
be, calm, if not indifferent. She was determined to
show no anxiety.
They looked long into each other's eyes, and she
sought to indicate an interest in him that should be full
of tenderness, and yet not invite him to be sure. It
was not the maiden coyness which restrains the expres¬
sion of passion. Adelaide rather had to feign a warmth
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
75
she did not feel, and yet repress an anxiety that was
very genuine. Perhaps because there was none of the
ordinary passion of the occasion, she was better mistress
of herself. Ambition sometimes clears the judgment
which sense and emotion cloud.
" I am glad to see you at last," she said. " How are
you ? How do you stand the trial ? "
" I am well;" and then there was silence—a silence
so prolonged that finally Adelaide felt it augured ill, and
broke it by exclaiming—
" And you are President! I cannot congratulate
you. I cannot realise it yet."
" Nor I," he said ; and yet in his soul he realised it
as fully as if he had worn his honours for a year. His
was a nature that soon became accustomed to the idea
of its own consequence.
She detected the insincerity of his humility and felt
that the prize must be won soon, and that it was not
now so much support that he desired as decoration and
dignity. Her pride was wounded at the discovery.
She was not required for great purposes, for this man
was incapable of them ; she could not salve her con¬
science by ascribing to herself important influence; she
was only to ornament the State and add to the pomp of
a shallow semblance of a Csesar. It was Zenobia in the
train of somebody less than Anthony. But she had
made up her mind, and did not flinch at this new
humiliation; she would wear the fetters, for they were
imperial. " I will accomplish my purpose," she thought
to herself; " but the tactics must be entirely changed.
To win him, I must play a different game. There are
no profound emotions to be touched, those are already
exhausted; no grand ambitions to awake, they have
never slumbered, for they never existed." She glided at
76
CONSPIRACY
once into the new role, but strove to make the transition
delicate and imperceptible. " Flattery," she thought,
" will succeed."
" You have made a good beginning," she said. " You
have already won the commendation of the country.
Not a mistake in conduct or in word. I told you you
would do well."
She had, indeed, struck the right chord. He was
pleased, and she went on fluently now, for she was sure
that she was right. He listened eagerly while she told
him again of the applause of the world, and pretended
that she discovered motives of high-bred delicacy and
innate dignity, and predicted the acts which she was
sure he intended, and contrived to show him how they
should be performed. He accepted the praise, and
listened to what was really advice in the guise of flattery,
and thought, as she intended he should, how wonderfully
this woman knows what should be done; how she would
teach me, and inspire me to act with perfect propriety
in all things great and small. He determined that he
would ask her to assume the task. But her lesson of
delicacy was so well instilled that he bethought him he
should not rush in this first interview into propositions
of such a nature; he fancied she would think him
lacking in those fine perceptions which she had contrived
to make him believe that she ascribed to him, and the
very success of her art defeated or delayed the immediate
result that she had planned. He left her after an hour
which had been full of confidences, full of interest, full
of emotion; yet he had not spoken of that which was
uppermost in the thought of each during every moment
of the hour. But Adelaide knew that her triumph was
only deferred.
She was in no haste after this to precipitate an
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
77
avowal. He came to her often, and their conversations
were prolonged and important, but the absolute word
remained unspoken for weeks. Her friends were
restrained from inquiry by the impropriety of remark
under the circumstances; and Bainbridge, who was
becoming anxious, felt that it would be indelicate in him
to suggest an apprehension. The two men sometimes
met in Adelaide's drawing-room, but the new President
contrived to wear so much of the imperial manner that
the younger man, who had been bred in the decorums
of an official family, betrayed no jealousy. Adelaide
herself felt more keenly than her earlier lover, because
her passion had been the stronger, and in the tornado
of emotion in which she was involved, one tremendous
sensation was always paramount.
Finally, after a month of delay, the President said to
her one evening, when they were discussing the new
policies of the new administration and the new members
of the Government—
" And now that public matters are in some sort settled
for a while "—
She trembled, for his tone and glance betrayed that
the long-expected utterance was at hand. Her emotion
made her interesting, though it was not the emotion that
he fancied. He forgot all the elaborate phrases that
he had planned, and, before he left, Adelaide was the
affianced wife of the President.
The marriage was not to be immediate. It was not
thought decorous to introduce the festivities of such an
occasion into the Executive Mansion too soon after the
recent mourning; but the engagement was at once
announced. Adelaide desired to be known as the future
wife of the President.
But although triumphant in her ambition, she had
78
CONSPIRACY
not mastered the rival emotion. Her passion for
Bainbridge was no less intense because she had
determined to trample on it. She dreaded to meet her
earlier lover, not so much because she feared his accusa¬
tions or his indignation, as because she knew that her
own feelings would be harrowed by the interview.
Bainbridge, she was well aware, would soon console him¬
self, if not by another love, by his pleasures or affairs.
His sentiments were not profound enough to rack him
long at the disappointment. He would be mortified;
but to be overshadowed by the chief of the State is no
great humiliation after all. He had been used to yield¬
ing precedence to high dignitaries all his life. Those
who live at court and are not royal must expect to make
plenty of obeisances of every sort.
But the woman herself had no such weakness to count
on. She, who felt herself infinitely superior to both
these men, who deserted one whom she profoundly loved
for another because of his position in the world—she
knew the wrong she was committing, the baseness of
which she was guilty. She knew that she wronged
herself more than she did the man who was not worthy
of her; and yet the whole passion of her nature was
bestowed upon the object which she refused. Her gain,
she was conscious, did not compensate for the loss of one
who cared so little for her; and yet she never wavered.
Bainbridge met her at a ball on the night after
she became engaged to the President. The absolute
announcement was not yet public, and Adelaide felt it
due to herself, as well as to Bainbridge, that he should
learn his dismissal from her lips. He had, as we have
seen, observed the intimacy that all the world had noticed,
and he knew the character and ambition of his mistress
well enough to be certain that the temptation would be
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
79
strong; yet he knew also something of the intensity of
her overmastering passion for himself, and he fancied
that she would be firm. Nevertheless he was not with¬
out a certain anxiety, and as he approached the woman
he loved, he perceived that she was hardly able to
control herself. This alarmed him. She put her arm
into his, however, and asked him to take her into the
air. There was a half-enclosed verandah behind the ball¬
room, and as the hour was still early, not many had
entered it. At one end was an alcove, almost secluded,
and thither Adelaide led her lover—"Perhaps," she
thought to herself, " for the last time; perhaps he will
never speak to me again. "Will any rank, or power, or
adulation of the crowd compensate for what I am
abandoning ?"
She was dressed in white, with a garniture of black
and white lace mingled, and strings of pearls for her
only ornament. The lace was abundant, and hung in
graceful fulness, enveloping her stately form, and she
held a daintily painted fan that Bainbridge himself had
given her. The entire effect was sumptuous and elegant
rather than brilliant: like the strength of her character
shaded and softened by its fascinations.
Full dress was always becoming to her, for her neck
and arms were noble in proportion, and exquisite in
tint and texture; her emotion heightened her colour,
and gave her dark eyes more than their usual brightness,
tempered with a peculiar softness when she looked at
Bainbridge. Her manner was impassioned, yet repressed,
and though she did not tremble, there was a certain
tenseness in her personality that almost transfigured
her. She was like one of the great women of the stage
at the instant when they exert all their power, and
become transformed into the character they assume. In
8o
CONSPIRACY
her case, however, it was the reality that penetrated
outward, and the passion of a tremendous nature that
shone through the disguises of the woman of the world.
" You have not seen me since Sunday," she said.
" Why have you stayed away ? "
The young man looked into her eyes, and felt all
their fire kindling his own emotions; he had never
loved her so much, and yet at the moment he felt that
there was a strange look about her; he feared, he knew
not what, and stammered, " I was afraid of meeting the
President." The words came out doggedly, as if they
were the truth that he did not wish to recognise.
Adelaide did not expect the thrust, and instantly
determined to make him feel. She would at least have
the satisfaction of knowing that the loss of her gave him
a pang. She would indulge herself and avenge herself
at once. All the volcano of passion this man had
aroused in her should be emptied upon him. He had
lighted the fire, and should be consumed as well as she.
" And did you fear the President ?" she said, in a
tone full of tenderness and meaning. " Did you fear
me ? Could you ? "
The impetuous blood that leaped to her cheek as
she made the inquiry almost seemed to throb in the
pulses of the man as he responded, boiling now with
an agitation equal to her own.
" There has been a time, Adelaide, when I could have
answered ' Ho'; but of late I have seen too much, and
felt too much, not to fear. But I fear not the President.
I fear you: your ambition, your worldliness, even your
superiority. You are so great that you think you
deserve the greatest; and I do fear you. You are
willing to sacrifice me."
This ordinary man had probed the deeper nature
WASHINGTON SOCIETY
81
beside him. This lover already discarded, though he
knew it not, was able to penetrate to the motives of
the woman who would have given the world not to
desert him, who was dying at this moment to throw
herself into his arms. The lesser thus are often able to
detect the springs of action in those greater than them¬
selves. He had been able to stir this magnificent being
to emotions far beyond his own; and now his insignifi¬
cant genius was seeing far down into the depths of her
who loved him while she despised him. Adelaide felt
herself laid bare before him; that she could have no
concealments in her abasement as she had been able to
hold up none in her attachment. All thoughts of
triumph were gone; it was she who was prostrate; he
who had conquered again. And she must love him
through it all.
But she made one more struggle for victory.
" And you think I can sacrifice you! You doubt
me ! You deserve that I should deserve your doubts."
" Ah ! you cannot put me away like that. I see your
falsehood in your eyes. I hear it in your tone. I feel
it in your touch," for he had laid his ungloved hand
upon her arm. " And yet you love me. I know this
too; Adelaide Harrison, I know you thoroughly. You
love me as well as ever. But you think yourself my
superior, deserving of a grander destiny than I can give
you. And then comes along this extraordinary chance,
and you cannot resist the tempter. No woman ever
does, when he comes in such a shape. The world is
your Satan; he offers you the apple, and what might be
your paradise you sacrifice. Pride, pride, pride."
The intensity of the situation and the fulness of his
feeling at the moment opened the eyes of the man to
the exact truth, and gave him a momentary dash of
6
82
CONSPIRACY
genius; for passion often is akin to genius. It infused
his words and gave them a meaning and a force they
never had before, and would never have again. For a
moment Bainbridge spoke and behaved like a great man.
He was great in his passion and in his truth.
And the woman, being wrong, was weak. She loved
him, and could not defy him. All she said was, " Pity
me."
He looked at her only a moment at this confession,
and seizing the fan he had given her, he broke it into a
hundred fragments, and left her alone. Adelaide was
discarded.
CHAPTER Y
THE EXECUTIVE MANSION
As soon as she was married Adelaide set herself to
befriending Bainbridge. He was not rich, and she
proposed to her husband one or two places to offer
him, and they were offered; for the President was so
complacent in his vanity and so confident in his powers
that he had no jealousy. He knew that Bainbridge had
been an aspirant for Adelaide's hand, but he thought it
natural that when the great man came along the oppor¬
tunity of the smaller should diminish and disappear.
He pitied Bainbridge, and was willing to do a little for
him from whom he had taken so much. Nothing very
suitable, however, was found until the change in the
State Department occurred. Then it was Adelaide who
first suggested the place for Bainbridge.
By this time three or four months had elapsed since
her marriage, and the wounds of the young man were
healing; he could meet his former mistress calmly. He
went to the President's levies, and was even invited to
the dinners, though he was not important enough to take
in the President's wife. Adelaide, however, had made
advances to him, and they were not repelled. Her
feeling had undergone no change; but she knew that he
was now indifferent. She had no thought of recalling
him, no intention to betray her husband. She valued
S3
84
CONSPIRACY
too highly the opinion of the world and her own posi¬
tion. She meant not to sacrifice that for which she had
sacrificed so much. But she meant to enjoy his society
at times, to indulge herself with the sight of him, and to
do whatever might lie in her power to benefit him. To
this she thought her misery and her sacrifice entitled her.
So upon one occasion, when it was possible for them
to talk without being overheard, she asked him to be
seated on the sofa beside her, and immediately said,
" Would you like to be Assistant Secretary of State ?
Your father intends to make a change, and has no
especial preference."
This was more than Bainbridge himself had heard.
He lived in the house with his father, and they were
on good enough terms; but they never talked politics
or business. Mr. Littleton had taken it for granted that
his son had no interest in great affairs, and this was true.
He had supposed his son to be possessed of no extra¬
ordinary abilities, and this also was true. So he had
not consulted him about the choice of a new assistant.
Bainbridge looked up inquiringly at Adelaide, and
for the first time a scintilla of ambition was kindled in
him. His passion having been disappointed, he had yet
found nothing to fill its place; and though after the
first pang the suffering had not been acute, there was
still the vacancy unoccupied.
" If my father wishes it, and the President consents,
I see no objection."
" I wish it, Bainbridge. Will you take it for me, and
from me ? I should like to do something for you."
" It is rather late for you to think of that," he replied.
" No, it is not late. Let me think that I am of some
use to you."
" As you choose," he said coldly, and she could not
THE EXECUTIVE MANSION 85
trust herself to add more; for the President stood on
the opposite side of the room, looking at them, though
he was conversing with another woman. She rose, and
asked Bainbridge to take her to her husband, and, as
they walked across, she said, " I will see that you have
the appointment."
She had little trouble in accomplishing her object.
The President and Mr. Littleton both were willing, and
in this way Bainbridge became Assistant Secretary of
State, and concerned in the destinies of Cuba.
Adelaide, however, was sadly disappointed in the
character of the sway to which she succeeded. She had
influence enough with her husband; she could procure
appointments or dispense invitations as she chose. No
rival in political or social matters could dispute her
power; but she quickly found that the President's ideas
of statesmanship were limited to plans to secure the
retention of his post, and his ambition to fill his office
worthily meant a desire to establish forms and etiquettes
at the Executive Mansion, imitating, as far as he could
learn them, the regulations of European Courts. She
had aspired to share the projects and mould the purposes
of a man with great national and international policies;
but her husband's aim in public life was to escape
criticism and propitiate his enemies. So long as he did
not attract attention or discussion by any controverted
measure, nor excite the antagonisms of earnest believers
of an opposite creed, he thought he was doing well.
And perhaps he was. He knew his own limitations, and
preferred the shallow waters of society and of personal
politics to the mighty seas where the ship of State
encounters foreign rivalries or the storms of contests
that may become historical. So he set himself, from
the day when he entered on his place, to the task of
86
CONSPIRACY
manipulating politicians, and adroitly distributing, or
still more adroitly withholding, patronage.
But even in this restricted sphere his vision was not
broad enough to take in the real situation. He came
to his post after a furious strife in his own party, in
which he had been swept along as a partisan, simply
following his leaders whithersoever they led; but being
elevated into the position of a leader himself, he made
a capital blunder. He determined to propitiate his
enemies at the expense of his friends. His friends, he
thought, were secure, and his enemies he meant to win;
then he would have all the world. So he offered place
to his avowed antagonists, and left those who had been
bitterest in their animosity to himself—who had hurled
personal accusations at him of the harshest character—
in posts where they could injure him most. He put
men into his Cabinet because they had been his
opponents, while he parted with the people who had
aided and advanced him through all his political life,
and had given him the very opportunities that opened
the way to his present position; and all this without
any cause of quarrel with his former patrons, not because
they sought to rule him or pestered him with appli¬
cations or advice, but simply because he was afraid that
to befriend his friends would provoke further opposition
from his enemies. He was not naturally mean nor un¬
grateful; he would have been glad to do more for his
earlier associates and superiors, but he did not dare.
In the same way all that he offered his ancient opponents
was gratuitous. It was without overture or solicitation
on their part, who were bold, outspoken, offensive all
the time. They made no bids for his favour, and if
they accepted his gifts, they neither promised nor gave
their support in return.
THE EXECUTIVE MANSION
87
Of course this policy was a failure. This conduct
persisted in for years lost him all his old friends worth
having, and gained him hardly one of importance among
his adversaries. When the time came that he wanted
strength, he had none except what he derived from his
office, The former enemies were as implacable as ever,
and those whom he had thought to propitiate fought him
in the very positions he had given them or allowed
them to retain; while those who had been his allies,
excluded from great place, refused smaller posts, or
abandoned office under him in order to attack him with
freedom. His insignificant course in really great affairs
procured him, it is true, the friendship of a few whose
only desire was for quiet at any price, that they might
increase their gains ; but this was the only support he
won that was not the result of patronage. Those who
feared for their old places and those who hoped for new
ones were his partisans; and the patronage of the
presidential office is so enormous that he collected a
considerable party, held together without either admira¬
tion or affection on either personal or public grounds,
but by sheer dint of interest.
But—lesson to time-servers, no matter how highly
placed — this very desertion of his political friends
defeated him in the end. The office-holders, with the
help of those whom he had offended, could have secured
for him what he was aiming at. He came near enough
to success to show that the aid of his old allies would
have been sufficient; but he had gained hardly one
important accession from his enemies, and had driven
those who had been his associates, and might now have
been his followers, to the support of the man who had
once been their bitterest enemy, and was still his own.
Had he been staunch to his friends, he might have
88
CONSPIRACY
overthrown his enemies; but his enemies remained firm
and unbroken, and their ranks were augmented by the
friends whom his course had converted into foes.
He had, we have seen, neglected all really great affairs,
and bent his whole political energies to the manoeuvring
for which he felt himself equipped. Important policies
at home or abroad, measures to advance American
interests, to protect American citizens, to arouse American
sentiment—these were on a level to which he did not
aspire. Not one was accomplished during his adminis¬
tration. But even from his own point of view, and in
his chosen field, his political huckstering failed. The
petty arts with which he was familiar were fitted
perhaps to win in the custom-houses and State capitals,
where offices and men are said to be bought and sold;
but in the larger arena of the nation, where statesmen
contend for victory, political fidelity and honour count.
But there was still a stage on which he could play
his part, and where he felt himself certainly able to
shine. This was the great social world, in which he
was determined to show America, and Europe too, what
a President should be in externals. His predecessors,
who had won their place by achievements in statesman¬
ship or war, had omitted to hedge themselves with the
ceremonies which sovereigns in the Old World have
always considered so essential. Former Presidents
thought their dignity conserved by simplicity of life and
surroundings; they relied on their character, and the
position to which they had been elevated by the suffrages
of their countrymen, to secure them respect and sufficient
deference. Men who had been ministers at foreign
Courts, or passed their lives in the most refined and
distinguished circles in America, had strangly failed in
these particulars of etiquette and ceremony. It was
THE EXECUTIVE MANSION 89
reserved for the new incumbent of the chair of Washing¬
ton to inaugurate a different system. Here, indeed, was
his opportunity.
Accordingly he set up for himself royalty as a pattern,
not thinking of the incongruity between model and copy.
He established rules and regulations which he had heard
existed in European Courts, appropriate perhaps under a
monarchy, but absurd above all things in a republic.
Based, as these rules are, on the supposition of an innate
difference between man and man, their introduction in
America is an impertinence. He forgot that the whole
tendency of the time, in Europe as well as here, is to
democracy; that it is no longer station, nor fortune, nor
birth, that makes an inequality universally recognised,
but character, education, and achievement. A man who
had been received at every Court in Europe as an equal,
said of these new pretensions: " The President is an
imitator of royalty; but we ought to be more genteel than
royalty"
But this new-comer into importance set himself to
teach those who had been in high positions all their
lives, and he pleased immensely all the would-be genteel.
Those who could see no further than the surface
perceived that his clothes were well cut and his dinners
well served, the appointments and decorations of the
Executive Mansion superior to what they had ever been
before; and there went up a cry among the second-rate,
"At last we have a gentleman for President." The
great people, the great men in politics, and the great
women in society saw through him; but second-rate
politicians and second-rate gentlefolk went into ecstasies,
the first over his manoeuvres and the last over his
manners, and both were bad.
For the imitation of royalty was not only inappropriate
9°
CONSPIRACY
and offensive, it was incorrect. It was a caricature, not
a copy. His regard for the dignities of his place was
confined to an anxiety about etiquette and a taste for
aesthetic decoration ; he was particular about the pre¬
cedence at his dinner-table, and ever mindful that the
dignity of America was concentrated in his person; but
the essential dignities and courtesies of a great gentle¬
man he did not reach. He never even learned that
punctuality is the politeness of kings, and purposely and
customarily kept his guests waiting an hour, so that he
might enter a room in what he thought proper form ;
and was even known to remark as he made his
appearance, " It is etiquette to wait for the President."
He never by any chance wore the wrong coat, but he
often did the wrong thing. He insisted on entering a
carriage before a lady, and on being served first at his
own table, because he was President; but the same
reason did not prevent his breaking his pledged word or
turning his back on his benefactors: while no one
apparently had ever told him that the sovereigns of
Europe punctiliously defer to ladies, that at every
European Court the women precede the men even of
royal degree; and the story of the nobleman who
entered a carriage before Louis xiv., at the king's
command, he had not read at school. He fancied he
was playing the rble of royalty, but he had not learned
his part.
He had in his mind, apparently, the members of the
reigning family of England, more especially George iv.
and the present Prince of Wales; but the first of these,
though selfish and despicable in character, was never so
consumed by a regard for the dignity to which he was
born as to remind his own guests that he thought them
his inferiors; and the future Sovereign of England—if he
THE EXECUTIVE MANSION 91
has no more ability than his American imitator, if he
regards etiquette and forms as a man may who is born
in them and lives for them, who is himself a ceremony
—yet considers courtesy as important as dignity, and
has all the good feeling that good-breeding, if it does not
possess, at least assumes.
The President we speak of lived in the forms, and
never penetrated to the reality of that behaviour which
men call royal. He made lookers-on exclaim, " Better
the ignorance of form and even the coarseness of manner
which are sometimes seen in America—ay, and in
Europe too, in high place—than these aspirations after
aristocracy which copy its most glaring faults but fail to
catch its most essential charm."
CHAPTER VI
the state department
The appointment of Bainbridge proved a very agreeable
arrangement for all the parties at the head of the
Government. It relieved Mr. Littleton in some degree
from the distasteful cares of office, as well as from all
fear of an overshadowing subordinate; it salved the
wounds of the deserted lover; it enabled Adelaide to
think that something had been done for the man she
regarded, and brought him more frequently into official
society, where of course he was in her company; and it
gave the young man himself more interesting occupation
than the accounting of club bills or the arrangement of
bachelors' balls. That it was effected by a sacrifice of
dignity on the part of Bainbridge, and looked like a
solace for the loss of his mistress, did not apparently
occur to the budding statesman or his father, while, if
the President thought about the matter at all, he
considered that he had made a very proper use of official
patronage. The world of Washington, social and
political, smiled and shrugged its shoulders, and some¬
times said satirical things, but went to the official parties
and accepted official favours all the same.
Bainbridge, however, was determined to master the
mysteries of statecraft, and very soon believed he had
succeeded. He had just enough ability to give him
02
THE STATE DEPARTMENT
countenance in the delusion, so he devoted himself
assiduously to the study of diplomacy, and thought he
ruled the department of which his father was the
nominal chief. The way of it was this. The Secretary
signed everything that the Assistant Secretary wrote
for him, and the clerks prepared everything for the
Assistant. It was the era of clerk rule. With indiffer¬
ence and inefficiency at the head, ability removed, and
incompetence and inexperience substituted, these gentry
had it all their own way. There was a little arrange¬
ment, extending to other departments of the Government,
by which they favoured each other's friends and
frowned on each other's foes, and furnished each other
with secret information and gave out forged or garbled
communications to the newspapers. By and by they
aspired to dabble in foreign policies, and even to make
ministers and control them, to overrule and overturn,
not only their superiors, as we have seen, but refractory
diplomatists or consuls who resisted their sway ; and
at last to concoct treaties, and sometimes make a little
money in obscure ways. All they had to do was to
hoodwink their superiors, and this was an easy task, for
the President left everything in the way of diplomacy
in the hands of the State Department, and the Secretary
went off to his country - house for months at a time,
and the fledgling who had been promoted issued instruc¬
tions as Acting Secretary to the highest diplomatic
servants of the Government, and the clerks wrote out
these instructions for him in a clear and legible hand, so
that he had no difficulty in understanding them. After
a while he ventured to dictate some himself, but then he
got into trouble.
About this time the reports from Cuba became
interesting and important. The political condition of
94
CONSPIRACY
the island and its relations with this country had been
fully set forth by a succession of consuls-general there,
who held a quasi-diplomatic position, reporting, not to
the United States Minister at Madrid, but directly to
the State Department, and who were necessarily taken
into relations with their Government very different from
those of its purely commercial agents. The questions
which arose at Havana were often delicate as well as
important in their international character; and peace or
war, the annexation or independence of the island, were
not unfrequently discussed in the consular correspondence.
The latest of these representatives had seen the condition
of things with no clearer eyes than his predecessors, but
being of a more restless disposition, had set himself to
find a possible remedy. He was a man of some experi¬
ence, but still young enough not to have lost his vigour,
and was greatly impressed with the possibilities of the
island—its unsurpassed natural resources, the capabilities
of the soil, the prodigious advantages to be reaped by
the United States from unrestricted and legitimate
access to its treasures and its trade. He was also
shocked at the tyranny of the Spanish rule and the
sufferings of the inhabitants ; but, more than all, he was
indignant at the unchecked and unpunished outrages
and affronts put upon Americans by the officials of
Spain. These he had reported minutely, and had sought
to arouse his superiors to insist upon reparation for the
past and an absolute cessation in the future; but the
State Department was too faint-hearted to resent the
insults or redress the injuries endured by its fellow-
citizens. It offered some feeble suggestions looking to a
different state of affairs, but when the Spaniards made it
apparent that they intended to persist in their offensive-
ness, the American Government invariably and ignomini-
THE STATE DEPARTMENT 95
ously acquiesced. It was too great an exertion for Mr.
Littleton to undertake to remedy the wrongs of his
countrymen; it might have disturbed, not only his own
equanimity, but his social relations with the Spanish
Minister, or even have prevented his Excellency from
attending the levees of the President.
The Consul-G-eneral at Havana, however, Ernest by
name and earnest by nature, persisted in pressing his
views. He had obtained a leave of absence with the
purpose of personally urging the Government to put an
end to the persecutions of Americans, and of laying
before it proof that a bold but discreet policy might be
inaugurated, which should protect and foster American
interests, as well as revolutionise the commercial and
financial condition of the island, and possibly amelior¬
ate its political relations with Spain.
His ideas had been commended by some of the most
important men in the country, among them not a few
warm friends of the administration and the President.
But the Secretary of State was absent from his post
whenever Ernest was at the capital, and it was only
with the callow statesman who represented him that
the consul had been able to confer. Bainbridge, how¬
ever, was not without a certain sharpness, which had
been already stimulated by the despatches of the consul,
and he believed that he had detected his opportunity.
The suggestions of Ernest might indeed be used, but in
a different way from that which their author intended.
The fertile genius of the new diplomatist could easily
develop greater designs than these. He would work the
propositions over himself, engraft some peculiar notions
on them which he had acquired from other sources, and
inaugurate a measure of his own; shine out, indeed, as
the initiator of a Cuban policy. He had, in fact, been
96
CONSPIRACY
approached by business people with suggestions that he
had no desire to communicate to Ernest. His con¬
fidants were men of a different sort.
So he sent for Mr. Go-Bright, the chief clerk of the
bureaux, to ask him how to make a treaty with Spain.
Go - Bright was a person of prodigious importance
in an establishment like the State Department in the
days of which we write. He knew the official routine;
he wrote many of the despatches, and saw them
all. He was acquainted with the history of each
legation and consulate. He must be consulted on all
points of petty detail; and as most of the business at
the legations and consulates consists of petty details,
he had come by degrees to managing the entire system.
In the ignorance of his superiors, his advice was taken
as a matter of course; his dicta were tantamount to
decisions; and this wholly irresponsible person, un¬
known to the country or the law, rivalled in power
many of the highest functionaries in the Government.
The consuls discovered that his suggestion settled points
of pay and allowance, and the discreet ones paid their
court assiduously. They sent him their pictures, and
solicited his own in return; they wrote him private
letters of request and compliment, and appealed to him
as if he were, in reality, chief instead of chief clerk.
He had, of course, a lively sense of his own importance,
but ruled his kingdom mildly on the whole. His
despotism was a paternal one, but he exacted proper
recognition and respect from his subjects. He was abject
before his own master, and demanded his dues in his turn.
He had contrived a pleasant surprise for his superior,
and went willingly to the audience for which he was
summoned.
"Have you any further news from Cuba, Go-Bright?"
THE STATE DEPARTMENT 97
yawned the Acting Secretary, as he sat in the seat that
had been occupied by Webster and Calhoun, affecting
not to be greatly interested in the matter on which his
whole little heart was set.
"Yes, sir," replied the humble subordinate, who
scrupulously maintained the air of dependence in the
presence of his chief, and never allowed Bainbridge to
suspect that he was kept under lock and chain.
" Yes, sir, I hear that now is really a very good time
for you to visit the island. That pestilent Consul-
General cannot return for two or three weeks, for the
Secretary has only now promised him an interview, and
we can easily contrive to detain him here as long as
you desire. You can accomplish all you wish in his
absence, and be back before he is any the wiser. The
people whom he has complained of are ready to receive
you, and will make any terms you choose. I heard
from them only yesterday."
" If this is so, I will start in a day or two. What
about the Spaniards, with whom I am to communicate ? "
" I have written to Fisher, the clerk who is in charge,
to prepare the way. He is to notify the particular
officials whom you can approach, as well as the others
in Havana who are interested in our scheme. He has
lived in Cuba all his life, speaks the language better
than he does English, knows all the Government people
and their methods, and understands exactly how to trans¬
act such business as ours. When I visited Havana last
spring I suspected I had found the man for our purpose,
for he had corresponded with me and with some friends
of mine in the Treasury. If anything is to be done down
there he can show you the way. He hates Ernest, too.
You can take him into your confidence, and rely on his
secrecy and serviceableness."
7
98
CONSPIRACY
" A most excellent man for us, Go-Bright, if he is all
that you describe. How lucky that tiresome Consul-
General will be out of the way. He might block our
game."
" Yery likely," replied the confederate. " He has
suspicions already of Fisher, and confided them to me
when I was in Havana; and I was so highly shocked
that he told me all he knew about him. But we must
be quick in what we do. He might have the assurance
to suspect higher persons than Fisher, if he were on the
ground."
" It may be well to get some introductions from him,
however," said the Secretary. " I suppose he knows all
the official people; and I should like to meet some of
the dark-eyed Creoles."
" Shall I tell him of your going, when he next comes
in ? He would be obliged to offer you letters, and they
would certainly be useful."
" Yes, do so, Go-Bright, and I will put him down at
the club, and then we shall be even. Tell me some
more about the details of the treaty."
A few days after this conversation Bainbridge sailed
for Havana, and then only was Ernest admitted to an
interview with the Secretary of State. It was the first
opportunity he had obtained to set forth his views in
person to the chief of the department under which he
served. Mr. Littleton was naturally cold and reserved,
but his manner on this occasion was peculiarly con¬
strained and ungracious. It was evident that he had
no sympathy with the opinions whose gist he declared
he knew in advance, and that he submitted to their
expression only in order to reject them more definitely.
Ernest, however, argued as urgently as he knew how.
He set forth at first the condition of the island — its
THE STATE DEPARTMENT
natural advantages of soil and climate; its abounding
wealth, mineral, agricultural, and even animal, waiting
only to be developed; the commercial advantages offer¬
ing themselves to any country, but especially to the
United States, the neighbour, and yet not the rival,
of Cuba. He described the political status and feeling
of the inhabitants—the tyranny of Spain, the disaffec¬
tion of the residents, Spaniards and Creoles alike, the
imminence of rebellion and anarchy. Finally, he set
forth, in detail, the outrageous inflictions on Americans,
and the necessity of interference by the American
Government.
Here the Secretary interrupted him, exclaiming,
" But if we interfere, as you suggest, we should have
war with Spain; and how could we contend with Spain,
or any country, now that we have no navy ?"
Ernest replied that a manly, outspoken policy and
firm demeanour would prevent, not provoke, a war; that
Spain would inevitably yield to the just demands of
America—her weakness at home and the dissatisfaction
in Cuba would make it impossible for her to resist this
country.
But the Secretary still repeated, "We have no navy.
We have no navy."
Thereupon Ernest sought to show that it was not
the actual and present power of the United States that
Spain or any other foreign State regarded, but its poten¬
tiality : the possible, or rather certain, navy we should
buy, or build, or in some way procure, within a year
from a declaration of war.
" Suppose," he said, " that Spain should contemplate
hostilities. She very well knows that though she might
annoy us in the first three months, in the next she would
suffer immensely more than we; that her commerce
IOO
CONSPIRACY
would be destroyed, her navy eventually annihilated;
Cuba and Porto Eico would both be torn from her for
ever, and she amerced tenfold for every injury inflicted
on the United States ; worse off, absolutely, because of
early success, whenever the spirit of our people should
be aroused.
" No, indeed, Mr. Secretary," exclaimed the consul,
warming with his theme, " Spain has far too much to do
at home to attack us. Her treasury needs filling, not
further depletion; her troops are required to uphold the
throne of Alfonso, and her ships to protect her colonies;
by a war with us she would instantly lose whatever
benefit she now derives from the Antilles, and be
obliged to submit to defeat and degradation besides.
The Spanish politicians are wise in their generation;
they know that not only the dynasty, but the adminis¬
tration, that brought on a war with the United States
would be overturned, and the ministry which provokes
that war will never be in power."
The Secretary, nevertheless, reiterated that he was
determined to have no trouble with Spain. He declared
that one of the principal objects of the administration
was to avoid such a difficulty. He pointed to the pro¬
longed efforts of former Cabinets to escape this calamity,
even when outrages like the seizure of the Virginius had
been perpetrated and endured.
Ernest then asked if nothing was to be done to re¬
dress the wrongs of Americans in Cuba, nothing to take
off the iniquitous taxes on our trade, the unrighteous
impositions on our citizens, to release the Americans
confined unjustly in Cuban prisons, to avenge the insults
to our flag, stricken down by Spanish officials only a
few months before.
The Secretary perceived that it would not do to seem
THE STATE DEPARTMENT 101
entirely to neglect American interests, and mumbled
something about inserting a passage in the President's
message on the subject; and as he spoke, he began to
think that it might be wise not to create too great
dissatisfaction in his subordinate, and somewhat modified
his disapprobation, though still not indicating any
definite acceptance of Ernest's views. With some
adroitness he spoke of the possibility of considering
those views, declared they were not so impracticable
after all as he had thought, that the Government was
not indifferent to the theme, and Ernest might rest
assured that all would be done that was possible. But
he impressed again and again on his subordinate the
importance of caution and reserve. Ernest's usefulness
would be impaired if his opinions should become known.
He must preserve absolute reticence, be careful never to
discuss the measures he had proposed, and above all not
make them known to the newspapers. This the Secre¬
tary particularly enjoined. The Spanish Government
might demand his recall if he stood up too strongly for
his countrymen, and the State Department would be
unable to support him in such a contingency. Then,
with another reference to the dreaded Spanish navy, the
statesman dismissed the subordinate.
Ernest went away from the interview greatly puzzled
and very little encouraged, and did not see the chief of
the department again.
CHAPTER YII
a cuban dinner-party
In due time Bainbridge arrived at Havana, and paid his
visit promptly to the Captain-General. In the absence
of Ernest he was presented by Fisher, who was highly
elated at the circumstance, and still more so when they
were both immediately invited to dinner. The stay of
the Secretary was to be short, for it was important to
effect his object and leave the island before Ernest could
return; so, although he had arrived on Saturday, he was
to dine at the palace on Sunday. Then and there he
hoped to begin negotiations, not indeed with the Captain-
General ; but Fisher had told him that the marquesa
was considered accessible, and as both believed in the
existence of wickedness in high place, they neither
doubted that the mistress of the palace would take an
interest in their plans. Bainbridge, it was true, was
new at affairs, and exactly how to approach a great lady
with propositions purporting to come from a foreign
Government, he had not learned. Still, he had been
several months in place, and felt himself full of ex¬
perience. He had, besides, no doubt that his natural
talent for diplomacy would come to his aid at the
critical moment. This was the way with other men of
genius; why should it not be with him ? Confidence
and self-appreciation are characteristic of capacity.
102
A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY
So he dressed with unusual care to impress a woman,
as he hoped, and was a little mortified that Fisher, who
was an underbred, pushing fellow, should have been
invited to the dinner. It was entirely out of compli¬
ment to Bainbridge, however, for Fisher had been
twenty years in the consulate, and never asked to the
table of a Captain - General before. This information,
it is true, he did not impart to his superior, but allowed
the Secretary to suppose that he was on intimate terms
at the palace.
" 'Tis a pity the General and the marquesa speak
English," said the clerk to himself, " for otherwise I
should have it all my own way. However, there is one
consolation. The Treasury officials know nothing but
Spanish, and when we see them I shall be more than a
match for this pert Secretary."
These were the thoughts of the worthy couple as
they passed through the corridor and were ushered
into the grand sala, where already eight or ten guests
were assembled.
They were greeted by the Captain-General, but the
marquesa had not yet appeared. She made it a point
to enter the room after the company had arrived, but
the host himself welcomed his guests near the door.
Bainbridge was tall and graceful, and had the manner
of a man used to good company. Fisher was short and
puffy in person, bursting with delight at his first dinner
at the palace, and wishing dearly that he could tele¬
graph the news to the American press in the morning.
He knew the stately apartments well, for the ordinary
receptions were not by invitation, and he made it a
rule to positively haunt the houses where this was
the custom. Foreign officials, of whatever rank, could
hardly be refused, and though very little attention was
CONSPIRACY
paid him by important personages, to many of whom,
after all these years, he was still unknown, it yet
gratified his vanity to be often seen in these really
noble halls. But to dine there! This was indeed the
crowning achievement of his social existence.
The party was soon made up. Besides the conde
and Catalina, Bainbridge and Fisher, it consisted of the
Segundo Cabo, or second in command, with an extremely
pretty and attractive wife; the chief of staff; Delgado,
the political secretary; two or three aides-de-camp, and
several other officials, military and civil—eighteen in all.
The marquesa's entrance was preceded by that of a
little toy terrier, who always announced his mistress,
and was nicknamed by her intimates "John the Baptist,"
the forerunner. She came in easily and without for¬
mality, while all were standing, greeting each guest,
and when Bainbridge came up she said to him in
English, with a very slight accent and an extremely
musical voice, " I am very happy to see you;" then
immediately presented him to the " Dona Catalina de
Casa-Nueva, whose mother was an American, and whose
brother," she added distinctly and with some emphasis,
" is a countryman of yours."
" I am happy to meet one of my race who does us
so much honour," he rather gallantly replied, and the
marquesa left them, looking back archly, as she said—
" Do not claim too much, Mr. Secretary; we are not
willing to allow her to become entirely American."
Catalina did not blush; she was used to admiration,
and even to its expression, and her heart and mind
were full of more important matters; yet she was
woman enough to know that to gain her end she
must first interest this man—not a very difficult task.
Her beauty, of a different type from that to which
A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY 105
Bainbridge was accustomed, and a certain foreign
air, mingled with something more familiar, which her
American mother had transmitted, gave Catalina
an attractiveness to any Northerner, while her great
nature spoke out so plainly in every movement and
glance and utterance, that the most indifferent felt its
influence even when she was unconscious of any effort
to exert it. The young man was interested before she
had spoken.
" You are just arrived, the marquesa tells me," she
said, in a low, rich voice—soft, but clear and penetrat¬
ing, pronouncing the words with that distinctness of
utterance which foreigners give to the consonants and
unaccented syllables of our language as well as of their
own.
" Yes ; only yesterday."
" You find much that is strange to an American eye,
I am sure, in Cuba."
"All is very foreign; far more so than anything I
have seen in Europe. Spain is not so different from
America as Cuba."
" What you see here is Old Spain. It is not that we
are more foreign, but more mediaeval; here we are still
in the Middle Ages. Nearly everything in Cuba is as
it was three hundred years ago."
" How strange !" exclaimed the Secretary. " And so
near the United States."
" Not only strange, but wrong. We should be more
like the Great Republic, being so near. But it is not
altogether our own fault. If our great neighbour
obeyed the scriptural command and loved us as herself,
our condition would be very different."
" You do not seem to like the Spanish character of the
Government."
io6
CONSPIRACY
" I am Spanish, as you know, on my father's side, and
proud of my race ; but I am Cuban as well, and I see
how the island suffers, as you will see, if you remain. I
am also, in part, American, and how I long to see America
take an interest in this beautiful but unfortunate land!"
Her eyes almost filled with tears as she spoke, and she
had forgotten even Carlos in her enthusiasm for the great
object of her existence. " You, Mr. Secretary, ought to
be able to know, and, what is more, to do," she went on,
glowing with excitement and losing herself in her theme;
her cheeks flushing, her bosom heaving, her whole form
instinct with noble emotion. " You are in the American
Government; what a great opportunity you have!
Think of saving this wonderful, magnificent, exuberant
country, with its miserable millions, from the destiny
hanging over it. Do you know that we here are on the
brink of great events, possibly great calamities ? That
there are disturbances occurring, insurrections plotting
on every side ? Dissatisfaction is universal; the
planters are losing everything. The slaves are freed,
but destitute ; the poor are becoming poorer, and all our
men are flying to arms. There will be anarchy and
rebellion desolating the country in less than a year;
harsh measures of repression exciting the people to
harsher reprisals ; civil, possibly servile war—all at the
door of your country, all within sight, almost, of your
shores ; and all this your Government might terminate if
it chose."
Bainbridge listened to her impassioned eloquence,
admiring more the tones and gestures and glances by
which it was accompanied and enforced, than influenced
by its cogent appeals. Still, he perceived that what she
was saying was important, and he recognised that it
corroborated what the absent subordinate had reported.
A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY 107
It was worth while listening, and even inducing her to
say more, if only to enjoy the fascinations of her beauty
in its animated and most glorious phase. For the girl's
whole countenance beamed with her interest in her
theme; her form even seemed to dilate with the inten¬
sity of her emotion. She was like some inspired
priestess under the influence of her deity.
" How can we do anything in such a crisis ? " inquired
the American.
" By showing an interest in us to the world, and
especially to Spain. If you will not at once send forces
to aid an insurrectionary movement—by indicating at
Madrid that the oppressions must cease; that a down¬
trodden race must be allowed to rise; by declaring that
you will support us if we attempt to govern ourselves.
And more than this," she added, " by announcing that
you will no longer permit the outrages that are daily
offered here to your own citizens, and the insults to your
flag and your Government. Why, only yesterday my
own brother, an American citizen, was arrested, and now
lies confined in the Morro Castle. He may lie there for
months without a trial. Why not make this an oppor¬
tunity to assert your power ? " Then gliding at once to
her nearer theme, and losing for a while the patriot in
the woman, she began, in tones of entreaty touched with
tenderness at the thought of Carlos and his danger, " Oh,
Mr. Secretary, he is your countryman, and you personally
can save him. You can interpose your great influence
even with the Captain - General; he cannot deny you.
Will you not obtain his release ? Do not let him
languish in the dungeons of that terrible castle. Promise
me that you will intervene; I beg you—I implore."
The change from the inspired sibyl to the pleading
woman was absolute, and no man with a soul could be
io8
CONSPIRACY
insensible to such beauty in such attitudes. With her
dark hair streaming behind her, her plain white robe
caught up simply with a garnet-coloured ribbon, not a
jewel on neck or bosom or on her beautiful arms, she
was the very incarnation of loveliness in distress, and the
Secretary, before he had time to recover his composure,
replied—" If I can do anything for you, senorita, be
assured it shall not be lacking. I will look into this
matter to-morrow, and see what is in my power."
" Oh, thank you !—thanks !" she exclaimed. " I know
you will be all-powerful. They will not dare to provoke
the United States too far."
But the petty nature of the man had begun already to
assert itself, and he bethought him that he must not
quarrel with the Government of Cuba at the moment
when he wished to bargain with it. So he made haste
to say, " You must not hope too much; I am not here
as the representative of my Government. I am not
accredited to your own. I know not even if I am
entitled to speak on political subjects at all."
" Oh! put away these scruples of etiquette," she
replied, " and act like a man of genius and force and
heart! The authorities know your position, and you
cannot divest yourself of its importance."
" Yes," thought the Secretary, " and I will use it, but
not for your brother."
Her words put ideas into the dullard's brain that he
at once diverted to an ignoble end. The girl could not
perceive their full effect, but her quick nature detected
something unworthy in her companion ; she felt as if
she had touched a snake, and recoiled from him as from
something noxious. She discovered that the man had
designs of his own, and was not in harmony with her
fraternal feeling or her patriotism. Each felt, indeed,
A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY
that a veil had been lifted for an instant, and something
more revealed by the other than the outer world could
see; and then, each felt the intervention of a heavier
barrier. Bainbridge was not fine enough in nature to
appreciate the full effect of what had occurred, but he
was aware of something that had not existed before,
and was relieved when the party was summoned to dinner.
He did not take the marquesa to table as he had
expected, for the Spaniards, like the English, pay little
regard to any rank that does not correspond with their
own, and as a rule put permanent position before official
dignity. So the Conde de Casa-Nueva had the first place,
and Bainbridge followed with the wife of the Segundo
Cabo. He sat, however, on the left of his hostess, and
thought to himself, " I must try my hand at diplomacy
before the dinner is over." It was a pigmy in politics
pitting himself against a great player, one who knew the
game, and had already fathomed her opponent, although
she had not seen his cards. She at once determined to
force his hand. It was worth while knowing the object
of this visit of a member of the American Government.
It might be important to her husband and to Spain.
" Do you find much to interest you yet in Havana,
Mr. Secretary ? The place is new to you, I suppose."
"I have never visited Cuba until now," he replied,
" and am profoundly interested in both the country and
the people; I know not which is the more worthy of
study."
"If we can do anything to facilitate your studies,
pray do not fail to apply to the General. I am sure he
will be more than happy to serve you. You want to see
a plantation, of course."
"Above all things. The condition of the planters
and the negroes is especially interesting to me."
I IO
CONSPIRACY
" If you have a day or two at your disposal next week,
we intend visiting a friend some two or three hours
from Havana by train, and should be delighted if we
could persuade you to accompany us. We are allowed
to invite our own party. Can you not make one ?"
"I shall be charmed to do so, marquesa, if my
arrangements allow me to remain in Cuba so long."
" We are to start on Easter Monday, at nine o'clock,
and arrive in time for a Cuban breakfast. I shall count
on you, Mr. Secretary."
" I hope I may be able to avail myself of your kind¬
ness. But I came away hurriedly and unexpectedly,
although I have long been intending to visit Havana."
" Indeed," thought the marquesa. " A sudden visit,
yet long designed ! I have discovered this much;" but
of course she did not inquire his errand.
He, however, went on giving her information. " I
must be back before the adjournment of Congress."
" Then his mission is political."
Bainbridge felt, he scarcely knew how, that she
was penetrating his designs, and, aware that he had
blundered, he determined, like most blunderers, to go
on, in the hope of recovering his ground.
"We are hoping, you probably know, for of course
you are in the counsels of your Government—we are
hoping to draw nearer the commercial relations of the
United States with both Cuba and Spain. I suppose
there are points on which all our interests agree, and
means by which they may be promoted together."
" I wish it may prove so," the marquesa replied, not
committing herself.
" Yes," he continued, without observing her reticence,
" it ought to be possible for the authorities of each
country to benefit those whom they represent, and gain
A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY
at least credit for themselves;" emphasising the words
" at least," and looking directly into the marquesa's eyes,
which opened wide at his glance, but betrayed no
response to the insinuation it conveyed.
She simply replied, " Governments and authorities
always have opportunities, if they have the skill to use
them; and can sometimes make them, when they are
not ready to their hands."
He deemed this great encouragement, and was about
to rush at once into suggestions and propositions ; but
the great lady was satisfied with her discovery and with
the work she had done, and before Bainbridge could
betray himself further she had turned to her neighbour
on the right, and was discussing the condition of Carlos.
The Secretary found no other opportunity for diplomatic
negotiation that evening, for the marquesa was determined
to carry her information to her husband before she went
further.
She saw, however, that the American thought he had
great designs, and that they were not creditable to him.
She surmised also that they were his own, and not
those of his Government. She could not believe that
this raw youth, who had in five minutes allowed her to
perceive his character and half detect his plans, could
possibly have been intrusted with any affair of import¬
ance by his superiors. Still she knew his political
position, and his relationship with his chief; and from
the Spanish Minister at Washington, who had warned
her in advance of his coming, she had learned his
personal intimacy with the wife of the President. It
was possible that there was a significance in his visit,
after all. A dull tool is sometimes that selected by a
skilful workman for a peculiar task. Too sharp an
instrument may cut the hand that uses it. But, in any
112
CONSPIRACY
event, it was necessary to consider and discuss her
discovery before taking any step with this indiscreet
negotiator.
" Senor Conde," she said, in a low tone to Casa-
Nueva, " I trust your son has not committed himself
very far."
" I cannot tell, marquesa; but he left my house only
an hour or two before he was captured. He can hardly
have been guilty of an overt act. But I had promised
before I started to send any prisoners I took at once to
the Morro; and I kept my word. My son is there."
" What do you think of Catalina's idea that this young
American should interest himself ?"
" It may be feasible; there is nothing but the mere
fact that Carlos was with the party to identify him
with Aguero."
" Is it certain that they were part of Aguero's band?"
" I fear so, senora. All the disaffected, or at least
all who are in arms in our part of the island, are under
his orders."
" Is the disaffection so widespread, then ?"
"Yes; it reaches far and wide. There are many of
the better class, even planters, who wish Aguero well,
though they dare not avow it; and are even willing to
suffer something at his hands for the cause which they
consider their own. The country is in a sad condition."
" Do you suppose my neighbour comes down to spy
us out ? "
" I cannot say. His visit is timed for something."
" Why do you imagine it is made in the absence of
Mr. Ernest, the regular representative of the United
States ?"
"Perhaps to give the consul more definite orders
before his return; perhaps to verify his statements;
A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY
perhaps because Ernest is not in reality in the confidence
of his Government, and they do not wish him to know
their plans."
" Altogether a singular circumstance."
The marquesa recollected the suggestion of the
Secretary, and thought she could add a surmise of her
own; but she was discreet, and kept her suspicions for
her Government.
Meanwhile Catalina, who sat next the Captain-
General, had not failed to find a chance to speak of
Carlos.
" I have a favour to ask of you, excellency," she said;
" and I think you know it before I ask."
" You want permission to see your brother, is it not
so, Catalina ?" for he was old enough and intimate
enough to address her thus familiarly.
" Yes, General, I do. I want to see him to-morrow."
" I will send you the permit early in the morning,"
he replied. " But caution Carlos not to say or do
anything to make his imprisonment more stringent. I
cannot interfere in the prison rules without doing him
absolute harm. You know the feeling that exists among
the Volunteers. They dismissed one Captain-General not
so long ago. And remember the fate of the students."
Catalina shuddered at the suggestion, and determined
to leave nothing undone to ensure her brother's escape
from such possibilities.
" Do not be alarmed. I only say this to secure that
you both may be on your guard. Do not let him try
to escape, or attempt to bribe his sentinels. Urge him
to submit in silence, and to hope for what comes from
delay."
" Delay, indeed," thought Catalina. " I know too
well what delay in a Spanish dungeon means." But
8
CONSPIRACY
she only thanked the General, and said she would visit
her brother the next afternoon.
They sat at table a little more than an hour, and then
returned to the salas, where a few early-comers had
already arrived. Before ten o'clock the rooms were filled
with a well-dressed and well-mannered company. Not
many of the women were handsome, but here and there
was one of surpassing beauty; all had fine hair and
eyes, but their complexions were plastered with powder
in the most unbecoming style, till it dropped upon
their clothes. Nearly all were graceful, though the
Cubans are stiff and provincial in their manners, all
rising every time an acquaintance enters or leaves a
room, and a new-comer finds it necessary to make the
circuit and shake hands with each in the most elaborate
manner. The estradas, of which there were three or
four, were all filled, and a round ottoman at the centre
of the largest room was the only seat that invited
approach or society. The men for the most part were
in evening dress, but some in frock-coats, the usual
garb in Cuban society, unless on occasions of the highest
ceremony. The officers, of course, wore uniform.
The cigars tempted most of the men into the corridor,
where they sauntered arm-in-arm, or played tressilia—
the fasionable Cuban game at cards—or chess; or
gazed down into the courtyard at the orderlies below.
A few, more gallant or more courageous than the rest,
ventured into the inner rooms, and paid their court;
but even these stood around the doors together, and
looked in more often than they entered.
Soon after ten the little concert began. An amateur
pianist played an overture, and then followed a concerted
piece, after which Catalina sang with exquisite pathos,
Cherubini's " Ave Maria." Her voice, which in conver-
A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY 115
sation was low and rich, in singing became a high and
flexible soprano. It was exquisitely cultivated, for she
had studied under the best masters of Paris and Madrid,
and absolutely rivalled some of the greatest artists
of the day. Her taste was perfect, and her method
beyond praise. Then came a quartette by other singers;
and finally the great " Quis est Homo," from Eossini's
" Stabat Mater," by the marquesa and Catalina — a
delightful performance, full of passion and meaning. The
marquesa's full mezzo-soprano voice, reaching at times
to a contralto register, combined and contrasted admir¬
ably with the bird-like quality of the younger singer's
notes. Both were musicians; both knew the com¬
poser's meaning, and were able to express it. The
marquesa, especially, was religious, and Catalina was
under the spell of several profound emotions, so that
the two great women sang with their whole souls at¬
tuned to great things; and it seemed that the human
character of the Catholic religion was hardly ever better
voiced in sound. Country, brother, lover—all were
suggested to Catalina by the master's mighty numbers,
and the Castilian, knowing part of the agitation of her
companion, was affected by it, and participated in the
passion of the rendering.
The audience was silent when the music ceased.
There was no applause. All felt that what they had
heard was beyond ordinary compliment. After a few
moments the greatest lady present rose and made her
adieux. This was the signal for the others, and ere
long the halls were as empty as before. Catalina was
nearly the last to leave; and the marquesa whispered—
" Have you accomplished anything ?"
" I do not know, but I fear not," was the reply. " He
does not seem to possess a soul."
CONSPIRACY
" And I have found out that he has no brains. Strange
man to make an Under Secretary of State, and send here
on an important errand! But do not be discouraged,
Catalina. We may yet find means to reach, if not to
move him. The General tells me you are going to see
your brother to-morrow, and bids me urge you both to
caution. Let him do nothing to commit himself further,
and render leniency impossible. Good-night, dearest.
What a happiness it is to sing with you!"
Bainbridge and Fisher went away next, neither very
well satisfied with the result of the evening. Bainbridge
felt that he had made no success in any direction. He
had at first been struck by Catalina's beauty, and hoped
for some amusement, during his stay in Havana, from
her society; but he was selfish, and did not wish to be
annoyed with caring for her brother, and he felt that
she had detected his selfishness and despised him for
it. He was, besides, distressed at his own ignorance.
He could not tell whether or not it was his place to
interfere. If he should do so, the intricacies of the
questions that might arise alarmed him, for he had not
now the experience of the State Department to fall back
upon, and the mistakes that he might commit made
cold sweat break out all over him; while if it was his
duty to exert himself and he failed to do so, he would be
censured by the country. Then, too, he had made no
progress with the marquesa; he felt that he had told
more than he had learned, and given more than he had
received—had been out-matched by a woman—and this
was not a pleasant reflection for the rising diplomatist.
As for Fisher, he had not been noticed—had made
no social progress whatever—and nobody except those
who sat at table would know where he had dined. He
consoled himself by the thought that to-morrow would
A CUBAN DINNER-PARTY 117
be the great day. Then they were to see the custom¬
house officials, and he would come out strong when
Spanish and subsidies were to be the means and the
end. He accompanied his master to his hotel, and
they agreed to meet at the same place at nine in the
morning, for tropical hours are early.
CHAPTER VIII
the morro castle
The Captain-General did not forget his promise, and
when Catalina returned from early mass with her duenna,
she found a messenger with the required permit, and a
note stating that in order to secure the senorita from
all possible annoyance, an aide-de-camp would be in
waiting to escort her across the bay, and show her to
the fortress. Her father proved to be unwell—ill
indeed, stricken by anxiety for his son—and utterly
unable to accompany her, so that the thoughtful courtesy
of the Captain-General was most acceptable.
In the afternoon, accordingly, at about five o'clock,
when the fiercest heats of the day were past, the
unhappy sister sallied forth to visit her brother in his
prison. The elderly person, without whom, according
to Cuban etiquette, she could not be seen in the streets,
unless indeed with her father or Carlos, sat by her side
in the closed carriage; for even with the sanction of
such a companion, the unmarried, and indeed the
married ladies of Havana, are averse to the semblance
of publicity.
They arrived at the wharf, where two small boats
were waiting, and Catalina and her attendant entered
one, while the aide-de-camp followed closely in another.
118
THE MORRO CASTLE
119
He was the same who had been with the family at the
ingenio, and had been selected for this duty because he
was supposed to be intimate. Don Ramon de Arriete,
it has been said, was profoundly in love with Catalina.
No woman is unconscious of such an emotion in the
man who is often with her, and as there was no possi¬
bility of returning his regard, she regretted at first that
this opportunity for his presence had been afforded.
He, however, was so respectful, so considerate in in¬
dicating his sympathy in manner only, not in words, so
careful to repress himself, that the girl was touched by
the delicacy of his demeanour. His breeding or his
instincts taught him exactly how to act in this emer¬
gency. There was an almost imperceptible tenderness
in his tone, a greater deference than usual in his bearing,
but no approach to consolation, no mention even of
Carlos, his friend, unless Catalina herself should broach
the theme.
Arriete had spoken of his feelings both to the conde
and to his children, and the father encouraged his pre¬
tensions, for the young man came of an ancient Spanish
family, and, though not rich, might possibly inherit
fortune and titles of great distinction. His character
was irreproachable, and he had never been thought
lacking in spirit or refinement. Carlos had no objection
to Arriete, if his sister approved, except that he was a
Spaniard; but Catalina had given the young man no
encouragement, even before she had seen Aguero, and
now his suit was distasteful. The aide-de-camp, how¬
ever, was ignorant of the impression she had received,
and as he had not been peremptorily refused, his hopes
were still buoyant. His distress at the terrible calamity
that had overtaken his mistress was evidently acute,
and his subdued manner and anxious deference made
120
CONSPIRACY
his companionship after a while not unacceptable, in
spite of the embarrassment of their relations.
The Morro Castle is situated at the extremity of a
long and tapering promontory, projecting into the
Atlantic on the north-east shore of the Bay of Havana.
Morro is the old Spanish word for snout, and the
resemblance to that feature in a beast is sufficient to
account for the name. The strait leading into the
harbour is not more than two or three hundred yards
across, and this narrowness continues for half a mile before
the passage widens into the famous and beautiful bay.
Havana lies on the southern and western shore, along
both the inlet and the bay; while on the opposite bank
stretches a series of fortifications, once almost impreg¬
nable, and which have been pronounced still formidable
by the highest military authorities. These are the
fortresses of the Morro and the Cabana: the former
commanding the sea approaches, and the territory to
the north and east, where, however, a landing was
effected by the British in 1762; while a quarter of a
mile inward, on the heights overlooking the town, stands
the Castillo de la Cabana, in reality an extension of the
Morro, connected with it by subterranean passages, as
well as by a military covered-way, and a natural path
at the foot of the hills extending along the shore.
Toward the bay the ridge rises to the height of a
hundred feet, and the face is so steep as to be inac¬
cessible.
Two other forts complete the circle of the defences
of Havana. The Atar^s, the smallest of all, is at the
head of the bay, about two miles from the entrance,
picturesquely perched on an eminence, from which its
guns command a portion of the harbour as well as the
interior country; while on another hilltop, a mile and
THE MORRO CASTLE
121
a half west of the bay, and half a mile from the northern
coast, rises the Castillo del Principe, the largest and
most important of the fortifications. The whole circle
is skilfully planned and admirably placed for military
purposes.
These works add very greatly to the picturesqueness
of the landscape, which, even without them, is almost
unrivalled. The Morro, jutting into the sea, with its
high signal tower at the extremity, the point fortified
on every side, and rising abruptly out of the ocean, the
natural rock and the artificial walls forming a single
abutment, and making the fort appear the outgrowth
of the base; then the long stretch of the Cabana on the
crest of the ridge, reaching to the point where the inlet
widens; on the opposite shore the pale city, built for
the most part of coral rock, and stuccoed over with
light-blue and pink and yellow, with the place and the
cathedral and other imposing structures towering above
the level roofs; not a chimney to be seen, nor a cloud
of smoke in the transparent tropical atmosphere, for
there are no fires necessary in Havana, except once or
twice a day for cooking purposes; the bay, dotted with
the sails of many" nations, Spanish and American pre¬
dominating, with here and there a man-of-war, or a
huge steamer just arrived from Barcelona or New York
—all these make up a picture unique and fascinating
in its loveliness. The great vessels are obliged to dis¬
charge their loads by lighters, so that the water swarms
with small boats; while the constant intercourse between
the forts and barracks on the northern shore, and the
authorities in Havana, adds life and variety to the scene.
In the distance, the sloping hills make a rim of
verdure, with lofty palms breaking the outline to trace
themselves against the sapphire sky. Among these the
122 CONSPIRACY
Atares rises on its pyramidal peak like Sion in the valley
of the Rhone; and here and there a white Cuban villa
gleams through the foliage, or a tall spire pierces the
pellucid air. Away to the west the massive Principe
sits on its heights like a tyrant on his throne, frowning
over all, and dominating the Creole capital quite as
effectually as it guards it against a foreign foe. To the
north, across the flat city, glimpses can be got of the
green and glistening sea, ordinarily as smooth as a
crystal floor, but in a storm the breakers dash higher
than the lighthouse of the Morro. Over all hangs the
bluest of skies and the clearest of atmospheres, deepening
every colour, defining every line, and giving sharpness
and brilliancy to all.
Catalina, followed by Arriete, was speedily rowed
across the narrow neck of water to the foot of the
Morro. They landed, and passed through a group of
soldiers who paid little attention to the anxious visitors.
Then, turning to the left, they began to mount a long,
inclined and paved ascent that runs outside the ramparts
up to the entrance of the castle. The great doors were
open; the sentinels recognised the aide-de-camp, and
the party proceeded to the headquarters of the guard.
Catalina waited in a casemate converted into a guard¬
room, and while an officer examined the permit for her
to visit the prisoner, Arriete remained in the corridor.
After a few moments a second officer appeared, and
they were led along several paved but uncovered courts,
among piles of shell and solid shot, under the shadow
of heavy guns looming over the parapets, past grated
walls with prisoners staring through, by knots of soldiers
cleaning their arms, or others preparing their meals,
until finally they arrived at the cell where Carlos was
confined.
THE MORRO CASTLE
123
The door was only an iron grating, for in the Cuban
climate air is indispensable, even for prisoners; and to
shut a man absolutely behind impenetrable walls might
ensure a speedy termination of his sufferings, and this
is not always desirable to his gaolers. The clanking
of the keys and the grating of the locks fell harshly on
Catalina's ears, but the sounds preluded her admission
to her brother, and she heard them gladly. The iron
bars were opened, and she passed into the cell, followed
only by old Anita. Arriete and the other officer re¬
mained on the outside. The gate was locked behind
her, and at first she could not discover her brother in
the darkness. There was no window, and the only
light came through the grating by which she had
entered. The chamber was a bare stone cell, narrow
and oblong, with a vaulted roof; it was close and
disagreeable in smell, and at the farther end, on a
cot, with a single blanket under him, Carlos was
stretched, alone. A wooden dish and cup stood on
the floor beside him, with a mess of meat and bread
untouched, for he had not been sufficiently overcome
by hunger to be able to taste the unfamiliar fare. He
was not allowed a knife with his food, and the wine
was strong and coarse.
The young man was not asleep, but lay brooding
gloomily, and at first did not look up, supposing his
gaoler had come to remove the distasteful meal.
" Carlos, dear Carlos!" exclaimed his sister, and the
youth sprang to his feet at the sound of her voice.
" Catalina, you here, my darling! Sit here beside
me. My cot is the only chair."
He placed her by him, straining her to his bosom,
while the girl wept bitterly. She had held up bravely
until now; but when she was alone with him in his
124
CONSPIRACY
dungeon, and saw his actual, material wretchedness, the
sense of his still greater danger became more acute, and
she broke down completely. Her brother soothed her
while she sobbed; he removed her mantilla, and stroked
her long dark hair, kissing her forehead again and again,
and talking to her as to an infant.
" There, there, my child. You must be calm. Do
not cry so, dearest. Stop, sister; stop, for my sake !"
But her paroxysm continued, until at last he ex¬
claimed, " Catalina, you will unman me, and I need all
my nerve. Your visit will harm me, darling, if you give
way thus."
This appeal touched her, and she made a violent
effort, and controlled her grief. Holding herself off and
looking at him penitently through her tears, she said,
" Forgive me, Carlos. I am not worthy of you. It is
you who suffer, you who are in danger, and I should
come to sustain and comfort you, not to unnerve you.
Forgive me, dearest; I will not sin again. But oh, my
brother, to see you here !"—and as she looked at his
bare pallet, and at the gloomy walls, her strength nearly
gave way again; but she choked her sobs, and said,
" I will be brave for your sake. Tell me, Carlos, how
it all happened."
For she had not talked with him since his capture.
Her father had thought it best to separate them entirely,
both at the ingenio and on the train, lest the troops
should comment on his leniency; for all the officers
of the Volunteers were under the yoke of their own
soldiers.
Then came a long talk between brother and sister,
Catalina now encouraging Carlos, and informing him of
her efforts with the American Secretary. But the youth
had little hope from this source. He had seen too
THE MORRO CASTLE
125
many Americans languish in Spanish gaols without a
trial, and declared that in a neighbouring cell there now
lay a man entrapped ashore from an American vessel a
year before, accused of political crime, and whose release,
or even trial, the American Government had never
demanded.
" My adopted country," he continued, " cares nothing
for its Cuban citizens. It neglects us, and leaves us to
droop and die. Did it ever avenge the murders of the
Virginius ? or even punish the outrages on native-born
Americans ? No, Catalina; do not hope for help from
the United States. But I will tell you," he said; " I
have other hopes. Aguero will find means to rescue me.
If I could once, by either disguise or bribe, get beyond
that grating after sundown, I am sure I could pass the
sentinels. If I had a soldier's dress," he exclaimed, his
imagination coming to his aid, " I could scale the great
ditch, and Aguero would meet me with a boat at the
shore, near Cogimar."
Catalina was startled at the suggestion, coming so
soon after the warnings of the Captain-General and the
marquesa. She repeated these to Carlos, who replied,
" It is all very well, sister, but if I remain here, I am
useless to the cause, and I cannot possibly be in greater
danger than now. All I ask is to be beyond those
gratings and in soldier's uniform."
At that moment Arriete passed before the entrance,
and an idea flashed across Catalina's mind. If Arriete
would assist, she might rescue her brother.
" Carlos," she said, " I promise you that, unless within
a week the American Secretary takes some definite step
in your behalf, I will communicate with Aguero."
" Now, sister, you talk like yourself, with the spirit
of our race. I would be willing to suffer in order to
126
CONSPIRACY
owe my freedom to you and to Aguero—you two people,
who have the same object in life, whom I so love, and
who love me so tenderly. You could save me by work¬
ing with my noble chief."
Catalina felt that there would indeed be a new and a
sacred bond between herself and the patriot, if together
they could rescue her brother. She was certain already
that Aguero was anxious and distressed for the fate of
the lad whom he had brought into so great peril, and
would risk his life readily for his comrade. Again
Arriete passed before the grating, and again the sight
suggested the means. If Arriete could be won by her
entreaties, if he would allow a soldier's uniform to be
brought within those bars, if he would open the door for
an instant only, her brother might be freed. She said
nothing of. her thought to Carlos; so much depended
on others, so much was uncertain, that she would not
excite his hopes, but changed the theme.
After a few moments, promising to come again daily,
if she might be allowed, and to bring better food and
wine, a change of linen, and perhaps to send a bed—
something for material comfort — blessing him, com¬
mending him to the Virgin and all the saints, pledging
herself to pray hourly, momently, for his release, and
not only to pray, but to work incessantly, she rose.
They embraced each other once more, tenderly, but
now each was firm. The lad, indeed, had been so all
along, and Catalina was ashamed of her momentary
weakness. Carlos walked to the grating with her,
holding her hand. Arriete summoned the gaoler, the
gates were unlocked, and she walked out, not daring to
look back, while Carlos watched her receding form,
clad now in black, and shrouded in her long lace
veil.
THE MORRO CASTLE
127
When she arrived at home, she found at the door a
messenger, an old negress, with a note which she was
waiting to deliver into the senorita's hand. Catalina
had no mother, and had been so long at the head of her
father's house that it was not strange she should receive
communications without that supervision to which most
Cuban maidens must submit. She took the note with¬
out opening it, for there was nothing unusual in its
appearance, and went first of all to her father. He was
sleeping, for the first time that day, and the physician
had given orders that he should not be disturbed; there
was danger of a fever. The emotions of the last forty-
eight hours had been too violent for the venerable
Spaniard; the danger to his son he knew was very
real, and he saw no prospect of relief. He was quite
overcome. Without wakening him, Catalina passed to
her own apartment, and there opened her note. The
writing was clear and bold, but unfamiliar; and she
looked for a signature, but found none, nor any date but
Monday. It read as follows :—
" Senorita,—
" You will know the writer, for you know how deeply I must
feel for the youth led into peril through my means. Doubt not
that I will rescue him for higher duties. I will be at the cathedral
on Holy Thursday, at sundown, behind the second column from
the high altar, on the right. I can there tell you how we may
save your brother. For the sake of Carlos, come. You will not
fear to meet him whom you have declared to be no brigand, and
" Who kisses your feet,
" and is your servant always, and
" Compatriot."
There could, indeed, be no doubt as to the writer.
Only one man would address the Dona Catalina de
Casa - Nueva in this language; only one knew the
128
CONSPIRACY
circumstances that he mentioned; only one would
venture to propose to her a rendezvous, and he, only for
one purpose. The girl trembled, half with hope for
her brother, and half at the thought of meeting again
the chief who had already awakened in her so deep an
interest. She would go to the cathedral, for it was to
save Carlos; but her agitation was extreme. She, a
Cuban maiden, to meet a man by appointment, almost
secretly, whom she had seen but once! and he a plotter
against the Government and the cause to which her
father was allied! She felt that she was, indeed,
involved in the meshes of a conspiracy, with no one to
consult, none to advise her, none to sympathise; for
she dared not relieve herself by a word. The barest
suspicion would increase the peril of her brother, and
bring new dangers on the head of him whom she now
looked upon as the chief of her cause.
She little dreamed what it had cost Aguero to write
the note. She knew nothing of his agony of soul when
he bade the thought of Alonzo down; of the remorse
he felt as he dismissed the vision of the murdered boy,
and wrenched the hope of revenge from his heart. The
doom of his brother hung over the son of his enemy,
yet both for honour and love he must save the child
of Casa-Nueva.
Of all this conflict and whirlwind of passion Catalina
of course was ignorant. But still, she thought, how
chivalric in Aguero to risk himself for his comrade!
How loyal! How worthy he is to be the chief! How
fitting a representative of Cuba! And she, a timid
girl, was yet able to serve both cause and brother, and
to work with this noble man in their behalf. She
nerved herself for every effort, and to gain strength
betook herself to prayer. Calling Anita, she declared
THE MORRO CASTLE
129
she would go to the cathedral and pray for her brother.
It was almost dark, and Anita thought the hour too
late; but Catalina was imperious, and used to being
obeyed.
" It is not too late for Carlos to suffer," she exclaimed,
" and it cannot be wrong for his sister to go to God's
house to pray for him. If I incur any danger the
act will be looked upon as meritorious, and be counted
in his favour. God and His saints can be approached
more closely in the temple set apart for their worship."
They entered the cathedral. Its vast proportions
loomed grand and awful in the darkness, like the power
of the Almighty. The great stone pillars holding up
the lofty roof seemed giant guardians of the faithful in
their hour of trial, and the twinkling lights on the
distant altar and in the chapels of the aisles guided
the stumbling steps of the supplicants. Crossing them¬
selves, and taking holy water at the entrance, they
passed along the nave, unimpeded now, for the throngs
of the day were gone; only here and there a penitent
was seeking consolation before a favourite shrine. Most
of the worshippers were women, but one or two old men
in rags were kneeling in a corner with their beads. The
silence was profound.
Catalina found the second column from the altar, on
the right, and knelt there, Anita beside her. Was it
all religion ? Was it anxiety for her brother ? Was it
patriotism ? Was there, perchance, mingled with these
deep and genuine emotions, a desire to be near the
spot where she was again to see the man to whom,
unconsciously to herself, she had given her heart ? It
was no ordinary trysting-place, and under ordinary cir¬
cumstances the girl would at once have declined the
meeting; but this appointment was made sacred to her
9
CONSPIRACY
not only by its object, but by the spot where it was
to be fulfilled. Catalina was calmed and soothed in
advance. She prayed long and fervently and purely,
and returned to watch with her father, comforted and
inspired.
CHAPTER IX
conspiracy in cuba
In the morning, Fisher took his superior to the Cafe
de Paris, in the Calle O'Reilly, the most famous
restaurant in Havana. A spacious room at the entrance
opened immediately on the street, with huge doors and
windows reaching to the ground, but was screened from
the tropical glare by an awning stretched completely
across the roadway to the buildings opposite. Toward
the back also all the passages were open, to catch the
slightest breeze, while flowering oleanders, ranged in
tubs along the marble floors, shut off the sights and
odours of the Cuban kitchen beyond. The heat in the
streets was stifling, but within the temperature was
delightful.
They seated themselves at a little table in one of the
open spaces separated from the street only by iron
gratings, and while their breakfast was preparing, these
worthy servants of the United States discussed the pre¬
liminaries of a treaty between their country and Spain.
" I spoke a little of our plans to the marquesa last
night," said Bainbridge, not choosing to announce to his
subordinate how completely he had been foiled in that
direction.
" Indeed! I am glad of that. And how did she
receive your suggestions, may I ask ?"
131
132
CONSPIRACY
" Favourably ; most favourably. But, as I was fairly
entering on my theme, an old Spaniard on her right
interrupted, and I could get no other chance during the
evening. When can I see her again ?"
" It will be impossible to find her at all this week.
She is very devout, and this is Passion Week. She
gives herself up exclusively to religion. Neither
politics nor pleasure is allowed a moment of her time."
" The devil! Must I lose an entire week for her
religion ?"
" I am afraid so. If you should attempt to see her
now, you would not succeed. But we can arrange our
plans meanwhile. You can meet the Cuban merchants
I told you of, and find out their views. And besides,
you will be interested in the ceremonies."
" Not I. I have seen all that sort of thing in Eome.
I should prefer a jaunt to Matanzas or to some of the
other towns on the coast."
" Well, you will have plenty of time for the towns.
But what if Ernest should arrive ?"
" Oh, I will take care of him. I shall telegraph Go-
Bright to detain him. He is to have an interview with
my father before he starts, and the Secretary must go
to the country for a week, so that Ernest will be obliged
to wait for his return. Did I tell you I am invited to
visit a plantation on Easter Monday with the Captain-
General and the marquesa ? There will be a party of
fifteen or twenty, and we are to remain a day or two in
the interior."
" That will be your opportunity. You can say all
you please on a trip like that, develop your plans, and
get a definite reply."
" But are you so sure she will be willing to listen ?"
Fisher perceived that his superior had not made the
CONSPIRACY IN CUBA 133
progress he pretended, but he was too good a subordinate
to betray his suspicions, and simply replied, " She is
universally credited with interfering in all the affairs
of the island. Her influence with the Captain-General
is paramount; every suggestion is submitted to her. If
you are to accomplish anything, we must reach her
excellency. And I advise that we do it soon, for the
head of the Treasury here is on the brink of an open
quarrel with the Captain-General. He is said to have
great influence at Madrid, and might be able to thwart
his superior. I think, however, we had better approach
the marquesa."
"We," said the Secretary superciliously, "will
attempt it."
The clerk blushed, but tried to seem not to notice the
rebuff, determining in his heart, however, to have his
revenge at the earliest opportunity. He went on, " If
you should, by any chance, fail at the palace, you could
still fall back on the Treasury, which is sure to listen;
and it would be better, of course, to have both in our—
your favour."
" By all means, by all means. But why not see the
Treasury people while I am waiting ?"
" Because of the rivalry I spoke of. If I might be
allowed to suggest, I would say—Go first to the highest
authorities, lest the palace people resent it, while the
Treasury cannot be indignant because you observe the
forms. At any rate, if they have an object they will
swallow their pride. Now I am not sure the marquesa
would do this—even for her interest."
" Well, you know the race. I suppose I had better
take your advice. But what are these people likely to
want ?"
" They want everything. They want us first of all to
*34
CONSPIRACY
take off the tax of ten per cent, on all goods arriving in
the United States from Cuba in Spanish ships. They
want us to help them collect their duties here in Cuba."
" The devil they do ! How can we do that ? "
" By exercising an espionage over all goods going
from Cuba to the United States."
" Nice work for us ! But how is it to be done ?"
" Oh, they have it all arranged. They want our
Treasury to order every custom-house in the United
States to report to the Spanish consuls, whenever they
require it, the exact amount and value of the goods
arriving from Cuba."
"And pray—do these modest gentry want anything
else ? "
" Oh yes; they want us to say nothing whatever
against their regulations; not to attempt to interfere
in behalf of American trade or American ships or
American citizens. If you stir these matters, the
whole thing will fall through, I assure you. They told
me this positively."
" And why are they so determined on this point ?"
" It is partly a matter of Spanish pride. Then, too,
they want to rebuff and mortify Ernest, who has made
himself peculiarly obnoxious to them. He has taken
up the role of defender of American interests; raked up
every old grievance, presented every new complaint, and
given the officials more trouble than they have had in
years. They hate him, and want him recalled. If you
take up his cause, or the causes he has defended, you
will accomplish nothing of your other purposes."
"Well, I have no love for him. He has pestered the
department about American interests ever since he was
sent here. He would not enter into our schemes even
if we would let him, and I don't intend to ask him.
CONSPIRACY IN CUBA
r35
Whatever is to be gained here, I want. The President
has promised that this shall be my treaty."
" Then it would be a good thing to do nothing that
Ernest has suggested, lest he should get the glory."
"You are right. We must let the cursed American
interests alone. What do we care for the Americans
who come here to expatriate themselves, or the Spanish
or Cuban born who thrust themselves under our flag ?"
" If you let the subordinate authorities see how you
feel on this subject, Mr. Secretary, they will soon be
your allies. Ernest is in moderate favour at the palace;
the General and the marquesa seem to like him, and he
could do a good deal if our Government were really
behind him; but let the people here, especially in the
Treasury, understand that you do not support him, and
he may rave as long as he chooses. They will join
hands with you in thwarting him."
" But why do you dislike him so much ?"
" Because he is a meddlesome, overbearing fellow.
He interferes in all my plans and arrangements. He
insists on controlling every department of the consulate.
He brings his notions of system and discipline into a
Cuban office, and it is impossible to do anything with¬
out his knowing it or suspecting it. I had my own way
in some things until he came. Now, every merchant
who wants a favour must run the gauntlet of his inspec¬
tions or suspicions. There are two or three firms that I
was often able to oblige, and they obliged me in return;
but now they must be on the same footing with every¬
one else. Then you know his ridiculous objections to
smuggling. He quarrels with people who want to serve
him, and insists on paying duties for Government
furniture, when they can be avoided for a gratuity of not
half the amount of the tax. Of course, when the people
136
CONSPIRACY
who make such arrangements, thinking to please him,
are found out, they hate him. He is quite impracticable.
Think of a man who will not smuggle, in Cuba! Why,
everyone smuggles here, and the people in the Treasury
and the Government most of all."
"Well, I can see why you hate him. As for me, I
have my own reasons. He troubles us, as I say, to do
things we have no intention of doing, and he wants the
credit of initiating a great measure here, which I am
determined shall be mine. The measure will be different
enough from what he proposes, and when he finds this
out, we can drive him into resigning. We shall have
the glory, and there will be a vacancy here."
" If I could succeed to that!" thought the clerk, but
he did not mention his aspirations.
" The first thing will be to secure the favour of the
marquesa. I have told you how I think that can be
done. When that is accomplished, we—you can talk
up the details with the Treasury."
Some of the important merchants of the city now
approached from a neighbouring table, and Fisher pre¬
sented them to his chief.
Russians, Germans, Americans, English, all resorted
to this restaurant, where the table was supplied from a
market equal to any in the world, and the kitchen was
worthy of the Cafe Yoisin or Delmonico; the dishes,
perhaps, not so elaborate in composition, nor the sauces
so highly seasoned, but quite as acceptable to a genuine
epicurean taste. The novelty of the viands, the un¬
familiar flavour of the Spanish wine, the grateful fresh¬
ness of the tropical pines, and the aroma of the green
Havana cigars were more than delectable; while the
greetings of acquaintances in the street, as they stopped
under the awning and chattered through the bars; even
CONSPIRACY IN CUBA
137
the cries of the lottery-ticket vendors, who thrust their
lists of putative prizes in at the windows; the soldiers
and water-carriers and fruit-sellers; the beggars who
lingered, and the gaily dressed policemen who drove them
away—all made a strange and fascinating beginning to
the Cuban day for the young American.
They walked to the consulate, not far away, and while
Bainbridge was closeted with Fisher, discussing the
matter which had brought him to Havana, the cards of
the Condesa de Cordoba and the Dona Catalina de Casa-
Nueva were brought in. It was of course impossible to
refuse the visit, though the Secretary was certain that
the girl had come to entreat his interposition for her
brother. He was vexed at her pertinacity, but wTent at
once to the ante-room where the ladies were waiting,
both dressed entirely in black and wearing the mantilla.
The condesa was an elderly relative, who had come with
her niece to make the visit possible, for the conde was
still unable to leave his house. Catalina looked more
lovely than ever in the national costume, and the
Secretary had to steel himself against her charms; but,
fortified by his talk with Fisher, he succeeded, and led
them gravely into the inner apartment.
It cost the girl an effort to make a second appeal
when the first had been so unsuccessful, but for her
brother's sake she was willing to stoop.
Presenting the condesa, she began at once, " I am
sure you will pardon this intrusion, Mr. Secretary, for
already you must know my errand."
