Page:Gaston Leroux--The bride of the sun.djvu/192

178 Lima, when I am President. There is enough there to bleach every Red Poncho in existence. They are gentlemen who know the value of those little pieces of paper. Oviedo Runtu himself probably taught them. Good-by, señor, and good luck."

"Excellency," said the Marquis, forgetting that a moment before he had called this man a murderer, "I do not thank you … but if I succeed …"

"Yes, yes, I know … your life and fortune are mine."

"One word more. I shall try to bribe your troopers with the rest."

"By all means! By all means!"

"And if we fail, Excellency, I warn you that weak as we are, desperate as the venture may be, we shall attack those priests and their escort. Can we count on your neutrality?"

"Most certainly. And if by chance you injure Oviedo, I shall not have you hauled up before a court-martial!"

They shook hands, and the Marquis ran out. As he crossed the threshold, Garcia shrugged his shoulders.

"His daughter is lost, but he, the fool, has been bought by me. All this would not have happened if she had married me."

At the bottom of the staircase, the Marquis