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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Castle in Spain, by James De Mille
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Castle in Spain
+       A Novel
+
+Author: James De Mille
+
+Release Date: January 5, 2010 [EBook #30863]
+[Last updated: December 15, 2013]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A CASTLE IN SPAIN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Marlo Dianne
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A CASTLE IN SPAIN
+
+
+By JAMES DE MILLE
+
+
+AUTHOR OF "CORD AND CREESE" "THE CRYPTOGRAM" "THE DODGE CLUB"
+"THE LIVING LINK" "THE AMERICAN BARON" ETC.
+
+
+ILLUSTRATED BY E. A. ABBEY
+
+
+NEW YORK
+
+HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS
+
+FRANKLIN SQUARE
+
+
+
+
+JAMES DE MILLE'S WORKS.
+
+
+A CASTLE IN SPAIN. A Novel. Illustrated by E. A. Abbey. 8vo, Paper,
+50 cents; Cloth, $1.00.
+
+THE DODGE CLUB; OR, ITALY IN 1859. Illustrated. 8vo, Paper, 60 cents;
+Cloth, $1.00.
+
+CORD AND CREESE. A Novel. Illustrated. 8vo, Paper, 60 cents.
+
+THE CRYPTOGRAM. A Novel. Illustrated. 8vo, Paper, 75 cents.
+
+THE AMERICAN BARON. A Novel. Illustrated. 8vo, Paper, 50 cents.
+
+THE LIVING LINK. Illustrated. 8vo, Paper, 60 cents; Cloth, $1.10.
+
+Published By HARPER & BROTHERS, New York.
+
+
+Any of the above works will be sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any
+part of the United States, on receipt of the price.
+
+
+Copyright, 1878, by James De Mille. Copyright, 1883, by Harper &
+Brothers.
+
+
+
+
+A CASTLE IN SPAIN.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+HOW A PARTY OF TRAVELLERS SET OUT ON A JOURNEY.
+
+
+The train for the North was about to start from Madrid, and the
+station was filled with the usual varied and bustling crowd. Throngs
+of soldiers were there; throngs of priests; throngs of civilians;
+throngs of peasants; all moving to and fro, intermingled with the
+railway employes, and showing the power of steam to stir up even the
+lazy Spaniard to unwonted punctuality and portentous activity. In the
+midst of this busy scene two men stood apart, each by himself, with
+eyes fixed upon the entrance, as though expecting some one whose
+advent was of no ordinary importance. One of these was an
+unmistakable Spaniard, of medium size, dark complexion, penetrating
+black eyes, and sombre countenance. His dress was that of a civilian,
+but his bearing was military, and his face and general expression
+savored of the camp. The other was an Englishman, with all his
+country beaming in his face, tall in stature, light in complexion,
+with gray eyes, and open, frank expression. He had a thin mustache,
+flaxen side whiskers, and no beard. He stood in an easy, nonchalant
+attitude, with an eye-glass stuck in one eye, and a light cane in his
+hand, which he switched carelessly upon his leg.
+
+At length the two were roused by the approach of a party of people
+who were undoubtedly the very ones for whom they had been thus
+waiting.
+
+This party consisted of three persons. First, there was an elderly
+man, florid, stoutish, and fussy--the Paterfamilias of Punch, with a
+dash of the heavy father of comedy. He was evidently in a terrible
+strait, and halting between two opinions, namely, whether he should
+stay and watch over his family, or go away and see after his luggage.
+
+Then there was a lady of certain or uncertain age--a faded,
+washed-out blonde, who surveyed the scene with a mixture of
+trepidation and caution.
+
+Neither of these, however, could have had any interest in the eyes of
+the two watchers; and it must have been the third member of this
+party who had led them to lie in wait.
+
+In truth, this third one seemed well worthy of such attention. She
+was a young lady, of slight and elegant figure; with a sweet and
+lovely face, round, arch, full of liveliness, merriment, and
+volatility, which were expressed in every glance of her sparkling
+eyes. And while the man fidgeted and the woman fussed, this young
+person stood with admirable self-possession, looking round
+inquiringly, as though she too might be expecting some one.
+
+Paterfamilias hesitated a little longer, and then made up his mind,
+for, telling the ladies to wait, he hurried away after his luggage.
+No sooner had he gone than the two young men, who had held back till
+then, hurried to the spot. The Englishman reached it first. The elder
+lady, on seeing him, stared for an instant, and then abruptly turned
+her back, thus giving him the cut direct in the most pointed and
+insulting manner. In thus turning she found herself face to face with
+the Spaniard, who made a very ceremonious bow, saying,
+
+"It gif me mooch pleasure, Madame Russell, to pay my respetts, an' to
+weesh the good-day."
+
+At this the lady hesitated, as though intending to give this man also
+the cut, but finally she chose to be gracious; so extending her hand,
+she said,
+
+"Thanks, Captain Lopez, I'm glad to see you, for Mr. Russell has left
+us, and I'm a little frightened in this crowd."
+
+"Oh, then," said Lopez, "I hope to haf the honnaire to codut you to
+the carriage, and to say the adios."
+
+"Oh, thanks," said Mrs. Russell, "I shall really feel very much
+obliged."
+
+Now the Englishman had scarcely seemed to notice the insult of Mrs.
+Russell; for, brushing past her, he had instantly advanced toward the
+young lady aforesaid, and seized her hand with a quick, strong,
+hungry grasp. And the young lady aforesaid, whose eyes had been fixed
+on him as he advanced, grasped his hand also, while a flush passed
+over her lovely face, and her eyes rested upon him with a look which
+might well thrill through and through the favored recipient of such a
+glance.
+
+"Why, Mr. Ashby!" said she, in innocent surprise--"you here?"
+
+"Katie," said Ashby, in a tremulous voice--"little darling," he
+continued, in a lower tone--"didn't you know that I'd be here?"
+
+"Well, I should have felt disappointed," said Katie, softly, "if you
+had not been here."
+
+At this moment Mrs. Russell turned, and said, sharply,
+
+"Come, Katie."
+
+"All right," said Ashby, coolly; "I'll see Miss Westlotorn on board
+the train."
+
+Mrs. Russell looked vexed.
+
+"Katie," said she, "I wish you to stay by me."
+
+"Oh yes, auntie dearest," said Katie, with her usual self-possession;
+"of course I shall."
+
+But she made not the slightest movement to leave Ashby, and this
+annoyed Mrs. Russell all the more. She looked all around, as though
+for help. The Spaniard's eyes were all ablaze with wrath and
+jealousy.
+
+"Madame Russell," said he, in an eager voice, "commanda me, I beg, I
+shall help."
+
+These words were plainly audible to Ashby, who, however, only smiled.
+
+"Madame," said Lopez, still more eagerly, "commanda me. Shall I
+condut the mees?"
+
+For a moment Mrs. Russell seemed inclined to accept the proffered
+aid, but it was only for a moment. The good lady was timid. She
+dreaded a scene. A quarrel in so public a place between these two
+jealous and hot-headed youths would be too terrible, so she at once
+gave way.
+
+"Oh no, no," she said, hurriedly. "Thanks, Captain Lopez, I think I
+shall ask you to conduct me to our carriage. Mr. Russell will be with
+us immediately."
+
+Upon this Lopez offered his arm, which Mrs. Russell took, and they
+both went off. Ashby followed slowly with Katie.
+
+"Katie," said he, after a pause, "I'm going too."
+
+"What!" said Katie, in a joyous voice, "in this train?"
+
+"Yes, along with you."
+
+"How perfectly lovely!" said Katie--which expression showed that
+these two were on very good terms with one another.
+
+"But then, you know," she resumed, "Mr. Russell has the carriage for
+us only."
+
+"Oh, well, it's all the same," said Ashby. "I'm going on in the same
+train. That will be happiness enough. But see here," he added, in a
+hurried voice, "take this letter;" and with this he slipped a letter
+into her hand, which she instantly concealed in her pocket. "I'll see
+you to-night at Burgos," he continued, in a low tone, "and then at
+Biarritz or Bayonne. I have friends in both places. You must do what
+I ask you. You must be mine. You must, darling. Don't mind these
+confounded Russells. They're nothing to you compared with me. Russell
+has no right to interfere. He's not your uncle, he's only a miserable
+guardian; and he's a contemptible scoundrel too, and I told him so to
+his face. He's planning to get you to marry that cad of a son of his.
+But read my letter. Make up your mind to-day, darling. I'll see you
+tonight at Burgos."
+
+Ashby poured forth this in a quiet, low, earnest voice as they
+traversed the short space that lay between them and the cars, while
+Katie listened in silence. Meanwhile the others had reached a
+carriage, which Mrs. Russell entered: Lopez immediately followed.
+
+"Oh, look!" cried Katie; "Captain Lopez has gone into our carriage.
+He must be going to travel with us."
+
+"The infernal sneak!" growled Ashby. "But then," he continued,
+"what's the use of that? He can't go. Why, old Russell hates him
+worse than me."
+
+At this moment Mrs. Russell put forth her head.
+
+"Katie!" she called, in a thin, shrill voice.
+
+"Yes, auntie dear," said Katie.
+
+"In a moment," chimed in Ashby.
+
+
+[Illustration: Delores.]
+
+
+"Perhaps I'd better go," said Katie; "she's so horrid, you know."
+
+"Then," said Ashby, "good-bye for the present, my own darling."
+
+Saying this, he took her in his arms and deliberately kissed her two
+or three times. Katie then darted away and entered the carriage, to
+find Mrs. Russell speechless with indignation.
+
+The moment Katie had gone, up came Russell in a fury.
+
+"Look here, sir!" he cried, shaking his fist at Ashby. "I say, sir!
+Look here, sir! You scoundrel! Didn't I tell you--"
+
+"And look here, you!" said Ashby, in a stern voice, laying his hand
+heavily on the other's shoulder, "none of this insolence, my good
+man, or I shall have to teach you better manners. You know perfectly
+well that Katie is engaged to me, and that I mean to make her my
+wife."
+
+"You shall never!" cried Russell, passionately; "never--never!"
+
+"Pooh!" exclaimed Ashby, contemptuously.
+
+"I'm her guardian," said Russell.
+
+"That may be," said Ashby, calmly, "but only for a few months longer.
+I can wait. Don't be alarmed."
+
+"You shall never marry her!"
+
+"Pooh, my good man! attend to your luggage."
+
+Muttering inarticulate threats, mingled with curses, Russell now
+stamped off, and entered the carriage. Here he found Lopez. At the
+sight of this man his fury burst all bounds. With Ashby he had felt
+under some restraint; but with Lopez there was nothing of the kind,
+and he ordered him out in the most insulting manner.
+
+Lopez, however, refused to stir, telling him that Madame Russell had
+given him permission to remain.
+
+"Madame Russell be hanged!" roared the other. "You get out of this,
+or else I'll kick you out!"
+
+"No, senor," said Lopez, coolly, "I advisa you not to try violencia."
+
+For a moment Russell measured him from head to foot; but the sight of
+the sinewy young Spaniard did not reassure him. His own muscles were
+somewhat flabby, and by no means fit for a struggle with this
+vigorous youth.
+
+So he chose another and a safer mode. He sprang out and began to bawl
+loudly for the guard. But, very unfortunately, Russell could not
+speak a word of Spanish, and when the guard came up he could not
+explain himself. And so Russell, after all, might have had to travel
+with his unwelcome companion had not an unexpected ally appeared upon
+the scene. This was Ashby, who had been standing by, and had
+comprehended the whole situation. Now Ashby could speak Spanish like
+a native.
+
+"See here, Russell," said he, "I don't mind giving you a lift. What's
+the row?"
+
+Russell hesitated for a moment, but his rage against Lopez had quite
+swallowed up his anger at Ashby, and he accepted the aid of the
+latter. So he went on to explain what Ashby very well knew--the
+situation in the carriage. Ashby thereupon explained to the guard.
+The guard then ordered Lopez out. At which summons the gallant
+captain thought fit to beat a retreat, which he effected in good
+order, drums beating and colors flying, and with many expressions of
+polite regret to the ladies and many wishes for a pleasant journey.
+
+Arriving outside, however, our noble hidalgo found the blast of war
+blowing, and so he at once proceeded to stiffen his sinews and summon
+up his blood. Taking no notice of Russell, he advanced to Ashby.