He was silent and awkward, determined to give her
no encouragement, and yet ashamed of his determination.
" Can you—will you make an effort to save my
brother ?"
" I must first ascertain the wishes of my Government,
CONSPIRACY
senorita, but I will telegraph at once for instructions.
I am only a subordinate, you know" (as if a prime
minister should say, I am the servant of my sovereign).
" Besides, I am not accredited here. The Captain-
General might consider that I exceeded my privilege if
I interfered. But I will represent the case at ouce at
Washington, and let you know the result" (determining
to report to her after some delay a negative reply). " I
trust you are well, after our charming evening at the
palace ?"
" Yes, thank you; I am very well. But will you not
urge the view I take ? your representations must control
in such a matter. My brother had hardly left our
father's house when he was captured. May I tell you ?
he is an American."
" Certainly ; let me hear all," he muttered, seeing no
way to avoid her importunities. But he thought to
himself, " The fellow is a brigand, and shall take his
chance."
She told her story, urging the citizenship of Carlos,
and that there was no proof of his complicity. He had
not been an hour in the company of the other prisoners
and there was no evidence that even these were brigands.
Carlos, at anyrate, had committed no act for which an
American citizen could be imprisoned. " Will you, above
all," she said, " ensure a speedy investigation ? If not,
my brother may lie in their dungeons for a year. You
do not know, Mr Secretary, the customs here. When
they dare not try a man, they hold him for months in
prison, sometimes until he dies. This has been done
with Americans. Do not, I implore you, allow it now."
Bainbridge finally directed Fisher to prepare a com¬
munication to the Captain-General, asking for the
particulars of the case, that he might report them to
CONSPIRACY IN CUBA
139
the State Department. This would take time, and it
showed an apparent interest; and despairing of obtain¬
ing more, Catalina was fain to accept what she perceived
was only a perfunctory favour. She thanked the
Secretary, however, but regretted that he offered his
hand, for she could not well refuse it; and he waited on
the ladies to their carriage.
Catalina said to herself, " Carlos is right. It is
Aguero and ourselves on whom we must rely, and the
only way to accomplish anything is through Arriete. I
must see Don Eamon. I must encourage him a little,
although I can never yield. Deception, in such a cause,
may I not employ a little ? I must save my brother,
and Arriete only can assist me."
She begged her companion to accompany her to the
palace, that she might obtain permission to take some
more delicate food and wine to her brother, as well as
a change of linen. The favour was not difficult to
procure, and Arriete was directed to attend her each
day in her visit; for the Captain-General was anxious
that his young connection should prosper in his suit.
Catalina's fortune from her mother was large, and the
property being in the United States, her income was
more secure than Cuban estates could promise at that
period. So it was arranged that every afternoon the
aide-de-camp should escort the senorita to the Morro.
As he followed the condesa and his mistress down the
great staircase to their carriage, Catalina said to her
lover, " Will you not come to see my father to-day,
before we start ? He may have some message for
Carlos, and I wish you to see what I take to my
brother, so that there need be no examination at the
prison." This would afford an opportunity for a
moment's unwitnessed conversation with the man on
140
CONSPIRACY
whom so much depended 5 and an unwatched interview
between a young man and woman of the higher rank
in Cuba is of the most difficult attainment. Arriete,
of course, was more than happy to promise prompt
attendance. He would be able to serve his mistress, to
show his anxiety to aid her, to be engaged with her for
a moment in the same occupation, interested in the
same purpose, perhaps in her society alone.
They bade each other good-bye, the girl allowing
herself to look at him more kindly than ever before,
but her conscience smote her a little as she drove away.
Ramon went early to the Casa-Nueva mansion, but
Catalina was waiting for him. She had prepared a
basket of meats and bread, a flask or two of wine, with
a change of linen; and as she arranged the garments it
occurred to her how easily the uniform of a soldier
could be substituted for them, and left in the prison
with her brother. The Spanish soldier's dress in Cuba
is made of the lightest fabric, suitable for the climate,
and could easily be enveloped in the clothes she was
allowed to carry to Carlos.
Ramon was announced while this thought was in
her mind, and before he entered the whole plan was
developed to her imagination. The uniform should be
carried in the basket and concealed until darkness
came; then Carlos could dress himself as a private
soldier, and Ramon might easily pass in to see him, and
in departing leave the key inside.
Arriete, too, was full of unformed but big designs.
He had been turning over in his mind the situation of
his friend and the misery of his mistress, and wonder¬
ing what he could do to alleviate either, or to render
himself more acceptable to Catalina. He could not
witness her suffering without sharing it in some degree,
CONSPIRACY IN CUBA
141
and it had not failed to occur to him that if he could
by any possibility assist in extricating Carlos from his
peril, he would place the woman he loved under the
greatest of imaginable obligations. Ramon brooded
over these ideas, groping his way blindly after some
solution, some clue out of the labyrinth, but as yet he
had discovered none; all that he had arrived at was
the certainty of his devotion to Catalina, and his deter¬
mination to do whatever might lie in his power to
comfort her and lessen her anxiety. He went up the
stairs slowly, without the wonted eagerness of a lover,
for his brain was busy with these cogitations, and he
was dissatisfied that he had been unable as yet to
determine in what way he could render himself essential.
Catalina greeted him sadly, but not without apprecia¬
tion of his manifest sympathy. The young fellow's
looks showed how genuinely he felt for her, and she
was touched.
" Look, Don Ramon," she said, " I have arranged
some bread and meats for my brother, and a flask of
wine—there can be nothing forbidden here—and this
suit of linen clothes. You do not object ? "
" Oh no," he replied; " there is no reason why these
should not be allowed." And then, breaking into the
expression of that of which his heart was full, he cried,
" Oh, senorita, why can I not take your brother's place
and suffer for him ? I would willingly do this to obtain
some recognition from you that I had a brother's right
to be interested."
" You have already a brother's right," said Catalina.
" You are his friend."
" Ah ! but I mean that especial right to the name
of brother which under certain circumstances I might
claim."
142
CONSPIRACY
She could not pretend to misunderstand him, and
was a little angered that he should broach the subject
at this time. " I am in no mood to talk of such matters
now, Don Ramon," she replied hastily, almost fiercely;
" Carlos is in danger of his life, and at the hands of
your country and your Government. You are one of
the authorities that imprison him. You are in some
sort his gaoler, and you can hardly expect to recommend
yourself to his sister in that capacity."
The youth was stung by the taunt, and the colour
mounted to his forehead. " If I were indeed his gaoler,"
he said, "I should have the opportunity to liberate
him."
" My God !" thought the girl. " Give me strength."
The thought, the same thought occurred to each at
the same instant. " Ramon," she almost cried, " if
you liberate my brother"—and her voice sank to a
whisper—"you may claim what reward you will from
me."
" Catalina, do not tempt me. I am a soldier and a
man of honour. But I love so tenderly, so terribly."
" Say no more; you reject me. I did not think my
offer would be so lightly received. You might at least
have considered it a moment."
" I do, I will. I have not rejected it. The thought
is maddening to me. May I indeed hope ?"
" Say nothing to me while my brother is in prison.
You and your people are the cause of his danger. If
you love me, prove it by interfering in his behalf."
He flung himself at her feet. " Dearest, I cannot
resist you. I can refuse you nothing. What will you
have me do ? Whether you keep your word or not, I
must do your will."
She held out her hand to him, and he kissed it, while
CONSPIRACY IN CUBA
H3
tears of mingled love and shame rained over it. The
conspiracy was sealed.
" What shall I do, my mistress ?" and she did not
rebuke the word, though she now was profoundly
agitated. She had not until this moment discovered the
state of her own heart; but when she pledged herself
to Arriete, the image of Aguero at once arose, and she
knew that her affections were not her own to bestow.
The shock of the discovery was great, and her first
impulse was to recall her words; but it was too late,
and the thought of Carlos in his dungeon, deserted by
his adopted country and condemned by his own, led out
perhaps to be shot as a brigand, nerved her again. The
young man was still kneeling before her, still holding
her hand in an ecstasy of passion in which delight and
horror contended; but having once fallen, he yielded to
the rapture of the moment, and thought now only that
Catalina had promised herself as his reward, and that he
must earn the prize. " What shall I do to win this
hand ? Tell me, Catalina ; you have only to speak. I
am absolutely your slave."
She bent over him till her long tresses hung upon
his shoulders, and he felt the warm breath of her words,
and looked into the very depths of her magnificent eyes,
as she said, "We will save him, Ramon. You will save
him ; and you shall be his brother—not mine."
He hoped for a nearer embrace, although this was
half elysium; but she approached no nearer, and seeing
the beseeching look in his eyes, exclaimed—
" Not yet, my friend. We must think now of Carlos.
You must forget yourself and me, and we must work
together. Look at this garment I am taking to the
Morro. Can I not just as easily at the appointed time
convey a soldier's uniform, and if the gate should be
i44
CONSPIRACY
left unlocked at night Carlos could pass out in this
disguise unnoticed ? So far I can devise. But then, can
you enable him to pass guard ? Can you send him on
some errand that will take him beyond the hateful
walls ? There must be means to execute all this. Think
of it carefully, closely, and to-morrow tell me if my
plan is feasible. Now we should go and comfort our
brother. Come."
He had risen meanwhile, and both were standing at
a table with the basket she was arranging between
them.
" Yes," he said, " I see a way; I will try. But we
must wait a few days and prepare for what may occur
if he is able to evade the guard. We must be more
than careful. And I must think how I can gain
possession of the keys."
They went together to see the prisoner.
Catalina found her brother not at all cast down. The
expectation of her coming gave a buoyancy to his spirit,
and he also had been turning over in his mind the
chances and means of escape. When she told him of
Aguero's note he at once exclaimed—
" I knew my chief would not forget me. He is
known for his fidelity to his followers. But how
daring in him to enter Havana, even in disguise! How
can I ever be grateful enough to him! He will devise
a means, be sure, my sister. I shall yet be able to do
something for Cuba."
Catalina did not venture to tell him of her covenant
with Ramon. She feared to raise his hopes too high,
and she feared also that he might not be ready to
expose his friend. Her own scruples on this point had
not been silent, and she was unwilling to arouse them
again, or to hear them set forth more fully by her
CONSPIRACY IN CUBA 145
brother. She thought if she could sacrifice her own
love for the sake of Carlos she might be allowed to
hazard the safety of Ramon. The sophistry was un¬
worthy of her, but when one becomes involved in the
tortuous paths of conspiracy, even disloyal means that
promise success look less repellent than at other times.
The great aims of country and brother's life seemed to
her to sanctify devices that her generous nature would
otherwise have rejected as uncongenial. But a glance
at Carlos and his surroundings was sufficient to harden
her heart.
When she left the castle the western sky was all
ablaze with the glory of a Cuban sunset, and even in
the turmoil of her emotions Catalina was distracted for
a moment by the majestic grandeur of the scene. The
sea was on her right, placid as an inland lake that has
never known a storm; azure now, and radiant as that
rare gem which Eastern potentates prefer, the rays of
the sun lighting all its surface far and near till it
gleamed and shone like the luminary itself. At her
feet stretched the narrow entrance to the Bay of Havana ;
beyond it was the flat-roofed, light-walled city, with the
fortress of the Principe guarding it sullenly on the west,
and still farther away the softened outline of distant
mountains, purple and hazy, their summits tipped with
gold, and only half distinguishable from the billowy
masses of cloud that rested on them and touched them
with a transmitted radiance. The long line of coast
below shared in this reflected brilliancy, and burned and
blazed with rock and sand where they bounded and
barred the approach of the sea.
But the picture was in the sky—the most magnificent
cloud-region conceivable: waves of gold and purple and
soft crimson were intermingled, with great spaces or
10
146
CONSPIRACY
gulfs breaking open among them, through which you
got glimpses of some unknown and far-off universe—
wonderful and delicious and cool; long streaks of sun¬
shine shooting down athwart this background, and the
gorgeous sun itself enveloped in a dazzling beauty quite
indescribable; and all this congeries of light and cloud
and colour surging and seething with a peculiar effect
never witnessed except within the tropics. For the
atmosphere through which this panorama of the heavens
is contemplated is itself of a clearness so extraordinary,
and gives one such a sense of the extent of vision, that
you seem really looking out upon another world.
CHAPTEE X
holy thursday in havana
On the afternoon of Holy Thursday, having received no
word from the American Secretary, Catalina, with her
aunt and her duenna, walked to the cathedral. From
ten o'clock on that day until ten on the morning of
Saturday, at which hour Judas is supposed to have
hung himself, no carriage or wheeled vehicle is allowed
to pass in the streets of Havana. Even the Captain-
General and his wife must go afoot, and as there is a
pilgrimage to be made by the devout to seven different
churches, the appearance of the streets on those days
is entirely different from that they wear on every other
in the year. Ordinarily no women of position, and
indeed very few above the lower class, are ever seen
walking in this city of old usages. Men and working-
women seem to a stranger to compose the population.
But on these two sacred days—the most sacred in the
year in Catholic eyes—the entire female population
proceeds afoot from church to church to adore the
Blessed Sacrament. The women of Havana are
undoubtedly religious. With them Catholicism appears
to be more than a form or a function, though less regard
is paid to the reality of religion by the men than in any
other city of Christendom. There is absolutely no
religion in Cuba among the men, Spanish or Creole.
147
148
CONSPIRACY
On certain holidays the public offices and some of the
shops — not many — are closed ; and on the most
important festivals the Captain-General and the high
officials go in state, unwillingly, to mass, and their
presence and paraphernalia attract a crowd; but there
is only a semblance of devotion among the male
spectators. Every Cuban must indeed be baptized and
buried by the Church: he cannot receive the rights of
citizenship without the former ceremony; he cannot be
placed in consecrated ground without the consent of the
priests at the last; so that he must enter and leave the
world according to rule; but in the interval he pays
very little attention to the established religion of his
country.
The pageantry of Holy Week, however, and especially
the observances of Thursday and Friday, are exceptional.
The women even then do not often walk alone, but in
the cool of the day the head of the family accompanies
his wife and daughters in their peregrinations from shrine
to shrine, through the narrow streets and across the little
plazas in the old part of Havana. Sometimes even the
sons and brothers are added to the party, and many a
pretty family group can be seen entering or issuing from
a quaint old building with a bare facade, the lights on
the high altar gleaming through the open doors. For
there is a very genuine family feeling existing in Cuba,
hidden indeed very much from the outer world; the
mothers and daughters are not only good and loyal them¬
selves, but their fidelity and affection are appreciated. It
is true they have little opportunity to do wrong; their
male relatives do not seem to trust them to themselves,
to their own principles or feelings, or even to the
sentiments of religion. No women in any civilised
country are guarded so closely as Cubans. A married
HOLY THURSDAY IN HAVANA
lady of high position cannot drive out alone without
exciting comment, and a young or unmarried girl is
never seen out of her father's or her guardian's house
unaccompanied. The usage is so established that its
observance in any individual instance indicates no
suspicion. A violation would simply be too conspicuous
for a delicate-minded woman to subject herself to the
notoriety it would occasion.
But in Holy Week custom relaxes the rule. The
streets are thronged with ladies, and as the side pave¬
ments are extremely narrow, the groups very generally
take to the carriage-ways, which are free from vehicles
and swept for the occasion. The cessation of all the
ordinary noise of rolling wheels in a city of 200,000
inhabitants is hardly more noticeable than the sudden
disappearance of carriages and carts, and drays and
drivers, and the substitution of gay and often elegant
women and their families. The men on this day wear
their high black hats and frock-coats, the elder females
without exception the mantilla, but the girls of the higher
class, and those who imitate them, for the most part
wear hats with flowers but no veils. All, of course, are
clad in summer garments, light silk or muslin fabrics;
few with shawls or outer cloaks of any description,
though many of the older ladies are shrouded in black,
and the mantilla, sometimes white as well as black,
relieves the figure from the appearance of bareness or
exposure. The whole effect is gay and agreeable; the
people are satisfied with themselves for having performed
a religious duty; the families are happy in being
together; acquaintances greet each other going in and
out of the various churches; and the entire observance
is pleasing as well as peculiar.
As in all Catholic countries, the distinctions of rank
CONSPIRACY
disappear at once when the worshippers enter the
house of God. Before the Sacrament the greatest
ladies wait patiently till a crowd of negroes have
finished their devotions and there is room for them to
kneel. A file of soldiers or sailors is often marshalled
in, and the rough men doff their caps, cross themselves,
and repeat their prayers as reverently and apparently
as earnestly as more important personages, probably
with more faith than the officer who leads them in.
There is no actual service during the period allotted
for these pilgrimages. The churches are all thrown
open, the altars lighted, the Sacrament exposed, and
effigies of the bleeding Christ are placed conspicuously
to receive the homage of the worshippers. People come
in and pray a few moments in the crowd, and then
make way for others, and themselves proceed to another
church, till the prescribed devotions are performed.
Catalina was spending these two days with her aunt,
the condesa, so that she might be near the churches,
which are mostly situated in the old, low part of the
town, by the bay, while the Casa-Nueva mansion was
without the city walls. The condesa lived in the Calle
de Cuba, a long and narrow street not far from the
palace and the cathedral and the wharves—the quarter
where many of the grandees still retain their houses,
built centuries ago in the Spanish style. From here,
too, Catalina could more readily take the boat for her
daily visit to the Morro. Her father was better, and
she had been able to leave him for these two days,
which were to be devoted to religion and to her brother;
for even her interest in Aguero she still tried to think
was because he might aid Don Carlos.
As she wended her way, however, with her aunt to
the cathedral, having made her appointed orisons else-
HOLY THURSDAY IN HAVANA 151
where, she felt that her interest quickened, and despite
herself she was obliged to admit in her inmost heart
that Aguero shared in the emotion of the hour, which
should have been sacred to another feeling. She had
been very unhappy since her interview with Arriete,
although she had now a prospect of her brother's release.
The price she was to pay for the ransom was high,
higher than she had thought until she actually offered
the prize. She was continually asking herself—" What
would Aguero think of her bargain ? Would he be
touched by her sacrifice ? Would it pain him to know
that she had promised herself to another ?" She had,
however, little doubt of this, and wondered whether he
would reproach her in his heart, if he knew all. Would
he not say, " I too am risking life to save Don Carlos.
Why should I not have the reward ? " It was hard,
indeed, when he ventured as much as the other, when
both offered all, that she must recompense the one to
whom she was indifferent, and leave him unhappy
whom she in reality preferred. The torture to which
she was subjected was not calculated to calm her mind
for her devotions. She prayed, indeed, all the more
fervently, yet her prayers were rather for temporal
relief and human solace than for religious support. She
was like too many of us, more anxious for pardon than
penitent for the offence. It was the future rather than
the past that she presented at the shrine.
At last they came to the cathedral. It stands on
one side of a square, with a plain fagade, not unlike that
of the cathedral at Como, though without its beauty.
The architecture is debased Gothic; two towers not
very high relieve the front, and the building has a
certain venerable dignity of its own, though no high
artistic pretensions. It is approached by three or four
CONSPIRACY
broad steps and a wide pavement, covered now with
throngs of penitents and gazers, passing in and out
from devotion or curiosity ; mostly with the former
purpose, however, for all Cubans are familiar with
these ceremonies, and though, like Southern peoples
generally, they are fond of shows, they prefer them out
of doors, where there is more life and movement and
colour and gaiety.
Catalina and her aunt made their way through the
crowd, the girl leading slowly, so that she might not
seem to seek too earnestly the appointed spot. As she
advanced to the second column on the right, she trembled,
and hardly dared look up; but there, in the uniform
of a captain of Volunteers, with his cap held so as
to cover a part of his face, but his fine eyes searching
eagerly into the approaching throng, stood the man
whom she knew now, if she had doubted before, that
she preferred among all human beings. Her heart
throbbed so hard she thought it must betray her. She
almost fancied that she heard its beatings, and looked
around alarmed, at her aunt, lest she might have dis¬
covered her secret. It seemed to say aloud, " You
love that man. You love that man." She stopped short
once, afraid or unable to go on, but looking up, she met
his eye, and was calmed and encouraged. It spoke
command and comfort at once. It said, " You are
here. I knew you would come. You did right," and—
" you have come to me." There was the expression of
authority, of approval, mingled with his confidence and
his satisfaction, which a woman wants in a lover, and
such a woman as Catalina even more than a weaker
one. For a great woman especially seeks or needs a
man who is her superior. If he is so, she has no
shame in recognising it. The feeling is like that of the
HOLY THURSDAY IN HAVANA 153
highest nobility of Europe, who are proud to pay homage
to a legitimate sovereign ; and, not to speak profanely,
it is not unlike the emotion a Christian has in sub¬
mitting himself to Divine authority.
So Catalina at once became composed and brave
under her master's eye and influence. She walked
steadily now; she was happy, for she felt that he knew
she was obeying him. She even dared respond to his
glance, and looked steadily at him, as if to say, " I come,
at your command."
But suddenly the condesa noticed him, and bowed
with a little stare of surprise, and Aguero gave in
return the sort of recognition that one bestows on
friends in church. The condesa simply said, " That is
my nephew, Juan de la Campa, whom I have not seen
for years ;" and wondering, mystified, a little anxious,
Catalina fell on her knees by the side of her aunt,
almost touching Aguero. He also knelt, but there was
uo interchange of looks, nothing indecorous, no attempt
to speak or to touch her garments closer, though her
robe had rustled against his sleeve, and her mantilla
had almost caught his sword.
When they arose, the condesa at once stepped up to
the bandit, and whispered, " When did you arrive ?
Why have you not been to see me ? Come to the door,
where we can talk ;" and in a moment Catalina was
passing out of the cathedral in the wake of her aunt,
the most noted brigand and rebel in all Cuba leading
the way. She had not penetrated the mystery, and was
full of anxiety for her daring lover, showing himself
thus conspicuously in the very heart of Havana.
At the door her aunt simply presented him as her
nephew, and as he doffed his cap, Catalina trembled lest
his features should be detected by some among the
154
CONSPIRACY
passers-by. But no one seemed to recognise him, and
the conversation with her aunt went on. The interview
to which the girl had looked so anxiously, on which so
much depended, in which she was to learn and tell so
much, was transferred to the condesa, and it was evident
that Catalina could say no word on the subject of which
her heart and brain alike were full.
" My dear Juan, when did you return ? "
" Aunt," he said, " I got here only yesterday, by way
of Cienfuegos. I stopped in the United States on my
journey back from Spain, and at Cienfuegos I have been
attending to my property. But I will pay my respects
to you as soon as you permit."
" Well, come to-morrow—to-night I am engaged—
and after vespers we will see the procession from my
balconies. Then, too, you may make more acquaintance
with my kinswoman here, the Doha Catalina de Casa-
Nueva. You two are so great friends of Cuba that you
ought to be allies, unless, indeed, Juan, your residence
in Spain has changed your politics."
The old lady herself was a Cuban, and had married
a Spanish grandee, but on his death, her property being
in plantations, she returned to her native island, and,
like every woman Cuban-born, her profoundest sympathies
were with the cause in which her nephew and Catalina
were so keenly interested.
" No, aunt; my politics will never change," he said
gravely, almost sternly. " I have not forgotten my
brother." Then looking at Catalina with significance,
" A brother's cause is a sacred one. My brother, senorita,
was one of the students murdered by the Volunteers."
He escorted the ladies to their door, informing his
aunt of the particulars of his stay in Spain, inquiring
after different relatives whom he had not yet seen, and
HOLY THURSDAY IN HAVANA
addressing himself only occasionally to Catalina, who
for her part was still involved in doubt and ignorance.
Was this really Carlos Aguero, the brigand chief, or was
it Don Juan de la Campa, a connection of her aunt's ?
Had he been in Spain, or had she met him at her
father's ingenio ? The tones of his voice were Aguero's,
rich and deep like those of many of the Cuban men ;
the lithe grace and manly proportions of his form she
recognised. The charm of his smile, the mingled
fascination and mastery of his glance, his grave, sweet
bearing—hardly youthful, yet the gravity not that of
middle age, but of character and intellect controlling
the high spirit of youth—all these were Aguero's, all
these she had seen and felt on that one day at the
ingenio. But the conversation, the illusions, the state¬
ments, the inquiries, were those of another. She almost
wished he might be gone so that she could ask her aunt
for a solution of the problem. And yet in a moment
she said to herself, " I wish him gone ! What a pleasure
to be near him, to watch him thus, even when his con¬
versation is directed to another." She observed that
no one seemed to know him, and he appeared to recognise
no one, although he was a relative of one old Cuban
family and a member of another; for the La Campas
were as well known as any of the Havanese aristocracy.
They arrived at the Casa Cordoba before she had
found any clue to the mystery, and she looked at him
reproachfully when he saluted them at the zagucin, as
the entrance to a Cuban house is called. But her aunt
did not ask him to enter, and La Campa, or Aguero,
only promised to be prompt on the morrow. The
condesa bade him an adios, and turned to ascend the
staircase, and at this moment Aguero stooped and
apparently picked up a card or note at Catalina's feet.
CONSPIRACY
" Did you drop anything, senorita ? " he asked.
" Thank you," she exclaimed, as she took a paper that
he offered her ; " it is something I prize very highly,
and I wondered if it had been mislaid."
She laid it between the leaves of her missal, as if it
had been a sacred relic ; and indeed no relic had ever
lain there more sacred to Catalina than this precious
paper, which showed that Aguero had not neglected her,
and which she believed would unravel the tangle of her
thoughts. The brigand looked earnestly into her eyes,
and said with deliberation—
" I am to have the honour to see you to-morrow,
senorita, and my aunt says I shall make your acquaint¬
ance in reality then. That is an inducement indeed.
I am happy to have given you what you wanted."
" Thank you again," she said; " it is very precious ;"
and bowing, for the Cuban women do not courtesy, and
longing to offer the hand which she must yet withhold,
she turned away.
Aguero waited at the entrance till the last rustle of
her garments had passed over the staircase, and even
her shadow had vanished along the corridor. He should
have been too profoundly filled with greater emotions,
but nevertheless he noticed, as she ascended, that her
foot, encased in a delicate slipper, was small and slender,
and even more exquisitely shaped than that of many
of her countrywomen.
Catalina hastened to her own apartment to open her
missal. On the card there was only a line, evidently
written at the cathedral: "I will be at the Casa
Cordoba to-morrow. Here it is impossible to converse."
This left her in as much doubt as ever about the
individuality or identity of her lover, and she went at
once to her aunt. The old lady, however, could tell
HOLY THURSDAY IN HAVANA 157
little more than Catalina had already discovered. Juan
de la Campa was her nephew on her mother's side (the
Casa-Nuevas were related by her father). He had been
several years abroad, most of the time in Spain, and had
returned to look after his estates, which lay in the
neighbourhood of Cienfuegos. He was a fine, handsome
fellow, as Catalina could see for herself; he was twenty-
eight or thirty years of age, with a property that would
be a good one if ever the country recovered its
prosperity; he was well enough educated and accom¬
plished, with some ability and more character, and a
temper of his own; and that was all—except that he
had never been the same person since the day when his
student brother was shot by the Volunteers.
" He vowed revenge, and no one, even in our family,
has ever hated the Spaniards more. If ever there
should be another insurrection, Juan de la Campa is the
man to lead it. And for my part," said the old lady,
" I do not care how soon the attempt is made. Cuba
can hardly be worse off than now."
Catalina at last began to construct the reality out
of her various discoveries. La Campa had evidently
returned from Spain with revolutionary designs some
months before, had kept himself aloof from Havana and
his former friends, and believing the sort of brigandage
in which he was engaged the only means to arouse the
country, had entered on his career under an assumed
name. This theory only could account for all that she
had seen and heard, but this seemed to explain the
mystery; and she waited for the morrow to learn the
actual verity from Aguero's lips.
CHAPTER XI
good friday
In Havana on Good Friday, after the crucifixion has
been celebrated at the cathedral, the effigy of the dead
Lord is borne in state through the streets, on an elevated
bier or catafalque, preceded and followed by an inter¬
esting and even stately procession, such as can be seen
in no Catholic country outside of Spanish America.
But in all this region there exists, as Catalina had said,
an ancient as well as a foreign air, and more of it in
Cuba than elsewhere, for Cuba alone remains a colony.
Mexico and the South American States are emancipated
from transatlantic influence, while Cuba is not only
still Spanish, but old Spanish, very much what it was
within the century when Columbus discovered and
Velasquez conquered it. When to this old-world and
old-time element is added the negro, the result is quaint
and fantastic, and quite without a parallel. The blacks,
the women at least, are very religious, and all have
much of the barbaric remaining in their tastes and dress
and habits; the climate keeps alive the original African
temper and traits, and the look and demeanour of their
servile condition still linger.
The Cuban population has thus a character of its
own, differing from that of Southern Europe on the one
hand and of the United States on the other. The pre-
158
GOOD FRIDAY
iS9
valence of Catholicism, the innovations of barbarism, the
continuance of mediaeval customs, the traces of slavery—
all are visible in their effects on the people and on the
life, which in this tropical temperature must be, for the
most part, out of doors. The houses themselves are
constructed so as to be as much as possible in the open
air—turned outside in, as it were. The huge doors and
windows, occupying more than half the space of the
walls; the gratings instead of glass, through which the
interior occupations of all the lower and the middle
class can be observed—for these generally live on the
ground-floor; the open portals and inner courtyards of
the grander mansions; the gardens on the roofs; the
balconies, always occupied towards evening; the seats
on the side-pavements at festivals and processions—
all make one feel that he is himself a part of the com¬
munity ; that he shares their avocations and amuse¬
ments. And after sundown, when all doors and windows
are thrown open, and it can be seen that there is a
female population existing in Cuba—when the domestic
world is as curiously exposed as it is often concealed in
the earlier hours of the day—the whole aspect is as
unlike as possible to that of the most individualised
cities of Europe, and in some respects stranger to an
American than even those of Asia or Northern Africa.
The architecture contributes greatly to this effect. It
is more tropical than that of Granada or Seville, and
more elaborate than that of Tangiers or Tripoli; more
Oriental than Madrid, yet with a touch of the Gothic
that cannot be traced in Constantinople or Cairo. The
long street of the Cerro, with its colonnades of pink,
and pale blue and straw-colour, mixed with palms and
plantains and banians, and hedges of cactus in their
scarlet bloom; the exquisite iron traceries of the
i6o
CONSPIRACY
balconies and of the gratings at the windows and the
doors; the exteriors of the houses tiled and decorated
as elaborately as the great fireplaces in olden times, or
in the best of the modern revivals; the open courts with
fountains and oleanders, and orange trees sending out
their subtle odours; the zaguans with carriages standing
at the very centre of stately halls—all these make up a
picture reminding one in some things of what we know
of the life of ancient Greece, yet suggesting the Middle
Ages and the Orient; with savages from Ethiopia and
half-naked Chinamen working in the streets that were
laid out by Indians; a cathedral of the time of Isabella,
the Catholic; and an opera-house built by pirates, where
the greatest musicians of the modern stage have been
proud to perform.
On Good Friday the older portions of Havana present
a still more exceptional appearance, and more than ever
resemble the scenery of a theatre. The people begin
early to throng the streets where the procession is to
pass. Chairs are ranged in rows along the narrow pave¬
ments ; all the shops are open and filled with spectators;
the upper storeys, the balconies, and the windows, even
the low, flat roofs are crowded with well-dressed people,
most of the women without hats, and the men who have
any pretensions to social importance all with the high
black beaver of civilisation. The Spanish flag hangs at
half-mast over all the public buildings, and an hour before
sundown the head of the procession appears.
Aguero came, of course, at the appointed time. There
were other guests, for on these occasions the Cubans on
the line of march throw open their houses to their
friends, and in the company crowding into the windows
and the balconies Catalina and her lover were not par¬
ticularly observed. Some of them knew La Camrpa,
GOOD FRIDAY
161
and greeted him cordially, but he had evidently been seen
by none of them for several years, and his appearance
was now different from that which they remembered.
As evening approached, the bands were heard in the
distance playing a funeral march, and the guests of
the condesa hurried to the windows. In one corner of
a balcony, under a jutting cornice that screened them
from general observation, with an awning stretched
overhead, La Campa placed a chair for the Dona
Catalina, and stood beside her. It was their first
opportunity for any real conversation since their parting
at the ingenio. Separation, and the events that had
crowded those few days, had revealed to them the reality
of their feelings, and despite the keenness of their
interest in the fate of Carlos—now that they were
alone, although in a crowd—neither thought first of the
prisoner. Catalina blushed at the proximity of him
whom she recognised as a lover, and La Campa leaned
down over her as if to point out something in the streets,
and gazed long and earnestly into her eyes. At last he
spoke, recalled to himself by the sight of the troops,
which suggested the lad captured by men in the same
hateful uniform.
" You do not think I have forgotten your brother,
senorita ? Have you seen him ?"
She told him rapidly of her interview with Carlos,
and of the hopes she had entertained of help from the
American representative.
" There is little chance of aid from that quarter, at
least from the men who are now in power in the United
States. They are utterly indifferent to their country¬
men in Cuba; they allow all wrongs to be heaped on
them ; they submit to all insults themselves. They are
cold, calculating, weak. They may have some designs for
11
162
CONSPIRACY
benefiting themselves, but none for aiding an oppressed
American, no matter where he was born or whither
he wanders."
" Still," exclaimed Catalina, more anxious now than
ever to liberate her brother without Don Ramon's aid—
" still there is a chance, and every chance should be
tried. But you, Don Juan—I suppose I must call you
so—how can you venture here into the very jaws that
are ready to devour you ?"
" I am secure enough," he replied. " No one dreams
that Juan de la Campa and the brigand Aguero are the
same. No one in Havana but yourself and your father
has ever seen the bandit chief. I have been long away,
and my friends were not aware until now of my return."
She trembled, however, at the possibility of his dis¬
covery, and was about to urge him to be discreet, when
he began again. " Let us talk of your brother. This
American will set out for Washington next week, and if
before that time nothing is done, we must take some
steps to deliver Don Carlos. If he could by any chance
evade the guard "—
Catalina hesitated no longer, but told him that Carlos
had a friend, an officer of the Captain-General's staff,
intimate with their family, who had promised to assist
her ; that they were concocting a plan, and she eagerly
asked the brigand how he, who was used to such
enterprises, could play his part.
In the conversation she spoke of the visit to the
country on Easter Monday. She had been invited, with
the condesa and her father, to accompany the party, and
La Campa at once declared that he would ask his aunt
to procure him an invitation.
" Oh no! I beg, I implore you," almost cried the
girl. " You must not expose yourself to such a danger.
GOOD FRIDAY
163
To travel with the Captain-General's party would be too
great a risk. If any soldier on the line should recognise
you "—
He looked pleased at the evident anxiety, which
told him all he wanted to know, and the gratifica¬
tion in his glance showed Catalina that her secret was
betrayed.
" And do you then care so much ?" he said.
" I must care for the safety of a friend and for the
chief of my cause," she replied, fluttering, and the colour
deepening in her cheeks.
" I am proud and happy in your anxiety; but you
need not fear. Half of those who surround me would
strike for me if they knew it was Carlos Aguero they
were ordered to arrest. I will go, and discuss this
entire matter with yourself and with the aide-de-camp,
your friend. On the way we can ascertain definitely
what the American means to do; and if, as I suspect,
he is indifferent, then the officer and I must arrange our
plans, for there may be no time to lose."
She felt again the overpowering sense of his mastery,
and, unwilling as she was for him to expose himself,
submitted to his decision.
" I must yield to the commands of the chief," she
said; and Aguero could not restrain the reply—
" I trust you will always yield to his wishes, senor-
ita."
She did not look up, but played with her fan; and
just then the procession came in sight beneath the
balcony.
First appeared a regiment of Volunteers, in their blue
checked uniforms, marching with slow and measured
tread, as if at a funeral, their arms reversed, their heads
bent reverently forward, and the band playing the
164
CONSPIRACY
" Dead March in Saul." After these came a congre¬
gation of coloured men and women, all in black, the
men in advance, with high hats which they carried in
their hands, and the women all wearing the mantilla.
These moved in two files, one on each side of the
narrow street, close to the curb, with an interval of
twelve or fourteen feet between them. A banner borne
by a man with uncovered head, who was supported on
either hand by girls in white, preceded the congregation,
each member of which carried an unlighted candle.
These were followed by a school of boys and young men,
several hundred in number, in violet-coloured gowns,
bareheaded, and their hands crossed upon their breasts.
Before them also a banner and various sacred emblems
were carried. Next came more congregations, all
marching like the first, in two columns, with the
vacant space of the street between, all carrying
unlighted candles, and in each instance the men pre¬
ceding the women. Some of these congregations were
Creole, some negro, and some were composed of blacks
and whites indiscriminately. In one or two coloured
communities the women were dressed in white. Then
followed more schools and religious brotherhoods, and
next a number of officers of the army, marching ten or
twelve abreast, their heads bared and their swords
drawn and held at a present. These were, perhaps,
less reverent in their demeanour than their humbler
comrades in the ranks, or than any who had preceded
them, talking and looking up at the ladies in the
balconies as they passed.
After the officers followed several musicians, playing
barbaric strains of a plaintive character on brazen
instruments. Much of the music in the Spanish army
retains its Moorish type; the bugle-calls and the con-
GOOD FRIDAY
certed pieces for morning and evening parade are of
this character, and that selected on the present occa¬
sion was shrill and blatant, a sort of lament, not dis¬
cordant, yet most unusual, mingled with an occasional
clang of cymbals, that produced the effect of a wild,
piercing scream interjected into a steady moan. As
the players approached, conversation ceased all along
the street; the men everywhere uncovered, and all
looked earnestly, if not solemnly, toward the catafalque
as it approached with unsteady motion, borne on the
shoulders of eight men, whose heads were concealed
by a pall. The bearers kept a sort of step with the
time of the music, but the whole paraphernalia trembled,
and at every few paces the men were obliged to halt,
as much to steady the structure as to rest themselves.
Upon a huge black-and-white pall was erected a sort
of platform or bier, and on this a full-length figure of
the Christ was laid, the crown of thorns upon His head,
His wounds exposed, the prints of the nails in His
hands and feet, and blood upon His brow and side;
as if the body had just been taken from the cross and
was on its way to the sepulchre. Effigies of the Virgin,
the Magdalen, and of Joseph of Arimathea, stood behind,
in attitudes of grief, tottering as they were borne along.
The figures were all of wax, and life-sized; and by the
time the procession reached the Casa Cordoba the sun
had set, and the tropical night had begun. In the dim
light any inadequacy in the representation was less
perceptible, and to many of the women in the crowd
the ceremony was solemn and affecting. The half-
educated negroes were absorbed in the spectacle; and
if to others the interest was that of curiosity or sight¬
seeing, their demeanour at least was becoming and
deferential. There seemed to be an idea in the minds
CONSPIRACY
of many that, after all, there might be some reality
beneath the rites, and there was no mockery or dis¬
respect among the coarsest or roughest of the lookers-
on. Indeed, these probably were the sincerest believers.
The darkness now increased, the candles were lighted,
and the procession went slowly down the narrow street,
the glimmering lights and unsteady pall passing out of
sight in the distance to the strains of the Moorish
fanfare.
After this there was an interval of some minutes, and
then nearly all the troops on duty in the city, regular
and Volunteer, paraded slowly by to funeral music. It
was night before the last had passed, and many of the
crowd had dispersed, some proceeding to the cathedral
to witness the reception of the body and the ceremony
of the entombment, and others returning to their
homes.
All this while Catalina and Aguero remained in their
nook in the balcony, undisturbed, for most of the guests
of the condesa had established themselves to view the
entire procession, and it would have inconvenienced the
company had either withdrawn. The lovers, however,
were not sorry to devote the precious hour to discuss¬
ing the state of the country, the prospect of a general
rising, and, above all, the possibility of rescuing Carlos.
The man, of course, laid down the scheme; he accepted
Catalina's suggestions up to the point where Carlos
should be able to effect an exit from his dungeon, and
pronounced the device of carrying a disguise to him
excellent, but was anxious to know that Arriete could
be relied on.
" I am sure of him," the girl exclaimed; " he is my
brother's dear friend, and," hesitating, "he would do
much for me."
GOOD FRIDAY
167
Her manner disturbed La Campa, and he imagined
something of the truth, but did not feel that he had a
right to suggest his fears.
" This is all-important," he continued. " If this man
proves weak or false, your brother's fate is sealed."
" I am certain he will be neither; he is a man of
honour; if he once commits himself to aid us, he is sure
to keep his word, and he has promised me already."
" Already ?" repeated the brigand, and he knit his
brow and bit his lip as he thought,—" The intimacy
must be great indeed which allowed the plan to be so
near development before I was consulted." He was not
used to coming in late to the plans in which he bore a
part.
" Well, be it so; we will suppose Carlos in disguise,
and that your friend has left the gate unlocked. It is
after nightfall. Now, does Carlos know the castle ?"
" Perfectly. He has visited it often with Don Ramon,
and learned all its outlines as well as its inner avenues.
There is an immense ditch on the north-eastern face,
where he could hide for a while, and later scale the side,
and then from the outer slope make his way to the
shore."
" Very good; very good," said La Campa. " It is all
arranged without any aid from me. Still," he added,
with a touch of sharpness, " I can be of some use when
your brother arrives at the shore."
