We were purposely a bit early, in order to meet Inez, so that she
would not have to be alone with the Senora, and we sat down in the
lobby in a little angle from which we could look into the tea
room.
We had not been sitting there very long when Kennedy called my
attention to Whitney, who had just come in. Almost at the same
time he caught sight of us, and walked over.
"I've been thinking a good deal of your visit to me just now," he
began, seating himself beside us. "Perhaps I should not have said
what I did about your friend Norton. But I couldn't help it. I
guess you know something about that dagger he lost, don't you?"
"I have heard of the 'great fish' and the 'little fish' and the
'curse of Mansiche,'" replied Kennedy, "if that is what you mean.
Somehow the Inca dagger seems to have been mixed up with them."
"Yes--with the peje grande, I believe," went on Whitney.
Beneath his exterior of studied calm I could see that he was very
much excited. If I had not already noted a peculiar physical
condition in him, I might have thought he had stopped in the cafe
with some friends too long. But his eyes were not those of a man
who has had too much to drink.
Just then Senorita Mendoza entered, and Kennedy rose and went
forward to greet her.
Pages:
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149