+
+"Senor," said he, in Spanish, "for the part that you have taken in
+this matter I will call you to account."
+
+Ashby smiled disdainfully.
+
+"You have insulted me," said Lopez, fiercely. "This insult must be
+washed out in blood--your heart's-blood or mine. I am going in this
+train."
+
+"Indeed! So am I," said Ashby.
+
+"We shall find a place--and a time."
+
+"Whenever you please," said the other, shortly.
+
+"Senor, I will communicate with you."
+
+Both the young men bowed, and with their hearts full of hate they
+separated to take their places in the train.
+
+And now at this particular juncture there came forth from behind a
+pillar a female figure, which figure had been there for some time,
+and had closely watched the whole of Ashby's proceedings from
+beginning to end. It was impossible to see her face, but her graceful
+shape, and quiet, active movements, indicated youth, and suggested
+possible beauty. This figure hastened toward the train, and entered
+the very carriage into which Ashby had gone.
+
+The next moment the guard banged the door to behind her, the great
+bell rang, the engine puffed and snorted, and then, with the roar of
+steam, the clank of machinery, and the rumble of many wheels, the
+long train thundered out of the station on its eventful journey to
+the North.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+HOW MR. ASHBY MEETS WITH A VERY DEAR AND VERY LOVELY YOUNG FRIEND.
+
+
+On entering the carriage Ashby took a seat and prepared to make
+himself comfortable for the journey. The hurried events of the last
+few minutes, the farewell to Katie, the prospect of a new meeting at
+Burgos, the additional prospect of a hostile encounter with Lopez,
+were certainly sufficient food for reflection. Consequently he was in
+a fit of abstraction so profound that he did not notice the female
+who entered the carriage.
+
+As the train rolled out, the new-comer also made herself comfortable
+in her seat, which, being opposite to that of Ashby, gave her the
+opportunity of examining his face at her leisure, if she felt so
+inclined, while she herself was so closely veiled as to baffle
+recognition. Her dress, though very plain, was in the latest fashion,
+and she wore with inimitable grace that marvellous Spanish mantilla
+which is equally adapted to adorn and to conceal. Although in the
+opposite seat, she was not close to Ashby, but at the other end of
+the carriage, in which position she could watch him the more easily.
+These two were the only occupants.
+
+Once or twice Ashby's eyes fell on her as he raised his head or
+changed his position; but he paid no attention to her, nor did he
+even seem aware of her existence; while she sat veiled, so that the
+direction of her glance could not be seen.
+
+For about half an hour the situation remained unaltered, and then at
+the end of that time the lady made a readjustment of her mantilla,
+which exposed all her head and face. The hands which were raised to
+perform this act were soft, round, plump, and dimpled, and might of
+themselves have attracted the admiration of one less preoccupied than
+Ashby; while the face that was now revealed was one which might have
+roused the dullest of mortals. It was a dark olive face, with
+features of exquisite delicacy; the eyes were large, lustrous, and
+melting, fringed with long lashes; the eyebrows delicately pencilled;
+the hair rich black, glossy, and waving in innumerable ripples. Her
+cheeks were dimpled, and her lips were curved into a faint smile as
+she sat with a demure face and watched Ashby. It may have been a
+certain mesmerism in her gaze, or it may only have been that Ashby
+had at last grown weary of his own thoughts, for suddenly he looked
+up, and caught her eyes fixed thus on him. For a moment an expression
+of astonishment filled his face; then the smile of the lady deepened,
+and her eyes fell.
+
+At this Ashby jumped from his seat.
+
+"By heavens!" he exclaimed. "Dolores! Oh, Dolores!"
+
+He uttered these words with a strange intonation, yet there was joy
+in his eyes and in the tone of his voice, together with the wonder
+that had been at first displayed. As he spoke he seized her hand in
+both of his, and, holding it fast, seated himself in the place
+immediately opposite. After a moment Dolores drew away her hand with
+a light laugh.
+
+"Ah, senor," said she, "you do not seem very quick at recognizing
+your old acquaintances."
+
+She spoke with the purest Castilian accent, and the rich and mellow
+tones of her voice were inexpressibly sweet.
+
+"I--I--had no idea--no idea that you were anywhere near. You were the
+last, the very last person that I could have expected to see. How
+could I expect to see you here, Dolores? I thought that you were
+still at Valencia. And are you alone?"
+
+"Yes--just now--from here to Burgos. I am on my way to visit my aunt
+at Pampeluna. She is ill. Mamma could not come with me, for she is
+ill too. So I have to travel alone. The good Tilda came with me to
+Madrid, but had to return to mamma. There was no time to seek another
+companion. Besides, it is only from here to Burgos."
+
+"Oh, Dolores, little Dolores!" cried Ashby, "how delightful it is to
+see you again! What a lucky chance!"
+
+"But it was not altogether chance," said Dolores.
+
+"How?"
+
+"Why, I saw you.
+
+"Saw me?"
+
+"Yes; I was watching you. You see, I was in the station waiting for
+the train, and saw you come in. I then watched you all the time till
+you entered this carriage, and then I came here too. Now, sir!"
+
+Saying this, Dolores tossed her pretty little head with a triumphant
+air, and smiled more bewitchingly than ever.
+
+"You see," she continued, in the frankest and most engaging manner,
+"I was so veiled that no one could know me, and when I saw you I was
+very glad indeed; and I thought I would follow you, and speak to you,
+and see if you had any remembrance left of poor little me."
+
+For a moment there was a shade of embarrassment on Ashby's face, and
+then it passed. He took her hand and pressed it fervently.
+
+"Dolores," he said--"dear little friend of mine, I can never forget
+you as long as I live, and all that was done for me by you and yours.
+This sudden meeting with you is the most delightful thing that could
+possibly have happened."
+
+Dolores laughed, and again drew her hand demurely away.
+
+"But oh, Senor Ashby," she said, "how absent you were in the
+station!--and here--not one look for the poor Dolores!"
+
+"Oh, Dolores!" said Ashby, in a tone of tender apology, "how could I
+imagine that it was you? You were veiled so closely that no one could
+recognize you. Why did you not speak before?"
+
+"Ah, senor, young ladies in Spain cannot be so bold as I hear they
+are in England. Even this is an unheard-of adventure--that I, a young
+lady, should travel alone. But it is a case of life and death, you
+know, and it is only from here to Burgos, where I shall find friends.