Catalina looked up inquiringly, his tone was so
peculiar; she divined the feeling that had prompted the
remark. Then, indeed, she felt a pang at her own
situation. If Aguero loved her enough to experience a
touch of jealousy—if he was anxious to do all for Carlos
—his love was real indeed. And yet, although he was
here in disguise, and in danger for her brother's sake, she
CONSPIRACY
could not say to him, " I do not care for Ramon. She
had forgotten, during this brief, happy hour, her pledge
to Arriete, but La Campa's tones recalled it; and even
the prospect of her brother's release was insufficient to
allay the poignancy of her feeling. Loving one, she was
bound to give herself to another—and that other loyal,
noble, sacrificing himself for her sake; him she could
not give what he deserved—her absolute heart. That
belonged entirely to the man who could never know her
real sentiment, or rather, to whom she could never reveal
it; for she was sure, at this instant, that Aguero knew
her love as well as she did herself. The embarrassment
was insupportable, but she could see no way out of
it. She must save Carlos at the sacrifice of more than
life.
There was a moment of silence, in which La Campa
was immersed in a jealous anxiety, mingled with a
strange confidence that, after all, this woman loved him;
in that he could not be mistaken, his own instinct, her
agitation, her uneven behaviour betraying her in spite
of every effort of maidenly reserve, all made him certain
of this. Yet neither could speak plainly. Catalina,
especially, was unable to do anything to allay the
suspicions that she saw arising in her lover's mind. In
fact, was it not her duty to encourage them and dispel
as soon as possible the emotions she was sure he enter¬
tained ? Their little moment of happiness was soon
past.
" But you will be important," she continued, as if
there had been no pause. " It is nothing for my brother
to be liberated unless he can be instantly met. You
will contrive the means for this, I know; and I will be
more than grateful."
She looked up involuntarily, with more than gratitude
GOOD FRIDAY
169
in her eyes, and the noble fellow recognised her emotion,
and was satisfied.
" I did her injustice in my thought," he said to him¬
self. " Yes, senorita, I will do all, then. Your gratitude
is not needed as a stimulant, but it will be an abundant
reward. To be allowed to serve you as well as the dear
boy is itself a reward. I will be in waiting myself; I
will have a boat at hand, and in an hour he will be safe
from Spanish tyrants. Your brother shall be saved.
But I must see this officer and consult with him. Is
he to be of the party on Monday ? That would afford
us an excellent opportunity to arrange our plans."
" I presume he could easily contrive to be appointed
aide-de-camp-in-waiting for that day," said Catalina;
and she bethought herself that the slightest intimation
from her to the Captain-General or the marquesa would
be sufficient. They would interpret her suggestion as
an indication of interest in Don Ramon, and be more
than pleased that he should join them. She was not
willing, however, to say this to La Campa; and indeed
she dreaded the excursion, if both her lovers were to
accompany her. But there seemed no way to avoid the
embarrassment.
" And are you still determined to risk yourself with
the party ? I am really anxious for your safety. The
chief should hardly incur so great a danger. What
would become of the cause if you were injured or
captured ?"
She did not trust herself to further suggestions of
worse happenings still. Her voice trembled as she
talked of minor evils, and La Campa looked down
lovingly, all his jealousy assuaged.
" Thank you," he said in tones of exquisite tenderness,
that made the simple words almost a declaration—
CONSPIRACY
" thank you, senorita, I will take good care of the chief,
because you feel an interest in him. I will go to¬
morrow, and consult with your friend," for whom he now
felt a sort of compassion as for a defeated rival. "We
will arrange all. Perhaps the American Secretary may
be man enough to take a decided part, after all; but if
not, there are those in Cuba who will save Don Carlos,"
and he drew himself up proudly.
The girl looked up as proudly, and saw in him the
incarnation of all her dreams—the chief of her race, the
promised deliverer from the yoke of Spain.
CHAPTER XII
easter sunday at the palace
On Sunday evening there was high festival at the
palace. The rooms were full, the company was gay,
and the great mirrors with their gilded frames, the
huge chandeliers crowded with light, the marble floors
and tropical plants made a brilliant setting for the
groups of elegant women, who were clad for the most
part in light-coloured garments, and the men, of whom
more were in uniform to-night than usual. Catalina
entered with the condesa, for her father was still
unable to accompany her. Arriete and another aide-
de-camp met them at the vestibule, and, each offering
an arm, escorted them to the marquesa. Ramon found
means to secure his mistress, and felt a thrill of passion
as he held her white arm close, and thought that he
yet might call it his own. He was radiant with hope
and happiness and courage, and looked more manly
than she had ever thought him before. Love and
determination had developed him, and Catalina felt
that if she had not known his rival she might in time
have been won by a devotion so signal and so rare.
The marquesa made room for them in her estrada,
and it was not long before the girl discovered that the
brigand chief was actually in the official palace, in
evening dress, conversing with the Captain-General. A
171
172
CONSPIRACY
tremor passed over her as she thought of his peril, and
yet she could not but be struck with the romantic
daring of his course. He looked strikingly handsome,
even in the garb of civilisation, which till then she
had never seen him wear. His whole figure was
displayed in its fine proportions, and though the dress
of society adds nothing to the comeliness of a well-made
man, it does allow the form to be discovered ; and the
outline seen thus, owing nothing to adventitious aids
of drapery or colour, appeared to Catalina all the more
to be admired. He was graceful and at ease, talking
rather earnestly in a group of important people, and
as they were not far off, she could perceive that he
was telling them of his Spanish experiences, and after
a while of his arrival at Cienfuegos. Arriete stood
near, and looked at first as if he remembered the face;
but the change of dress was itself a disguise, and the
wary brigand was able to control his countenance and
tones so well that the aide-de-camp was completely
deceived. Don Eamon was no match for the chief of
a conspiracy.
" Did you hear anything of the brigand Aguero ?"
asked the Captain - General. " He is often in that
neighbourhood."
" Yes, indeed," replied La Campa, " the country is
full of talk of him. But I was ready for him. My
house is so situated that it cannot be approached
unless the assailants are in full sight; and I had a
good number of faithful men, ready for any emergency.
But why is it, excellency, that nothing can be done to
arrest this fellow ? How does he always contrive to
elude the troops ?"
" I am afraid," said the General, " it is because the
country-people are in sympathy with him, and warn him
EASTER SUNDAY AT THE PALACE 173
of the approach of the soldiers. And, indeed," he added,
speaking lower, " it is said that the troops have not been
unwilling to permit his escape when he might easily
have been caught. I do not know ; these may be mere
stories, but there are persons high in place who it seems
to me might have exercised more energy. The Governor
of Santa Clara has been removed because he allowed
Aguero to deceive him a week ago, and even to procure
documents which the fellow showed as credentials to
the Conde de Casa-Nueva."
All this Catalina heard through the hum of nearer
conversation, in which indeed she actually took part;
but her faculties were aroused by the keenness of her
interest, and she caught every word that concerned her
lover, even while she was apparently absorbed with
the company that immediately surrounded her. But
the marquesa now addressed her more particularly,
and the group of gentlemen moved farther off.
" You will be ready to-morrow, Catalina, at nine ?"
"Yes, thank you, marquesa; but my father will not
be able to go. His health is still too feeble. He has
not been well since my brother's misfortune. I shall
be under the care of the condesa."
" I am sorry, indeed, that the conde cannot accompany
us, and especially for the cause."
" I was not sure myself that I ought to go," said
Catalina.
" But you need the change; and, besides, you will
meet the American, and we must both see what we can
do for Carlos. I think I shall speak to him myself,"
said the great-hearted woman. " And, Catalina, you
must be more than agreeable. He is weak and vain,
and I am sure can be approached through the senses.
But do not let him wean you from Arriete. My young
*74
CONSPIRACY
cousin is very devoted. I shall have the General put
him on duty to-morrow, and you can pit your admirers
against each other."
Catalina did not look particularly delighted at the
prospect, but she felt the force of what the marquesa
said of Bainbridge. If he would interest himself for
Carlos, she would be relieved of all her embarrassments.
She would be under no obligations to the young Spaniard
in that event. There would be no danger then for
her brother nor for Arriete, nor for that other in whom
her interest, she now admitted to herself, was keenest
of all. "Yes, I must go," she said aloud, "and I will
do what I can with the American. Oh, how much he
might do, if he would, and how easily! Is it not terrible
that a man should have such power and know so little
how to use it—and care so little! "
" The ways of the Fates are unaccountable," replied
the marquesa. " If power and place were reserved for
those who are fit for them, there would be some strange
upsettings in this world."
Just then there was a movement in the company,
some of the younger ones rising for a waltz, and Bain¬
bridge made his way to Catalina to inquire if she would
join the dance. She declined the invitation, but walked
with him toward the balcony. It was unoccupied, and
they stepped out to overlook the plaza. The great
fountain was playing, and a military band, now silent,
was grouped beneath the windows. There was no moon,
but the clear blue sky, not cold, though clear, sparkled
with silver stars, and the brilliant sheen of a tropical
night bathed every object with a radiance unfamiliar to
the American. The architecture of the neighbouring
buildings stood out distinct, yellow and pale blue, in
the balmy evening; and the great masses of foliage
EASTER SUNDAY AT THE PALACE 175
in the square, the wide-leaved plantains, the thick
banians, and the lofty palms; the coloured uniforms
of the soldiers, and the lighter garments of the lookers-
on ; the flashing waters that sparkled as they fell; and
the twinkling torches of the musicians, waving amid
the throng—made a picture that affected the young
stranger. Bainbridge was becoming sympathetic. A
week in the torrid zone had warmed his blood, and the
murmur from the brilliant rooms behind them, the music,
the movement of the dancers gliding by, the delicious
Cuban atmosphere, all combined, with the presence of
the beautiful woman by his side, to mellow the natural
hardness of his nature, and he was quite a man. He
repented of his harshness to Catalina, and thought that,
after all, it might be advisable at anyrate to encourage
her to hope.
So he said, as they leaned over the balcony, " I am
not sure, senorita, that I may not be able to accomplish
something for your brother. I received to-day a com¬
munication from the Captain-General, reciting the
circumstances of the capture, and as Don Carlos had
evidently been with the brigands not more than half
an hour, it may, perhaps, be shown that he was their
prisoner. At anyrate, there should be some proof of
his connection with the band. I will forward the report
to Washington, and shall have an answer in a day or
two."
" Oh, thank you! thank you, indeed," exclaimed his
companion warmly. " If you knew what a mountain you
lift from my heart." (" After all," she thought, " Carlos
can be saved without the sacrifice of me.") " I know
your great Government can accomplish everything that
it desires. And you, a member of it, must be able to
make it look upon this matter as you will."
176
CONSPIRACY
" I will try, be assured," he said; " it is worth while
doing much to please you."
She disliked the words and the tone, but she was too
anxious to resent them, and allowed him to talk in a
strain of compliment that was most distasteful to her,
but by which he fancied he was making himself accept¬
able. In fact, he flattered himself that he was gaining
decided ground in her good graces, and he looked
forward to the excursion to the plantation as the scene
of a success he might well be proud of.
Her two other admirers also had their pleasant antici¬
pations. Arriete had been told that he was to be in
attendance on the morrow, and La Campa had procured
the necessary invitation through his aunt, so that the
three men were all looking forward to the day to be
spent in Catalina's society. La Campa knew that the
others were to be of the company, but he saw that his
mistress was more than indifferent to the American,
and his heart told him he need not fear Don Eamon.
He had already divined that Catalina meant to avail
herself of Arriete's regard to aid her schemes for her
brother, but he had no suspicion that she had promised
so high a reward. Had he guessed the truth he might
not have been so composed, for he knew the girl well
enough to be sure she would keep her word. But,
happily, of the compact he was ignorant, and in his con¬
fidence he deemed it wiser not to thrust himself in
public too much into Catalina's company. He paid his
compliments for a few moments only, and was careful to
betray no intimacy, simply saying, when the condesa
could hear, " I am to have the very great pleasure
of meeting you to-morrow, senorita." The old lady
thought him not over-gallant, and wondered at the
caprice of man. " This nephew of mine was devoted on
EASTER SUNDAY AT THE PALACE 177
Friday. I could hardly tear him away, and now he allows
the American and the aide-de-camp to monopolise the
most magnificent woman in Havana. Perhaps, however,"
for she had her own memories—" perhaps he is cunning,
and prefers a corner in a balcony for an hour to a public
promenade at the palace before all the world. Who knows ?
I must watch these people who have been in Spain."
Ramon, meanwhile, had no idea whatever that Catalina
was interested in another, and hoped by his devotion
and untiring love to win all that he aspired to. The
chivalrous but modest youth did not press himself
upon the woman he adored, so that Bainbridge seemed
that night to carry off the prize. He was vain enough
to imagine that any woman whom he really wished to
interest was certain not to prove indifferent; and
although he was not really in love with this daughter of
Cuba, he fancied that a flirtation in the orange-groves
might prove an agreeable amusement. If he had sup¬
posed he had rivals, he would have felt that the excite¬
ment of the contest would only give zest to the satisfaction
of success; that is, his conceit was sufficient for the idea,
if his little brain had been broad enough to conceive it. So
all was arranged for the visit to the plantation on Monday.
Bainbridge went home glowing with excitement, and
in the ardour of his unusual emotion, although it was
late, he wrote a despatch to Washington, recommending
a demand for the release of Carlos as an American
citizen. He enclosed the letter to Fisher, to be for¬
warded by the next steamer. In the morning, however,
he thought better of the matter, and before starting for
the excursion, despatched a message to say that the
document was to be retained until his return from the
interior. The two papers were sent to the Consulate-
General by different hands.
12
CHAPTER XIII
an excursion to the interior
The company was at the station at the appointed hour.
The car was a bare and ordinary one, clean but plain,
with only hard cane seats; for Cuba has fewer con¬
veniences than luxuries, and fewest of either in travel.
The marquesa and the condesa sat together, Catalina
with them, and Bainbridge, as the only stranger, was
admitted to the group. The Captain - General, La
Campa, and Don Ramon formed another knot, smoking
despite the presence of the ladies, but in the farthest
corner of the car. The other members of the party
were the Segundo Cabo and his pretty wife, an important
lawyer named Cabana, with the ladies of his family, and
two or three officials, all well-bred people of the Spanish
party in politics.
They were travelling in the direction of Santa Clara,
and after emerging from the suburbs of Havana, came
speedily into a strip of open country, between bold hills
on either side that were studded to the top with palms.
The effect was peculiar, for these giants of the tropics
do not grow close and thick like the trees of a Northern
forest; each rises separate and branchless, without
underbrush or ordinary foliage. No birds flutter in the
lofty intervals, no animals wander on the sward below.
The silent groves stand tenantless and undisturbed till
178
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 179
a breeze touches the tufted summits and tosses the long
leaves so that they bend and bow gracefully to each
other, like the stately Spanish masters of the soil.
At first there were few plantations, but soon they
entered a region where the hills were lower and the
wide savannas seemed intended by nature for the culti¬
vation of the cane. Thousands of bright green acres
stretched out on either hand, unbroken by a fence,
sometimes to the horizon, the estates bounded only by
avenues of palm. The ingenios, with their tall chimneys
vomiting smoke, and the group of trees and negro huts
clustering around the master's mansion, made the only
break in the landscape. Yet sometimes near the road
you could discern a cabin half - hidden beneath the
plantains, whose great leaves, six feet long and twelve
or fourteen inches wide, were screening the roof with a
refreshing shade.
By and by a Cuban village came in sight, generally
one long street of miserable, half - thatched hovels,
floorless and windowless, with only huge apertures for
doors. The dirty women and stark - naked children
stood at the entrances to watch the passing train; and
the men, in broad slouched hats and open shirts, were
always at the station, whether the cars stopped or no.
Everyone seemed unoccupied, even at the points where
business should have been transacted. But it was Easter
Monday, which might, perhaps, account for the idleness.
Wherever the train halted crowds were gathered,
black and white, selling and buying fruit or cooling
drinks, the milk out of the green coco, or, more usually,
sugared water; all the men, and many of the women,
smoking long, thin, and wretched cigars. Often a
volante, with its wheels as high as the hood, and the
postilion perched on the outside of shafts that were ten
i8o
CONSPIRACY
feet long, was waiting for someone of higher rank than
the crowd—the master, perhaps, of a neighbouring
ingenio ; and always half a dozen horsemen, in Mexican
saddles on Cuban ponies, were lounging about—the
overseers, or small farmers of the region. The in¬
evitable Guardia Civile, or mounted police, were at
every station, in their grey uniforms with scarlet collars
and cuffs—supposed to patrol the country, but worth
little or nothing in an emergency, as Aguero could
testify; and at some points officers of the Volunteers
came up to salute the Captain-General.
At the bodegas, or liquor shops, a rack for fodder
stood in the open porch, and long rows of horses were
feeding in the verandah; often, indeed, the mounted
horsemen entered the building, and the animal munched
by the side of the master on the earthen floor. Strings
of mules were passing in the larger towns, hidden, as in
Southern Italy and Spain, under masses of green fodder
—stalks of Indian corn cultivated for this purpose,
and the only forage common in Cuba, even in costly
stables. Everywhere the negroes were as numerous as
the whites, and very little difference in dress, or manner,
or condition could be discerned. Some fat, good-looking
wenches, with huge brass earrings and bright bandanna
turbans, had gowns as smart as any of the Creole women,
and attracted the finest of the men, laughing and talking
with them on familiar terms. There was evidently no
distinction on account of race, at least in favour of
white women.
At one point there had been a cock-fight in the early
morning, and the throng was larger and gayer than
usual. Here the men were fine stalwart fellows; they
wore high boots and dangling spurs, elaborate shirts
with embroidered and ruffled fronts, the garment short,
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 181
and hanging entirely on the outside of the trousers. A
grey, broad hat, a machete, a brace of pistols, a long
gold chain, and a red cravat completed the attire. All
were sober, for the Cubans, especially in the country,
are seldom addicted to drink. They looked like a race
with manly qualities, not over-inclined to work perhaps,
but who would, nevertheless, make good herdsmen or
negro drivers, and would fight rather than be enslaved.
These were the men, galled by oppression, from whom
Aguero's ranks were filled, and with whom, acquainted
as they were with their native fastnesses and defiles, any
Spanish army would find it difficult to deal. They have
their faults like other men, but their good points as well.
They protect their own women, and believe in them;
they beget children like themselves; they would fight
their own battles, if well led; and if Cuba belonged to
them it could not be worse off than now.
After a while the scene was changed. The fields
were now abandoned, the cane grew wild and uncared
for, the ingenios were unoccupied, for the planters were
too impoverished to plant. Large expanses, too, once
devoted to cattle-raising,—which before the war had
formed an important element in the prosperity of the
island,—now were all deserted. The whole country,
except at intervals, showed the miserable condition of
the State,—the poverty, the disorder, the neglect, the
lack of means,—results of the anxiety, depression, and
desperation of all.
The ingenio they were to visit was called " Espiritu
Santo "—" the Holy Ghost" ; for all the estates in Cuba
bear sacred names, and wretched slaves not long ago
were tortured on plantations called after the Blessed
Trinity — " Santissima Trinidad" or cried in vain for
mercy to the very masters who named their property
CONSPIRACY
" Misericordia y Caridad " —" Pity and Charity. At
about eleven o'clock they reached a station decorated
with flags, where the master of the ingenio, Don
Julio de Loren, was waiting to greet the Captain-
General. At this point a private railroad entered
the estate, running directly to the ingenio, four or
five miles away, for this was one of the largest
plantations on the island. The host brought with
him two dark - eyed, dark - skinned boys of ten or
twelve, in white jackets and breeches, with scarlet
stockings and cravats, and round straw hats with
ribbons also of scarlet,— evidently a gala dress for
the occasion,— two youngsters as handsome and high-
spirited as could have been seen in any country in
the world. They paid their respects with an easy grace
which showed they were used to supposing themselves
good company; that they had lived enough with their
inferiors to give them a sense of their own consequence,
and yet had mixed with their father's friends and seen
the manners of his world. They were little gentlemen.
Don Julio was a widower, a wealthy Venezuelan, and
hardly a typical Cuban planter. A man of education as
well as excellent sense and good ability, he had been
able to accommodate himself even to the hardships of
the planter's situation at this epoch. Some of his slaves
had been freed, while others refused their liberty, but
they lived together at Espiritu Santo, separated only by
a street, those no longer bondsmen working as diligently
as the others. Loren spent most of his time at the
plantation, although he had a house in Havana. He
raised good crops and received good prices, was liked by
his people and was prosperous. He was of course an
adherent of the Government, or he would not have
entertained the Captain-General.
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 183
The car was placed upon the private road, and went
rushing into the ocean of cane, which on this part of the
plantation had not yet been cut. Long stretches of
palm were the only feature that varied the landscape,
and the light green billows, tossing and gleaming in the
sun, at last became monotonous. In the alleys that
divide the fields, glimpses could be got of gangs of
negroes at work; these were seen only here and there,
for the custom is not to cut all the cane at once. It is
planted in sections and at different times, so that one
part becomes ripe and ready for grinding sooner than
another, and a certain number of hands suffices for the
whole. Easter had come very early this year, and
neither grinding nor harvesting was over. Where there
was no hoeing, men and women were cutting the cane,
and others gathering it for the cars, for at Espiritu Santo
temporary railroads were laid to any point desirable,
and the cane was transported over these to the grinding-
house.
At last they reached the mansion, overlooked as usual
by the ingenio. There was a small paved garden in
front, laid out with beds of brilliant flowers, well enough
in their way, but not what might be produced in this
luxuriant region by a skilful gardener with proper aid.
There are, indeed, no gardens in Cuba worthy of the
name, or of the island. Two or three magnificent
banians stood at some little distance from the house,
for the Cubans, like the Spaniards, dislike trees; not
because of the shade, which they so much need, but they
fancy the foliage attracts insects and creates an unhealthy
dampness.
The house was long and low, like most of the dwellings
of the planters, with a broad verandah on three sides.
The first room entered was wide, and ran directly through
184
CONSPIRACY
the house to the transverse dining-room beyond, which
was so much exposed as to be almost out of doors. On
each side of this principal sala were two tiers of bed¬
rooms, to which the guests were shown, for the heat of a
Cuban journey made a fresh toilet desirable. There was
no passage-way between or beside these sleeping apart¬
ments, and no possibility of access to the farther ones
but through the nearer; and at night the Captain-
General, whose chamber was at the extremity, was
obliged to go to bed an hour before he was ready,
because the ladies, through whose apartments he must
pass, were fatigued and anxious to retire. Yet this was
the establishment of one of the wealthiest planters in
Cuba.
With all this primitive simplicity there was a sort of
barbaric luxury. There were troops of servants, black
and white; the table was lavishly furnished with silver,
the dishes were rich, and if somewhat coarser than suits
an alien taste, they were hospitably redundant. The
guests went in and out with punctilious regard to rank,
the courses were served, not as in London or New York,
but evidently in accordance with a rigorous etiquette.
It was high life in Cuba.
The breakfast lasted till after one o'clock, when all
returned to the great sala at the centre of the mansion.
It was too warm to venture even into the verandah; the
immense blinds or curtains of reed on the outside were
drawn closely down to exclude the scorching glare of a
Cuban noon, and the air was allowed to enter only from
the sides or rear. Cards were brought, and huge salvers
with coffee and cigars. The men all smoked, but none
of the ladies, for not so many Cuban women of condition
use cigaritas as Russians or Parisians, or, shall I say it ?
-—my own countrywomen.
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 185
The party separated into groups, and La Campa at
last, without attracting attention, was able to speak
freely with Catalina. His aunt had rebuked him for
his indifference, but he thought it wiser not to invite
remark by any appearance of devotion, though it cost
him not a little to stay away.
Catalina had been taken in to breakfast by the
American, whose ardour in behalf of Carlos had cooled
since the evening before, and whenever the girl
approached the theme in which he knew she was so
much interested, the Secretary appeared indifferent or
uncommunicative. Catalina felt the rebuff, and was
greatly relieved when they rose from the table and he
sauntered up to the marquesa, leaving room for La
Campa at her side.
" Have you learned anything of consequence from the
Senor Secretario ? " inquired the brigand.
" Nothing. He has not broached the subject of my
brother, and I am in despair."
" If he had anything to tell you, be sure he would
have said it. He is not the man to lose an opportunity
to magnify his own importance, if I can judge him."
" No; I feel that he has accomplished nothing, and
that he means to do nothing. My instincts cannot
deceive me. We shall have no aid from him."
" Then we must revert to our own resources, senorita.
There is no other way. I have learned that the
Volunteers demand that an example should be made of
so prominent a person as your brother, and they are all
the more determined because he is an American citizen.
The Captain - General is your friend, but he is weak,
and will surely yield in an emergency. We have no
time to lose."
The girl was shocked at the nearness of the
186
CONSPIRACY
danger. " You do not think my brother in immediate
peril ?"
" I cannot say ; but the lower Spaniards are a dreadful
race. If their passions are once aroused, they are brutes
indeed. I need not repeat the terrible examples we
all know of, and which I have too much reason to
recall. We must arrange our plans before we return to
Havana."
" I think I had better make one last appeal to the
Secretary. I have but little hope; still, some good may
come from it."
" As you will, Dona Catalina, but do it soon; and if
you fail—shall I speak to your friend Arriete, or will
you prepare him ? "
" Oh, I must speak to him myself!" cried the affrighted
girl, who knew not what might occur between the two
men of the jealous Spanish race ifj they attempted to
discuss this subject before she had warned Arriete.
Ramon might announce that he had a right to receive
his instructions from herself; and if he should learn
that the dreaded Aguero was here in their midst, he
might think his soldierly honour involved. He had
made no pledge to screen Aguero. It was Carlos, his
friend, and Catalina's brother, whom he had agreed to
save. He might even refuse to enter into a conspiracy
with a brigand. Yet how could she explain all this to
La Campa ? "I must speak to Don Ramon first," she
repeated. " He is an officer of Spain; and though
he is willing to aid Carlos, he may not wish to do
more."
" And have you such influence with him, senorita,
that you can prevail against the scruples of honour
and allegiance ? The effects of beauty are indeed
unlimited."
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 187
The taunt struck home, and Catalina hardly knew how
to parry it. " Don Ramon is my friend, and will do
much for me, Senor la Campa," she exclaimed, giving
him his more formal title, for she felt that he had not
claimed a right to more detailed explanations, even had
she been able or ready to afford them. " If you are
unwilling to deal with him as a Spanish officer, you will
deter him altogether from aiding my brother, and that,
I think, you hardly intend," she added, with a touch
of softness, relenting against her will, and resorting to
entreaty in her tone, as the truest woman's weapon.
Aguero felt the force of all that she implied. " I am
a wretch," he said to himself. " I have never told this
lady that I desire to claim an especial right to serve her.
Why should I presume to indicate a jealous feeling ?"
and his emotion burst forth at once. " I am wrong,
utterly wrong," he said; " I have no right to know, or
to ask, or to suggest the relations Don Ramon may have
with the Senorita de Casa-Nueva; but at least I will
not hesitate to declare those that I wish were mine.
You cannot doubt. My eyes, my heart, my soul tells
me, lady, that you know my feeling. I am not presum¬
ing on our acquaintance, our fellowship in patriotism,
for you have assured me that you know my history.
You know my family, you know my present position,
and now—you know my passion, my hopes, my fears. I
am, Dona Catalina, your "— he hesitated for a moment,
and then the words poured out in a torrent—" your
servant, slave, adorer, worshipper, lover. I do not ask
you for an answer," he continued, as he saw her con¬
fusion ; " but I wish to tell you my own feeling, so that
you may understand it. It is too soon for me to dare
to hope that you will give a favourable reply; only
know, remember always, I am at your feet, at your
CONSPIRACY
service, at your bidding; and if I act strangely, or as
you would not have me act,—if I seem to presume, if I
venture to indicate impatience or impetuosity, think only
it is the overpowering passion that masters me and
makes me do and say what I would not—and yet what
after all I must tell you—for it is, in spite of me, the
truth. Do you understand these incoherent stammer¬
ings ? Can you make out my meaning ? Can you
appreciate that when a great emotion comes over a
man whether he will or no, it compels his utterance ?
All I ask is, that you know I respect, I adore, I love
you."
Catalina was stunned at first with the suddenness
and the overwhelming fulness of his declaration; then
came a flood of happiness, submerging every other
thought or feeling. Aguero loved her; said so; said
so with an impetuous rush of emotion that left no
shadow of doubt of his anxious passion. This great,
splendid man,—this chief of the cause to which she had
devoted herself for years,—this heroic, dashing, handsome
countryman was hers; was at her feet; was pouring out
his words to pledge and hold her. Her whole face and
bosom were suffused with a crimson she could not
restrain; her eyes filled, her hands trembled, her heart
again gave those tremendous throbs that seemed to her
as if they must declare her sentiments to all the world,
they knocked so loud. But her voice was choked. That
could not speak for her. She looked helplessly at the
man who was bending over her, and when she tried to
utter a word, no sound came. She gave him one glance,
full of appreciation, that returned all, that thanked him,
and yet appealed to him to spare her ; and, trembling so
that she could scarcely support herself, she rose, offered
him her hand, to show there was no anger in her heart,
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 189
and stammering, " I am not well. Will yon forgive me
if I leave ? " she hurried to her own apartment.
Fortunately no one observed her, and she reached the
room alone. Here at once she burst into a convulsion
of tears and sobs. At first she could not have told why
she was weeping. It certainly was not from grief; it
certainly was not unalloyed happiness. It was tre¬
mendous excitement. The shock had come sooner than
she had expected—before she was prepared; but it was
a shock of so rapturous a nature that the suddenness itself
was lightened by the joy, and when she had time to
collect her faculties, the sense of happiness was pre¬
dominant again. " He is mine, and I am his." She
repeated the words a score of times. " Yet why did I
not answer him ? How could I fail to thank him—to
let him know that I appreciate and return his feeling ?
How could I allow him to doubt for an instant ? But
he does not doubt me, of that I am sure. He did not
even ask me to confirm him, to assure him. Had he
not been certain, could he have failed, with such love as
his, to show his anxiety ? He had no anxiety. He
knows he has but to command."
But then came the thought of Bamon; and with the
thought the tears burst forth afresh—now not tears of
happiness.
"How can I disentangle myself ? How can I reward
Aguero ? However can I tell him the truth ? He
knows that Bamon is to do everything for me—that I
can control him, induce him to violate his honour as a
soldier—and I may not tell my master why. I must
have a secret like this from the man who confides all to
me, who has a right to all my secrets."
The torture of the conflicting emotions nearly dis¬
tracted her. She could not destroy her brother; she
i go
CONSPIRACY
could not save him by any other means. She must
encourage Ramon, that good and noble youth, whom she
did not love; she must repel the man who was doing as
much as Ramon for Carlos and for her, to whom every
fibre of her nature was subject, whom she loved with
all the fervour of which she was capable, and yet she
must not say so, but must let him and Ramon suppose
that Ramon was the man that she preferred.
" I cannot, I cannot!" she exclaimed. " Yet what
shall I do?"
She flung herself on a couch in a whirlwind of passion,
and sobbed till the paroxysm was past.
Her nature, however, was strong, her resolution
stronger perhaps than her passions, and after a while
she calmed herself, and tried to think. But there was
no alternative. She must persist. She must rescue
Carlos by Ramon's aid, and if Ramon saved him, Ramon
must be her husband. And to do this she must conceal,
if possible, her real emotion from Aguero. She would
speak to him, would say that her fate was already
settled, that she was pledged to another, and beg him
never to address such words to her again. He was too
good and honourable to cease for this his efforts for her
brother, and she would at least be able to work with
him. She could be in his society, and share his efforts
for the cause. Only—and here her emotion again nearly
overcame her—she must deceive him, she must pain
him, she must repel him whom she would have died to
receive. She arose and bathed her face, arranged her
dishevelled hair, and returned to the sala. Aguero was
not there.
Don Ramon, however, was in the room, and at once
approached her. She felt like a victim going to the
stake, and nerved herself for the worst. The young
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 191
man, conscious of the nobility of his intentions and of
the magnitude of the sacrifice he was making for his
mistress, came up full of hope and happiness and pride;
but saw at once that she looked agitated, and asked if
she had heard bad news.
" Yes," she exclaimed; " I hear that the Volunteers
are already clamouring for my brother."
" But you need not be alarmed, Doha Catalina. My
uncle can surely defer any action till we hear from the
American Government; and I know that yesterday he
sent a communication to the young Secretary which has
not yet been answered."
"Ah, there is little hope from the Americans," she
replied. " I have talked with the Secretary, who of
course knows my anxiety, and he says nothing to
allay it."
" Then, Dona Catalina, we have yet another resource,
and that, with God's help, will not fail. I have promised
you to visit Carlos and leave the key unturned at night¬
fall. You can easily take him a soldier's uniform in
your basket, for no one but myself examines it. All we
want is to be assured of friends to meet him after he
eludes the guard. I have been thinking of it seriously,"
he said; " I can meet him and pass out with him when
he leaves the cell. But we must know whom to trust
afterward. There is La Campa yonder, whose brother
was killed by the Volunteers, and who seems a friend
of yours. Could you not persuade him to have a boat
in waiting on the beach beyond the Morro ? If Carlos
could descend into the great ditch in the darkness, the
ascent on the farther side is not impossible, and once
beyond the walls, he might toward morning reach the
shore. La Campa seems a good fellow. I have half a
mind to ask him myself. Do you think it would be
192
CONSPIRACY
safe ? I am risking all, Catalina," he said in a lower
tone; " but it is not too much for you."
She gave him a hurried glance of recognition, and
exclaimed—
" Don Juan might possibly be induced to aid us. He
is a thorough Cuban, and, as you say, has personal
reasons to be interested. But he has been long abroad,
and the recollection of his brother's fate may have
grown dull. Let me try first, and I will report to you.
But oh, Don Ramon," she added piteously, " we must
lose no time. Carlos is indeed in immediate danger."
" I am ready, dearest, whenever you call on me," and
then, frightened at the word he had uttered, he blushed,
and was about to stammer an excuse, for Catalina
looked flurried, if not displeased, when Bainbridge
walked up and inquired whether the ladies would not
sing.
Catalina turned an appealing glance to the marquesa,
who was near, and the noble woman, always ready to
oblige or serve a friend, at once arose and approached
the pianoforte. She sang a peculiar Moorish melody,
half in talking, half in singing tones, like so many of
the Spanish songs; but not a playful piece, as those of
this character generally are. It was the lament of a
Moorish girl whose lover had been captured, and she
was bewailing her ignorance of his fate. At times the
plaint burst forth into a wild resonant strain, and then
subsided into a moaning, crooning wail. At last it
seemed as if the girl were crying herself to sleep, or
that, losing^ her senses, she gave way to fate, and the
murmur ceased.
The afternoon was sultry, and the company were
saddened by the song, for all of them knew the anxiety
of Catalina, and all besides were concerned about the
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 193
condition of the country. Life, it is true, goes on, even
under circumstances like these, and what is called society
exists; for human beings need each other's company in
moods of painful sort as well as gay. The salons of
Paris were never more crowded than in the Reign of
Terror, and in our own time many can remember the
houses of importance in New York and Washington
during the war, always filled with people of consequence
and condition at the most exciting moments. The
anxiety to be abroad, to know and to learn, to make or
influence opinion, or the mere restlessness that the
presence of great emergencies creates will account for
this, without accusing those who compose what is called
" the world " of a trivial or hardened sentiment.
When the sun was lower, Bainbridge went with his
host and the Captain-General to the grinding-house, and
the processes were explained to the stranger. They did
not differ widely from those with which he was familiar
in Louisiana, but he was too young to have seen slavery
at home, and he watched the negroes more closely than
the machinery. The men and women wore little
clothing, and worked together, as in the United States
in the older time, mechanically, doing a fair day's labour,
but without interest or energy. At one point they
were bringing fagots of cane for the grinding. Some
of the negro women were superb specimens of their
race, types for Cleopatra, queens in chains. One, the
American noticed, of magnificent form, with a bust that
Juno might have envied, arms and legs worthy of
antique sculpture. She wore a garment of some coarse
stuff, that fitted closely about her waist, and a short
petticoat clinging to her naked knees; bracelets and
armlets of gilt or brass that glittered on her bronzed
skin, and a necklace that reminded one of the Egyptian
13
x94
CONSPIRACY
amulets of Castellani, though it was made of beads and
glass. The creature walked with a stately gait and
balanced her burden on her graceful head, sometimes
raising an arm to steady the fagot, and looked up at her
masters without a shade of shame at her slavery or her
nakedness. One could not but wonder at the hidden
emotions of this tropical slave, bearing herself with so
much dignity, and showing in act and demeanour and
glance and stride that she felt herself the equal of
any of the lookers-on. Her history may have been as
piteous as that of any Catalina of them all. Rain bridge
was not a man of sentiment, but he was a Northerner,
unused to seeing women of any race at work so rough;
and this sumptuous negress, with the walk and figure of
a Nubian queen, impressed even his dull imagination,
and made him less susceptible to Creole charms and
Creole woes. He said to himself, " The world is full of
misery, and this great African suffers as much as the
Cuban lady. I was not born to set all things right."
And in this at least he was correct.
After dinner the host proposed a novel entertainment.
One of the trucks ordinarily used for transporting cane
was carpeted, chairs were brought, and some sort of
decoration of palm leaves arranged; and on this vehicle,
drawn by an engine, the guests were invited to make
the tour of the plantation. The sun had nearly set, the
heat was abated, and in the most delicious hours of the
Cuban day the little excursion was more than promising.
The ladies wore no bonnets, not even now the mantilla,
the men stood or sat beside or behind them on the
car, and the engine carried them rapidly around among
the cane.
After a while they arrived at the limits of the planta¬
tion, and it was proposed to walk. There were two or
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 195
three horses ready for those who preferred to ride,
ponies for the boys, and a volante which the condesa
occupied with another lady near her confinement; but
the marquesa, Catalina, and the remainder of the party
walked.
The way was first along the public road, bordered
for miles with palms, and under and beyond these always
the mass of waving light green cane. But soon they
turned into what had once been a cafetal, or coffee-
plantation. Most of these are now deserted by their
owners, the cultivation of coffee having been superseded
by the cane, so vastly more remunerative. This one
was like the rest; it had been for years abandoned, and
the house was no longer occupied. But the cafetales
were always in appearance and charm far superior to
the sugar ingenios, and this had been among the finest.
An avenue half a mile long and at least two hundred
feet across, led up to the house, the outlines marked by
palms fifty or sixty feet apart, with an immense green
sward stretching between; what had once been the
carriage-way was now almost obliterated and overgrown.
On each side of this avenue extended a row of flowering
and fragrant shrubs, whose perfume the night air brought
out and made more pungent. Behind these, thickets
of plantain and orchards of orange intermingled, the
golden fruit gleaming through the leaves like flakes from
the yellow sky; for the sun was setting at the extremity
of the avenue, and the heavens shone like a lake of
burnished gold. The quick darkness that comes within
the tropics had not yet fallen. The uninhabited
mansion in the vista, illuminated by the descending
splendours; the great lines of towering palms that
looked like the columns of a ruined temple, and their
feathery summits like broken architraves defined against
ig6
CONSPIRACY
the evening sky; the tangled wilderness of the lower
groves, exhaling exquisite aroma; and around and above
all an atmosphere and an influence soft at once and
subtile, making the soul seem nearer to sense and
the senses more a part of the soul than at other
times—all conspired to produce a scene and a sensation
that can be perceived nowhere on earth except within
the tropics.
Bainbridge, even, felt the spell. If anything could
provoke the dullest, coldest man into an emotion, it
was this combination of atmosphere and evening, sunset
and fragrance, and luxuriant vegetation and fascinating
woman. He was walking by the side of Catalina, and
asked her to take his arm. She declined, but stumbled
a moment afterward, and as he attempted to assist her,
the touch of her hand, the perfume of her breath, the
influence of the hour, all disturbed him. He lost
control of himself, and exclaimed—
" How delicious to have this opportunity to tell you
how profoundly I regard you, senorita!"
They were a few steps behind the others, so that he
could not be overheard, and at first Catalina could not
believe that his words had any significance; but as they
came within the shade of an overhanging plantain he
continued—
" You cannot have failed to perceive how your
presence affects me. You must be conscious of my
interest in your society ! Will you let me hope that
you are not indifferent ? Is it impossible for me to
waken "—
But she withdrew from his side with a shock of
surprise not unmingled with repulsion. Most women
have a certain consciousness of conquest, or at least of
ascendency—a touch of pardonable exaltation when any
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 197
man pays them the highest compliment he can offer to
any woman—even if their hearts are absorbed in a
regard for another; but Catalina had fathomed her
shallow companion, and was certain that he had no
infatuation, hardly indeed a preference for her. She
remembered that he had been indifferent to her anxiety
and impassive to her pleadings for her brother, and this
outburst she appreciated for exactly what it was worth.
She knew she was not receiving a confession extorted
from a passionate man in spite of himself, for that, even
if she could not return, she would not have despised;
but to be addressed because he felt the influence of the
climate and the hour, and even momentarily of her own
charms, made her indignant, although his manner had
been perfectly respectful, for Bainbridge had always the
deportment of a gentleman. He had, perhaps, pre¬
sumed, but this Catalina could have pardoned, if he had
been in earnest. She knew, however, that his sentiment
was transient and unreal, and she resented the unreality.
" Mr. Secretary," she interrupted haughtily, " you
forget. Young ladies in Cuba are not addressed in this
manner without the sanction of their parents, and you
have never been in the Conde de Casa-Nueva's house.
You have never even met myself, except when we have
conversed about my brother." She hoped by this to
recall to him how little right he had given himself even
to her gratitude.
