He, at least, will not consent to
leave her. Both, backed by their crew, will not scruple to sacrifice
us if their interests point that way. Trust me to twist them into the
course that shall best serve our own needs. I am now going to tell
them that you approve of their plan."
Forthwith he launched out into an English version of the excellent
captain's comments. His precise, well-turned periods were admirable.
Their marked defect was that he said the exact contrary to San
Benavides.
Iris, having a born aptitude for languages, spoke French and German
with some proficiency. She had also devoted many hours to the study of
Spanish during the past winter, and it happens that the Portuguese of
Brazil is less unlike Spanish than the Portuguese of Lisbon. In
Europe, national antipathies serve to accentuate existing differences
between the two tongues, but the peoples of the South American seaboard
feel the need of a common speech, and local conditions have
standardized many words. Hence, the Spanish language will serve all
ordinary purposes among the Latin races who have made their own the
vast continent that stretches from Panama to Tierra del Fuego.
So the girl's super-active brain was puzzled by De Sylva's rendering of
his military friend's remarks.
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