+And then I wanted to speak to you once more. And you, senor--are you
+going to England now?"
+
+Again there came over Ashby's face a look of embarrassment. His
+present journey was a delicate subject, which he could not discuss
+very well with Dolores.
+
+"Well, no," he said, after a brief pause. "I'm only going as far as
+Bayonne--on business. But how long it seems since I saw you, Dolores!
+It's more than a year."
+
+"And have I changed, senor?" she asked, sweetly.
+
+"Yes," said Ashby, looking at her intently.
+
+Dolores returned his look with another, the intensity of which was
+wonderful to Ashby. He seemed to look into the depths of her soul,
+and the lustrous eyes which were fastened on his appeared as though
+they strove to read his inmost heart. Her manner, however, was light
+and bantering, and it was with a merry smile that she went on:
+
+"Ah! so I have changed? And how, senor--for the better?"
+
+"No, and yes," said Ashby, drinking in her dark, deep, liquid
+glances. "In the first place, you could not possibly be better or
+more beautiful than you used to be; but, in the second place, you are
+more womanly."
+
+"But I am not yet seventeen, senor."
+
+"I know," said Ashby, of course.
+
+"And you have not yet asked after the dear one--the mamma, who loves
+you so," said Dolores, in rather an inconsequential way.
+
+"I was thinking of you, so that all other thoughts were driven out of
+my head."
+
+"That's pretty," said Dolores; "but do you not want to hear about the
+dear mamma?"
+
+"Of course. I shall love her and revere her till I die. Did she not
+save my life? Was she not a mother to me in my sorest need? And you,
+Dolores--"
+
+He stopped short, and seemed somewhat confused and agitated.
+
+"Yes," said Dolores, in a tone of indescribable tenderness; "yes, she
+loved you--the dear mamma--like a mother, and has always talked about
+you. It is always, Dolores, child, sing that song that Senor Assebi
+taught you; sing that beautiful, beautiful English song of 'Sweet
+Home;' sing that sweetest, loveliest, most mournful Scottish song of
+'Lochaber.'"
+
+And here, in a voice full of exquisite tenderness and pathos, Dolores
+sang that mournful air, "Lochaber," with Spanish words. The tender
+regret of her voice affected herself; she faltered, and her eyes
+filled; but the tears were instantly chased away by a sunny smile.
+
+"And so, senor," said she, "you see that I have forgotten nothing of
+it--nothing."
+
+"Nor I," said Ashby; "nor I--nothing. I have forgotten not one
+thing."
+
+His voice was low and tremulous. There was a strange, yearning look
+in his eyes. With a sudden impulse he held out his hand, as though to
+take hers, but Dolores gently drew hers away.
+
+"And have you been in Madrid ever since?" she asked, in a tone that
+seemed to convey something of reproach.
+
+"No," said Ashby. "You know, when I fell ill at Valencia, where you
+saved my life by your tender care, I was on my way to Barcelona. When
+I left you I resumed my interrupted journey. Then I went to
+Marseilles and Leghorn, then to Cadiz, and finally to Madrid. I've
+been in Madrid three months."
+
+"And you didn't think it worth while to write to us in all that long
+time?" said Dolores, with a reproachfulness in her tone which was now
+very marked.
+
+"Write?" said Ashby; "why, I wrote twice--once from Marseilles, and
+once from Leghorn."
+
+"We never heard," said Dolores, sadly, "not once."
+
+"But I wrote," said Ashby, earnestly. "Don't you believe me,
+Dolores?"
+
+"Believe you, senor? What a question! It was the fault of the
+post-office in these times of trouble--that was all. And, senor, I am
+very glad to know all, for I did not know what to think about it."
+
+"And am I forgiven, Dolores?" Ashby asked.
+
+Dolores replied with a sweet smile, and held out her hand, which the
+young man took and pressed tenderly, not caring to let it go.
+
+"I did not know," said he, "there was anything against me to be
+forgiven; but this is a sign that you are the same Dolores that you
+were a year ago."
+
+"Always," said she, "always the same;" and then she withdrew her
+hand.
+
+"And now, senor," said she, with a perceptible effort, as of one who
+approaches a disagreeable subject, "this beautiful Inglesa--who is
+she?"
+
+Ashby's eyes fell before the fixed and profound inquiry of those of
+Dolores's, who watched him close, and lost nothing of his change of
+features.
+
+"This lady?" said he, and hesitated.
+
+"Yes," said Dolores, gently.
+
+"She is a--a--Miss Westlotorn."
+
+"And she loves you very, very, very dearly and tenderly," said
+Dolores, in a quick, breathless voice; "and you are going to be
+married to her, and she will soon be your wife."
+
+Ashby said nothing, but sat looking strangely embarrassed.
+
+"You never mentioned her to us at Valencia," continued Dolores.
+
+"No," said Ashby.
+
+"And why not?" asked Dolores, who saw his confusion, but was eager to
+know the truth.
+
+"I had not seen her," said Ashby.
+
+"You had not seen her," repeated Dolores. "Ah!"--she hesitated for a
+moment and then went on--"so you saw her afterward. And she loves
+you!"
+
+These last words were spoken with indescribable tenderness and
+mournfulness. "And--she--loves--you," she repeated, in a voice that
+had sunk almost to a whisper; "and she is to be your wife--the
+English girl!"
+
+"Well," said Ashby, making an effort to overcome his embarrassment,
+"it is--it is about time. The fact is, I--I did ask her to--to be my
+wife."
+
+"And she?"
+
+"She? Well--she said she would, I think," said Ashby, evasively.
+
+"You think!" exclaimed Dolores.
+
+"Well, you see, there's a difficulty."
+
+"A difficulty?"
+
+"Yes. Her guardian will not consent."
+
+"But that is nothing," said Dolores, in an animated tone. "You must
+take her, and run away with her."
+
+Ashby looked at Dolores with a strange, eager, hungry gaze.
+
+"But there's another objection," said he.
+
+"Objection? What is that?"
+
+"I don't want to."
+
+"What?" asked Dolores, in surprise.
+
+Ashby hesitated for a moment, and then said, with an effort,
+
+"I thought before we left that I loved her; but since I have seen you
+again--I feel--that I do not."
+
+These words were spoken rapidly, in a low, feverish whisper. At first
+Dolores started as though she had been shot. Then she averted her
+face, and held up her hands deprecatingly.
+
+"Ah," said she, in a sad voice, "that is all idle, idle, idle,
+foolish, foolish, foolish compliment, and nothing more. You must not
+say that again, or I will never forgive you--never, never!"
+
+At this Ashby was brought back to his senses with a sudden and
+wholesome shock, and said no more upon that point. In fact, he now
+felt afraid that he had said altogether too much.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+HOW ASHBY MEETS WITH ANOTHER FRIEND, AND HOW HE TAKES HIM INTO HIS
+CONFIDENCE.
+
+
+That evening they arrived at Burgos, where, on account of troubles
+along the line, the train was to remain until ten o'clock on the
+following day. Dolores informed Ashby that she was going to stay with
+friends, and refused to allow him to accompany her to the house, in
+spite of his earnest entreaties. She had been in Burgos before, she
+said. The house was not far from the station, and she was firm in her
+resolve to go alone. Ashby followed her, however, and saw her pass in
+safety through the streets and into a large and venerable house not
+far from the Cathedral. He then retraced his steps, and made the best
+of his way to the Fonda del Norte, where he put up for the night.
+
+Here, after dinner, he loitered about for a time, meditating over the
+events of the day, and conjecturing about the morrow. His situation
+was growing somewhat complicated; for there was Katie, whom he had
+promised to see at Burgos; but on leaving the train he had followed
+Dolores, and now he had not the faintest idea where the Russells had
+gone. They were not at the Fonda del Norte. It was also too late now
+to hunt them up, and too late to hope to see Katie. That must be
+postponed till the morrow.
+
+Ashby was beginning to feel more melancholy than ever in his life
+before, when suddenly he was roused by a loud exclamation.
+
+"Well, by Jove! Halloo, old boy! Ashby himself, by all that's
+wonderful!"
+
+At this Ashby looked up, and the next instant he was heartily
+wringing the hand of the new-comer.
+
+"Rivers! Harry Rivers! How are you, my boy? and where in the world
+did you come from?"
+
+"By Jove! do you know, old fellow," said Harry Rivers, "I call this
+no end of a piece of good luck? I've been bored to death at Burgos.
+But come along to my rooms and give an account of yourself."
+
+The two friends then went off, and soon were comfortably seated in
+the rooms of Harry Rivers, with some flasks of wine and Havanas to
+help along the evening hours.
+
+Harry Rivers was of about the same age as Ashby, but totally
+different in appearance. He was of medium height, very well knit in
+his frame, and very well dressed. His hair was crisp and curling; his
+brow broad and open; his eyes full of light, and life, and
+volatility. He had a small mustache, but no beard or whiskers, and
+his laughing eyes, with his smooth face and winning smile, gave him a
+most engaging appearance. In short, Harry Rivers was one of those
+rare good fellows who make friends wherever they go; who take the
+world into their confidence; who insist on making every one familiar
+with their varying fortunes; and carry about with them a perpetual
+atmosphere of joyousness and breezy cheerfulness.
+
+"Well, old chap," said Harry, as they sat enjoying their cigars and
+wine, "I haven't seen you or heard of you since you left Barcelona.
+How did you get on with your business in Italy? What made you turn up
+in this queer way at Burgos? This isn't the sort of place that I'd
+expect to find a friend in."
+
+"I'm on my way to Bayonne just now," said Ashby, "and I stopped
+here--because the train stopped."
+
+"Bayonne isn't a bad place," said Harry; "I spent a week there
+once--good wine, but bad tobacco and infernal cigars. Here we have
+good cigars and bad wine. Do you know, old chap, I don't dote on any
+of the Spanish wines--do you? At the same time, I drink your very
+good health, together with future prosperity and good luck in your
+present undertaking, whatever that may be."
+
+"Thanks," said Ashby, "and the same to you."
+
+"Look here, old chap," said Harry, "you look a little down in the
+mouth--a trifle seedy. No bad luck, I hope?"
+
+"Oh no," said Ashby, "nothing in particular."
+
+"The fact is, you seem to have lost your high moral tone, and your
+former happy flow of genial conversation. I don't want to be a Paul
+Pry, my dear boy; but if you wish to gain sympathy and find a friend
+who can hear and help, why, all I can say is--here you have him."
+
+"Well," said Ashby, "I'm a little preoccupied, that's a fact."
+
+"Preoccupied? That's your name for it, is it? Well, suppose we adopt
+that word--what then?"
+
+Ashby knocked the ashes off his cigar with a reflective look, and
+said, "I rather think, Harry, that I had better make you my
+father-confessor."
+
+"All right," said Harry; "that's what I was made for. Go ahead, my
+son. Confess--out with it. Cleanse your bosom of its perilous stuff:
+make a clean breast of it."
+
+"Well," said Ashby, "in the first place, I'm just now meditating
+matrimony."
+
+"Matrimony!"
+
+"Yes; but that's not all. It's a sort of runaway match."
+
+"A runaway match! By Jove! Only think of a fellow like you planning a
+runaway match! Now if it was me, it would be the proper thing. But is
+it really to be a runaway match?"
+
+"Well, it amounts to that, for I've asked the girl to clear out from
+her friends and come with me."
+
+"Well, old fellow, all I can say is, good luck to you both. And
+please, mayn't I be the best man?" he added, with a droll accent that
+brought an involuntary smile to Ashby's face. "But go on. Who is the
+charmer? and where is she now?"
+
+"Well, to answer your last question first, she's here--in Burgos."
+
+"Ah," said Harry, "I twig! Came on in the same train. Both planned it
+together. You cut across the border, and are made one. Why, it's like
+Gretna Green!"
+
+"Well, you've hit it partly, only she's with her friends just
+now--that is to say, she's with her guardian and his wife; and the
+problem to be solved by me is, how I am to get her from those two
+dragons."
+
+"Oh, that can be done. But now, my boy, to come to the point, who is
+she?--her name?"
+
+"Her name," said Ashby, "is Westlotorn--Katie Westlotorn."
+
+"Westlotorn," repeated Harry: "never saw her, and don't think I ever
+heard the name in all my life."
+
+"I got acquainted with her at Cadiz a few months ago," said Ashby.
+"Her father had been a merchant there, and had died about a year
+before. She was there with her step-mother, who took no particular
+care of her--a miserable beast of a woman. She was in correspondence
+with her sister in England, a Mrs. Russell, whom she kept urging to
+come on and take Katie away from Spain. This Mrs. Westlotorn had
+induced her husband before his death to appoint Russell, her sister's
+husband, Katie's guardian, and it was this Russell and his wife whom,
+she expected on, but they could not get away very easily. After a
+time Mrs. Westlotorn decided to move to Madrid, which she thought
+would be a pleasanter residence. So about three months ago she made
+the move, and after that Katie and I saw as much of one another as we
+wished, and she became regularly engaged to me."
+
+"So the step-mother approved, did she?"
+
+"Oh, altogether!"
+
+"Well, what's the trouble?"
+
+"Oh, this infernal Russell, the guardian, you know! As soon as he
+came on, he and his wife began to make trouble, and tried to break up
+the engagement; they also tried to keep me away from the house. Then
+there was another difficulty: they allowed some Spanish blackguards
+to get acquainted with them. Mrs. Westlotorn, the widow, you know, is
+hot-and-heavy in the chase of a husband, and thought that all the
+young fellows who came after Katie were after her. The worst of them
+was a chap named Lopez, who calls himself a captain in the Spanish
+army--a poor, pitiful beggar whom I shall have to horsewhip. And,
+by-the-bye, that reminds me--I expect to be called out to-morrow or
+next day."
+
+"Called out? how?"
+
+"Oh, by this pitiful fellow Lopez;" and Ashby related the incident at
+the Madrid station.
+
+"By Jove!" said Harry, "this is lucky. I'm glad I came upon you at
+such a time. You won't have to trust to a bungling Spaniard to be
+your second."
+
+"The worst of it is," said Ashby, "I believe that this Russell is one
+of the most infernal villains that ever lived, and that he is
+concocting some scheme against Katie."
+
+"A scheme! how?"
+
+"Well, I'll tell you. I saw from the first that he was hostile to me.
+Possibly this may have been my own fault, for I saw the fellow was a
+beastly cad, not at all fit to be Katie's guardian. Why, he's a
+tailor! think of that--a tailor! that's all he is. By Jove! only
+think--a tailor! and Katie's guardian! Do you suppose I was going to
+stand any nonsense from a tailor?"
+
+"By Jove! no--not unless you're deep in his books," said Harry; "and
+even then, when you're away from home you ought to be a free man. So
+you rather slighted the guardian, did you?"
+
+"Well, I told him to go to the devil; and the fellow took offence,
+you know."
+
+"H'm--odd, too," said Harry. "Why should he take offence at such a
+simple remark?"
+
+"Don't know, I'm sure," said Ashby; "but there it is, you see.
+However, that makes no difference. I've defied him and threatened
+him."
+
+"Threatened! Why?"
+
+"Why, because the infernal scoundrel is deep in some plan to get hold
+of Katie's money."
+
+"Katie's money? Oh, she has money, then?"
+
+"Of course--about thirty or forty thousand pounds. Most of this, I
+believe, is in Spanish bonds, in which Westlotorn was foolish enough
+to invest."
+
+"Not very good just now, hey?"
+
+"Oh, they'll be good ultimately. At any rate, old Russell's bound to
+get hold of all this and keep it for himself, and I'm resolved that
+he shall disgorge. He's got half a dozen plans. One plan is to try to
+get her to marry his son, an infernal redheaded, cock-eyed cad of a
+fellow--a tailor too. Another plan is to put her off in some
+out-of-the-way place here in Spain, where no one will ever hear of
+her. Another plan is to ship her off to America; another is to keep
+her in seclusion in his own home, where no one will ever see her;
+while another is to dispose of the Spanish bonds in such a way as to
+make it appear that they are a dead loss."
+
+"You seem to be very deep in Russell's plans," said Harry. "He could
+not have told you all this himself. If he did, he must be of an
+uncommonly confiding disposition."
+
+"He tell me!" said Ashby. "Of course he didn't. I found it all
+out--no matter how. Oh, the fellow's a desperate swindler--he'll
+stick at nothing. But, at any rate, he knows that I have my eye on
+him, and he'll hardly dare to do anything against Katie's interest so
+long as I am near enough to watch over her."
+
+"You and Russell must have had rather interesting conversations. Did
+you ever tell him your suspicions?"
+
+"They're not suspicions, they're facts. Tell him--of course I did,
+and that's one reason why he hates me. He knows perfectly well that I
+see through and through him. We had a row at the station, just before
+leaving Madrid, because I came down to see Katie off; and he's now on
+the watch to prevent me from seeing her again."
+
+"And what do you propose to do about it?"
+
+"Oh, I've arranged it all. I'll tell you. I wrote a letter, and
+handed it to her just as we were leaving Madrid, asking her to meet
+me at Biarritz, naming a place. I have friends there, and I will take
+her to their house. The English chaplain can marry us. We will then
+cut off to England. On the arrival of Russell I will go to him and
+demand my wife's property. If he refuses to disgorge I will at once
+commence legal proceedings against him, and by way of preliminary I
+will give the scoundrel a horsewhipping."
+
+"This arrangement is all very well; but what about the lady? Will she
+consent?"
+
+"Consent? Why, she'll jump at the chance," said Ashby, confidently.
+
+"She must be very fond of you."
+
+"Fond of me? Why, she's perfectly infatuated about me."
+
+"Good!" said Harry. "Well, my boy, I'm your man. You want me for war
+and for peace, so here am I--your second at the duel and your
+groomsman at the wedding."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+HOW THE RAILWAY TRAIN COMES TO A SUDDEN STOP.
+
+
+Very early on the following morning Ashby was up and out. He walked
+over the town in all directions, with a strange, furtive watchfulness
+in his eyes, as though on the lookout for some one. Who was the
+object of his search? Was it Katie, whose answer to his proposal had
+not yet been given? Was it Dolores, whom he had tracked on the
+previous evening? Or was it his rival Lopez, with whom he had yet to
+stand in mortal conflict? Whichever it was did not appear, for Ashby
+was doomed to be unsuccessful, and to return to his inn a baffled
+man. Barely time enough was now left him to snatch a hasty repast,
+after which he hurried to the station.
+
+The place was thronged. Passengers were arriving, and the train was
+filling rapidly. Ashby stood, as he had stood on the previous day,
+watching. Singularly enough, Lopez also, like himself, was again on
+the lookout, for he could see him scowling in the distance. No words,
+however, passed between them, and the challenge which Lopez had
+threatened was not yet forthcoming. At length the patience of both
+was rewarded.
+
+A cab drove up. The broad face of Russell was seen through the
+window. The rest of the party were inside. But, to Ashby's amazement,
+he saw Harry Rivers riding outside with the driver. As the cab
+stopped, Rivers leaped lightly down, and opened the cab door himself.
+Then old Russell got out. Then Harry assisted Mrs. Russell to
+descend. After this he assisted Katie out of the cab, and Ashby saw
+that she looked as fresh, as bright, and as blooming as a rose, that
+she showed not a trace of care or anxiety, and that she was as
+sprightly and coquettish as ever.
+
+"Confound the fellow!" growled Ashby to himself, as he wondered how
+Harry had found them out and made their acquaintance, envying him
+also his good luck. But the climax had yet to come. There was one
+passenger more. This one also was assisted out of the cab by Harry.
+To the utter stupefaction of Ashby, this one was Dolores.
+
+So overwhelmed was Ashby that he stood without motion, having quite
+lost all that presence of mind and coolness which usually
+distinguished him. It was wonderful enough to find Harry hand in
+glove with the Russells, but to find Dolores there along with Katie
+was a knock-down blow. It made his situation so confused and full of
+complications that he could not think of any course of action. So he
+stood, and he stared, and the party came along on their way to the
+train. As they approached Katie looked at him with a bright smile,
+full of tender meaning, and a flush passed over her face. Dolores, on
+the contrary, allowed her dark eyes to rest on him for an instant,
+and then looked down. This troubled him, for at that moment it
+happened that he was longing for a smile from Dolores. Still, he was
+glad to get that look from Katie. The fact is, the fellow was too
+ridiculous, for he actually wanted a smile from each of them.
+
+As they passed Harry dropped behind.
+
+"Look here, Ashby," said he; "where in Heaven's name have you hid
+yourself all the morning? I thought you wanted to find Miss
+Westlotorn."
+
+"So I did," said Ashby, in a rueful tone.
+
+"Why, confound it, man, she was close by us all the time. When I went
+out I found your dear friend, old Russell."
+
+"Russell!" cried Ashby; "but how did you get acquainted with him?"
+
+"Acquainted!" cried Harry. "Man alive! By Jove! a man ought to know
+his own tailor, oughtn't he? I didn't think of it last night. I
+thought your Russell was a different man: the name is common enough,
+you know. People generally dodge their tailors, but I'm not proud,
+and I don't owe him very much; and, besides, this is Spain, and he
+can't dun me. Moreover, he was in a street row, and I helped him out
+with my Spanish. What the mischief does he mean by coming with his
+family to Burgos with no other language than English? But,
+by-the-bye, old fellow, I must hurry: I'm going to join their party
+and travel in their carriage. Hope you'll enjoy yourself as well as I
+intend to. I would have excused myself, only, you know, when there's
+a chance of travelling with a couple of such pretty girls as those,
+only a madman would decline."
+
+All this Harry poured forth in a torrent of words, and before Ashby
+had a chance of making a remark he was off. Ashby watched him, and
+saw him enter the carriage where Katie and Dolores had gone with the
+Russells; and then, drawing a long breath, he went slowly to the
+train and took his seat. There was only one other occupant of the
+carriage where he sat. This was a priest. He wore a broad-brimmed
+hat; his eyes were concealed by spectacles: he had also a heavy brown
+beard and mustache. So engaged was he in reading his breviary, that
+as Ashby entered he did not look up or take any notice of him
+whatever.
+
+Lopez, also, had seen the whole proceeding, and had put on it his own
+interpretation. As Ashby entered the train so did he, and soon the
+whole of these people whose fortunes were so entangled were whirling
+along to the North.
+
+Ashby sat buried in gloom, with his heart full of bitterness and
+wrath; of envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness. He had
+hoped to see Katie. He had counted quite confidently on meeting once
+more with Dolores. He had felt sure of Harry Rivers. But now all
+three had failed him; and, what was worse, all three had drifted away
+from him in one another's company, and appeared to be perfectly
+indifferent to him, and perfectly happy without him.
+
+The priest was unsociable, and kept reading his breviary as though
+his life depended upon it. Yet this made no difference to Ashby. He
+did not desire to make any new acquaintances or talk small-talk with
+strangers. He preferred to be left to his own thoughts, dismal as
+they were. He was in no mood for conversation, for his mind was full
+of material for meditation, conjecture, wonder, and bewilderment.
+
+Why, he thought, had Dolores deserted him? How had she become
+acquainted with Katie? And Harry--to which of these two was he making
+himself so infernally agreeable? Whichever it was, it seemed equally
+bad. Ashby felt bitterly resentful against all of them. Katie seemed
+to be the worst. She might have contrived, he thought, to give him
+some sign. But then he recollected that on the previous evening he
+was tracking Dolores, when he ought to have gone on Katie's trail. As
+for Dolores, he thought that she might at least have shown herself
+when he was wandering through the streets in the morning hours. But
+perhaps she expected to find him in the neighborhood of Katie.
+Evidently he himself had acted like a fool in leaving the hotel. As
+for Harry Rivers, he could not help feeling as though this was the
+worst of all. Harry had it now all his own way: a gay, careless,
+impulsive dog--a fellow who would forget the whole world while under
+the influence of a pair of bright eyes--a fellow who was even now,
+perhaps, trying to cut him out. The miserable humbug, also, by a most
+abominable chance, had both these girls. Both! Insatiate monster!
+would not one suffice?
+
+Thus Ashby chafed, and fumed, and, I am sorry to add, swore terribly;
+but all the while the train kept rolling on and on, until at length
+the Ebro valley was reached. Here the scenes that opened to view were
+most attractive. Far away on either side was a broad plain, dotted
+with towns and villages, and filled with olive-groves and vineyards,
+where cattle, and sheep, and goats grazed peacefully, and shepherds,
+goatherds, and vine-dressers stared lazily up as the train rolled by.