" Your brother, indeed," he replied, catching at the word;
" can I not interest you by my efforts in his behalf ? "
But, though another had been able to extort from
her almost an offering of herself, for her brother's sake,
because that other was, she knew, sincere, - this man's
mention of Carlos seemed to her a mockery; for she
felt that he suggested what he had neither desire nor
198
CONSPIRACY
intention to perform, and was attempting to trade upon
her affections for the gratification of his momentary-
mood. The comparison of this ungenerous device with
the chivalry of those who for her were endangering life
and honour in the cause of Carlos, produced an absolute
aversion for Bainbridge, and she replied, almost con¬
temptuously," Your interest in my brother, Mr. Secretary,
I fear, is not sufficient to affect your action, or even your
feeling, and certainly does not warrant this conversation."
He felt that he was rebuffed even more by her
manner and glance and tone than by her language.
Nevertheless, he made one more attempt to take her
hand, but she positively shuddered, and drew herself
up with an air that left no doubt in his mind that he
was disagreeable to her. She stepped rapidly up to
the Segundo Cabo, who was near, and asked him for
his arm, saying she was tired.
Bainbridge was mortified, but his wounds were seldom
deep, and he picked himself up mentally, and approached
the marquesa, who of course was ignorant of what
had occurred. She was still anxious to secure the
Secretary's efforts in behalf of Carlos, and spoke to him
graciously—
" Are you enjoying this charming tropical scene, Mr.
Secretary ?"
" Yes, indeed, senora," he replied, panting from the
haste he had made to leave the scene of his repulse,
" I find to-night everything I had expected in Cuba.
Even the charms of the fair sex are heightened in this
atmosphere and under this sky." He could think of
nothing more felicitous in his agitation than this insipid
compliment.
" And do the noble qualities of the men also receive
an enhancement ?" inquired the marquesa archly. " Are
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 199
foreign secretaries more inclined to be generous and to
make great efforts for their countrymen ? Are they
more susceptible to the influence of our sex when it asks
favours such as I know the Dofia Catalina has been
requesting of you ?"
" I told the senorita that I have referred the case
of her brother to Washington," he replied dryly. But
now, he thought, is my great opportunity. This is
the hour for pacts and bargains. I must put on my
international character and summon my profoundest
craft. " There are some matters, marquesa," he con¬
tinued, trying to assume an insinuating tone, " in which
secretaries are concerned, which indeed can be best
transacted here, in which their interest ripens under
such a sky, and in which the influence of your sex may
well be paramount."
" You speak in riddles, Mr. Secretary, I cannot
understand."
" I must be plain, marquesa," continued the would-
be negotiator. " There is a treaty now, or soon to be,
under consideration at Madrid, by which it is proposed
that certain privileges shall be conceded to Spain;
these advantages will be important to the authorities
of Cuba, will add to their incomes, but it will require
delicate management in the United States to induce
the Government and the Senate to concur in authorising
them. We must also be assured that the views pre¬
sented here will be accepted in Spain. You are supposed
to have great influence, not only of course with the
Captain - General, but with very high personages at
home. Efforts such as must be made to bring about
this treaty should not go unre"—
Here the marquesa raised her fan to interrupt the
speaker. She had listened closely, for she desired to
200
CONSPIRACY
know how far he would go, and what were his designs.
She had even allowed him to slacken his pace, com
forming her own, till they were behind the entire party,
as he had been with Catalina; but the Captain-General
was not far away.
Now, however, she felt that it was time to interfere
with the projects of this unripe Machiavelli. She did
it with the ease and skill of a practised woman of the
world, determined to stop at once a proceeding that she
disliked, but willing to spare the feelings of her com¬
panion, whom she rather pitied for his rawness than
desired to punish for his presumption. She was, besides,
anxious in no way to affront the Government he might
be said to represent, and with which he was certainly
so intimately connected.
" Mr. Secretary, I do not think I can be of any use in
matters of this sort. My sphere is a woman's, and these
details of diplomacy are beyond me. I think you had
better discuss them with the Captain-General."
" Ah, but I have no credentials, no authority to
discuss them in that way," he stupidly went on. " I
thought I might convey my ideas through a lady, and
submit some views which would not compromise my
Government."
This rather angered the Castilian, and she raised her
eyes haughtily as she said, " I must decline to be the
interpreter of views which do not commit the United
States. Indeed, if you would allow me to suggest, it
would perhaps be wise to procure credentials and
authority before proceeding further. At all events,
Mr. Secretary, I must confine myself to my proper
province. I am out of my depths in these profound
waters where you great men are so at home."
He saw that she was rallying as well as repelling him,
AN EXCURSION TO THE INTERIOR 20!
and was amazed at this reception of his views. He had
supposed he had only to angle, and the fish would rise
to the fly. He was confounded to discover that it was
he who was pulled about from point to point, and
following her lead; he began to fear that his footing
was not firm, and that the game he had thought to land
might precipitate him where he would stumble and
flounder, and, perchance, completely fall.
" Marquesa," he stammered, " you do not comprehend
me. This that I wish you to do is in favour of your
own country."
" I comprehend completely, Mr. Secretary; but we
Spanish ladies do not bargain with foreign emissar—
secretaries, I mean; excuse my English. We do not
carry propositions from gentlemen without credentials ;
we do not serve our country without the sanction of the
State; we are not political intriguantes." She moved
off gradually while she was speaking, and made him
a stately salutation, smiling in triumph just as she
reached the Captain-General.
He was alarmed beyond expression lest she meant to
continue the conversation, inviting her husband to join
it, and betraying all that he supposed he had so skilfully
conveyed; but the marquesa was merciful, and after
enjoying his anxiety and confusion for a moment, she
continued, " General, the Senor Secretario tells me"—
his heart was in his throat as she maliciously delayed
the conclusion of the sentence—then she went on, "he
would like to see more of the cafetal. Can we enter
the building ? You like these mysterious bypaths, do
you not, Mr. Secretary ? "
They led the way, and Bainbridge followed. " What
impracticable creatures women are," he thought to him¬
self. " One never knows how to deal with them. Here
202
CONSPIRACY
is one wants her brother's safety, even his life; she
knows I can do much to secure both, yet she is
unwilling to afford me, in return, a little harmless
amusement. Very well; she would not pay the price—
she shall not purchase the ransom. He may rot in the
Morro before the American Government shall intervene.
She will wish she had not been so chary of her company,
if he is shot for a brigand.
" Then there is this arrogant marquesa, who, every¬
body says, is a manoeuvres Why should she rebuff
me ? I put my suggestions delicately, I am sure. Per¬
haps I ought to have approached an aide-de-camp, or a
private secretary. These ridiculous scruples of etiquette!
One woman would send me to a father, and another to
an underling, and what I wish is to dispense with the
men altogether. In such matters it is always better to
deal with principals. I wonder if the marquesa was in
earnest in repelling me ? Could Fisher have been
misinformed ? If she should repeat that I have no
credentials or authority, I may be unable to deal even
with the Treasury. 'Tis all Fisher's fault; he should
never have sent me to a woman. He ought to have
known better, he that has lived here all his life! He
is stupid as well as tricky. If he did not know so
many of our secrets, I would discharge him."
Just then the Segundo Cabo approached, and asked
if he would enter the mansion, which by this time had
been opened. The building, however, was unfurnished,
and presented little of interest; and under the stars
and the clear blue sky they strolled back to the
impromptu train, and returned to the ingenio. But
Bainbridge paid more attention, on the way, to the
other ladies of the party than to either the marquesa
or the Dona Catalina.
CHAPTER XIV
espiritu santo in the evening
During the evening Catalina found an opportunity to
convey to the marquesa her conviction that all hope of
receiving aid from the American was gone, and her
friend concurred in the conclusion that help, if it came
at all, must emanate from another source. But neither
woman told her secret to the other. Catalina was
silent from a native dignity that made her unwilling
to betray the mortification of the man who had addressed
her; and her reticence cost her nothing, for she had no
pride in her conquest. She was, if anything, chagrined
that she had failed to extort the slightest concession
from her obdurate admirer; while the keen - witted
Spaniard thought it might complicate great politics if
she revealed the blunders of a foreign representative.
She meant, of course, to inform her husband of all that
had occurred, but would leave it for him to decide upon
his course. So the Talleyrand of the State Department
escaped, for the time, any exposure of his attempts at
gallantry or diplomacy. Nevertheless, each woman
knew, by that mysterious freemasonry by which the sex
communicates without the use of words, that the other
disliked and despised the foreigner more than ever, and
that some fresh circumstance had contributed to augment
the exasperation of her friend.
203
204
CONSPIRACY
Bainbridge continued his devotions to the other ladies
of the party, and although it was remarked that he no
longer paid his attentions to those most conspicuous
from position and personal attractions, ut was thought
that his unwillingness to undertake the cause of Carlos
might account for his disminished ardour and for their
reserve.
Catalina, however, had still another task. She must,
if possible, induce her two real admirers to combine
their efforts for her brother, without revealing to either
the nature of her relations with the other. This would
be no easy achievement, but the attempt must be made.
She was standing by the pianoforte with the marquesa.
They had just sung the great duet for Ai'da and Amneris
from Verdi's masterpiece, and were receiving the con¬
gratulations of the listeners, when La Campa and Arriete
both came up to pay their compliments.
" Yes," said Catalina, looking first at one and then at
the other of her lovers," the music is full of meaning,
and the situation of passion, but in this opera it is the
relations of A'ida with Rhadam^s that interest me most.
Can you conceive a greater glory for a woman than to
induce her lover to aid the cause in which she is
absorbed, even if it is not his own ?"
Arriete looked at her keenly, and inquired, "Would
the man be pardonable who betrayed his country, even
for his mistress ?"
" It was to save her and her kinsman," replied Catalina.
" What say you, Don Juan; can nothing excuse a
soldier who does a kindness to an enemy ?"
" All depends on the circumstances, senorita. A man
may be the soldier of a cause which he knows to be
wrong, although his country is engaged in it. Then
disloyalty is not treason. Fate may have thrown him
ESPIRITU SANTO IN THE EVENING 205
into a service from which his soul revolts. In all times
those who succeed in rebellion become patriots."
"Pardon me, Don Juan," said Arriete, " but I think
you wander from the theme. Rhadam^s fought, for
Aida's sake, against his own country. He did not pre¬
tend to prefer the cause. It was because it was hers."
" He got what he wanted — her love in return,"
interrupted Catalina; and La Campa looked at her
anxiously at the remark, which the girl regretted the
moment it was made. " Let us talk it over," she
said. " 'Tis a curious question ;" and the three moved
to another part of the room, where Catalina continued,—
" Suppose a somewhat different case. Suppose a man
desires to rescue a friend from immediate danger, even
though that friend is in the ranks of the enemy j must
the ties of allegiance or so-called military honour be
more binding than the voice of friendship or affection ?
Surely a man may save a friend even from the power of
the Government which he serves."
" Most certainly," said La Campa, " when that friend
has done no wrong, no harm to the country or the
Government the other serves -
" My friends," interrupted Arriete, " I do not need to
be persuaded. Don Juan, I perceive you know my
situation. My mind is made up to save my friend and
my friend's brother."
Again La Campa looked troubled; there was some¬
thing too assured in Ramon's tone—something more
than he liked to hear. Catalina flushed under his gaze,
and Ramon, in his turn, became uneasy. The three
were involved in a mystery—a mystery for two of them,
at least, which the third might not unravel. She
bethought her, however, that this was the moment to
complete the compact. Ramon had declared what he
2o6
CONSPIRACY
intended, and she was at liberty to proceed. She might,
perhaps, distract them both from thoughts of her by
reverting to her brother.
" You are indeed a friend, Don Kamon," she exclaimed;
"and I am grateful. And Don Juan has also promised
to aid us in our plan. Have you determined yet how
it shall be, my other friend ?" she added, hoping by this
epithet to appease Aguero, whose face fairly blazed as
he heard her address Arriete.
" Another!" he thought; " and she knows that what
I want no other can share."
She looked at him appealingly, and continued,
" Carlos depends on you."
But this had nearly betrayed the brigand, for Bam on,
in his turn, was amazed, and exclaimed, "Then you
know Don Carlos, senor? I thought you had just
arrived from Spain."
"We knew each other in the United States," quickly
replied Aguero, who being, as it were, attacked, at once
stood on the alert, his attention diverted from every
other thought or emotion by the appearance of danger.
All the instincts of the fighter were now aroused; he
forgot even love and jealousy in his anxiety to guard
the secrets in which so many were concerned. His cause,
his followers, he must protect at every hazard, at every
sacrifice. And—still another transformation—he was
chief, and Catalina, comrade now, both engaged against
the Spaniard, both playing to conceal from Bamon the
mystery of their fellowship. This was not difficult, for
the struggle was unequal; the skilled confederates were
more than a match for their simple competitor, who
suspected nothing of the conspiracy in which he was
involved.
It was arranged that on a day during the coming
ESPIRITU SANTO IN THE EVENING 207
week, to be agreed on after Carlos could be warned,
Catalina should convey a soldier's uniform into his cell,
and the same evening Eamon was to visit the lad, and
when he departed leave the lock unfastened. At ten
o'clock, when the soldiers would be in barracks, Ramon
would return, and at a signal Carlos must come out to
meet him. The two would then walk off together, for
Ramon, as the General's aide-de-camp, could pass all
guards. As the features of Carlos were unknown to the
soldiers, the friends would doubtless be unmolested,
and could move to the outer wall of the Morro, as if
examining the ditch. Aguero was to have a boat at the
shore north of the castle, far enough off not to attract
attention from the walls. This they must all enter
together, for Ramon could not return after the flight
was discovered. The fact that he had last entered the
cell would of course be known, and suspicion would light
on him. He must accompany Aguero and Carlos, and
remain in hiding for a while.
This was the brigand's plan, but Ramon thought
it not certain that he would be suspected, at least of
intentionally aiding the escape. He might be supposed
to have left the key unturned by accident, and the
influence of the Captain-General might save him. He
felt, indeed, the fallacy of his arguments, but he was
unwilling to accompany Carlos farther than the shore.
The boy of course must rejoin the brigands; there would
be no safety for him otherwise.
But Catalina could not consent that one who risked
so much for her should remain in danger, and pleaded
with Ramon earnestly not to return to Havana.
" But how can I go to the brigands ?" said he; " I,
who am a Spanish officer ?"
" You will be safe with them," interrupted Aguero;
2o8
CONSPIRACY
" you will have saved Don Carlos;" and then, with an
impulse of unselfish generosity, he flung aside his
concealment, and leaning across Catalina, who sat
between them, whispered, " You will be protected, Senor
Arriete; I can promise, for I know Aguero well."
"You know him, Don Juan!" exclaimed the other;
"how can that be, since you have but just returned
from Spain ?" A suspicion of the truth beamed on him.
" This brigand," he continued, " has never been in
Havana; he is a countryman of the interior. Have you
any connection with the band ?" and the instinct of the
soldier awoke within him; he put his hand upon his
sword.
Catalina saw the gesture, and understood it. It was
now Aguero who was in danger. Her anxiety was
intense, and she turned hurriedly from one to the other,
not knowing what to say, nor how to prevent either
from disclosing what the other should not know.
Finally she exclaimed, " Don Ramon, I beg for my sake
you will not insist on learning more. There is a secret
in which not only Carlos, but I myself am involved.
You promised me that my word in all this matter
should be your law. I appeal to you to keep your
pledge. For my sake, do as Senor la Campa asks.
Will you not go with him and Carlos for a while ? I
am unwilling for you to return and be in danger because
of what you have done for us—for me."
She knew no other way than to make this appeal,
which, though she was sure it would succeed with
Ramon, must excite Aguero to the last degree.
Ramon was silent for a moment, and then replied,
" I cannot recall my promise. I will do as you desire."
" Thank you, Don Ramon. I hope you will never
regret it." And Ramon was satisfied and showed it,
ESPIRITU SANTO IN THE EVENING 269
while Aguero glared at him in silence, till Arriete
noticed his behaviour, and instinctively felt the cause.
He knew that he had a rival, or at least that the other
loved Catalina. He could have no rival now.
To the girl it seemed as if every step she took only
added to her entanglements. She had appeased one
lover only to enrage the other, and that other was
indignant because of what she had done solely to save
him. She had persuaded Eamon to do exactly as
Aguero asked, and Aguero was ready to tear him all to
pieces for consenting. She had sacrificed the feelings
of the man she loved, and mortified him in the presence
of his rival, and this immediately after a burst of passion
on Aguero's part that overwhelmed her whole soul, and
which she had not repelled. She rose, hardly knowing
what she did, but with one of those womanly instincts
which in a man would be strokes of genius, she took
Aguero's arm and asked him to lead her to the verandah,
for she wanted air. Kamon could hardly feel slighted
after what had just occurred, but yet it was not
unnatural that he should experience a pang. No man
in love can see the woman he loves in the company of
another aspirant without that pang, however secure in
reality he may be.
Catalina knew not, as she walked, what she would
say, nor what she wanted to say, or do; but she hoped
that this little act of preference and the touch of her
arm might calm the splendid fiend whom she wished to
convert into a saint for a while. For Aguero was now
all the brigand, aflame with jealousy and hate and rage;
thinking that if this man were really preferred he
should have been told before, as, indeed, he had a right
to feel.
They entered the verandah, where the reed curtains
14
i id
CONSPIRACY
were now all withdrawn, and the moon was rising late
and full, her beams not striking under the narrow roof
that sheltered them, but lighting all the alleys in the
garden, and falling on the great banians farther off.
They were alone, and walked to the extremity of the
verandah, neither uttering a word. Finally, Catalina
spoke, " Don Juan, I owe you an explanation of much
that you do not understand. I could not tell you to¬
day, when you spoke to me so suddenly; I could not
collect myself with so many around me; but"— here
she hesitated; and he looked down at her, calmer now,
but very anxiously, and her heart was in her throat as
she thought, " I may lose him for ever by what I say."
At last she murmured, "I have promised Don Ramon,
if he saved my brother—that he shall—name his own
reward."
Aguero shivered violently, and then stood still; he
was icy cold, and let fall the arm on which her own was
resting. " I wish I had known this sooner, senorita,"
was his reply; " it would have saved me much
mortification."
She could not tell from his tone whether it was pride
or love that suffered most; and she dared not look up
to meet his eye. To divert him, if possible, she
exclaimed, " But you will not desert my brother because
I cannot thank you as I ought for what you have said
to-day." She was about to utter more acknowledg¬
ments, but he interrupted her, "No thanks are
necessary, senorita; nor will Carlos Aguero desert his
friend or follower because of the act of any woman. I
will do my part in all the plan, be sure, as earnestly as
if I were to be rewarded. You will see what it is to
be a Cuban chieftain. Shall we return inside?. Our
absence may be observed."
ESPIRITU SANTO IN THE EVENING 211
She longed to say more; to soothe his galled spirit,
to tell of her own suffering at the anguish she was
causing him, to assure him that her misery was equal
to his own, but he suffered no emotion to be visible in
his countenance ; his tones were calm though concen¬
trated and cold; he offered his arm with that air of
authority which until now had seemed to her to have
such a charm, and which was still irresistible, but now
was converted into a yoke. He meant to put a gulf
between them at once, and he succeeded. She did not
dare persuade; she did not dare suggest that they
should remain. She simply said, " I obey my chief."
But even this did not move him. His arm did not
tremble when she laid her hand upon it, and he led
her into the sala with as little emotion, that she could
discover, as if she had been the condesa. Catalina had
done her work. She had secured Kamon. Aguero was
to aid them. Her brother would probably be saved ;
and she was the most miserable woman in Cuba.
The next day the party returned to Havana. The
only one of those with whom we are concerned who
was satisfied with the visit was Arriete. Catalina
and Aguero had their own great trouble ; Bainbridge
was mortified and disappointed; the marquesa had
told her husband of the overtures of the foreigner,
and the Captain-General, a high-strung, haughty man,
was indignant at these indirect approaches to his wife,
and yet unwilling to resent the matter publicly, both
for her sake and because he knew not how it might
affect the negotiations at Madrid. The condesa's day
for anxiety on any subject beyond her health and her
personal comfort and her manners was nearly past;
she was the most impassive person of the group. If
the other members of the party had their own drama
212
CONSPIRACY
playing all the while—as may very well have been—the
action was not visible to any of the principal characters
of this story, absorbed as they were in their own parts.
They separated at the station, Catalina and the
marquesa with an embrace, and the Captain-General
saying kindly, almost tenderly, for he had a heart,
" Adios, my child. Do not despond. All may yet be
well."
Bainbridge made his bow with constraint, and it was
civilly but coldly returned.
" You leave us soon, Mr. Secretary, I understand ?"
said the General.
" Yes ; I shall probably sail this week."
" Can I do anything to facilitate your departure ? I
will send you a special passport."
" Thank you, excellency."
They did not ask him to call to take his leave, nor
did he suggest the ceremony. He thought that under
the circumstances it might perhaps be better to send
his cards.
Arriete was in attendance, so that he went off in the
carriage with their excellencies, after bidding Catalina
good-bye, and promising to call the same afternoon to
escort her, as usual, to the Morro. Aguero, meanwhile,
stood watching them, without any appearance of con¬
cern, but Catalina knew that he saw every gesture and
glance, and noted every syllable and tone. She was
gratified that he did not seem altogether indifferent.
She gave her hand to Ramon without any especial
significance, and could not for her life return the
pressure of his own, though she felt that he was entitled
to the favour.
Then came the bandit, who showed his aunt and
Catalina to their carriage with punctilious deference.
ESPIRITU SANTO IN THE EVENING 213
" How formal you are all of a sudden, Juan !" said
the old lady. " Do you want to drive home with us
and dissipate that cloud ? What is it ? Has Ramon
been more successful than you with Catalina ?"
" Thank you, countess-aunt. I have an engage¬
ment for the morning. I will come later and inquire
for your health."
" But you will not see Catalina. She returns to her
father to-day."
" I regret, condesa, but my engagement is impera¬
tive, and you will let me know when the senorita is
again at your house, so that I may call."
" Oh, as you will. The man that does not know
where good fortune lies when it is absolutely in his
path does not deserve to enjoy it." Then turning to
the coachman, " To the Casa del Conde, Manuel."
Aguero bowed, and all the way to the house of her
niece the old lady wondered what was the matter with
Juan de la Campa, but Catalina could not or would not
inform her.
CHAPTER XV
machinations
During the absence of Bainbridge, Fisher had been
making mischief. He had been stnng by the sneers
of his superior, and the recollection rankled in his
malicious soul. He firmly believed, besides, that he had
more ability than the supercilious Secretary, and that
only the accident of fortune had made him the sub¬
ordinate ; so he turned over in his mind for many days
the problem and the means of his revenge. When the
despatch that Bainbridge had written in favour of Carlos
arrived, he perceived his opportunity. He knew from
Go-Bright the relations of the young Secretary with the
President's wife, for the story was familiar to the gossip
of Washington, and had reached even the clerks in the
departments. Go-Bright, in order to impress Fisher
with the importance of the affairs to which he was
necessarily admitted, had informed him that the first
lady in the country had once been interested in the
new diplomatist, and was believed not to have
forgotten her former preference; and Fisher now
bethought him that he might arouse that lady's
suspicions and induce her to believe that she had a
rival in Catalina.
Accordingly, he concocted a letter to Adelaide, which
214
MACHINATIONS
215
he caused to be copied in a feminine hand. It read as
follows :—
" Madam,—
" Although a stranger to you, yet, as an American woman long
resident in Cuba, I feel that I may appeal to a countrywoman so
highly placed as to be able to interpose in behalf of threatened
American interests. I am extremely averse to the mention of indi¬
viduals, and to the revelation of personal indiscretions; but when
grave national concerns are affected all pettiness disappears, and I
trust that the elevation of my motives will be recognised.
" The American Assistant Secretary now in Cuba is supposed
to have visited Havana in order to facilitate important national
objects, but these very objects are hazarded by the unfortunate
susceptibility he displays to the charms of a most attractive but
most designing Cuban. This lady is uncommonly beautiful, of high
family, but entirely in sympathy with the rebellious party in
politics, and therefore, of course, opposed to the Spanish Govern¬
ment. Her whole soul is in this opposition, and her whole life is
devoted to the cause of brigands and rebels. Her brother has even
been captured in arms against the Government, and is now im¬
prisoned for his crimes, having been connected with a noted brigand,
one Carlos Augero, the same who was recently imprisoned by the
United States authorities but afterwards escaped.
" This siren has set her snares for the American Secretary, and
completely beguiled him. She even visits him in his private office
at the consulate, an offence against propriety still more glaring in
Cuba than in Washington. The pair are at this very moment
making part of an excursion to the interior of the island, and the
intimacy has occasioned talk, not to say scandal, in the highest
circles of society. Calypso has finally set herself to prove her
power by procuring the liberation of her brigand brother, who calls
himself an American, and she openly asserts that an application in
his behalf has been sent by the Secretary to his Government.
Indeed, the enchantress has boasted of her success in advance, and
even designated the day when her brother will be released. I leave
it to you, madam, to perceive the importance of thwarting the
designs of this insidious beauty, and to take measures to secure
that tropical fascinations do not succeed in overturning grave
governmental schemes.
2l6
CONSPIRACY
"The bandit in whose behalf these efforts are made is Don
Carlos de Casa-Nueva; his sister, the foreign charmer to whom
the American diplomatist has succumbed, is called the Dona
Catalina.
" With great admiration for the qualities which fit you so emi¬
nently for your exalted place, and in full confidence that you will
now exert those qualities to save your country and your countryman
from utter subservience to foreign and female wiles,
" I am, madam,
"Your obedient servant,
" Cassandra."
By the same steamer that carried this letter the clerk
forwarded Bainbridge's despatch in behalf of Carlos,
determining to report that the second note which
directed him to withhold the document had not been
received until after the steamer had sailed.
Adelaide duly received the letter of Cassandra, and
although she was ashamed to acknowledge its influence,
the sorcery worked, and after some little resistance she
submitted to the spell, and determined to ascertain
whether Bainbridge had made an application in behalf
of Carlos. She was unwilling to broach the subject
to the President, but that evening she sat next Mr.
Littleton at dinner, and naturally inquired about
Bainbridge.
" What do you hear from our new envoy at Havana,
Mr. Secretary ?"
" Bainbridge is enjoying himself vastly in Cuba," said
his father. " He has dined at the palace, and on Monday
of this week he makes one of a party to visit a plantation
in the interior."
Adelaide shivered involuntarily, but controlled herself.
Cassandra was right.
" The excursion will interest him, I suppose ?"
" Yes, he expects great pleasure from the trip."
MACHINATIONS
217
" What does he say about the condition of the island ?
Is it so disturbed as we have heard ?"
" There seems a great deal of dissatisfaction, indeed
even violence and brigandage. One of his despatches
received to-day mentions a young American who has
become involved, and been thrown into the Morro.
Bainbridge thinks we ought to protect him."
She was fairly ablaze now with jealousy.
"Why should an American be involved in a Cuban
conspiracy ?"
" I do not see, myself; but Bainbridge seems uncom¬
monly anxious about him."
" What is the young man's name ? Is he well
known ?"
" I hardly recollect. Casa-Bella or Casa-Nueva ; I
cannot remember which."
" Those are not American names."
" No; Bainbridge says he is the son of an American
mother who married a Spanish nobleman. He was
educated in this country, and became an American
citizen."
" Why does he not stay here then ? I don't think
much of American citizens who go to other countries
and plot against foreign Governments. What has this
fellow done ?"
" He is a brigand."
"Not even a revolutionist. I really wonder at the
interest your son takes in such a case. When will he
return ?"
" I cannot tell. The attractions of the Cuban beauties
seem to detain him."
•' Ah, now vou interest me. Does he say much about
them ?"
"Yes, indeed; he declares that their beauty and
218
CONSPIRACY
their behaviour are both irresistible. And now I think
of it, he mentioned in one of his earlier letters a lady of
the same name with this brigand, and said she was one
of the most enchanting creatures he had ever met. I
declare, I believe he has been beguiled by her into
asking for the release of this highwayman. I never
should have recollected the name but for your inquiry.
Women always penetrate to the core of things. Bain-
bridge is very susceptible, at least for a while, you
know."
He was not unwilling to inflict a wound, to punish
her for having jilted Bainbridge.
She felt the sting, and hated both men for the
moment—the father for the taunt, and the son because
he had allowed her image to be disturbed by that
of this unknown Creole. She could endure to be for¬
gotten, but not replaced, even though the fault was her
own.
"Well," she said significantly, "don't let his fancies
for our sex interfere with grave international obligations.
It is all very well for him to amuse himself, but that is
no reason why we should interfere in behalf of public
criminals."
The Secretary was struck by her tone and manner as
much as by her words. He saw that she was in earnest,
and he was a placeman. Having accepted his post,
he was unwilling to be disturbed in it; and he knew
the immense weight of Adelaide's influence. She had
overthrown more than one Cabinet Minister, and was
becoming imperious. Littleton was very certain that if
she determined on his downfall, his stay in the Govern¬
ment would be short. He perceived her jealousy and
he knew her vindictiveness. Her eyes glared, her breath
was short, her bosom rose and fell with a passion that
MACHINATIONS
219
was not tender. He trembled for himself and his son,
and bowed to the President's wife with peculiar suavity,
for he felt that he had touched the tigress too hard.
" Do not be afraid, madam ; the State Department
will never be influenced by personal considerations while
I am at its head. No brigand will be protected by me
because of the love affairs of his relatives."
Adelaide beamed graciously upon him again, and then
laughed merrily.
" You take me very much in earnest, Mr. Secretary,
and speak as if I were the head of the State. It is not
for a woman to interfere in such matters. But when
one of our sex is concerned, our penetration is sharpened;
so my suggestions may be worth considering, even if you
conclude not to act upon them. I hope we shall see
Mr. Bainbridge back very soon.
No action was taken in behalf of the American citizen
confined in the Morro.
Bainbridge himself, however, was cured, and when
Fisher apologised for the mistake he had made in
sending the despatch, the Secretary replied, " It matters
little. I shall be back in time, and will take care there
is no interposition in behalf of this would-be American."
He was almost inclined to intimate as much to the
Cuban authorities before he sailed. With Adelaide and
Bainbridge both for enemies, poor Carlos had little
chance.
CHAPTER XYI
diplomacy in cuba
Bainbridge had driven direct from the railroad station
to the Consulate-General, to consult with his confederate,
for since the experiment with the marquesa had failed,
it was necessary to proceed with their other schemes.
Fisher was accordingly informed of the situation, and
directed to arrange at once an interview with the officials
of the Treasury.
" We have lost a week already," said the Secretary,
" because of your suggestion that I should approach a
woman in such a matter; and now, not only is the time
gone by, but we have a vigilant enemy to oppose, for she
will undoubtedly do everything in her power to frustrate
our plans."
" But she will not learn them," answered the sub¬
ordinate. " The people of the Treasury know their
business far too well to confide their projects to an
enemy, and I have told you they are hostile to the
palace. Within the last few days the chief of the
Treasury has openly defied the Captain-General; he is
believed to have great influence at Madrid, and it is
whispered that the General must resign. At anyrate,
it is open war, and there is no danger that any of
our designs will be disclosed to the marquesa or her
husband."
820
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
221
" Weil, we must get to work. Let the officials know
that I want an interview immediately, and for what
purpose. I suppose they already have some inkling of
the matter in hand."
" Oh yes," said Fisher, " I have prepared them. Half
a day's notice will be all they need. I can promise you
an interview to-morrow. Where shall it be, here or at
the Treasury ?"
" Which do you say ? Where will it attract least
notice ?"
" I think it had better be at the Treasury. It would
not be unnatural for a stranger of importance to be
shown the building, and the men you want to see could
easily be collected there without exciting comment,
whereas it would certainly be known if they were to
visit you."
" Very well. Only see that the meeting takes place
soon. I must return to Washington within a week, or
Ernest will be here in my way. Go-Bright telegraphs
that he cannot detain him longer. That confounded
Holy Week has upset all my calculations. And one
word more—don't bring too many Spaniards. We don't
want a crowd of confidants; two will be plenty."
" I will take care, Mr. Secretary."
On Wednesday morning, accordingly, the negotiations,
which the representatives of neither Government knew
anything about, proceeded between the United States
and Spain. In a private room of the Treasury, Bainbridge,
with Fisher for interpreter, in a double sense, was
closeted with Don Luis de Palma and Don Pablo
Delgado, two important officials of the Treasury, or
Hacienda, as it is called, of Havana. These were, by
the rules and regulations, written and unwritten, of
Cuban politics, the personages most directly interested
222
CONSPIRACY
in the receipts of customs and taxes, and invested in
reality with the most potent authority in all financial
matters. They had, indeed, superiors whose nominal
sanction was necessary for the validity of their acts, and
who were supposed to share more than equally in the
profits of their transactions ; but they were the actual
powers behind the throne, the workmen who pulled the
strings that set the puppets dallying. They allowed
their masters the shows of power, and graciously doled
out to them the gains which they deemed should appease
their greed; but they themselves were universally
credited with the real direction of the affairs in which
they appeared, and, if report was true, they never went
away from any affair empty-handed.
For the corruption existing under the Cuban
Government is probably unrivalled to-day in civilised
society; and that corruption, which extends to every
ramification of official life, comes to a head and focus in
the Treasury. Here is the field for fraud, oppression,
and bribery. The regulations themselves are contrived
so as to be almost impossible to fulfil; they are onerous
and oppressive in every particular, and the slightest
infraction or omission is visited by an exorbitant fine.
Fines, indeed, are constantly laid so intolerable and
preposterous that it is manifest no one expects them to
be paid, and in default goods and vessels, crops and
lands, are embargoed and sold.
These governmental exactions are bad enough, but
the manner in which they are carried out is infinitely
worse. The officials, having pushed the victim to the
verge of endurance, intimate to him that upon payment
of half, or even a smaller, portion, the claim will not be
urged, or even that a remission will be procured; and,
as a rule, the sufferer submits, and relieves himself from
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
223
the danger of losing more, by paying half of the inequit¬
able demand. Worse even than this, the subordinates
of the Government constantly make false accusations,
prefer charges without the shadow of foundation, assert
factq that never occurred, invent regulations that never
existed, revive others long since repealed; and on the
strength of these iniquitous preliminaries, report the
alleged offenders to their superiors, and orders are
peremptorily issued for a penalty. If appeal is made,
delays are great, and business is ruined meanwhile;
despatch can only be procured by favour, and favour by
a bribe. The same is true when the question is one of
absolute relief, or pardon for an alleged but imaginary
crime ; money must be paid at every step. Every petty
official makes his requisition unknown to the law, and
follows it up with all the terrors that the law provides
for real offenders; and, finally, the innocent sufferer,
badgered, tortured, tired out, depleted, yields, and pays
whatever is demanded; but probably obtains only
suspension or partial immunity, in the end.
All this is of constant occurrence, not only with
Spaniards and Cubans, but with Americans as well.
There are three thousand American citizens registered
in Havana alone, and the records of the Consulate-
General are full of evidence of cases like those described,
hardly one remedied or atoned for. These have been
regularly and faithfully reported to the State Depart¬
ment, which, as a rule, in the beginning, takes them
up, and directs the consular officer to make complaint
to the Cuban authorities. The consul obeys, and the
authorities promise to investigate, but do nothing of the
sort. The screws instead are put to the victim again, to
teach the impropriety and inefficacy of remonstrance or
resistance. Then more complaints and more appeals,
224
CONSPIRACY
and more instructions and more promises. This usually
goes on for about a year, at the end of which the
Captain-General notifies the consul that the authorities
report to him that the demand is just, and must be
paid. And it is paid, and the State Department,
knowing and admitting the injustice, nevertheless
acquiesces, and compliments the Spanish Minister.
At the time of which we are writing, however, the
authorities at Madrid had become convinced that a
large portion of the revenues which the laws intended
for the support of the Government were diverted to the
coffers of its subordinates. The officials themselves
betrayed the Government daily. The taxes, especially
the import and export dues, were so enormous that
smuggling was universal, and countenanced particularly
by those appointed to prevent it. It has been repeatedly
stated that not half the legitimate customs was received
by the Treasury. There was a deficit annually of
millions. No trustworthy or sufficient statistics could
be procured even by the authorities themselves, to
enable them to detect the offenders, and the Government
at Madrid had come to the conclusion that something
must be done to elicit the facts and prevent the
perpetration of further frauds. Its own revenues must
be collected by its own collectors.
It was with a view to accomplishing something in
this direction that the Cuban officials had agreed to
confer with Bainbridge. When Fisher originally in¬
timated to them that his superior was coming to Cuba,
and that there might be an opportunity of reaching
terms agreeable to all, they could not at first perceive
any means by which the American could assist in their
operations or enhance their emoluments. The tens of
thousands of officials in Cuba are all Spaniards; they
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
225
visit the island for a year or two, and expect to make
their fortunes in that period. Horde after horde of
hungry Goths sweep over the unhappy island, like clouds
of locusts, devouring the entire harvest every season.
These Spaniards know the antipathy the Cubans cherish
for them, and the anxiety of the Cubans for aid from
the United States. They are jealous of the United
States; they fear us, they detest us. They know that
Cuba must, in the end, fall to us, if ever we desire it,
and that they cannot hold the island a day against our
will. They therefore place the highest taxes on
American property, the highest customs on American
trade, the heaviest wrongs on American citizens; and
they have no wish for better terms with the United
States. A cordial understanding with us would interfere
with their sway, would lessen their incomes, legitimate
and illegitimate, and hasten the day of Cuba's deliver¬
ance. At least, so the subordinates believed.
So at first they listened languidly to Fisher's
suggestions. If their gains could not be increased by
any arrangement with the United States, why make any
arrangement ? But after considering the subject for a
while, and finding the clerk so anxious for an accom¬
modation—thinking, too, that the presence even of a
subordinate member of the American Government on
such an errand must have significance—they revoked
their original decision, and concluded that the United
States could be employed to assist in collecting the
Spanish revenues. Spanish consuls in the United States,
it is true, already levied an export tax on the vessels
and cargoes leaving American ports for Cuba; but the
American authorities themselves might be induced to
report to those consuls the amount and character of the
goods exported the other way, so that the proper tax
15
226
CONSPIRACY
could be collected in Cuba. For, as has been seen, the
customs authorities were utterly unable to collect those
taxes themselves, or even to discover of what amount
their own officers and their own citizens defrauded
them. But the export tax was in reality paid by the
American consumer; it was laid on that article of prime
necessity—sugar; and that other, hardly to be called a
luxury—tobacco; the principal, almost the exclusive
importations to us from the island. Now, if the
American custom-houses could be made to report to
the Spanish consuls the exact amount of those articles
arriving from Cuba in the United States, the tax that
bore so heavily on Americans could be collected with
greater facility and rigour in Cuba. The device was
worthy of the countrymen of Gil Bias, for cunning,
greed, and impudent audacity. It was the especial
proposition that the officers of the Treasury had
prepared for the American Secretary. There were
others, but this was the one in which they were
personally and particularly interested.
But how to induce him to accept it was the problem.
Our Spaniards, however, were astute negotiators;
skilled in all the crooked arts, knowing how to magnify
their own concessions and depreciate the importance
of any they might receive; adroit in compliment, pro¬
fuse in the language of protestation, able always to
conceal their real intentions, and to invent a phrase
susceptible of a double meaning. They trusted to the
genius of their race, which never deserted them in
such emergencies. They saw, too, that for some reason
the Americans appeared anxious to strike a bargain, and
this emboldened the wily functionaries. There must be
something to be gained. When the customer is eager to
buy, the cunning shopman can always advance his price.
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
227
They came to the interview — men of years and
experience in affairs, used all their lives to circum¬
venting Governments and outwitting opponents; full of
plots and devices and craft; certain of their own purposes,
and not ignorant of those of their antagonist. They
found to contend with them a raw youth, never engaged
in important business until now, ignorant of the pro¬
fession he had entered some months before, untrained
in diplomacy or international law, but naturally self-
sufficient and puffed up with a sense of his own con¬
sequence ; thinking he had a great and secret design,
and determined to accomplish it at every cost—exactly
the material to be worked upon by their wiles; patent
to their keen vision, pliable to their manipulating skill.
His associate was the clerk, whose only idea was to
push himself into importance by connection with his
superior, and to entangle that superior in some transac¬
tion by which he could secure a hold on him, and be
certain of protection and promotion in the future; a
supple tool for the highest bidder, but determined to
receive his wage.
After many mutual bows and elaborate salutations
the three worthies seated themselves around a table
covered with statistics and stationery. There was also
a Spanish and English dictionary for the use of Fisher,
who sat a little behind. Now they were ready for
projects and protocols. " Now for my treaty," thought
Bainbridge; " Genius of Invention and Statecraft, come
to my aid !"
Don Luis de Palma was the superior Spaniard in
rank, and took the lead in the conversation. He was
the younger of the two, and the cleverer and more
original; but Don Pablo Delgado, though not perhaps
so dexterous and ready as his colleague, was abundant
228
CONSPIRACY
in resource and not behind in argument. Don Luis
skirmished for a while, to feel the enemy. He began
by talking of the immense interests involved between
the United States and Cuba, and the great necessity for
friendly relations between them; by degrees he drifted
into complaint of the frauds upon the Cuban custom¬
house, especially the evasion of the export duties on
goods going from Cuba to the United States. " Every
day," he said, " we hear of undervaluations; every day
we learn that immense quantities of goods are exported
without paying any duty at all. These goods go to the
United States, and the United States profits by the
fraud."
The adroit Spaniard failed to state that not one in
a score of the exporters was an American citizen, and
that the smuggling was confined almost exclusively to
Spanish subjects. Eisher, of course, was aware of this
fact, but did not think it proper to interrupt important
international negotiations in order to volunteer the
information.
Bainbridge, however, demanded of the clerk how
many American exporters there were in Havana, and
the subordinate, warned by a glance from Delgado, who
had a smattering of English, replied that it would be
difficult to state without consulting the consular books ;
and as the Secretary was anxious to proceed with the
negotiation, he did not continue his inquiries.
Don Luis went on, describing the sufferings of the
Spanish authorities, robbed of their legitimate revenues;
and blandly asked whether it would not become a great
and friendly nation to intervene in such an emergency.
" It would be an act of generous comity, such as
Governments may gracefully extend to each other, to
take some step to abate this iniquity and injury."
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
229
" But what do you propose ? " inquired the American.
" How can we secure that the Spanish tax in Cuba
shall be paid ? "
" If the United States would amiably instruct its
customs officers to inform the Spanish consuls in
American ports of the amounts received from here, the
end would be accomplished, and the favour would be
highly appreciated," explained the stately Spaniard, as
if it were the most ordinary circumstance imaginable
for a Government to direct its officers to afford such
confidential information to those of a foreign Power.
It did, however, occur to Bainbridge that it might
appear remarkable in the United States for Treasury
officials to make their reports to Spanish consuls; and
although Fisher had warned him that this demand
would be made, its impudent enormity was more
apparent when it was definitely proposed.
"We ought to have some equivalent," he said, "if we
enter into an arrangement so peculiarly advantageous
to Spain."
Palma was ready; he had anticipated the suggestion.
" Of course," he exclaimed, as if surprised that Bainbridge
had not waited for him to proffer compensation. " Spain
is never unwilling to show her amiability; she would
not consent to ask, unless she were ready to reciprocate.
Your Government has long complained of us for exacting
tonnage dues in the United States on American vessels
and cargoes going to Cuba. If this we ask is conceded
to us, we will agree to abolish these dues. The Spanish
consuls will no longer collect them, and in exchange
for this stipulation, we will accept reports in regard to
exports from the Antilles."
This seemed plausible enough at first to Bainbridge,
although the exaction of Spanish dues in American
230
CONSPIRACY
ports was an outrageous infringement of the national
prerogative, and should never have been tolerated for
an hour. To trade off the remission of these illegal
exactions for a concession unprecedented between nations
of equal rank, was an even more astounding piece of
effrontery than the original request. This idea did
not occur to the sapient statesman representing the
United States, but he did recollect that the constitution
of his country required provisions of the sort suggested
to be submitted to the Senate for ratification, and he
inquired whether the Spanish Ministry was under a
similar restriction, or if it had been already authorised
to make the stipulation it so generously proposed.
Palma hesitated, for he had not expected this obstacle.
Either he had not given the American sufficient credit
for perspicacity, or he had supposed he would be wilfully
blind; but Delgado came promptly to the rescue and
showed himself a competent auxiliary. He declared
that, although it would of course be necessary to
procure the endorsement of the Cortes for the provision
proposed, his Government would have no objection to
submitting it at a proper time—as if this necessary
proceeding were an act of grace on the Spanish part.
He did not state, what every one familiar with
Spanish politics knew, that the Government then in
being was holding place on sufferance, with less than a
majority, and liable any day to go out of power; that
under such circumstances its recommendation on a point
of this importance might have less weight than that of
Bainbridge himself.
The American Secretary was aware of these facts,
but it would have been ungracious in him to refer to
them; besides, it flashed across his mind that if he
offered too many objections he might fail in the main
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
231
purpose of his visit to Cuba. He had already been
foiled in his attempt at bargaining with the marquesa.
He had invited the interview with his present inter¬
locutors ; they had now laid down their terms, exactly
such as Fisher had foretold, and his own wisest course
was to close with them at once, for he began to
feel conscious of their strength and his weakness in
such affairs. Nevertheless, they had thus far only
asked what he had expected, and he breathed long, for
all this he thought he might concede. He fancied he
had come to the end of the Spanish demands. But
he reckoned without his host. The demands had only
begun.
The point of the custom - houses being conceded,
Delgado at once brought up his heavier guns: " We are
all most anxious," he said, in mellifluous tones, for the
battery was masked—" we are most anxious to have the
American tax on goods imported from Cuba into the
United States in Spanish ships remitted." This was
indeed a tremendous addition to the demands of the
Spaniards. They proposed not only to secure the
Spanish tax on goods exported to the United States, but
to take off the American tax on the same goods when
they reached the United States. The American Govern¬
ment was to remit its own duties, and at the same time
secure those of Spain on the same articles, and to secure
them through the very custom - houses which were to
suffer the loss of millions annually at the suggestion of
these modest negotiators ! The blow nearly took away
the Secretary's breath.
" Is not this an unusually liberal concession that you
suggest ? " he meekly inquired.
" Ah! but we have something in return to offer,"
hastily added the crafty Palma, " As I told you before,
232
CONSPIRACY
we never ask when we do not proffer. You have not
studied our national character. It has not changed since
the days of Cortes and Pizarro. Spaniards are not accus¬
tomed to remain under the weight of obligations from
friends or enemies. In consideration of this concession
we propose an alleviation of the duties imposed in Cuba
on American goods — an alleviation amounting to as
much as we ourselves receive by the arrangement we
now ask."
The equivalent, offered with such a show of even-
handed equity, the Spaniards very well knew was
indispensable if what they sought was to be granted at
all. The American tax was simply a retaliatory one
imposed by Congress because of the outrageous nature
of the duties inflicted on American trade by Spain,
and it was not within the power of the State
Department or the President to take it off until the
occasion of the retaliation was removed. But the adroit
Spaniards turned the tables, and, demanding first the
remission of the American tax, proposed to reward the
act which they suggested by a supererogatory beneficence
of their own.
The details of both these stipulations were intricate,
and calculations long and detailed became necessary to
ascertain which Government would benefit more by
the arrangement. The discussion was complicated, for
Bainbridge was unacquainted with the arithmetic as
well as the language of his co-negotiators, and Fisher's
knowledge he doubted, or at least the completeness of
his communications. At last it was made to appear
that the Spanish statement that the concessions were
equivalent, although it was not absolutely correct, was
yet sufficiently specious to present to a Government and
a people not too well-informed on the subject, The
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
233
difference in favour of Spain in reality amounted to
hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, but this fact
could be concealed or denied ; and it was not worth
while defeating greater objects because of a disadvantage
falling only on unknown and unimportant consumers.
The American Government, it was agreed, would take
off the retaliatory tax of ten per cent, on goods proceeding
from Cuba and Porto Eico in Spanish ships. This the
well-informed Spaniards very well knew the President
could do without referring the matter to Congress, by
virtue of a law framed several years before, giving him
this authority whenever the occasion of the retaliation
was removed. They failed, however, to .recall the
fact that no corresponding power existed in their own
Government; and they insisted that this stipulation
should go into immediate effect, although those that
benefited the United States must be submitted to the
Cortes known to be hostile to the present Spanish
Ministry.
" But how can I possibly arrange this at home ?"
said Bainbridge. " The country will certainly ask,
Why should our concessions go into immediate effect,
while those of Spain are delayed and dependent on the
uncertain approval of your Legislature ? Why not wait
till both can be accomplished, and promulgate both
at once ? "
" Surely the Senor Secretario does not suspect us
of bad faith !" replied Delgado. " But as the senor
desires. We had thought he was anxious to consum¬
mate the agreement. If delay is his object, that can
easily be attained."
The crafty Spaniard very well knew that haste was
the object of the Secretary, and Bainbridge did not
leave him long without the assurance. " I do not wish
234
CONSPIRACY
delay," he cried. " What I especially desire is expedition.
But I must be able to answer the arguments of our
political enemies. Can you not suggest some device for
defence ?" for he recognised the sagacity of these trained
politicians and men of the world, and was willing to take
a lesson at their hands.
The Spaniards conferred apart for a while, and then
returned to the table.
" Since," said Delgado, " it is necessary to offer some in¬
ducement to those you represent, we are willing to make
still another stipulation in favour of America, to show our
desire to cultivate amicable and even intimate relations.
We will agree that the duty on live fish imported into
Cuba under a foreign flag shall be void for the United
States."
They had prepared this point in advance, to be
brought forward whenever it was necessary to give a
semblance of liberality to their action, and this they
thought the suitable moment for its introduction. Now
the trade in live fish between Cuba and the United
States affects a single American port, Key West, and
before this duty was imposed it employed about twenty
fishing-smacks, manned almost exclusively by Spanish
Creoles. Only one important firm in the United States
was engaged in the business, and the proposed provision
was worth to the country, or the firm, at most 120,000
dollars a year. The concession, however, was sounding
and grandiloquent in language, and might be made the
subject of a separate provision in the treaty. Its
insignificance could only be detected after study and
examination, which few would have the time or patience
to bestow.
" Still," Bainbridge thought, for his experience of the
morning had not encouraged him to repose implicit
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
235
confidence in his colleagues, " it may be that this pro¬
vision also must be submitted to the Cortes;" and he
modestly put the question.
The Spaniards smiled, and shrugged their shoulders,
and did not even blush, as they admitted the unfortunate
necessity of submitting to this form. " But it was a
mere form. The Cortes would, of course, confirm the
action of the Ministry, and, in any event, the senor's
object would be attained; he would be able to represent
to his countrymen that he had procured an equivalent
for the concessions he had been good enough already to
agree to. It was necessary to humour the crowd. We
men of the world, and of affairs, understand the stress
of political circumstances."
Bainbridge was not so bare of brains that he did not
know what he was doing, but he was, as the Spaniards
saw, determined to accomplish his object, just as they
were determined to accomplish theirs. The difference
was that their machinations were in favour of their own
country, and his policy was unpatriotic. He pretended,
however, not to observe their craft. He knew perfectly
well that the Spanish Administration was tottering, and
that a new one might not enter into these negotiations
at all; might think it politic to stand on its dignity
and gain credit with its constituents for bearding the
Yankees openly. He was willing to swallow their
impertinence, which he had himself provoked or sug¬
gested ; to seem to consider that he was receiving
equivalents for what he was in reality giving away; to
appear to believe that the Spanish Government was
firm and the Spanish Cortes certain to ratify its action,
when he knew to the contrary. But he had qualms, all
the same. His vanity was mortified that he must
appear to these fellows either a dolt or a tool, or at best
236
CONSPIRACY
an accomplice; and although they did not blush, he did
repeatedly. He had never been engaged in such busi¬
ness before, and the novice in many trades has to be
hardened in nerve before he can handle his tools.
The insolent assurance of his antagonists especially
touched him to the quick, and he determined at least to
broach the subject of the wrongs and impositions on
Americans. That pestilent Consul-Gen eral would surely
make trouble if nothing was done in that direction.
Fisher had warned the Secretary that the Spaniards
would be obstinate, but Bainbridge was determined to
ascertain for himself. If he could succeed in securing
something, in carrying away one little laurel, it would
go far to conceal or cover up his humiliating concessions.
Csesar hid his baldness with his bays. A little pro¬
tection of American interests or Americans citizens
would redeem a host of omissions or commissions in
American eyes.
So he stammered, " There is one point more, Mr.
Fisher, to communicate to the gentlemen. Ask whether
it is not possible to do something to ameliorate the
condition of our citizens here, to lessen their taxes, to
take off the restrictions on our trade. Especially this
war tax, which Germans are not subject to; why should
it be laid upon Americans ? Now is the time to settle
this matter."
But the Spaniards at once laid aside their smiles and
put on their armour of haughty reserve. They were
almost affronted at the suggestion. " There had been
no wrongs committed on Americans. The only ones
who ever suffered at Spanish hands were the guilty
ones. The laws of Spain could not be modified to suit
strangers."
" But they have been modified to suit the Germans."
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
237
" If the Senor Secretario desires to enter into diplo¬
matic negotiations, he must approach the Government
at Madrid; we do not meddle here in such matters, and
until his Majesty's ministers decide differently the taxes
prescribed must be collected."
" But how about the American who has lain in prison
for a year without trial ? How about the ship that was
sold for an offence that was never committed ?"
" The alleged American offended Cuban law, and
when Cuban law provides, he will be tried and punished.
The vessel that was sold, was sold for a crime that
merited still severer punishment. No one ever suffers
unjustly under Spanish rule. We cannot submit to
such imputations; and if the Secretary pretends or
presumes to criticise our Government, we must consider
the discussion closed. We had supposed he met us
with amiable intentions, not to recriminate about a
parcel of obscure sea - captains or rebellious Creoles,
claiming a protection that they do not deserve."
Fisher translated faithfully, but the blackening brows
and almost menacing gesticulations of the Spaniards
already showed that the Castilian blood was up; the
Castilian pride had been touched in its tenderest point;
the right to trample on Cuba, and on everybody who
came to Cuba, was not to be disturbed.
Bainbridge saw that the clerk was right—this point
would not be yielded; and though he would have been
glad of the glory of winning, he did not mean to risk
his great international schemes, as the Spaniards said,
for obscure sea-captains and naturalised Creoles; or, for
that matter, for native-born Americans stupid enough
to live away from home. If they wanted protection,
let them stay where it was secure.
He assured his friends that he had no idea of tran-
238
CONSPIRACY
scending commercial matters, and since their authority
did not extend to the subjects he had mentioned, these
should be reserved for other negotiations; and the
Spaniards were bland and suave again.
But before they parted they desired to put in just
another nail. Referring to the agreement that all goods
going from the United States to Cuba should be ad¬
mitted under a reduced tariff, they now insisted that this
provision should be confined to articles originally manu¬
factured or produced in the United States. The reason
for this demand was, that a large transit trade existed
in many articles passing through the United States to
Cuba, and this trade the proposed construction would
secure for Spanish ships, as Spaniards could introduce
the goods under a greatly lower tariff than if they went
in American bottoms. This was the unkindest cut of
all. This straw nearly broke the camel's back. If
Bainbridge yielded this, he offered an absolute bonus to
Spanish ships as against American; and, indeed, it was
known that Spanish lines were in waiting to be set up
at once in opposition to American ones already existing,
if this stipulation were agreed to. He had heard of the
scheme; it had been discussed in New York and
Washington before he started. He was expected to
prevent it. His submission on this point might make
him powerful enemies at home; and he fought hard,
and showed his adversaries how necessary it was for
him not to seem to betray every American interest.
But they were concerned for the rival lines, and their
resolution was unalterable. This proposition must be
agreed to, or the whole negotiation would be abandoned.
Fisher assured him that their language was even more
determined in Spanish than in the translation, and the
clerk implored his master to yield, for Fisher was as
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
239
anxious as the Spaniards to conciliate the Spanish lines.
He had his reasons.
" But how is it possible for me to make such an
arrangement ?" cried the unhappy youth. " How can
I take such a stipulation back to Washington ?"
" If that is all," said the specious Spaniards, " we can
easily show the gentleman a way out of his difficulties.
Say nothing whatever on the subject. We can draw
the provision in such a way that it shall seem to mean
what the Secretary desires; he then can show it to his
friends at home. But let him engage with us that a
contrary construction shall be put upon it by the State
Department. The treaty will declare that all articles,
procedencias, ' proceeding from' the United States shall
be subject only to the diminished duty; this will be
accepted as a triumph in America; and when the goods
arrive here months afterwards, we will insist that ' pro¬
ceeding from' means ' originating in.' There will be a
discussion, and the State Department will decide that
our construction is correct. This will excite little
attention; the treaty will be in force; there can be no
change without a formal revocation of the whole; and
we shall gain what we desire, while the Secretary will
suffer no opprobrium, and doubtless accomplish his own
purposes besides."
This was indeed a skilful ruse, and commended itself
to the badgered diplomatist. It saved his pride, at
least with his own countrymen, and he agreed that the
proposed construction should be adopted, although it
defeated the principal object and purpose of the treaty,
ensured the establishment of rival lines of steamers to
oppose the American ones, and cut off numerous pro¬
mising branches of trade which American houses had
notified him they intended to establish; for all the
240
CONSPIRACY
goods that might have passed through the United States
under the lower duty would now be driven into English
channels, or at best would be transferred from America
by Spanish steamers. This article of the procedencias
was a bitter pill, but he choked it down.
It remained now only to consent that the President's
proclamation announcing the remission of the American
duty should at once be promulgated, and this the
Spaniards promptly demanded. They suggested that
the necessity to submit the two Spanish concessions
to the Cortes need not be mentioned; but that after
the treaty had been laid before the Senate the present
form could be modified, and the submission to the
Cortes inserted in the modification. The first agree¬
ment was the only one that need be publicly announced.
The subsequent modifications would hardly be noticed—
would be in reality secret—and any objections from the
American public would be obviated.
The Spanish concessions, it was true, were to be sub¬
mitted to the uncertain Cortes by an unstable Ministry;
and Ministry and Cortes might both be out of existence
before the concessions could be validated. The present
Cortes, or the next, might or might not sanction the
concessions; but Bainbridge would get what he was
working for, and if the Cortes refused, it was not his
fault. The treaty would be heralded as a success, and
it would be months before the country could learn that
a ratification was necessary, and longer still before it was
ascertained whether or not the ratification was withheld.
So Bainbridge agreed that the President should issue
his proclamation confirming all that the Spaniards most
wanted, and the United States should await the pleasure
of the Cortes before learning whether its share of the
advantages was assured. The fact that the proclama-
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
241
tion was provided for by law made it unnecessary
to ask the consent of the Senate; and the Treasury
could give its orders to its own subordinates without
reporting them to the country, although its officers
were to report their proceedings to Spanish authorities.
" Indeed," said Delgado, with an inspiration of
Mephistopheles, " why call it a treaty at all ? Let it
be an Agreement; then there is no necessity whatever
of a ratification by the Senate. You can announce the
accomplished fact; and if any question arises you have
not made a treaty—it is only an Agreement."
This was, indeed, the solution of many difficulties,
and Bainbridge appreciated its felicity. " An Agree¬
ment let it be," he said, and breathed long again.
There was some further stipulations about another
treaty—promissory pledges to be kept or not, as the
makers might decide—and a few fine words were added
about equality of treatment and the removal of all extra
duties between the Spanish provinces and the United
States, which neither Ministry had the slightest right
to promise or to perform, but which served to fill out
the Agreement and prevent the concentration of atten¬
tion upon the other provisions with their secret meaning.
Then the gentlemen arose and shook hands, and
assured each other of the gratification they had received
from making each other's acquaintance. Each was able
to state definitely that he was supported by his Govern¬
ment ; each had secret but actual powers that satisfied
the other, although the accredited representatives of
both countries were in ignorance of the conference.
Assurances of secrecy were interchanged, and the
Agreement between the United States and Spain, with
especial reference to the Island of Cuba, was consum¬
mated. The two Administrations, or the peculiar sub-
16
242
CONSPIRACY
ordinates of each, were satisfied with their work; but
Cuba and the United States had gained little by the
arrangement. They were left out in the cold. The
interests of Cubans, as such, had never once been con¬
sidered or even mentioned, and those of the United States
had been trampled on or disregarded; but the object
of the visit of Bainbridge to Havana was accomplished.
A few more smiles, offers of cigars, invitations to
dinner, and other civilities, and the high contracting
parties separated at the door; but as he passed through
the corridors, Bainbridge saw his hosts still following
and bowing, and half-way down the stairs there was yet
a final salutation to be made.
It was an extraordinary circumstance, that compara¬
tively obscure subordinates like these should have the
control of an international compact; but the explanation
is apparent. The Spanish Government knew little and
cared less about the interests of Cuba, and the American
Government cared little and knew less about the Ameri¬
can interests concerned. These subordinates had a
peculiar knowledge and an interest of their own in the
affair. The Treasury officials were higher in influence
at Madrid than their nominal superior, and the American
Assistant Secretary approached the President so closely
through the father of one and the wife of the other, that
there was no one to interfere. This was his treaty—
his Agreement.
As Bainbridge and Fisher got into their coche to drive
to the consulate, the former exclaimed, " I wish to
Heaven I had never come to Cuba ! "
" Why not, sir ? after so brilliant a success as you
have had to-day !"
" I don't know what success I have had. I am not
so brainless as not to see that these men have had their
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
243
way in everything. They extorted from me every con¬
cession and gave absolutely nothing in return. They
refused everything I suggested, won every card in my
hand, and left me without either an honour or a trick."
" Who is to know all this, Mr. Secretary ? It was
made very apparent that you would return to the States
with flying colours."
" Flying, indeed! It is I who fly; the colours, I am
ashamed to speak of."
" You must be ill, sir, to look at things in this light.
You spoke very differently five minutes ago. Surely
you have gained the principal object of your visit, and
besides, the duties on American goods are lowered."
" Yes, but that cursed construction about procedencias
upsets it all. There will be a new line of steamers in a
week after the treaty is signed, and the men whom I
promised to favour are hit hardest of all."
" But think of the tonnage dues and the live fish."
"Neither of these provisions is secure. Both must
be submitted to the Cortes. Suppose this Ministry goes
out of power, where are we then ? And even if the pro¬
visions are ratified, there is nothing to be proud of. The
collection of Spanish tonnage dues, the United States ought
to prohibit at once without asking Spain; and when these
men offered me live fish, I could have laughed in their
faces, only I felt more like crying. I knew the ignominy
of my situation as well as they. I declare, I have a
mind not to propose one of the stipulations at home.
How can I carry back to Washington such a mess ?"
" I thought," said Fisher, " you knew all this before
you started. I certainly wrote to Go-Bright what I
supposed would be demanded. You could not expect
them to yield everything and get no return."
" Pshaw ! Fisher; why do you talk like that ? These
244
CONSPIRACY
Spanish concessions don't deceive you any more than
they do me. The treaty is disgraceful. Did you notice
how they behaved when I spoke of American wrongs ?"
" My dear Mr. Secretary, you want a glass of wine.
You are exhausted by the labours of the morning and
the heat of the day. This climate affects you unfavour¬
ably. Will you stop at the Caf^ de Paris and have some
champagne ?"
" I thought champagne was not recommended in this
climate."
" It is under some circumstances, and this is just the
occasion when you require it."
" Well, I do need a stimulus."
They went in, and over a quart of dry Monopole, the
only tolerable champagne in Havana, but without any
edible, for Bainbridge was absolutely unable to eat, the
Secretary began to recover his tone. His view of the
proceedings of the morning was not half so gloomy
after he had swallowed a couple of glasses of the
reviving fluid; and Fisher was able to suggest considera¬
tions which made the result seem in one sense brilliant.
" You have really shown yourself a skilful diplomatist,
Mr. Secretary. You have been able to concoct a treaty
which will at least appear to be a success. The
provisions which must be submitted to the Cortes will
seem to the American public already gained. The live
fish stipulation will look large. Who is to know that it
concerns a single firm in a single town ? Who is to
know that all the fishermen in New England do not
send their cargoes to Havana ? Who is to know of the
construction to be put upon procedencias ? These things
will not be found out for months, and then only piece¬
meal, and by the few who are interested in them.
Then, as to American wrongs, your two articles about
DIPLOMACY IN CUBA
245
' equality of treatment' and a ' second treaty' may be
thought to cover this point. That construction will be
no more forced than the procedencias. Instead of being
outwitted, it is you who do the outwitting; you who
have won the tricks; you who have succeeded. You
were not playing against the Spaniards, sir, but with
them. If they win the game, you share the stakes; the
honours are easy."
" Looking at things in this light, they don't appear so
bad," said Bainbridge, as he poured out another glass.
" I have done what I came for, certainly, and I shall
carry back my treaty."
" And then, you have crowded out Ernest," said
Fisher. " None of his views are embodied in the
Agreement."
" No; I'll be damned if they are !" said the Secretary.
" Even he will admit that. He will be sick of his place
soon; and if not, we will make him so. Come, let us
leave!"
They drove to the consulate next, where Bainbridge
found a telegram from Go-Bright, announcing that
Ernest had sailed for his post. He would arrive in
three days.
" Then," said Bainbridge, " I start by the next steamer.
The fellow will be protesting as soon as he finds out what
we have done; and I must be at home to circumvent
him. When is there a steamer ? "
" There is one on Saturday, but Ernest will be here
before then. I can have the steamer sqil to-morrow, if
you wish."
" I wish it indeed. Say that I have business of great
importance to the Government, and must certainly leave
to-morrow. We do those steamer lines favours enough
to ask one in return."
246
CONSPIRACY
" Oh, they will not hesitate; I am on very good terms
with the agents; and to accommodate you they will do a
great deal."
" More than they would if they knew about pro-
cedencias," said Bainbridge.
Fisher did not laugh. This was too serious a matter
for satire. He feared that his influence with the
American agents would be lessened if it should be known
that he had recommended the construction proposed.
He meant, indeed, to assure them of his fruitless efforts
to protect their interests. " It is well," he thought, " to
be in with both sides. One never knows."
The arrangement was easily made; the day of the
sailing was advanced. Before the influence of the
wine was spent, Bainbridge even left his cards at the
palace in person, but the Captain - General and the
marquesa were "not at home." This fact, however,
was unknown at the entrance, and had to be ascertained
by inquiry. He did not see his coadjutors, or, as Fisher
called them, his partners, in the game of Wednesday,
but allowed the clerk to assure them that he would
carry out the views agreed upon; and thus he sailed
from Havana, like some others who have capitulated—
" with all the honours of war."
Fisher obtained a leave to follow by the next steamer.
The other negotiators also had their conference and
their wine, and though the language was different the
sentiment was similar. They agreed with Bainbridge
in his earlier mood ; they too thought they had out¬
witted him, beaten and browbeaten him; but they also
recollected that he played on the same side, so that he
might not have been so completely stupid as he allowed
himself to seem. When all the parties to an Agreement
are satisfied, what more can be desired ?
CHAPTEE XVII
CONSULAR AFFAIRS
Fisher went punctiliously to the steamer to take his
leave of the Secretary on Friday, and as punctiliously
to the wharf to receive his new superior on Saturday.
Two days afterwards he himself quitted Havana. An
hour before sailing he presented his accounts, which
were not made up to the time of leaving, but ceased
some weeks before; in these he retained a thousand
dollars more than his ordinary pay. This money Ernest
declined to allow him, but Fisher refused to repay it.
As Ernest was responsible in bonds to the Government,
and Fisher had deducted these funds from Government
moneys, the matter was not a personal but an official
one, and when the clerk positively refused to obey, his
superior refused to allow him to sail. Strong, however,
in the belief that Bainbridge dared not desert him,
Fisher sailed in defiance of his commanding officer,
carrying off public moneys for which the latter was
responsible. Ernest at once telegraphed to the Secretary
of State, and wrote detailed reports of these proceedings,
supposing, as a matter of course, that the clerk would
be promptly dismissed. But no notice was taken of
his telegram or of his official or private letters. He
asked for instructions in regard to making out his
accounts under these unprecedented circumstances, but
received no reply.
247
248
CONSPIRACY
Meantime Bainbridge arrived at Washington, and
negotiations for the treaty were formally opened at
Madrid. The stipulations in favour of Spain were all
agreed to, and those in favour of the United States,
which it was known must be submitted to the Cortes,
were all inserted, exactly as if no such necessity existed.
The whole matter was left to Bainbridge. The Secretary
of State was glad to be relieved of the burden, and the
President was persuaded by Adelaide to give the young
man this chance to distinguish himself. So Bainbridge
wrote to great merchants and shippers in New York
and elsewhere, and everyone was notified that this
was to be his treaty. The President himself informed
important individuals who approached him on the subject
that Bainbridge was intrusted with the entire affair.
The Minister at Madrid was employed to carry out his
views, and acted as clerk to communicate the instruc¬
tions of his young superior, or report the answers of
the Madrid Cabinet. The real business had already
been transacted elsewhere.
The Consul-General at Havana, however, was kept in
complete ignorance of what was going on. Not a hint
of the fact that a treaty was in contemplation was
furnished him in public despatches or private letters,
although his official acts were more affected by its details
than those of any other servant of the Government, and
the information he ought to have been able, and was
able, to furnish should have modified every provision
in the Agreement. But his views had been already set
forth; he had recommended a very different arrange¬
ment from that which found favour in the eyes of his
superiors. He had urged a manly, spirited policy,
defending American citizens, protecting American
interests, and looking to the extension and cultivation
CONSULAR AFFAIRS
of American trade; not cringing to Spanish officials,
not truckling to Spanish custom-houses, not abandoning
the honour and dignity of the country to concede unten¬
able and intolerable Spanish demands. Such a man
was of course not in the counsels of those who had
concocted the Agreement with Spain, and the treaty was
published in the newspapers of Havana before it was
sent to Ernest by his Government. It was even circu¬
lated in New York and Cuba by the Department while
it was withheld from the American representative.
When a copy was finally furnished to him at the
same time as to the subordinate consuls, he and most
of them at once perceived its inadequacy, its partiality
to Spain, its failure to protect Americans, its general
pusillanimity. Representations were made immediately,
not only by Ernest, but by other consuls of experience,
of the injurious effects its provisions would have upon
American interests; but the Government had taken its
stand, and was not to be moved by the statements of
men on the ground.
Meanwhile Ernest was becoming convinced that there
was a reason for the failure to listen to his charges
against Eisher. To the original accusations he had now
added others, still more serious, based upon later
discoveries, but all were alike unnoticed. He began to
perceive that these extraordinary efforts to screen
Eisher were coincident with the negotiation of a treaty
dishonourable and injurious to the country. He
remembered the visit of Bainbridge to Havana made in
his absence, immediately before Eisher's departure, and
on the eve of the negotiation of the treaty. He remembered
the difficulty he had found in Washington in procuring
an interview with Littleton; how he had been put off
again and again until Bainbridge had actually started.
250
CONSPIRACY
He recalled the fact that he was not notified of the
intention of Bainbridge to visit his post, but had
discovered it only a day or two before that personage
sailed; although Fisher had been informed a month in
advance, and been directed to prepare for the arrival of
the Secretary.
He noticed now a series of petty persecutions directed
against himself by the State Department; a reduction of
the number of clerks previously allowed, and at the same
time complaints that the work which those clerks should
have performed was not done; a refusal to permit him
the freedom in the administration of his office which was
given as a matter of course to every consul in the
service, including his own subordinates; an interruption
of all despatches of consequence for months; and
generally a series of disagreeable and undeserved rebuffs
—all contrived to disgust him with his post and induce
him to resign.
At first he could not believe that this conduct was
intentional. He had been on terms, if not of intimacy
or friendship, at least of ordinary social acquaintance
with all the higher officers of the State Department for
years; there had been an interchange of courtesies
between them; he had received assurances from both
the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of their friendly
disposition, and he did not deem it possible that there
could be a steady and persistent attack upon him
from this quarter, when he thought he had given no
cause.
But after a while he discovered the cause. He had
pleaded for an honourable and dignified policy in Cuba,
while the Government had determined on a miserable
and ignominious one; and his recommendations reflected
on the conduct of his superiors. He was harshly rebuked
CONSULAR AFFAIRS
25J
for daring to differ with the Department; he was directed
to withdraw statements to the Cuban authorities which
he had never made; he was neglected and disregarded
in matters of the highest consequence to his post; and
now for four months his repeated accusations of dis¬
honesty and insubordination against a man serving under
him were insultingly ignored. Even his representations
intended for the Treasury were withheld, and that
Department was not allowed to know the character and
extent of the charges he had made against Eisher.
Repeated statements of injuries and wrongs to
American citizens were at the same time neglected or
depreciated, and he was told that his extreme views were
not in harmony with those of the Department; that
American shippers were more likely to make false oaths
than Cuban custom officers; that flagrant insults offered
to the Government by Spanish officials were not so
regarded by the Department; and, as a crowning
humiliation, he was directed to make known to the
Cuban authorities the contents of these despatches
disputing and overruling his views.
His eyes being finally opened to the methods, if not
to the purposes, of Bainbridge, he wrote to the Secretary
of State direct, reciting temperately some of the acts of
which he complained, especially the neglect to notice in
any way the grave charges against Eisher. When this
letter reached Washington, Littleton sent for his son and
handed him the communication.
" What does this mean ?" he inquired. " What have
you been doing to exasperate Ernest ? He is a good
enough man. Why can't you let him manage his
consulate as he wants to ? This is not the time, when
a presidential nomination is approaching, to provoke
enmities."
252
CONSPIRACY
" It is nothing," said Bainbridge superciliously; " the
fellow is dissatisfied because he cannot have everything
his own way."
" But does he not make charges of corruption ?"
" Oh, that is a mere personal quarrel between him
and his clerk. I will look into it before long. Let me
write the answer to that letter."
" Yes, do," said the indolent Minister; and the Assist¬
ant relieved him of the task.
Ernest accordingly received a reply in Bainbridge's
handwriting, but signed by Littleton, saying that no harm
had been done him by the delay in attending to Eisher,
excusing and shielding the clerk, but not stating that
the charges would be examined, and declaring that the
Department had no authority to allow him further
clerical force. Yet the Department had a contingent
fund for exactly such purposes, and had drawn from it
the year before in Ernest's favour, when it had chosen
to be just. It knew perfectly well, and had admitted, that
the business at his consulate was more complicated and
crowded than at any other in the service, and far more
important in its diplomatic character than at most of
the legations of the United States. It had promised him
to lay these considerations before Congress, and had not
kept its word.
Ernest then asked that a young man in the consulate,
whom he knew to be honest and capable, should be
appointed deputy, to relieve him from some of the labour
of signing documents, a deputy being invariably nomi¬
nated by a consular officer, and his nomination as a
matter of course approved. An exception to this rule
had never been known by Ernest in a service of thirteen
years in Great Britain and Cuba. But the request was
refused, on the ground that the nominee had not been
CONSULAR AFFAIRS
253
long enough in the consular service, nor enjoyed a suffi¬
cient acquaintance with the business community of
Havana. Ernest showed that the man had been more
than a year in the service of the consulate, and had a
better acquaintance with the business community of
Havana than he had himself. But the refusal was not
revoked; and the reason was obvious. This man had
unearthed the iniquities of Fisher, and Fisher had
confederates both in the Treasury and State Depart¬
ments as unscrupulous and as full of machinations
as himself. In this way the proper and legitimate
administration of the consulate was thwarted, and
Fisher was upheld against the third superior officer
in succession who had reported against him to the
Government.
Simultaneously with the letter written by Bainbridge
but signed by Littleton, Ernest received four public
despatches, each one of which was intended as an affront,
to punish him for daring to complain of his superior officer.
On the same day a claim of his against the Treasury was
disallowed, to persuade him, if possible, that all the
branches of the Government were in solid array, and that
if he fought one he must fight all. This would have
frightened some subordinates, but Ernest stood fire.
Instead of succumbing, he again addressed the Secretary,
under the supposition that even yet Littleton had not been
made aware of the facts, and recited them in chronological
order; this time directly charging improper influence of
Fisher, and that' the action complained of was corrupt.
A copy of this letter he forwarded to the President.
When this communication arrived, Littleton began to
be alarmed. He again summoned the Assistant Secretary,
and now demanded the particulars of the charges preferred
by Ernest against Fisher.
254
CONSPIRACY
" Why in Heaven's name have yon allowed accusations
of this kind to remain unnoticed so long ? This silence
is injurious to the Department. Let me see every one
of these despatches to which reference is made. I am
to blame for trusting so much to you."
Bainbridge muttered something about the press of
business and the absurdity of making personal quarrels
the subject of official notice.
" But I tell you this is not personal. This man
declares he will wait as long as we choose for what con¬
cerns himself personally, but for now nearly four months
you have allowed serious charges to remain unexamined
and unnoticed; and your character and mine are con¬
cerned. I wish to see every one of these despatches."
The papers were brought, and Littleton spent an hour
or two examining them. He then sent for his son again,
and the ordinarily calm and phlegmatic placeman was
aroused. He burst forth at once—
" What have you been doing ? The matter is even
worse than Ernest declares. What reason have you for
screening this clerk ? for reason undoubtedly exists;
you would never have taken this course without one.
Ernest was at least our political friend; we owed him
compensations, and we had promised them to him. He
was inoffensive in Cuba. The stand he took in regard
to Americans was correct; if we had ships, and if it was
not so much trouble, I would support him. But why
insult him ? Why deprive him of clerks ? Why not
allow him to name his own deputy ? Every other
consul has the privilege. And why in Heaven's name
screen this subordinate ? for screening it is, not to listen
to accusations for months.
The young man reddened and was silent, but bent his
head.
CONSULAR AFFAIRS
255
" This must be answered, sir. We shall have a con¬
gressional investigation about our ears. Make a clean
breast of it. Why did you conceal the treaty from
him ? Heaven and earth ! "—and the unfortunate old
man rose from his chair, and shook his finger at his
relative. " Answer me, sir !" he said, and then staggered
back; and as the younger man stood before him and
still made no reply, the Minister buried his face in his
hands. His reputation had been unsullied; he had lived
nearly his allotted time, and intended soon to retire,
without ever a word of scandal having lighted on his
name; and now, at the end of his career, he foresaw
alarming possibilities. His whole frame shook with
emotion. After a moment or two he became calmer;
and raising his head, he said, in soberer tones, " Can
you say nothing ? "
The two were now both seated, the son on the
opposite side of the great official desk of the Secretary of
State. He looked with a scowl of malignant triumph at
his father, and leaning his elbows on the desk, and his
chin on his hands, he growled—
" Whatever has been done is your act. You are
responsible for the treaty before the world. You have
signed letters screening Fisher, as you call it."
" And you dare tell me this ! "
"Itell you the truth,and you yourself cannot gainsay it."
He was about to add more, when a messenger was
announced from the President. This summons opens
all official doors at all hours, and the interview was
interrupted. The messenger brought a copy of the
letter from Ernest which the two Secretaries were
discussing. The President had simply referred it to
Littleton, who opened the paper, and started as if stung
by a snake.
256
CONSPIRACY
" Worse and worse !" he exclaimed. " This very letter
is before the President."
"Better and better," said the younger man. "You
will now see the wisdom of what I say. You must
pursue the course you have begun. You must continue
to support Fisher. If the State Department is not
stronger than a single Consul-General, it had better not
exist. He dares appeal from you. Punish him."
" I will manage this affair to suit myself," said his
father, after a pause. " You have made a pretty muddle
of it. If you had secrets that required concealing, that
is no reason to provoke the very man who might
discover and divulge them. You should have tried to
placate and propitiate him, and render him an ally."
" That would be impossible. He is too persistent.
Look how he has followed Fisher. Eight official
despatches in less than four months."
" Look out, young man, that he doesn't follow you as
hard."
" There is nothing to do but to crush him," said the
other. " It is war to the knife."
"Well, I shall first try other means."
CHAPTER XVIII
complications
Meanwhile the schemes of the conspirators in behalf of
Carlos were all deranged. When Catalina arrived at
the Morro on her return from Espiritu Santo, she found
her brother ill—the natural result of confinement and
bad air, anxiety about his fate, and the restlessness of a
young man interested in public affairs, and suddenly
thwarted at the threshold of what he had hoped would
prove an important career. Carlos was languid in body
and low in spirit; he had violent pains in the head and
back, and was feverish. Catalina recognised with alarm
the tokens of a disease which is tedious and lingering
under the most favourable circumstances, and demands,
above all things, change of scene, abundance of fresh air,
good company, and pleasant thoughts. She strove to
soothe and distract her brother by telling him of the
friendly disposition of both the Captain-General and the
marquesa, of her own plans for his rescue, and finally of
the positive promise of Ramon to aid him. She called
the young Spaniard in to assure his friend, and Arriete,
perceiving the condition of Carlos and the motive of his
sister, joined quickly in her efforts to inspirit and divert
the sufferer. But the youth was listless, and nothing
about himself could excite or interest him.
Finally Catalina bethought her to tell the story of
Aguero, and saying to Ramon, " You are of our counsels
if
258
CONSPIRACY
now, and must know all our secrets," she narrated the
circumstances of the brigand's connection with their
aunt, of his coming to Havana for the sake of Carlos,
of the evening at the palace, and the visit to Espiritu
Santo. With this romantic recital she succeeded for a
while in arousing the attention of the invalid; his eye
kindled and his cheek flushed when he learned what his
chief had risked for him.
" The noble fellow !" he exclaimed; " he is worthy
of his place at the head of our cause. And you too,
Ramon, how can I thank you for what you are doing for
me ? I know what it costs you, for I also am a soldier,
though only a recruit. You are willing to sacrifice your
military honour for me. God bless you !"
" I shall be amply rewarded if I save you, Carlos,"
said the other, stealing a timid glance at Catalina, who
returned him only a slight response. The poor girl
suffered torture every time that she encouraged Ramon,
but endured almost as much when she withheld the
meagre show of regard to which as yet he dared to
think himself entitled. His very modesty made him
more manly in her eyes, and his reticence almost
extorted a regret that she could not give him what he
so richly deserved.
They remained an hour with Carlos, till it was almost
dark, trying to relieve his bodily pain, and, what was
far more important, to soothe his mental suffering.
They could not bear to see him lose heart, who had
been so strong and hopeful until now; but the disease
with which he was evidently threatened has for one of
its earliest indications a depression of spirit, which for
a man in his condition was doubly distressing. The
parting was more touching than ever, for Catalina was
convinced that her brother was already stricken by the
COMPLICATIONS
259
dreaded fever of the tropics. She would not say so to
him, lest it might disturb him, but as she walked to the
boat with Arriete, she disclosed her fears.
