She listened in silent surprise.

"But he has never been in Chili in his life," she insisted.

The old doctor, himself a Spaniard, looked at her pityingly, but said
nothing.

"He has been Consul before nowhere but at Trieste; how could he have
been in South America?" she continued.

"Consul? Is your husband, then, in the Consular service of Spain?"
queried the doctor, somewhat surprised.

"He is here as Consul to Charleston--in--ah, what is the
name?--Carolina."

"Can you prove that?" demanded the physician, somewhat excitedly.

"I can--that is, I think there are official papers in the trunks. Is it
necessary?"

"Very necessary."

"Here are the keys, then."

The doctor in her presence opened the luggage, and in a curiously
arranged secret compartment in one of the trunks found the documents.
After a few moments spent in looking them over, he said: