its essential that the old man shouldnt get wind of anything being up; and if carr told him about last night hed prick up his wicked old ears. no, master johnny is better quiet. suppose he turns nasty, i suggested again. he may turn as nasty as he likes, said the colonel. he dont leave my house unless he puts a bullet into me first. thats settled. leave it to me. if he behaves nicely, hell be all right. if not what shall you do to him? asked the signorina. i foresaw another outburst of conscience, and though i liked johnny, i liked myself better. so i said: oh, leave it to the colonel; hell manage all right. now im off, said the latter, back to my friend johnny. good-night, signorina. write to the president to-morrow. good-night, martin. make that speech of yours pretty long. _au revoir_ till next friday. i prepared to go, for the colonel lingered till i came with him. even then we so distrusted one another that neither would leave the other alone with the signorina. we parted at the door, he going off up the road to get his horse and ride to his ranch, i turning down toward the piazza. we left the signorina at the door, looking pale and weary, and for once bereft of her high spirits. poor girl! she found conspiracy rather trying work. i was a little troubled myself. i began to see more clearly that it doesnt do for a man of scruples to dabble in politics. i had a great regard for poor johnny, and i felt no confidence in the colonel treating him with any consideration. in fact, i would not have insured johnnys life for the next week at any conceivable premium. again i thought it unlikely that, if we succeeded, the president would survive his downfall. i had to repeat to myself all the story of his treachery to me, lashing myself into a fury against him, before i could bring myself to think with resignation of the imminent extinction of that shining light. what a loss he would be to the world! so many delightful stories, so great a gift of manner, so immense a personal charmall to disappear into the pit! and for what? to put into his place a ruffian without redeeming qualities. was it worth while to put down lucifer only to enthrone beelzebub? i could only check this doleful strain of reflection by sternly recalling myself to the real questionthe state of the fortunes of me, john martin. and to me the revolution was necessary. i might get the money; at least i should gain time. and i might satisfy my love. i was animated by the honorable motive of saving my employers from loss and by the overwhelming motive of my own passion. if the continued existence of johnny and the president was incompatible with these legitimate objects, so much the worse for johnny and the president. chapter viii. johnny carr is willful. the next three days were on the whole the most uncomfortable i have ever spent in my life. i got little sleep and no rest; i went about with a revolver handy all day, and jumped every time i heard a sound. i expended much change in buying every edition of all the papers; i listened with dread to the distant cries of news-venders, fearing, as the words gradually became distinguishable, to hear that our secret was a secret no longer. i was bound to show myself, and yet shrank from all gatherings of men. i transacted my business with an absent mind and a face of such superhuman innocence that, had anyone been watching me, he must at once have suspected something wrong. i was incapable of adding up a row of figures, and jones became most solicitous about the state of my brain. in a word, my nerves were quite shattered, and i registered a vow never to upset a government again as long i lived. in future, the established constitution would have to be good enough for me. i invoked impartial curses on the president, the colonel, the directors, and myself! and i verily believe that only the thought of the signorina prevented me making a moonlight flitting across the frontier with a whole skin at least, if with an empty pocket, and leaving the rival patriots of aureataland to fight it out among themselves. happily, however, nothing occurred to justify my fears. the other side seemed to be sunk in dull security. the president went often to the ministry of finance, and was closeted for hours with don antonio; i suppose they were perfecting their nefarious scheme. there were no signs of excitement or activity at the barracks; the afternoon gatherings on the piazza were occupied with nothing more serious than the prospects of lawn tennis and the grievous dearth of dances