" I think I should go at once to the palace," she said,
" and procure permission to remain with him during his
illness. Do you think the General will refuse me ?"
" How can anyone refuse you anything, Dona
Catalina ? " exclaimed her lover, uttering his own feeling
more earnestly than he knew.
She smiled sadly; and Eamon, answering her look and
smile, continued: " At least the marquesa will assist us.
Her influence with the General is all-powerful, and she
is a true friend to you, senorita."
" She is, indeed," said the girl, " a true and dear
friend, and your suggestion is a good one. I will go to
her first. And you too, dear Eamon,"—and the youth
looked up delighted, as she called him by that name,—
" how can I thank you for your interest in him who is
so dear to me ?"
" He is dear to me too, Dona Catalina; doubly dear,
for his own sake as well as yours; and my whole life,
my every effort, is devoted to whatever is dear to you.
If it were not for his misfortune, it would be a happiness
to serve him; and if I do succeed in saving him, I shall
indeed be satisfied."
She rewarded him this time with a fervent look, and
pressed his hand, but could not refrain from saying to
herself, " He will not save him altogether unaided.
Aguero's help is indispensable, and him I cannot reward
as he deserves and as I desire."
They went direct to the palace. The marquesa
received them at once, although it was near the dinner
hour.
" Dear marquesa," said Catalina, " my brother is about
260
CONSPIRACY
to be ill—he has all the symptoms of a fever;" and
she burst into tears. The great woman, whose heart
was as big as her brain, put her arms around the girl,
and held the throbbing head to her own bosom, kissing
the tears away.
" My poor child, your miseries come thick. But be
more yourself. Be hopeful. Be courageous. Perhaps
it is not so bad as you think. This may be a passing
attack. At all events, Carlos shall have the best
medical skill;" and then, anticipating Catalina's request,
" he shall have care and comfort too. Would you like
to be with him, dearest ? I know you would. Every
true woman would in your place; and you shall. Stay
here. I will see the General now."
Ringing the bell, she said to the servant who
answered, " Let dinner wait," and went to her husband's
apartment.
She had some difficulty in carrying her point.
" It is impossible, Inez," said the General. " The
Volunteers would say it is some scheme to let rich
Cubans suffer less than ordinary criminals. 1 cannot
make a difference."
" And is there no difference ?" said this woman of
ancient lineage and of high degree. " What would
be no punishment at all to a man of coarse life and
instincts is death to one of us. Suppose our boy,
the one whose mourning I still wear," she said, with
trembling lips, for neither had forgotten their only
child—" suppose our Luis lay in such a dungeon, and
wanted his mother's arm around his neck, his mother's
care to comfort him, his mother's kiss to soothe him:
what would you think of the official who refused me ?
What shall I think if you refuse this ? There can be
no risk with Catalina. You must let the boy be taken
COMPLICATIONS
to a better chamber, and I myself will go to see him,
and take Catalina with me. I suppose my loyalty is
above suspicion," she said proudly, through the tears
that the thought of her lost son had summoned.
" Unless you let Catalina go, I go, and stay, Don Luis,"
she added almost sternly.
The General looked puzzled and touched at once.
He adored his wife, but his ideal of duty was high,
and he was most averse to incur the censure of the
world, or rather of those who made his world in
Cuba; not so much afraid of the criticism of his
superiors, who knew his character and his career, as
unwilling that the common creatures whom he despised
should think him weak or derelict. It was not an
ignoble infirmity. An ordinary person would hardly
have been susceptible to it, but it could not stand
before the impetuous force of his wife's invocations;
for they were not the entreaties of a suppliant, they
were like the appeal of a queen, not to, but from, a
tribunal.
" One of us women shall remain with that boy. In
the name of our own child, I adjure you."
He knew her well, and that she would keep her
word. And it was no ordinary threat; she felt all the
force of his objections, but was determined that she
would serve her friend.
" Well, Inez, it is a dangerous thing you ask, but you
compel me. Catalina shall go to her brother."
" And she must have a suitable apartment," said the
marquesa. " Put soldiers enough on the outside ; make
everything secure; but give the boy a chance to recover.
And remember, Catalina de Casa-Nueva comes of a race
as noble as our own. Treat her as becomes your station
as well as hers. Let Eamon be on guard, and our own
262
CONSPIRACY
family honour shall answer for the prisoner. Arriete
will agree."
" As you will," said the General.
"Write me the order at once," continued the true
woman, " so that she may go to-morrow, early."
And the General sat down, his toilet incomplete, and
himself wrote the order; and then his wife, still hand¬
some and in the prime of womanhood, gave him a
reward that many younger men would have envied,
and which the greatest man in Cuba was proud and
happy to deserve and to receive.
Early on the morrow all was arranged. Carlos was
already worse, but was removed to another room in the
officers' quarters; sentinels were placed so that the
soldiers could be aware that there was no chance for
escape ; an outer apartment connecting with that of her
brother was prepared for Catalina; and still on the
outside of this Don Ramon was placed. The marquesa
kept her word, and accompanied her friend to the
prison, sat with the prisoner for a while, and strove to
cheer him, and afterwards left the brother and sister
alone. Catalina went to the door with her, and then
was locked within. They kissed each other through
the grating, and Catalina looked her thanks; she could
not trust herself to speak, but the other understood,
and said, "Not now, dearest, don't tell me now. I
have done only what you would do for me. When he
is well, I will listen. I shall come every few days;
and do you write, or send me word by Arriete of all
you want."
Aguero went on Wednesday to the Casa Cordoba as
early as he thought he would be admitted. The condesa
was at home, and he was ushered into a great sala,
COMPLICATIONS
263
where the old noblewoman sat in the rocking-chair
that Cuban ladies always use, and invited him to take
another.
" You were determined not to see the Dona Catalina
yesterday, Juan," she said; "and now I do not know
when you can see her."
" What do you mean ?" asked Aguero quickly.
"Her brother is dangerously ill, and she has-gone to
nurse him at the Morro. The Captain-General has
consented, and the marquesa accompanied her, and to¬
day she is locked up with Carlos, as much a prisoner
as he."
" Carlos ill, and the Dona Catalina with him ! This
is indeed a calamity. And I must leave Havana to¬
morrow ! Aunt, dear aunt," exclaimed the bandit
suddenly, " do you know that I am Aguero, the chief
of the brigands ?"
"You, Juan de la Campa, a brigand! What do you
mean ? Are you mad, Juan ? "
" No, I am not mad, but I feel as if I soon might be.
Listen. Be calm, and let me try to be so."
The old lady had risen from her chair, and the traces
of her former beauty were lighted into expression by
the excitement of the moment. Her grey locks were
still heavy, and her old eyes retained much of their
pristine fire; her venerable hands were full of feeling,
and she gathered her white robes around her with the
air of a woman who had known emotions in her day.
" What do you mean ? What have you to say ?" she
exclaimed, in broken but not discordant tones.
" My dear aunt, when I went abroad I went deter¬
mined to return as the avenger of my brother and my
country."
At the mention of his brother the old lady shivered,
264
CONSPIRACY
for the murdered boy had been her favourite kinsman,
and she had never forgotten or forgiven his fate.
Aguero went on, the condesa still standing, but resting
her arm on a marble vase, as high as herself, that stood
near.
" I came back almost a year ago, and landed on the
eastern coast of the island. I set out at once to arouse
the Cubans. I was not personally known, but I was
able to interest them. I saw that the only way to
begin a movement which should finally secure to us the
mastery of our own country, was to show Cubans that
we could do something ourselves—something that Spain
could not control. Well, aunt, I am Aguero. I secured
Carlos de Casa-Nueva as one of my band. In doing
this I saw his sister. Can you wonder if I loved her ?
Carlos was captured almost instantly, and I came into
Havana, disguised as myself, to save him. Aunt, we
had it all arranged. I saw the Dona Catalina, you
know, at the cathedral and at your house. Forgive
me that I did not tell you then. We went to the
Espiritu Santo; Don Ramon had agreed to help us.
Carlos was to escape, and now he is ill; the Dona
Catalina is with him, and I, his chief, who led the boy
into peril—I am here, as helpless as a woman. Coun¬
tess de Cordoba, I charge you by your name, your rank,
your race, your patriotism—help me."
The grand old woman listened with passionate interest,
for the sentiments of kindred, of race, of patriotism, even
of rank, that Juan had evoked, were still strong within
her.
" Juan, I will do what I can. I am Cuban; you
know I love you, and I love Carlos. What do you
want of me ? I shall not fail; I am the Countess de
Cordoba."
COMPLICATIONS
265
" Aunt, I love Catalina; but she has promised Ramon
de Arriete that if he rescues Carlos, he can claim his
reward. I do not know, but I think, I feel—I believe
—Catalina prefers me. She accepts Ramon because
thus only she can save or rescue Carlos. I may be
mistaken, but, aunt, I love her; and whether she loves
me or no, I will serve her brother. I would serve
Carlos if he were not her brother, for I induced him to
join us. I owe him the fealty that a chief owes his
follower."
" Yes, yes, my boy, I understand; of course," ejacu¬
lated the old widow of a grandee of Spain. " Go on;
what can I do ?"
"Help me, aunt," said the man helplessly; and he
sank into a chair and laid his head upon a table, his
arms clasped over his forehead.
" I am ashamed of myself, but"—raising himself and
looking steadily into the old woman's eyes—" I love,
and you know what that means. You were my father's
sister; our blood is the same."
The old lady came to him and put her hand upon
his throbbing temples: " I am; I know; I have loved.
I will help. I am for you. I am Cuban, and I am La
Campa. Tell me what I can do for you, my boy;" and
she kissed him. The embers she had thought extinct
blazed up anew, and she remembered her own youth,
her own passions, and determined to aid her kinsman.
" I must go to-day," said the bandit; " I must leave
Havana—leave her who is more precious to me than all
that Havana contains. But will you tell her that the
moment her brother is able to think of rescue, I will
return ? Will you present my image to her ? Will
you make her think I love her, though I do not hope ?
She has told me she is pledged to another, and I may
266
CONSPIRACY
not speak of love; but let her know that I am true,
though not impertinent. Act for me, aunt, as a gentle¬
woman can act for a kinsman."
He swallowed his emotion, gathered up his strength,
stood splendidly erect, and said, " Aunt Cordoba,
Countess Cordoba, I leave all in your hands."
"Don Juan de la Campa," replied the old noble¬
woman, " I will do for you all that is possible; you
know it."
He kissed her hand and rushed out of the room, only
to come back and say, " Be sure to let me hear from
you. I will send a note every day. Detain the
messenger until you can despatch a reply by him. Tell
me all." And again he tore himself away.
While Carlos was lying ill at the Morro, Ernest
returned to Havana. He was a close friend of the
family of Catalina's mother, and also visited the con-
desa's house on a footing of intimacy. One day, when
the old lady came by permission to sit with Cataliua
for a while, the girl and her aunt discussed their
anxieties. Carlos was now somewhat better, and im¬
mediately on his recovery his trial was to take place.
The condesa had learned that the Volunteers were
determined to make him an example. He came of
noble blood, and he was an American citizen, and
either circumstance was, in their eyes, a reason for
his sacrifice.
" What can we do, Catalina ? Do you suppose I
could have any influence with the Consul - General ?
So staunch an American ought certainly to take up
the cause of his countryman."
" Everything is worth trying, dear aunt. Will you
go to him ? "
COMPLICATIONS
267
" Of course I will; I will go to-day, as soon as I
leave this prison."
She kept her word, and Ernest was more than willing
to aid them. Not only motives of friendship, but the
principles involved, appealed to the Consul-General.
An American, guilty, at the most, only of an intention
to commit an illegal act, was entitled to protection, or,
at anyrate, to a fair trial and a just decision. Many
Americans, it is true, had been denied every semblance
of justice by Spanish tribunals, but Ernest was deter¬
mined that while he held his post this should not
occur without both protest in Cuba and urgent appeal
to his Government.
He wrote earnestly to the State Department, but his
invocations were unheeded. He repeated the applica¬
tions, but in vain, for Bainbridge was on the spot to
oppose him. Finally he addressed a letter to Adelaide,
for he had known her long, and believed she had noble
impulses and an ambition to exert a great influence
worthily. He told her of the young American, Cuban-
born, of the palliations for his offence—his youth,
his patriotic feeling, his gallantry; and he painted
the character of Catalina, the Daughter of Cuba. He
thought the touch of romance in the story would enlist
the sympathy of a woman, and he was right in the
general surmise; but he did not suspect the peculiar
and personal interest already aroused in the wife of the
President. His very arguments inflamed the rage of
Adelaide.
" Here," she thought, " is another man enticed by
this irresistible sorceress. But I will show both Ernest
and Bainbridge that women in Washington have influence
as well as in Havana. This creole is determined that
her brother shall be saved under the pretext that he
268
CONSPIRACY
is an American. I will not allow the American name
to be prostituted to rescue a Cuban bandit.
She flattered herself, for a moment, that it was a
lofty indignation that excited her. But she was too
clever to be long deceived, even in her passion. " No,"
she said to herself, " it is a contest between us two
women. Let us see which is the stronger. My charms
against hers; my wit pitted against that of the tropics.
I am sorry for the Creole; she has a right to try to save
her brother. But she trenches on my prerogatives.
She would exert her sway over my subjects. She would
control Bainbridge, would she ?—against me ? We shall
see whether she will succeed. I have a President to
work with, and she has a Consul-General. I wonder
which is the stronger."
While she was thus excited, she met Bainbridge, and
asked him about his Cuban experiences.
" How did you like the Havana ladies ? Your father
tells me you found them most attractive."
He was not unwilling to show her that other women
had desired to please him, and had succeeded. He
dilated on the fascinations of the Creoles, and, naturally,
fell into a description of Catalina, which Adelaide was
waiting for. The discarded lover noticed that his com¬
panion listened more eagerly, and, guessing the cause,
went off at once into a rhapsody. He told of the simple
dress and heroic style, so different from Adelaide's
sumptuous costumes and imperial manner; he pretended
to have been even more fascinated than was true, by
Catalina's floating tresses and liquid eyes; he described
the evening at Espiritu Santo and the walk under the
palm-trees, suggesting his susceptibility, but omitting
to depict his discomfiture. But his revenge culminated
when he spoke of music, for Adelaide did not sing, and
COMPLICATIONS
269
he told of the passion in Catalina's voice, till he made
her rival exclaim, " I wonder you did not succumb to
such charms, and remain in Cuba altogether. The
Creole divinity seems not to have been coy. I have
heard from others about her. Is she the lady who
visited you at the consulate ?"
" Ah, madam, she is a lady. She came, with her
aunt, to implore me to help her brother."
The wicked thrust aroused him to defend the girl,
for, after all, he was a gentleman, and he resented the
insinuation, which Adelaide was ashamed of almost
before she had uttered it. Yet she hated Catalina all
the more because Bainbridge defended her, and she
determined again that Carlos must suffer.
That night she broached the subject to the President
as they sat alone in the Bed Boom, after a lev^e.
" What is the last news from Cuba ?" she asked.
" Nothing very important. Bainbridge made a treaty
which has to be ratified at Madrid ; that you know.
We have nothing further except that Ernest—you
remember him ?—is pestering the Department in behalf
of a sham American whom the Spaniards have properly
enough shut up in the Morro."
" He wrote me about him." said Adelaide, " and to
punish him for using such means—for thinking that
I would attempt to influence you in public matters
—I beg you will do the exact opposite of what he
suggests."
" That is a very proper way of treating him," said
the President pompously. " I am glad you perceive
the impropriety of intervening in such matters. Your
sense of what your delicacy and my dignity demand is
absolutely perfect. You know exactly how far your
province extends, and where it ends."
270
CONSPIRACY
She rose and made him a courtesy such as a subject
makes to a sovereign, and he was too much flattered by
the obeisance to perceive the satire or the mockery.
Ahasuerus extended his sceptre, but Adelaide was not
the simple Esther that he thought.
The next day the Consul-General at Havana was
informed that the Government did not think it advisable
to interfere in behalf of so flagrant an offender against
Spanish law as Mr. Carlos de Casa-Nueva.
CHAPTER XIX
conspikacy in washington
Soon after this, Ernest received a very diplomatic and
elaborate letter from the Secretary of State, intended to
placate, if not propitiate, the troublesome subordinate;
disclaiming any intention to disregard him, and
endeavouring to gloze or palliate the treatment of
which he had complained, without, however, in any way
disavowing it; still undoing no wrong, taking no step to
examine the charges against Eisher, the determination
to shield whom was as apparent as ever, and making no
reference to the action of the Department in concealing
the negotiation of a treaty from the officer to whom by
every rule of official courtesy or propriety it should
first have been made known. The whole letter was an
evasion; but the Minister was evidently inclined to
hedge, and did not care to increase an opposition that
might become formidable; and if a few pleasant words
would pacify this would-be Cerberus, in Heaven's name
let him have the sop. Accordingly, he resented none
of the imputations that Ernest had so freely launched
against the Department, deeming it wiser to avoid this
subject altogether; but had those imputations been
unfounded, he would and should have either called
upon their author to sustain them, or dismissed him
summarily from the service. It was a bitter mortifica-
272
CONSPIRACY
tion to the Minister to write this letter, but he could
perceive no more prudent course.
At the same time the whole tone of official documents
was changed: despatches were rained upon Ernest full
of praise of his fidelity, his spirit, his zeal, his
acquaintance with affairs; communications of his own
that had remained unanswered for months were all at
once recollected, and received replies; copies of despatches
to the Minister at Madrid, and of letters to the Spanish
Envoy at Washington were forwarded to him; and a
sudden show of confidence and cordiality was made.
But not one word was said in any official document
about Fisher; no real aid was given, no injustice was
righted, nothing complained of was rectified.
The first-fruits of the negotiation meanwhile had
already appeared. The question of the procedencias was
promptly raised. The treaty had hardly been promulgated
before the Spanish authorities in Cuba made known the
construction they put upon the word. The importance
of the point was seen at once by American merchants
in Havana, who directly appealed to Ernest against the
Spanish ruling. The consul had received no intimation
whatever from the Government of its views on any point
involved in the Agreement, and he put the obvious
interpretation upon the words; he naturally supposed
" proceeding from " meant " proceeding from." Never¬
theless, this was a matter of consequence, and he
telegraphed to the Department for instructions. The
answer was prompt, peremptory, and decisive; entirely
in accord with the Spanish pretensions, ignoring the
arguments of the Americans, upsetting their plans,
favouring Spanish shippers at the expense of American
lines, and altogether unacceptable to every American
not only in Cuba, but in the United States, who was
CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON 273
interested in Cuban trade. A host of protestations
were hurled at the Government from those who were
injured,—from Boston, New York, New Orleans, and
Havana,—and Ernest and other consular officers supported
their countrymen to the best of their ability; but the
Department was inexorable. Ernest told of the Spanish
lines that were waiting for this decision in order to rival
Americans, of the American traders who were hoping to
undertake new enterprises; but the Spanish lines were
fostered, and the American enterprises frustrated; and
the Department fulminated long and elaborate opinions
to prove that " proceeding from " meant " originating in."
It convinced nobody of anything except of its own
indifference to American interests and its determination
to satisfy Spanish greed. Its concern in this matter
was indeed so keen, that upon Ernest's first inquiry the
reply of the Department was more than harsh; and
although he had simply asked for information before
announcing the construction of the Department, he was
told if he had made known a different view, he was to
proceed at once to the Spanish authorities and recall his
utterances. He had, however, been properly subordinate,
and had waited for the decision of his Government before
he promulgated it. The extreme anxiety displayed on
this point contrasted strongly with the indifference with
which his appeals and adjurations were received when
an American citizen or an American interest was
endangered. The especial solicitude of the American
Government was reserved for Spaniards.
A great flourish had been made about the completion
of the. original Agreement. But within six weeks from
the signing of the document, a new Ministry came into
power at Madrid, and refused to be held by the
arrangements of its predecessor; so that the necessity
18
274
CONSPIRACY
for submitting the provisions to the Cortes became at
once public, and a new treaty had to be negotiated.
In this, four of the original articles were sacrificed, two
being omitted altogether, while those affecting the export
duties in American ports, and the duty on live fish in
Cuba, it was now openly agreed, should, " in due time,"
be submitted to the Cortes, the Cortes having been
dissolved, and the date for the new election not having
been determined. Thus all the compensations for the
American concessions were either frittered or explained
away, or absolutely, for the present, null and void.
The modified treaty, however, thus exchanged in the
cradle, was kept carefully concealed from vulgar eyes.
Its existence was one of the State secrets of the Ad¬
ministration, not communicated to the outside world.
The modification was not given to the newspapers, and
the country, as the Spanish friends of Bainbridge had
foretold, was not aware of the metamorphosis—not even
that it had become unavoidable, much less that it had
been absolutely effected. In a few weeks the new
Spanish Ministry openly announced that it did not hold
itself bound to continue the negotiations which the
American State Department had triumphantly proclaimed
were to be speedily renewed; but this circumstance,
also, was not generally known, and the Administration
escaped for a while the ridicule and censure that its
ignominious failure, to call it by no worse name, deserved.
And so the provisions of the treaty injurious to the
United States went into effect, while those beneficial to
this country were postponed or construed away. The
retaliatory tax was taken off from Cuban goods coming
to the United States, but that on goods proceeding in
transit from the United States remained. The Cuban
imports to the United States were duly reported by the
CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON
American Treasury to the Spanish consuls, and the
same consuls levied their tonnage dues on American
ships and American goods in American ports; even
American live fish still paid the tax to Cuban custom¬
houses. New lines of Spanish steamers began to run
between Cuba and the United States to rival the
Americans, and the attacks on American citizens in
Cuba were prosecuted with reinvigorated and unrestricted
zeal.
The Bainbridge party, indeed, seemed to suppose that
they were placed in high position for their own benefit
and amusement. It did not, apparently, occur to them
that they had duties to perform beyond those of society
or routine; that they held office to serve the country
and its interests. They acted as if the American people
existed on their account and for their advantage. In
this matter it was not a question of annoying Ernest
or maintaining Fisher that was of consequence; these
were only the incidents and illustrations of their policy.
But these men thwarted great things. Their influence
was not negative, it was positive. The development of
American enterprise, the employment of American
capital, the extension of American commerce, the
advantage of the American nation, were hindered because
they were in power.
The possible or eventual acquisition of Cuba, or even
its pacification, its restoration to good government, its
relief from such horrors and iniquities as are incessant
there, may have been beyond their province; it may not
be the duty of the United States to search the world to
succour distressed communities; but it is the duty of the
American Government to secure its own citizens against
unjust confinement, to prevent the seizure and sale of
their property under illegal processes, to uphold the
276
CONSPIRACY
flag of their country against foreign orders or efforts to
strike it down; and all this the Bainbridge party not
only failed to do, but absolutely worked against. They
not only allowed their countrymen to suffer, but their
course encouraged the Spaniards to commit and repeat
their iniquities; and American interests were worse off
than if these men had never held authority.
This very treaty had been looked for so longingly by
every skipper trading between American and Cuban
ports. These hard-worked men had complained daily
and hourly at the consulates of the outrages of Spain.
They had built great hopes upon this negotiation; but
they now declared that they suffered more than ever.
The officials of Cuba were encouraged in their exactions
by the neglect to notice those exactions in a treaty of
such pretension at this emergency. This treaty, not
only the American merchants in Cuba, but all those at
home trading with Cuba, had expected would aid and
support them. This treaty, the men who for years had
contended against prodigious difficulties, in order to
sustain American steamer lines, had hoped would come
to their assistance; but all alike were stricken by the
hand that should have sustained them.
After the interview with his father, Bainbridge had
a conference with Go-Bright, and inquired if Fisher
could not be induced to resign. The clerk had been in
Washington all the while. He had been shown the
incriminations of Ernest, and was becoming nervous
about his fate. Go-Bright was very willing to throw
him over, and advised him to quietly drop out of notice
for a while, and be rewarded with a better post when
this whole matter had been forgotten. But Fisher
knew his advantages, and utterly refused to abandon
them. He had, besides, not learned to put too much
CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON
trust in potentates. He declared he must be supported
and protected. He had worked and suffered for the
Government, and the Government must save him now.
" Others get all the reward," he said, " and I nothing
but the blame. The division is not fair. I had rather
make overtures to Ernest than be ruined altogether."
The remark was understood and reported, and it was
sufficient. Fisher was informed that he would be
upheld.
The Assistant Secretary, however, although he had
been so bold with his father, had his moments of
depression, and then Go-Bright did his best to infuse
encouragement. The chief of the bureaux had been
longer in official life than his master; he had seen
too many subordinates stricken down by the hand of
authority to suppose that Ernest could hold out long.
He knew how hard it is for one man, even in the
right, to fight a Government; what hosts of interested
adherents rally to trample on the offender. He knew
how subordinates almost always yield rather than resign.
So he insisted that the only way to treat this refractory
servant was to push him to the wall. He set all this
before Bainbridge, and under his judicious treatment
the young man recovered his tone. They were forced
for a time to submit to the decision of Littleton, but
Go-Bright predicted that the Secretary would eventually
come over to their opinion.
Go-Bright was right. The views of the Consul-
General were in no way modified by the sweet words
with which the Department sought to cover up offensive
deeds. Ernest now appealed direct to the President,
and wrote a formal letter reciting in detail the acts
of Fisher and Bainbridge—the corruption of one, the
connivance of the other, and the simultaneous negotia-
278
CONSPIRACY
tion of an improper treaty—and called upon the chief
of the nation to determine whether theBe proceedings
were connected as well as coincident.
The President had already consulted Littleton in
regard to the preceding letter, and the Secretary,
imitating Bainbridge in the earlier stages of the game,
belittled the matter. Ernest thought too much of him¬
self—he was dissatisfied with his post and with what
had been done for him. He forgot that it was not his
personal friends who were in power, and acted as if he
thought himself behind the throne. And the President
naturally accepted the explanations of his Minister, and
forgot the affair.
Now, however, came direct and personal appeals to
himself, followed up by a telegram inquiring if the
letter had been received. The matter was becoming
serious. He showed the letter to Littleton. The
Secretary was angry, but hardly surprised. He had
known it must come to this, and had prepared himself;
still, it was mortifying to be reported to his superior, like
an ordinary offender. But he had been long in official
life, and was used to unpleasant emergencies.
" I supposed you would receive something of this sort,
Mr. President," he said, returning the letter. " Ernest
is determined to make himself prominent. He over¬
rates his own consequence and his little affairs. There
is absolutely nothing in this matter. The corruptions
he speaks of are capable of easy explanation or apology;
they are slight peccadilloes, not worth making all this
ado about; nothing more than is occurring constantly
in many quarters. The Government could not be carried
on that stopped to consider matters of this sort."
" But what does he mean by his reference to the
treaty ? Why was it concealed fro© him ?"
CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON
"Mr. President," replied the Minister with dignity,
" I really do not think it necessary to report to a
Consul-General the details of a treaty before it is made
known to him; it is enough for him to carry out the
instructions he receives. You know the treaty. It has
been laid before the Senate. It has been printed in
the Congressional documents. That is enough, surely.
Ernest did lay some views before me about extending
trade and inviting capital to Cuba; but I am not in
favour of capital going out of the country. We want it
all at home."
This political economy seemed excellent to the Pre¬
sident, who to the last was more at home in matters of
etiquette and political sleight of hand than with enlarged
national policies. He nodded his head; and the Secretary,
perceiving his advantage, continued—
" As to the trumpery insinuations against my son, I
presume our family name is a sufficient answer to them.
But if you wish, Mr. President, to choose between a
Consul-General and a Cabinet Minister, my resignation is
at your disposal."
The President opened his eyes, and hardly knew
whether to be amused or amazed. But the Secretary
had been diplomatic. He had made his superior under¬
stand that although he considered this whole matter an
impertinence, if it proceeded further he should resent it,
and absolutely refuse explanation. As to his resignation,
he knew perfectly well that was not to be thought of.
Had every accusation been triumphantly proven, the
President must have stood by his Cabinet Minister.
The downfall of one would have been the defeat of the
other.
The President merely waved his hand, as if to dispel
the notion of such a possibility as a resignation; and
28o
CONSPIRACY
yet he was disturbed. The Presidential nominations
were near. An accusation of this sort against his
Administration was more than unpleasant, it was
alarming.
" What do you propose to do, Mr. Secretary ?"
Littleton was taken aback; he supposed he had
settled the entire affair, and had not calculated suffi¬
ciently on the natural selfishness of humanity. But in
the President's estimation, grave interests were at stake,
and he looked fixedly, awaiting an answer.
Littleton considered. He never moved rapidly; and
it was some time before he answered. At last he said,
" I think the wisest policy is silence. We give these
accusations importance by noticing them. Ernest is
out of the country, and will remain there. The only
possibility of his doing harm will be at the Convention
at Chicago. After you are once nominated, all Bepub-
licans must support you; and whatever is said against
your Ministers will be considered a campaign story.
We can protract explanations and muzzle this fellow,
at least until June, and then dismiss him. His outcry
then will be the malice of an expelled subordinate."
" If you can succeed in calming him, it will be well.
But above all things let there be no open scandals now.
Pacify him if you can—at least until June."
" I will stifle him in one way or another, Mr.
President;" and the Cabinet Minister took his leave.
The President, however, was far from satisfied, and
talked with Adelaide on the subject. He was extremely
eager for his nomination, and as an old worker in
political campaigns, he knew the influence an attack
like this might have at a critical moment.
Adelaide listened with a double interest, for her
husband and her former lover. She was, of course,
CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON 281
anxious for an extension of her term of queendom, and
had become by this time something of a politician, learn¬
ing some of her husband's arts, imbibing naturally some
of his notions, and contracting some of his habits of
thought. She felt the possibility of injury from the
story of a treaty which ignored or bartered away
American interests. Her first instinct was womanly—
it was to cajole the enemy.
" Can we not invite him here and make much of
him ?" she said. " How would it do to write him a
letter yourself ? You used to know him in old days.
Say you would like to consult with him. Ask him to
stay with us."
" No; that would hardly do," said the President,
"after he has made such charges as these. Littleton
wouldn't stand it."
" Well, order him to Washington, and leave him to
me! He likes the vanities of this wicked world. A
dinner or a drive might go far to dissipate his indigna¬
tion. I do think he has been managed badly. They
should have done abundance of small things for him,
and left him out in the large ones. But to hurt him in
both great and small was bad play."
" So I say," said the President. " They ought to have
consulted me before. Neither of these men has any
shrewdness. 'Tis too late, however, now to make great
amends. And I am afraid to order him here. If he
should not prove complaisant, he would be more
dangerous than in Havana. I think, on the whole, he
had better be kept away. But Bainbridge must yield
a little; send him a clerk "—
" In Heaven's name send him a dozen," said Adelaide.
" Do a hundred things for him rather than have him
thundering in the newspapers,"
282
CONSPIRACY
" He can't write to the newspapers, thank Heaven ! "
said the President. " He is in office, and he knows the
official rules and observes them."
" Then, by all means, keep him where he is, but
certainly do nothing to increase his anger. Propitiate
him a little, if possible."
" I will talk to Bainbridge myself," said the President.
Adelaide had determined to do the same thing, but she
did not announce her intention.
But before the policy of the Administration could be
carried out, the President received a telegram from
Ernest, requesting to be ordered to Washington to
substantiate his accusations. The President was
frightened. It was within six weeks of the nominations.
If this fellow could not be silenced, it might become
necessary to find a scapegoat. The cause of all the
trouble was Bainbridge. He had made the treaty. He
had screened the clerk. It was true he was Adelaide's
friend, but that ought not to save him if he stood in
her husband's way. He began to think it would be
well for Bainbridge to resign, to avoid an investigation,
and he said so. But Adelaide was up in arms.
" What good would that do ? The investigation
would go on."
" Yes, but it would show that I countenanced nothing
that was wrong."
" There has been nothing wrong."
" There may as well have been, so far as I am
concerned. If these accusations are heralded over the
country between now and June, it matters very little
what has really been done, and you may bid good-bye
to your greatness. For our—your sake, I may be
compelled to take some step that I greatly dislike,"
§he condescended to caress him,
CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON 283
"For my sake do nothing till I have a talk with
Bain bridge. Let me learn what he has to say. You
need not answer this telegram to-day."
"No, but it must be answered soon. Silence itself
is suspicious now."
" Will you wait a day—for me ?"
"Yes."
" You will not be sorry, I am sure."
She sent a note at once to Bainbridge, asking him to
come immediately to her, and in ten minutes he was
with her alone, for the first time since her marriage,
now more than a year. Her regard for him had not
abated, although it was changed. She had tasted and
relished all the grandeur of her position; she had filled
her role, had received all that for which she had
bartered her happiness, and she still knew that her
happiness was gone. Her beauty had not waned, for
pride had kept her up; her spirit and bearing were as
superb and imposing as ever; she had not aged; and
yet there was a touch of something in look and manner
that betrayed she was not satisfied. She knew what it
was. She knew that the same ardent passion that once
consumed her against her will, raged at her heart as
wildly as ever. And now, its object was in danger. It
was for her to save him and shield him at every cost.
What he had done she cared not. If it had been
murder, it would have been all the same to her. She
would have loved him even more, not because of the
crime, but because of his suffering from the result;
because he needed sympathy and support. When he
entered, she looked at him almost wildly.
He had changed entirely. His passion was dried up,
stamped out; the interest of his new position, and
particularly of his recent career, had completely filled
284
CONSPIRACY
its place. His nature was not large enough for two
emotions at once, and ambition, or something like it,
had grown up. His intellectual qualities had also been
developed in a degree, by exercise, by contact with men
of ability, and practice in wider fields. He was still far
from great, or even able; he blundered incessantly; but
the intense situations into which he had of late been
thrown, made him a different man from the one she had
known. He was stronger, harsher, keener; and he was
in a tremendous crisis.
He knew of the telegram the President had received,
and that this was the hour in which he might be ruined.
He knew, of course, why Adelaide had sent for him,
and he expected aid. He had no false pride to make
him reject it. He was willing to avail himself of
her assistance in the sphere she had reached by her
falsehood to himself.
So they met—the woman, willing to do wrong, to
save or serve the man; he, willing to accept shame,
to be served. Each fathomed the other. She knew
his meanness, and, greatest triumph of all for her
passion, loved him even in that meanness. He knew
her love, and, greatest meanness of all, stooped to avail
himself of the love, and of the price she had received
for discarding it.
She made no pretence of formality, but went straight up
to him, and seized his hands. " What is it ? What can
I do ? What do you want done ? Sit down and tell me."
He sat beside her on the sofa, and she was thrilled
even then by his close presence, although she saw and
felt that he was cold. " But 'tis my fault, and my
punishment," she thought; " he is cold because I killed
his flame. All the more need for me to do what I can
for the man I have turned to stone,"
CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON 285
" I don't know what to tell you," he said; " I suppose
you know all."
" I know that you have made a treaty that this man
says is bad, and that you have screened another man
who he says is wicked."
" Well, I made the treaty, and I support the man."
" Why do you support the man ? Can you tell me ?
Will you ?"
" There are a thousand reasons in politics why we
cannot discharge men we do not respect," he said.
" This man served me, and I cannot desert him."
" That is noble, but do not let your magnanimity "—
He laughed outright, even in that moment, at the
idea of his being magnanimous; and she went on. " I
do not care what your reason is. What I want is to
serve you. I only want to know whether the reason
can be combated."
" No—no—no," he replied; " and I cannot go into
details. There is nothing to explain, nothing to
palliate. The facts are that I made the treaty, and that
I won't, I can't give up the man."
" Are you afraid of an investigation ?"
" I don't want it. You know what that means—
a horrid scandal; an accusation which half the world
believes, or pretends to believe, no matter what the
real verdict. It will injure the President as much as it
will me."
" Bainbridge! the President is really anxious.
Indeed — indeed" — and she tried hard to save his
feelings—" he talks of requesting you to resign."
" That will be damaging to him," he said.
" But he thinks it exonerates him. Tell me how I
can help you."
They discussed the matter long. He told her what
286
CONSPIRACY
he thought was necessary, but she cared for no details
now, only to get him free from danger. All her womanly
keenness, all her intellectual talent, was brought to
bear, sharpened by her apprehensions for him, and by
her own anxiety, which now and then came up, but
only rarely, for her own place and her husband's. The
man was worth little in the discussion ; the situation
rather dulled his wits. He never came out strong in
an emergency. He could sometimes prepare himself
in advance, but he had not a spark of that genius that
comes suddenly to brilliant men when they most
require it. He had, however, a stolid, sullen determina¬
tion, which sometimes stands in stead of finer qualities.
He had no acute perceptions to tell him what to do—
how to get out of his predicament—but he could stand
still and fight. He felt a dull but steady instinct that
his policy was silence—always, everywhere: to the
woman who still loved him, as he knew full well; to
his father, to the President, to the world—to Ernest.
He thought and said that all they had to do was—
nothing: not to answer the telegram ; not to allow the
man to come ; not to reply to his despatches ; keep him
in Cuba ; and go on as if nothing had happened.
Sometimes the apathetic stupor of a dull - witted
man answers better than the agony of achievement of
a keen one, and Adelaide perceived that what he
suggested was the best, because the only possible, policy.
But how to induce her husband to adopt it. She must,
whether she knew how, or not; and she promised
Bainbridge that she would.
That night there was a dinner for forty at the
Executive Mansion. Adelaide looked her best. She
went through all the forms with stately grace, and
entertained her guests more brilliantly than ever before.
CONSPIRACY IN WASHINGTON 287
She had said no word to her husband about Bainbridge,
but he noticed her unusual spirit, and supposed she
had heard something that augured well. Each was
impatient for the close of the evening, for the President
wanted to learn her discoveries and relieve his own
anxieties ; while she, feeling the power of her passion,
was eager to exert it while the spell was strong.
As soon as the last guest had left, she went up to
her husband, as he stood under the great chandelier at
the centre of the East Eoom. The immense apartment
was ablaze with light, and still warm from the presence
of the recent company; redolent with perfume, and
brilliant with the colour of flowers and ornaments.
Adelaide was dressed in white satin, with tiara and
necklace and bracelets of diamonds; she fairly blazed
with the jewels, which set off her sumptuous bosom and
arms, and added to the lustre of her eyes and the glow
of her complexion. There was no other ornament:
not a flower, nor a bit of lace on her gown.
" I want a favour of you," she said at once.
He saw what was coming. There was that tenseness
of manner which betokens great feeling. Her voice did
not tremble, but it was full of passion ; her lip did not
quiver, nor her eye blench—both were firm and grand.
She asked for a favour like one who gives a command,
and she spoke to the equal of monarchs.
" Is it about Bainbridge ? "
" Yes. He must not be asked to resign."
" I do not know what else is to be done."
" I do not care; but this you must do for me,
Albert! There must be no mincing now. You know I
gave up this man for you. I must save him."
" Why are you so anxious ? Do you care for him
still ? "
288
CONSPIRACY
" I am true to you ; but I will save him.
" There has been a second appeal from Ernest
to-day. He has offered his resignation unless he is
allowed to return."
" You must not accept his resignation. Keep him
there."
" What good will that do ? If Bainbridge has done
wrong, it must come out. But if he resigns, Ernest
may be satisfied."
" Bainbridge must not be stricken by my husband.
I tell you, Mr. President,"—and she drew herself up
proudly, and her eyes blazed with a tremendous power
he had never seen in them before,—" you must save
him." Then, suddenly, with voice and features full of
tenderness—" Will you ?"
He was about to approach her, but she drew off.
" Will you save him ?"
" Adelaide ! I cannot. If I retain him, it may be my
—your destruction. We may lose all."
"I had rather lose all than that he should be
sacrificed."
" Then you prefer him to me."
" I have not said so. I do not say so. I am your
true and loyal wife ;" and as he moved away in an
agony of fear and anxiety she followed him. They
paced up and down the long and lofty hall, he in
advance, and she sweeping after him in her gleaming
robes—appealing, urging, not imploring—until finally,
she stopped and exclaimed, " Albert, listen to me. If
you destroy that man, I will leave you, I will disgrace
you. I am capable of everything. You shall not have
your will by crushing him. You will go down yourself
in the fall. Your selfishness will not save you. The
President who has this scandal about him that I will
COMPLICATIONS
289
make about you will never spend a second term in
these halls. Take your last look at them and at me."
He stopped short, stunned and amazed at the im¬
portunities, which were almost imprecations. He saw
that she was wrought up to a pitch that made her
indeed capable of all she had threatened. He feared
her, and he loved her—and he yielded. Bainbridge was
saved.
As soon as it was decided to screen Bainbridge, it
became indispensable to crush Ernest. Hot only was
it agreed that no notice should be taken of his accu¬
sations, but everything possible was to be done to
depreciate his services and disparage his character.
But before this policy could be fairly initiated, Ernest
sent in his resignation, to take effect immediately,
unless he could be ordered to Washington to sub¬
stantiate his charges. This demand it was necessary
to notice; yet it was most undesirable to allow him
to return on the eve of a Presidential nomination, with
his budget full of discoveries. So the Secretary of
State replied to his first application, as if the second
had not been received, " The President directs me to
say that it is not advisable to order you to Washington,
as your services are required at Havana." This, it was
thought, would silence him for a while; but Ernest
immediately replied: " I request you to say to the
President that I am unwilling to serve under a Depart¬
ment whose policy I disapprove, and which I consider
has treated me with injustice and indignity." Even
this was left unanswered, until, detecting the design,
Ernest telegraphed again directly to the President: " I
shall appeal to the people to-morrow, unless I hear
from you." If he should appeal to the people, un-
T9
290 conspiracy
pleasant consequences might ensue, especially if the
Government were placed in the attitude of retaining him
against his will where he could not testify. So his
resignation was accepted within twenty-four hours, and
he turned over his office to a subordinate and sailed by
the next steamer for New York.
