Tonio said rather irritably: "Well, my job is to persuade Salisbury that he should pay attention to what is going on in South America, even if he does have other things on his mind." But he could see the weakness of this approach, and after a moment he said: "Well, all right. You're English, what do you think would engage his attention?"
Hugh said immediately: "You could promise to protect British investors from loss."
"How?"
"I'm not sure, I'm thinking aloud." Hugh shifted in his chair. Four-year-old Sol was building a castle of wooden blocks around his feet. It was odd to be deciding the future of a whole country here in the tiny kitchen of a cheap suburban house. "British investors put two million pounds into the Santamaria Harbor Corporation--Pilasters Bank being the biggest contributor. All the directors of the corporation were members or associates of the Miranda family and I have no doubt the entire two million went straight into their war chest. We need to get it back."
"But it's all been spent on weapons."
"All right. But the Miranda family must have assets worth millions."
"Indeed--they own the country's nitrate mines."
"If your side won the war, could President Garcia hand over the mines to the Santamaria Harbor Corporation, in compensation for the fraud? The bonds would be worth something then."
Tonio said firmly: "I have been told by the president that I can promise anything--anything--that will get the British to side with the government forces in Cordova."
Hugh began to feel excited. Suddenly the prospect of paying off all the Pilasters' debts seemed closer. "Let me think," he said. "We ought to lay the groundwork before you actually make your pitch. I believe I could persuade old Ben Greenbourne to put in a good word with Lord Salisbury, telling him he ought to support the British investor. But what about the Opposition in Parliament? We could go to see Dan Robinson, Maisie's brother--he's a member of Parliament, and he's obsessed with bank failures. He approves of my rescue scheme for Pilasters and he wants it to work. He might make sure the Opposition supports us in the House of Commons." He drummed his fingers on the kitchen table. "This is beginning to look possible!"
"We should act fast," Tonio said.
