The Cruise of the Thetis | Page 7

movements. A walk of
some ten minutes' duration sufficed to take him to his destination; and
as he turned in at the arcade which gives access to the hotel from the
Strand, whom should he see but the mysterious stranger, apparently
intently studying the steamship advertisements displayed in one of the
windows of the arcade, but in reality keeping a sharp eye upon the hotel
entrances.
"Ah!" thought Jack; "watching, are you? All right; I'll see if I can't give

you a bit of a scare, my friend!" And, so thinking, the young giant
walked straight up to the stranger, and, gripping him firmly by the arm,
exclaimed:
"Hillo, Mackintosh, waiting for Mr Montijo, eh? Is this where he is
stopping? Because, if so, we may as well go in together, and see if he is
at home. The sight of you reminds me that I rather want to see him
myself. Come along, old chap!" And therewith Jack, still retaining his
grip upon the stranger's arm, swung him round and made as though he
would drag him along to the hotel.
"Carrajo! How dare you, sir!" exclaimed the stranger, vainly striving to
wrench himself free from Jack's grasp. "Release me, sir; release me
instantly, you young cub, or I will call a policeman!"
"What!" exclaimed Jack, in affected surprise; "don't you wish to see
your friend Montijo? Very well; run along, then. But take notice of
what I say, Mr Mackintosh; if I find you hanging about here again I
will call a policeman and give you in charge as a suspicious character.
Now, be off with you, and do not let me see you again."
And, swinging him round, Jack thrust him away with such force that it
was with difficulty the man avoided falling headlong into the carriage-
way. Then, calmly passing into the hotel, Singleton enquired for Senor
Montijo, and was ushered to that gentleman's private suite of rooms by
an obsequious waiter.
He found both father and son waiting for him in a very pretty little
drawing-room, and, Carlos having duly introduced his friend, the three
stood chatting together upon the various current topics of the day until
dinner was announced, when they filed into a small dining-room
adjoining. Here also the conversation was of a strictly general character,
so long, at least, as the waiters were about; but at length the latter
withdrew, and the two young men, at Senor Montijo's request, drew up
their chairs closer to his.
Don Hermoso Montijo was a man in the very prime of life, being in his
forty-third year; and, fortune having been kind to him from the first,

while sickness of every description had carefully avoided him, he
looked even younger than his years. He was a tall, powerful, and
strikingly handsome man, of very dark complexion, with black hair,
beard, and moustache, and dark eyes that sparkled with good humour
and vivacity; and his every movement and gesture were characterised
by the stately dignity of the true old Spanish hidalgo. He had spoken
but little during dinner, his English being far from perfect; moreover,
although he had paid the most elaborately courteous attention to what
Jack said, his thoughts had seemed to be far away. Now, however, he
turned to his guest and said, with an air of apology:
"Senor Singleton, I must pray you to me pardon if I have silent been
during--the--meal--of dinner, but I have not much of English, as you
have doubtless noticed. Have you the Spanish?"
Jack laughed as he replied in that language: "What I have, Senor, I owe
entirely to Carlos here. He may perhaps have told you that we two used
to amuse ourselves by teaching each other our respective tongues. But I
am afraid I was rather a dull scholar; and if my Spanish is only half as
good as Carlos's English I shall be more than satisfied."
"I am afraid I am unable to judge the quality of Carlos's English,"
answered Don Hermoso, "but I beg to assure you, Senor, that your
Spanish is excellent; far better, indeed, than that spoken by many of my
own countrymen. If it be not too tedious to you, Senor, I would beg you
to do me the favour of speaking Spanish for the remainder of the
evening, as I find it exceedingly difficult to make myself quite clearly
understood in English."
Jack having expressed his perfect readiness to fall in with this
suggestion, Don Hermoso continued:
"Carlos has been telling me what passed between you and him to-day,
Senor Singleton, and although I was naturally somewhat disinclined to
give an unqualified assent to his suggestion before I had seen you,
permit me to say that now, having seen, watched, and conversed with
you, nothing will give me greater pleasure than