But it was now time to strike hard ; and on the day
when his resignation was accepted, while he was still
out of the country and unable to reply, notice was given
to the newspapers that he was short in his accounts,'—a
statement absolutely false. But a letter, eight months
old, addressed to him by the Comptroller on the subject
of a disputed claim, was raked up at the Treasury, and
published with the declaration that, though Ernest had
been repeatedly called upon to make good a deficit, he
had failed to reply. Nevertheless, the whole subject
had been reopened and reconsidered, by the express
direction of both the Secretary of the Treasury and the
Comptroller, and remains undecided to this day. This
was the first open blow dealt by the Bainbridge party
at their whilom subordinate.
Ernest arrived, and in a week published charges
against the State Department itself, of screening
corruption, of neglecting American interests, and
negotiating a dishonourable and injurious treaty with
Spain; challenging the Government to publish every
despatch that had passed between himself and the
Department, to prove or disprove his assertions. But
the Government did nothing of the sort. Instead, there
was instantly published a forged letter from the
Comptroller, calling for moneys said to be due by Ernest
—a letter which had never been written—together with
further false allegations in regard to his accounts. This
was the second time that this weapon of irrelevant
COMPLICATIONS
291
falsification was employed in reply to a man who had
charged the Department with grave misdeeds, which he
offered to prove.
Now, however, the Bainbridge party was greatly
alarmed, for forty newspapers took up the accusations
of Ernest at this most critical juncture in the history of
the President. The consul continued his fire of letters
to the press, and published, besides, a pamphlet, which
was laid on the table of every senator and representative
in Congress, as well as of other prominent men through¬
out the country. The shots went home, and a conference
was held to determine the best way of meeting the
assault. It was resolved, as before, to say nothing in
reply : to publish no despatch, to pay no attention to
the accusations, and to notify all Republicans, whether
friends of the President or no, that a Congressional
investigation must not be held ; as whatever the result,
the fact would be damaging to the party in the elections.
But the charges took effect all the same. Along with
other grave objections to the course of the State
Department, and to the tactics and deportment of the
President, they contributed to the defeat of Albert at
the Chicago Convention. The nation, indeed, was
especially tired of the do-nothing and pusillanimous
policy of the State Department; it wanted American
citizens protected abroad as well as at home, and
American interests fostered; and no one thing contributed
more to the preference for Albert's successful competitor
than the belief that he would overturn the Littleton
dynasty, and substitute for ignominious indifference in
foreign affairs, a manly and vigorous assertion of the
American name, a proper and honourable guardianship,
and, if need be, defence, of American interests.
Meanwhile Ernest resorted to other means to unveil
2g2
CONSPIRACY
to the country the proceedings which had been so
carefully concealed. He gave to the world a fictitious,
narrative, describing many of the recognised traits of
public characters, and setting forth many circumstances
which had actually occurred ; but adding to the portraits
features drawn from his own imagination, and to the
story incidents which, it was manifest, were unreal;
but the whole calculated to draw attention to the
condition of Cuba, to its relations with the United
States, and especially to the course of the State Depart¬
ment in deliberately and persistently ignoring corruption,
and simultaneously negotiating an improper treaty with
Spain. This narrative found many readers, and made
many anxious to know more. The result was a complete
disclosure of the conduct of the Department, a merited
and absolute disapproval and rebuke of its action as
unworthy of the Government and the nation, and a
general feeling of relief on the 4th of March that the
country was well rid of inefficiency, indolence, the rule
of subordinates, and the protection of those who were
worse than incapable. For this result, Ernest was
content to have suffered long, so as to be finally vindicated,
and to have contributed, in whatever degree, to the
exposure of injustice and wrong-doing in high place, and
to the punishment of those who prostituted great office
for private interests, or personal vanity, or revenge.
CHAPTER XX
deliverance
Carlos remained ill for a month. The change of
apartments, the physicians said, had saved his life;
had he been kept in the noisome cell where he first
was placed, he could not possibly have recovered. But
even under more favouring circumstances the balance
was held long. The heats of the approaching summer
had begun, and he had lived so long in northern climates,
that he felt the tropical influences keenly. It was
weeks before he began to mend. Catalina bore the
confinement bravely. Her father, as well as the con-
desa, was permitted to see her; the marquesa kept her
word, and paid frequent visits, and Ramon comforted
her daily. For the time, of course, all thought of escape
had been abandoned.
One afternoon, when Carlos was near his recovery,
Catalina sat by his bedside, and the lad asked her when
she had heard from Aguero.
" Dear Carlos, are you really well enough to listen
and to talk ? "
" Yes, Catalina; my head is clear. Let me know."
The girl then told him she had received messages
almost daily from the chief, who was ready to aid in the
escape as soon as Carlos should be sufficiently recovered.
"When, dearest, will you be strong enough to walk?
293
CONSPIRACY
Whenever you can walk to the shore, Aguero and Don
Ramon will arrange the rest."
"In a week or two, sister," said the lad, his eye
brightening at the thought of rescue. " How good you
all are! Not only you, Catalina, for that does not
surprise me. I knew, of course, you would do all in
your power for me; but the others, my chief, and
Ramon, who is a Spanish officer, and must risk more
than anyone else to save me—more, even, than life."
" Yes," said his sister faintly, willing to dismiss the
theme.
" Ah, Catalina, he is devoted to you as well as to me.
He deserves whatever you can give him in return."
" Hush, dear Carlos; let us not think of this.
Arriete is good and noble and true indeed, and I
appreciate it all."
Just then Ramon himself entered with a messenger
from the condesa, bringing wine and fruit for the sick
man.
" Dear Ramon," said Carlos, " I have been telling
Catalina of my gratitude to you. She has said once
more how willing you are to aid me"—
But Catalina laid her finger on his lips, and turning
to Arriete, said, " I beg you will not excite him; he is
not strong enough yet to bear it." And the youth, who
never transgressed a wish of Catalina, obeyed.
It was two weeks after this, and nearly two months
from the beginning of this story, before the conspirators
were able fully to arrange their plans. Then Catalina,
Ramon, and finally Carlos, determined that there was
no time to lose. They took the condesa into their
councils, and she sent word to Aguero that events
seemed ripe. There was no hope from the United
States; but Carlos was well and strong enough, and
DELIVERANCE
295
whenever arrangements could be made he would be
ready. Catalina, accordingly, bade her brother good¬
bye, and returned to her father's house. Carlos was
sent back to his cell, Ramon still visiting him daily,
and the condesa again notified Aguero. The bandit
came into town as La Campa, and visited the Casa
Cordoba.
The condesa left him alone with Catalina. It was
the first time they had spoken to each other since the
visit to Espiritu Santo.
" Senorita," said the bandit, " I cannot tell you how
rejoiced I am that your brother is nearly well. Has he
been very ill ? "
" Yes, senor; very ill. At times I feared he would
not recover; but the Virgin and the saints have heard
my prayers."
"And can we now believe he is ready to make the
effort to escape ? "
"Yes; I believe he is now quite strong. Can you
possibly see Don Ramon ?"
They both looked away when she spoke of Arriete;
neither wished to meet the other's eye.
" Yes, if you will send him to me; or, if necessary, I
will go to him."
"No; no, indeed. His rooms are at the palace.
You must not go to him there. Where can he find
you ? I am sure he will go."
" I am to stay here, with our Aunt Cordoba."
" Then to-day, when I go to the Morro, I will tell
him to come to you."
" That is good," said Aguero; " for we must arrange
our plans together. You, senorita, should be present,
and the condesa too; so that we may all be prepared
for any emergency."
2g6
CONSPIRACY
Accordingly, on the morrow, Ramon came as if to
visit the condesa and Catalina, and Don Juan de la
Campa, being in the house, was naturally present at
the interview. All was planned for the next day—a
Friday in May. There would be no moon ; and Catalina
was to take a captain's uniform, which Don Ramon
would procure. This was to be left with Carlos. Later,
Ramon would visit the prison and leave the key
unturned. At about eleven o'clock he would walk
again to the entrance of the cell, and at a signal that
all was clear, Carlos would come out. The two were
to walk together past the guards, down the inclined
way, and then pass over the broken ground north of the
castle, to the shore, where Aguero would be in waiting
with a small boat, to take them off.
The afternoon came on which so much depended.
Catalina packed the uniform, and bade her aunt good¬
bye, both women trembling, for though they were
heroines, they were women. They could do the deed,
but they felt all the anxiety; just as the bravest
soldiers are they who are most afraid, but conquer
their fear. Those who have no fear, have no conquest
of fear.
Arriete escorted his mistress as usual, but in a
separate boat, and as they passed up the inclined road
to the entrance to the Morro, Catalina thought, " By
this road my brother will walk to his freedom." She
held her precious basket close, lest some peering sentinel
should insist on learning its contents; and it almost
seemed to her that everyone must know she was con¬
spiring to rescue a prisoner. But no one stopped her;
no one examined her basket, escorted, as she was, by
the aide-de-camp of the Captain - General; and they
arrived at the cell. Carlos was calm but pale; he had
DELIVERANCE
nearly recovered from his illness, and could walk with¬
out any indication of feebleness; but his face still
showed the effects of confinement and disease.
Catalina remained the usual time, so as to attract
no attention, though it seemed to her that if she left
earlier, the escape would be more certain — that part
of the scheme would be accomplished. But at last it
was time. Arriete came to tell her that the hour had
come.
" Dear Carlos," said the girl, her womanly tears
coming quick at the presence of an emergency —
" Carlos, what can I say ? Dear boy! I love you."
And then, laughing hysterically amid her tears—" As
if I needed to say that to you! But it is all I can
say. When shall we see each other again ! God and
His saints bless and preserve you !" And she left, not
trusting herself to utter another word.
Arriete escorted her to the Casa Cordoba, where
Aguero was in waiting. Then there was another con¬
sultation. The bandit was informed that all was
arranged. He, on his part, undertook to be ready
with his boat at the shore north of the castle, at any
time after eleven. The watchword was agreed on.
The two, Carlos and Bamon, were to be received:
one, to be rescued; the other, to— No one said the
word. The hardest part in all the scheme, they all
felt, was Ramon's. He was a man of honour, and they
all knew what honour means.
Catalina, at last, could not contain herself.
" Don Ramon," she said, " will you come into this
room ? I must say something to you."
The condesa, who had never broached to her niece
the subject that was in all their thoughts, wondered,
and Aguero was immensely excited. Ramon, of course,
298
CONSPIRACY
followed Catalina. As soon as they were alone the
girl turned to him, and exclaimed, " Don Ramon, you
are doing everything for Carlos, and for me; and I
have promised you everything; but I must also tell
you everything."
The young man came close, half in hope, but some¬
what more than half in fear; for there was something
in her tone and air that betrayed her emotion.
" What is it, Catalina ?" he asked, anxiously.
" Ramon, dear Ramon, I cannot deceive you; I cannot
let you do what you are doing, in ignorance of my feel¬
ing. Oh, Ramon, I love Aguero ! I have never said so
to him, though he has pledged himself to me. I have
told you more than he knows. But you are so good, so
noble, so unselfish, that even for Carlos I cannot betray
you. I never can give you my love. I cannot be to
you what you want."
At the look of horror and pain that came over him
she was shocked, but continued, " I will keep my word
—I will be your wife. I have bought my brother, and
I will pay the price. I should have told you before, I
know I should ; but I hoped to be a good and loyal wife;
and so I will; I will, Ramon; but I cannot let you do
what you are doing in ignorance of my real feeling.
Forgive me, I have been guilty, I am ashamed;" and
she sank, crushed, almost at his feet.
The youth had been stunned indeed. He had known,
for who does not know, under such circumstances, some¬
thing of the truth — a part of it ? He had felt that
Catalina did not return all his ardour, but he hoped in
time to awaken a responsive feeling. He had been
willing to wait, to be patient. He had feared at times
that Aguero was more interesting to her than himself,
but he had put aside the thought. And now it was
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come—the certainty, the truth, the blow. He staggered
under it for a moment, but then cried out, "Senorita,
not for this will I break my vow, nor derange our plan.
I love you with all the fervour and constancy of which
I am capable; and I will serve you, and your brother,
my friend. Put all other thoughts aside. Now we
must rescue him. Aguero and I will work together;
and afterwards, it shall be as you decide. I will ask
nothing from you that you are unwilling to give. I
claim no reward. What I am anxious for—what I
would die for — is your unpurchased love. If you
cannot give me that, bestow it where you will; but let
me always serve you and love you, though you do not
love me."
" Eamon, Ramon," sobbed the girl, almost conquered
by his magnanimity, " I do love you; more than I love
Carlos; only less than I love "— She stammered and
did not say the word, for his sake and her own; his
agony, her maiden shame. " Dear Ramon, you are
too noble. It is not my fault."
"I know it, Catalina," he replied, controlling his
emotion. " In these matters we are not masters of
ourselves. But now we have no time to lose. Let
us go back."
He was repressed and calm. But she came up to
him, her long hair streaming, her eyes yet filled with
tears, and said, " Ramon — once," and flung herself
into his arms. " God bless you. God reward you. God
forgive me."
He held her for one moment pressed against his heart,
and felt the responsive throbbings of her bosom, till he
knew that this way madness lay; and then himself
unclasped her arms, kissed her only once, warmly, but
purely and sadly, on the lips, which she did not refuse;
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CONSPIRACY
then led her gently to a couch, and waited till she was
calm. In a moment or two they rejoined the others,
and from this time Ramon knew that Catalina de Casa-
Nueva never would be his bride.
Aguero received only a glance and a pressure of the
hand, but something in Catalina's manner, saddened and
subdued, as well as in Arriete's air, made him confident.
He promised to be in waiting, and the two young men
departed. Catalina returned to her chamber; for it is
the part of women in this life, in the greatest emer¬
gencies, not to do, but to wait. So she and the condesa
waited. The old noblewoman was nearly seventy, and
had learned her task after many an effort; but the
younger Creole had the impulsiveness of her race, and
for her the duty was harder. All the same, Catalina
waited.
Carlos delayed until night had absolutely fallen, but
about nine o'clock he clad himself in the uniform of
a Spanish soldier, and then threw himself on his cot
until Ramon should come. Shortly before ten, Arriete
arrived, unaccompanied. He went in and found his
friend, and in the darkness handed him a machete and
a pistol, for they knew not what need might arise for
either, and when men attempt to escape from Spanish
prisons they must be prepared. Then, after a few
words of explanation and arrangement, Arriete, full
of the emotions of the past few hours, flung his arms
around the neck of Carlos, and hugged him closely.
The boy returned the embrace, and said, " I know,
Ramon, all that you are doing for me. I hope you
will be rewarded."
" I ask no reward," said the other, almost coldly.
" I mean to save my friend."
Carlos did not understand. He felt that there was
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301
some difficulty, some misapprehension; but at this
moment he could ask no explanation, and he simply
replied, " God bless you. I thank you. My sister
thanks you, dear Ramon."
" When you hear my whistle," said the other, " it is
the signal for you to come out promptly. I shall be at
the bastion in front of the gate, near the great gun
facing the city. Come to me directly, as if you expected
to meet me. The key will be unturned. Open promptly,
and do not try it in advance; there may be a sentinel
near who would hear you."
" I understand."
" Till ten."
The time seemed long to the prisoner,"1 as he paced up
and down in the darkness, keeping as far as possible
from the entrance, lest a gleam of light might fall upon
his uniform. But the night was favourable. They had,
of course, selected one without a moon, and the clouds
were heavy, obscuring the stars, which in that latitude
emit a brilliancy almost equal to that of the nearer
luminary. A "norther"—as the Cubans call a heavy
storm of wind and rain that sweeps down on them once
or twice a month—was approaching, and still further
favoured the designs of the conspirators. The great
masses of cloud came rapidly close, enveloping the
Morro, and eclipsing the artificial lights of the city and
the forts; while half an hour before the time of the
rendezvous a light rain began to fall. These rains and
the consequent chills are felt very acutely by those
accustomed only to a tropical temperature, and the
sentinels were less brisk and on the alert than usual.
When Arriete walked around the rampart leisurely,
he observed that the guards were shivering in the
unfamiliar breeze, and peering into the northern sky as
3°2
CONSPIRACY
if in hope the tempest would not break till their rounds
were over. He spoke to one or two of them: " The
norther is near."
" Yes, senor ; before midnight it will be upon us."
Then moving slowly, he approached the door of the
cell, and placing the key in the lock with ease, so as
not to seem anxious to one who might chance to be
looking on, and yet to awake no attention by the act
itself, he opened the grating, and entered.
" Are you ready, Carlos ?" he whispered.
" Is it you, Ramon ?"
" Yes, my boy, I am here for you. There was no one
near, and I entered. Have you pistol and machete
ready ?"
" Yes."
" Pistol loaded ?"
" All ready, Ramon."
"Well, it is very dark. The sentinels are off their
guard. We had best come out under cover of these
clouds."
Just as he spoke a peal of thunder broke over the
castle, and the lightning flashed into the cell. If the
sentinel had been at the gate at that moment he must
have seen the two men, in the uniform of Spanish
officers, armed, and talking closely, where one should
have been a prisoner in plain clothes. But no one
was looking inward, and the next instant the rains fell
heavily, and the winds blew across the castle walls,
whistling and howling as fiercely as in colder climates.
" Now is our time," said Arriete ; and they stepped
out unseen, together, deviating from the plan. The
sentinels were screening themselves from the gust, and
paid hardly any attention to the officers, who walked
fast, as if also to find shelter from the storm. They
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303
reached the entrance court, where most of the guard
were lying asleep, or stretched stolidly on the floor,
waiting their turn of duty; only one or two were
standing. Arriete nodded to these, and gave the
countersign; they knew he was the Captain-General's
aide-de-camp, and the two friends passed outside ; then
strode rapidly, as men might under such a pelting rain,
down the inclined walk, till they had nearly reached
the level of the strand. A long wall follows the line
of the descent as you leave the castle; it is on the north¬
eastern side of the slope, the farther from the bay.
This wall, at first nearly forty feet high, decreases in
height as the road descends, and at the bottom is only
three or four feet above the ground. Beyond it, on the
north, is the hill, at this point only a slight elevation,
on the farther side of which the ground slopes, broken
and rugged, but steadily descending to the sea, not a
thousand yards away; for the peninsula, jutting into the
Atlantic, at the end of which the Morro stands, is narrow
in the extreme. The wall we speak of is under the
guns of both the Morro and the Cabana, and amply
covered from any attacking force, if such could by any
possibility land and approach from the north; but
against the purpose of Ramon and Carlos it was
insufficient.
In the darkness and the storm they easily clambered
over it, and then, entirely unperceived, made their way
up the hill, here about twenty or thirty feet high, and
down again on the other side. One dazzling flash of
lightning revealed them for an instant just as they
reached the crest, but the sentinel was careless, or
careful only to screen himself from the storm, and gave
no alarm. They scrambled along over the rugged
ground for half a mile, drenched by the rain that pours
3°4
CONSPIRACY
in the tropics as if the heavens were emptying, and
sometimes beaten to the ground by the storm. They
were sore with their frecpient falls, and Carlos was still
weak from his recent illness; their progress was slow.
Before they had passed over more than half the ground
between the Morro and the sea, another vivid flash of
lightning disclosed a boat at the shore, which they knew
must be Aguero's. But the same light that revealed
the skiff to them betrayed it to an officer at the castle,
more watchful than his sentinel. He gave the alarm at
once, and Carlos and his companion hastened their steps,
at the noise of bells, and cries, and signal musketry,
indicating that they were perceived.
The darkness favoured them, however. It would be
impossible to pursue them with any hope of capture,
and the only chance of the garrison was to sink the
little craft by which they hoped to escape. After some
more moments of climbing and crawling, Bamon aiding
Carlos whenever he stumbled, they reached the shore,
and Aguero hailed them with the appointed counter¬
sign. He sprang out of the boat to assist the fugitives.
Carlos, now very weak, was absolutely carried in
Aguero's arms. Then the chief gave a hand to his
rival; and as the two men clasped each other tightly,
each thought at the moment of the woman who stood
between them, though far away. Aguero aided his
opponent into the skiff, and they launched out into the
darkness, thinking themselves secure : Carlos was saved.
At that moment the clouds broke, and the stars
shone out. The garrison on the parapet were watching,
and the little craft was now in full sight from the
ramparts. One or two shots were fired at them, but
passed beyond; but as the vessel moved farther into the
open sea, the gunners got better range, and one shot
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305
struck the sail, turning the boat almost over. The
garrison saw their luck and fired again. This time
suddenly came the missile of death; and while Carlos,
Aguero, and Ramon sat side by side, Ramon was struck
in the breast, and fell backward, covered with blood.
" My brother, my saviour," cried Carlos; " are you
hit for me?"
There was just light enough to see the countenance
of the wounded man, who looked up at Carlos but did
not speak. He was struck in a vital part, and had
already lost the strength to reply.
" Make haste, men ! " shouted Aguero ; " make haste,
and if possible we will land and save his life."
He tore his own shirt to stanch the wound; he held
the fainting form in his arms, and dashed the water
over his face.
" Give brandy," he said; " quick, quick ! "
A flask was found, and the contents poured down
Ramon's throat; and under the influence he revived.
" Pull on, men, hard !" and they got out their oars,
and rowed as well as sailed. Carlos dropped scalding
tears on the face of his preserver, but Aguero bade him
be calm, for otherwise he might injure the sufferer.
So the two sat sternly, quietly, holding the man whom
one had loved and the other had feared, and whom
both were anxious to save. Arriete remained un¬
conscious, or seemingly so, for an hour.
The vessel plunged into the waves, which were high
from the recent storm; but the boatmen knew their
craft and their route, and toward two or three o'clock
Aguero bade them make for land. He had a friend on
the coast, on whose estate he sometimes landed, and
to this point he now directed the skiff.
The house stood in a narrow cove, only a few rods
20
3°6
CONSPIRACY
back from, the shore. It was built on a bluff twenty or
thirty feet high, from which the owner had constructed
a pier for boating and bathing purposes. Aguero
believed his friend to be at home, and as the plantation
stood alone there was no danger of discovery. The
master, Don Jose de Belen, was a Cuban, and though
ostensibly loyal to the Spanish authorities, was in full
sympathy with the brigand in politics. The boat was
soon made fast to the little pier, and one of the crew
was despatched to ascertain if access could be had to
the house; while Aguero still held the sinking man in
his arms, and Carlos watched every breathing of his
friend. The rain had now ceased, but the clouds were
still lowering, and the wind and the sea were high.
The boat rocked and tossed violently, endangering what
little chance of life was left to Ramon. The moments
seemed hours in the darkness and the danger, but in
reality the time was short before the messenger returned.
Don Jose was at home, and would come at once with
lights and means to convey the wounded man ashore.
Not many minutes elapsed before half a dozen figures
were seen "descending the rough road on the face of the
cliff. They bore lanterns and a litter, hastily con¬
structed out of the canvas bottom of a Cuban bed; it
was swinging now like a hammock in the gale. They
came out on the pier to the point where the skiff was
moored.
" Aguero," cried a voice well known to the brigand;
" whom have you there ?"
" A friend, shot as he was escaping from the Morro.
A Spanish officer who had just opened the dungeon
for Don Carlos de Casa-Nueva."
" Is he much hurt ?"
" I cannot absolutely say, but I fear mortally."
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" Bring him to the house at once, and we will try to
save him."
In a moment the litter was let down by the glimmer
of the lanterns, and tenderly, very cautiously, Carlos
assisting Aguero, they laid the unconscious form of him
who had been the rival of one and the preserver of the
other upon the swaying canvas. The movement did
not rouse him from his insensible condition, and he
apparently received no pain; yet once or twice Aguero
hesitated in his task, when the blood seemed to flow
more rapidly from the wound. Finally, the motionless
but still breathing body was deposited on the litter, and
carefully lifted to the pier.
After this had been accomplished, two of the crew
were left in the boat, and the others assisted in carrying
Arriete along the narrow pier and up the hill. Twice,
though moving with the greatest care, one of the bearers
slipped in the darkness, and another stumbled over a
stone. At last, however, the precious burden reached
the summit, and then was borne easily and slowly into
the house.
There were no ladies in the family, and no visitors.
The negro women had prepared a room, and the
wounded youth was laid quietly on a bed, where
something like an examination of his hurt was made.
Aguero was not without experience of this sort, and
tearing open Ramon's shirt, he discovered a ghastly
wound. The right breast was completely shattered and
the lung exposed; and the chief declared that Ramon
could not possibly live more than eight-and-forty
hours.
At this announcement Carlos shuddered and turned
deadly pale, but made a violent effort and controlled
himself, for he knew there might be need of his services.
3°8
CONSPIRACY
Aguero at once gave orders for stimulants, as well as
for water and linen to wash, and bind the wound, and a
messenger was despatched to Matanzas, for the nearest
surgical aid.
When brandy had been administered, Arriete fetched
a heavy sigh, and for the first time opened his eyes. A
nervous shiver passed over him, and he was about to
speak, but Aguero hastily exclaimed, " Be very quiet,
Don Ramon; your life is at stake. Say not a word
while I try to dress your wound. Then we will talk to
you."
Arriete rolled his eyes, and caught sight of Carlos,
who was bending over him. They exchanged looks, the
one of affection not unmixed with pride, and the other
of intense anxiety and passionate gratitude.
Carlos exclaimed, " Dear Ramon, obey Aguero, I
implore you. Say not a word until he allows;" and
Arriete obeyed.
There was little, apparently, to do but bathe and
stanch the wound, and cover it gently, till a surgeon
could arrive, but the bleeding speedily became less, and
soon ceased altogether. Aguero, however, dared not
attempt any delicate surgery. In half an hour the
patient was calm, and the chief allowed Carlos to speak
to his friend.
" Dear, dear Ramon, you are suffering this for me."
" I do not regret it, Carlos; I would do the same to¬
morrow, if it were to be done again. But tell me, is
there any chance of recovery ? I see by your looks
there is none. I thought not. How long have I to
live ? I must know ;" and as Carlos hesitated—" I ask
you by your love for me to tell me truly."
Carlos at this adjuration turned to Aguero, who gave
him with a glance permission to speak, and the younger
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309
man attempted to answer, but utterly failed. He burst
into a passion of sobs and left the room; and Eamon
appealed to his rival.
" You will tell me, Aguero. How long have I to
live ?"
" My friend," said Aguero; " if you really wish to
know the truth, I will not deceive you. I do not think
it possible that you can live two days. But we have
already sent for surgeons, and the best skill in Cuba will
soon be here."
" It will be of no use," said Arriete; " I feel that I
shall not survive. But, Carlos Aguero," he continued
solemnly, " I want you to do one thing for me. The
Dona Catalina has told me of your feeling for her."
Here he paused, and the astonished brigand could hardly
believe he heard aright. " Yes," continued Bamon,
" although she was pledged to me if I saved her brother
—she told me only yesterday—that—it was you whom
she really loved." It cost him a bitter pang to say the
words, and the brigand's emotion was equal to his own.
He turned pale, and trembled as he hung over the dying
man; and great drops of sweat broke out upon his
forehead. He said not a word, however, but glared
with an anxiety stronger than any words, while Kamon
went on—
" She released me from my promise, for she declared
she could not allow me to enter upon my task ignorant
of her real feeling. I was shocked, but of course I told
her I should persist in saving Carlos; and then, if she
could not love me—I would make no claim for what
was not hers to give. All is over for me now, Aguero.
I shall trouble neither you nor Catalina. But, let me
see her once more. Can you not bring her to me ? She
will come with you, if she knows I wish it. Bring her,
CONSPIRACY
and let me myself resign her to you. You will have her
for a lifetime; let me have her presence for one short
hour. You will not refuse a dying man."
The chief was inexpressibly moved. To be told by
his rival, him whom he had thought his successful rival,
that Catalina in reality loved himself—that she could
not keep her word with Eamon because of that love; to
be told it as Eamon lay dying before him—was in itself
enough to affect the sternest man ; but to be asked to
bring his mistress to the bedside of this rival was an
addition to his excitement that stirred his whole nature
to its depths. He did not hesitate a moment, but
exclaimed, " I will go, Eamon,"—for he could call this
man by no more formal name,—" I will go myself, and
bring her to you. She will come, at your bidding. You
shall see her. I promise you;" and with heroic
magnanimity, " her coming may restore you."
" No, Aguero, there is no hope of that; no fear of it
for you. I am past all cure. And why should I live
when she loves another ?" The thought was a deeper
anguish to him than his wound.
" Be calm, my friend," said the bandit. " You must
be calm from this moment until she arrives, or perhaps
you may not then be able to receive her."
" I understand you; I may not live to receive her.
But I feel that I am to see her once again."
Aguero left him for a moment, and informed Carlos of
the extraordinary interview that had occurred. Carlos
of course was greatly agitated at the revelation, but
agreed that Aguero should start at once, and induce
Catalina to come out with the condesa and his father.
The journey could be made without suspicion, for Belen
was an acquaintance of the family; and in Havana
Aguero was still known only as La Campa. There
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311
might be, there was, some risk for the chief, but this he
thought nothing of. His whole life was full of risks,
and every danger he was willing to incur, or even to
seek, if he could soothe or gratify the heroic sufferer.
He put away all thought of his own emotion, and tried
to fancy that he was no more ready to go because he
knew of Catalina's real feeling; but poor human nature
will assert itself, and doubtless this knowledge had its
share in his willingness.
The preparations were speedily made. He was to
ride to a railroad station five miles away, and there
take the train, which, in this tropical climate, started
at sunrise. There was little time to lose. He went into
Arriete's chamber for a moment, and, bending over him,
touched his forehead lightly with his hand. He felt like
kissing the sufferer, but forebore; for he remembered
that he himself was now the successful rival, and too
much show of pity might suggest unhappy thoughts to
him so much in need of sympathy. Arriete opened his
eyes, and in the early light, just streaming through the
windows, he recognised the brigand.
" I have come," said Aguero, " to tell you that I am
starting for Havana. By night Catalina will be here.
Be calm and strong, and you will see her. Till then,
God keep you."
" Thank you; thanks. I knew you would do this for
me. Tell her I must see her to say farewell."
" I will, I will. She will come. Be sure. Carlos will
not leave you a moment till I return."
And the boy came and sat by the pillow of his friend,
to fan his fevered cheek and minister to the man who
was dying for him.
Aguero arrived in Havana by nine, and went direct to
the Casa Cordoba, where, as he expected, Catalina had
312
CONSPIRACY
remained for the night. There was no disturbance in
the streets. The news of the escape had not been made
known; orders were purposely given to conceal it, and
though there had been some wonder at the unusual firing
from the Morro, no explanation was made to the public
Thus the brigand found his way easily to the presence of
his aunt. He asked to see her alone, and she, fearing
bad news, did not inform Catalina of his arrival.
" What is it, Juan ? What brings you here ? Some¬
thing terrible has happened. I see it in your look and
manner. Is Carlos safe ?"
" Yes, aunt, Carlos is free, and at the house of Don
Jose de Belen ; but Arriete is dying. They fired on
the boat from the Morro, and he was struck. We carried
him to Don Jose's house, and, aunt, he insists on seeing
Catalina. He cannot live beyond to-morrow. He loved
her. She had promised herself, as you know, to him,
because of his devotion to Carlos; and yet she told him
yesterday that she preferred me." He stammered at
first with agitation, but then the words poured forth in
a torrent, that the story might be quickly told. " The
noble fellow gave her up at once, but insisted on saving
Carlos. He did so at the sacrifice of life; and before he
dies he must see the woman he loves, and whom I love,
and whom he has sent me to bring to his side. I have
come for her. Will you go with her ? Will you pre¬
pare her, while I go for the conde ? She will return
with me, I am sure."
"Juan, what a terrible story ! The poor youth ! the
noble youth! Catalina must go, to be sure. And I
will go, of course."
Just at this moment a messenger brought a note from
the Conde de Casa-Nueva to the condesa, to say that his
house had been placed under guard, and that he was
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himself a prisoner. The Captain-General did not expect
to confine him long, but deemed it wiser to take this step
as a precaution against the Volunteers. The conde
thought that Catalina should remain with her aunt at
present, and make no attempt to see him. Indeed, the
General had informed him that any application would be
useless, and in reality would complicate the situation.
The conde quite concurred with this advice, and wrote
calmly. The note was open, and had passed through the
Captain-General's hands.
Here was a further complication. Would Catalina
consent to leave Havana, with her father in this situa¬
tion ? " Juan ! you must see her yourself and tell her
all. You must plead Arriete's cause. She will listen to
you. At this moment she can refuse neither him nor
you. Wait here; I will send her to you."
The old lady went to her niece, and first of all told
her that Carlos had escaped, and that the rescue was
known. Then she showed the note of the conde, and
before the girl could recover from the shock, she told her
that Aguero was in the sala with further news. This
was the sole preparation the condesa gave. She thought
the lover could tell his own story better than any other
for him.
Catalina went into the room anxiously, already
agitated by the news of her father's imprisonment,
and fearful for Carlos, or of some fresh unknown
calamity.
" What is it, Don Juan ? " she asked, as she staggered
to a chair. " What is it that the condesa will not tell
me ? Did Carlos escape ? Is he unhurt ? Why are
you here ? "
She had not asked for Arriete yet, and Aguero
noticed it.
3^4
CONSPIRACY
"Yes, senorita, Carlos is safe; but, be calm—his
friend is hurt."
" Not Ramon ! Hurt for Carlos ! Hurt for me ! Tell
me more."
" They escaped to the boat, where I was waiting for
them, and then the people on the Morro discovered us,
and fired—and—and "—
He hesitated, and the horrified girl herself finished
the sentence—" and Ramon was struck, struck for me!
It was for me he did it. I have killed him."
" He is not dead, senorita; not dead, but dying. We
carried him to a house on the shore, and he may live till
to-morrow night"—
At these words Catalina fainted outright, and would
have fallen from her chair, had not Aguero caught her
in his arms. It was the first time he had ever touched
her form, and even at this instant a thrill of emotion
rushed over his frame; but the occasion was too sacred
even for love. The imminence of something stronger
than love, of death itself—the unparalleled sacrifice of
Ramon, the grief and horror of Catalina — all over¬
whelmed and drove out every selfish thought. He
dragged the girl to a table where a vase of water
stood, dashed a few drops over her face, and laid her
gently down as consciousness returned, that she
might not at this moment wake to find herself in
his arms.
She revived more quickly than he had hoped. He
assisted her to rise, and at once went on, " Dear lady,
listen. This man who has done so much for you—you
can still do something for him. He has sent me to take
you to him before he dies. He asks to see you, and I
have come on this holy errand. Carlos is with him, and
he waits in the hope of meeting you by nightfall. The
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condesa will go with you. We must start soon, or it
may be too late."
The girl was dazed at the rush of terrible events.
" How can I go with you, Don Juan, to the deathbed of
Eamon ? You are the last man to take me to him."
" No, Catalina," said he bravely; " I am the man to
take you, for Eamon has told me all. He has repeated
to me what you told him yesterday;" and the rugged
soldier blushed more deeply than the girl before him,
whose own secrets he was revealing to her.
" This is too sacred a moment for any false shame,"
he said—" for any concealments. This noble, dying man
has bid me come for you; has told me of his own grief,
and of my share in your heart. Catalina, I know you
love me. I want you to go with me to Arriete. You
will not refuse me now." He stood upright before her,
and spoke with that air of authority which she had so
often recognised.
She felt its full force now, and was calm under his
influence. " I will go," she said. " You have a right to
command me. But if I go—I will never return.
Shall I go ?" and she looked up trembling, pale and
flushed by turns, but determined.
" What do you mean ?" said the brigand, hardly
believing what her words implied. And then in low and
unsteady tones, and leaning close, " Will you go—to be
my wife ? the wife of a brigand ? "
" You know all," she answered firmly, for the ordinary
situation was reversed; it was the woman who acted
now. Her secret was disclosed under circumstances
that made disclosure itself no betrayal; it was told in
the awful presence of death, and she dared not deny it.
She felt no shame. The whole flood of thought came
over her in an instant. Her brother had escaped;
316
CONSPIRACY
Arriete was killed by the Spaniards, who had imprisoned
her father. Why should she remain? Aguero had
declared his own passion, and had been refused. It was
now her turn. She knew, too, what Arriete meant by
sending Aguero for her, and she said—not with a burst
of feeling, but calmly and steadily, looking him full in
the eyes,—" I will go, Juan."
He clasped her once in his arms—it was not in
human nature to refrain, and she did not refuse—but
his own delicacy prompted him to no further embrace,
and he was rewarded by a glance that told him she
understood and appreciated his forbearance, that almost
said to him, " Wait." Then she turned and led him to
her aunt.
The old lady was a little shocked at the result of the
interview, but in times of revolution all the passions
are at fever-heat, and sudden resolutions do not long
seem strange. She declared, after a moment, that if
these things were so she need not go with Catalina, but
would remain to watch the condition of the conde.
She would send for a priest, and Catalina and Aguero
must be married before they left. Catalina was startled
to be thus taken at her word, and Aguero seemed to
lose all the boldness of a - brigand—he only looked
tenderly, and took Catalina's hand. His delicacy was
more successful than a greater show of passion would
have been. The girl knew his wish, and, after a moment,
returned his glance, then flung herself into the arms of
her relative, and whispered—
" Dear aunt, am I unmaidenly ? "
" No, my girl," said the old countess, " you are not;
you are a heroine. I approve of all you do. I will
stay with your father, and you will see once more this
poor fellow who has given his life for us. Go to your
DELIVERANCE
3*7
room and make your preparations. And you, Juan de la
Campa, be ready in an hour to claim the noblest of the
daughters of Cuba as your helpmeet in a great career."
The marriage was hurried. There was no father to
give the girl away, no wedding-gown, no favours; no
friends were bidden. The condesa and some old servants
were the only witnesses. A priest—a Cuban who could
be trusted—was summoned, and in the same room
where Catalina had promised herself to Arriete,—in
the room where, the day before, she had told Arriete
of her love for another, little dreaming that before
twenty-four hours she would wed that other,—Catalina
gave herself to Juan de la Campa. Her aunt kissed
her, and Catalina handed the old lady a letter for the
conde. The condesa promised to explain all, and then
kissed her again.
"Good-bye, darling. These are terrible times, but
you" are doing right. I hope our country will soon be
free from all its troubles; do your part by inspiring
men to bravery. Juan, you are doing much for Cuba,
but you get your reward before your work is done.
You must go now; it is getting late."
They arrived at the ingenio just before sunset. A
volante had brought them from the station, and, when
they alighted, Aguero went in first to ascertain the
condition of Ramon. Don Jose met him and said the
young man had not suffered much, but was evidently
failing. He had asked several times if Aguero and the
lady had arrived, and seemed anxious. His mind, how¬
ever, had not wandered, and, after a moment or two of
pause, they entered his chamber together, Aguero again
preceding.
Carlos sat by the bedside, but the sufferer's eyes
were closed, and Aguero stepped lightly up and touched
CONSPIRACY
his hand. Ramon unclosed his eyes, and, seeing Aguero
alone, exclaimed piteously, " Has she not come ? Are
you alone ?"
Catalina at once came forward. " No, dear Ramon,
he is not alone; I am here. You could not think I
would fail you now, you who never failed me;" and
as she approached the bedside, Aguero stepped back to
allow his wife to speak to her lover.
Catalina's tears fell hot and fast as she knelt by the
man who had given his life and his love to her, and
both in vain. She leaned over him and kissed him on
the lips with the devotion and purity of a sister, and he
looked up with intense gratification, and whispered, " I
am rewarded."
Carlos and Aguero had both moved away, that there
should be no witness to the solemn interview, and, as
the dying man began to speak, Aguero beckoned to his
friend, and they left the room. Catalina and Ramon
were alone.
" Darling, I am not sorry," said the lover; since I
could not win you I did not wish to live, and I am glad
to have died in your service. I have given all for you,
Catalina, even honour, which is more than life, and
almost as much as love."
"Do not say that, Ramon," exclaimed the woman.
" You die nobly, doing a noble deed. You die for a
friend, Ramon; you die for me. Every act of your life
is one of unsullied honour, and this last most of all.
How noble in you to send for me and let me know
that you do not hate me for all that I have done and
been to you. Oh, noblest of gentlemen! most devoted
of friends ! most unselfish and magnanimous of lovers !"
He listened to the sweetest sounds that can ever fall
on human ears—the praises of a man uttered by the
DELIVERANCE
3i9
woman he loves—and his pallid features became radiant.
" I am satisfied," he murmured. " You will be happy.
Have no regret for me."
Then he looked faint and exhausted, and a strange
expression passed over his face. " Kiss me once again,
darling. 'Tis the last time."
She laid her arms on his pillow, and rested her lips
once more close to those that were now almost uncon¬
scious, and the pressure seemed to call back the spirit
that had started on its flight. He gazed again into her
face with a look of unutterable tenderness, as if to
assure her that his love went with him into the other
world; she caught a faint flutter of his breath, and
Ramon de Arriete was beyond all mortal suffering.
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