+The distant horizon was everywhere terminated by lofty mountains--on
+the south, the circling range of the Sierra de Grados; on the north,
+the long line of the Pyrenees and the Asturian mountains, their sides
+covered with foliage, their summits crowned with snow. It was a
+ground, too, which was rich in associations of history and romance,
+the arena of gallant struggle and heroic effort for many and many an
+age; a place that called up memories of Hannibal, with his conquering
+armies; of Rome, with her invincible legions; of Charlemagne, with
+his Paladins; of Abd-er-Rahman, with his brilliant Saracens; of the
+steel-clad Crusaders; of the martial hosts of Arragon; of the
+resistless infantry of Ferdinand and Isabella; of the wars of the
+Spanish succession; of the redcoats of Wellington; through all the
+ages down to the time of this story, when Don Carlos was standing
+among these northern mountains, as Pelajo stood more than a thousand
+years ago, leading on his hardy warriors to battle against all the
+rest of Spain.
+
+So the train rolled on--past the numerous stations; past the towns
+and villages; past the long groves and vineyards; past the barren,
+sandy tracts; past the hill-sides, with shepherds, and flocks, and
+herds; past the roads, with long trains of mules; past the peasants
+lolling over walls and fences--so the train passed on, mile after
+mile and hour after hour; but nothing of all this was noticed by
+Ashby, who sat buried in his gloomy reverie, from which he was unable
+to rally, until at length the train came to a sudden full-stop.
+
+About such a sudden and abrupt stop there was something very singular
+indeed. No station was near. The country seemed wild and deserted,
+and no cause was likely to stop the train at such a place except some
+serious accident.
+
+The priest started up with a quick movement, thrust the breviary into
+his pocket, and peered cautiously out of the window, looking first
+backward and then forward. It was this movement that first roused
+Ashby. He too started up and looked out.
+
+The sight that he saw was so startling that it served most
+effectually to chase away all morbid fancies, and give him something
+to think about of a far more serious character.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+HOW THE WHOLE PARTY COME TO GRIEF, AND ARE CARRIED AWAY CAPTIVE.
+
+
+It was, in truth, a strange and startling sight that met Ashby's eyes
+as he looked out of the window. The train had been stopped in the
+middle of a plain, where the road ran along an embankment about three
+feet high. A crowd of armed men were here, gathered about the
+locomotive, and already forming lines along each side of the train.
+All looked shabby, none had any pretensions to uniforms, and their
+appearance was not sufficiently picturesque for brigands. In fact,
+they looked like a gang of goatherds who had just taken to
+brigandage.
+
+"A hard lot," muttered Ashby to himself.
+
+Soon the tatterdemalions reached the spot, and extended their lines
+on both sides to the end of the train. At every window they shouted,
+"Back! back! Be quiet, and no harm will be done!" Shouting such words
+as these, they aimed their guns so recklessly and with such furious
+gestures at the windows, that the passengers all shrank back, not
+only into their seats, but even into their boots.
+
+The lines of armed men thus stood guarding the train, while the
+passengers cowered inside. After a time a cry was heard from some one
+who was passing along, and who, as he passed, kept shouting into each
+carriage,
+
+"This train has been stopped in the name of his Majesty King Charles.
+All passengers are ordered to come out forthwith. Arms and weapons of
+all kinds must be left behind. Resistance will be punished with
+death. God save the King!"
+
+After this the guards came and opened all the doors, and the
+passengers stepped forth in obedience to orders. Of these there were
+about a hundred altogether, and each one remained on the spot where
+he alighted, and was forbidden to move in any direction. From where
+Ashby stood he could see the whole crowd--the prisoners and their
+captors. He saw a group alighting from a carriage a little ahead.
+First came Harry Rivers, stepping out quite gayly, as though it was a
+picnic. On reaching the ground, he turned and assisted the ladies to
+descend. This he did by the simple yet pleasing process of lifting
+them down bodily--first Katie, then Dolores. At this sight Ashby
+gnashed his teeth with jealous rage. Then came Russell, whom, it is
+perhaps unnecessary to state, Harry did not lift down. Nor did that
+gallant and chivalrous youth venture to lift down Mrs. Russell, being
+at that particular moment engaged in conversation with Katie.
+
+Dolores, having descended, stood apart, and her dark-glancing eyes,
+as they wandered searchingly about, fell full upon Ashby. It was a
+glance full of that same deep, earnest meaning which he had noticed
+in the morning; and so she stood looking at him, too far away to
+speak, while Ashby looked at her also. After a time Harry's roving
+eyes rested upon his friend, and with a laugh he drew Katie's
+attention to him. At this Katie looked, and smiled brightly, and
+nodded her pretty little head half a dozen times. To Ashby this
+seemed like mockery. Katie, he saw, could very well bear this
+separation, which was so painful to himself, and could laugh and be
+happy with others, and could, perhaps, jest about his own melancholy
+face. So Ashby bowed sulkily, and turned away his head.
+
+It was rather a novelty--this sort of thing. Brigands in every age
+had stopped travellers, but then they had always been in coaches or
+carriages, on horseback or on foot. Never before had they tried to
+stop a railway train. And yet in the progress of civilization the
+world had to come to this. The manners of man easily accommodate
+themselves to the inventions of man, and highway robbery can be done
+as easily on a railroad as on a carriage road. Nevertheless, these
+particular men who stopped this particular train were not brigands:
+on the contrary, they were soldiers, forming part of the army of one
+who called himself King of Spain--in short, Carlists.
+
+The passengers were now ordered to come forward for examination, one
+by one. Here, on a little knoll, on one side of the locomotive, stood
+the leader of the band. He was a stout, thick-set man, with dark hair
+and bushy beard. Around him were a score or so of armed men. The rest
+of the band stood guarding the train. One by one the passengers came
+forward. Each one was then ordered to hand over all the money,
+jewellery, watches, or other valuables which he possessed. This was
+to be a contribution to his Royal Majesty King Charles, who was in
+sore need of such contributions from all his loving and loyal
+subjects, in order to carry on the war against the rebels who were
+resisting him. Against such a command as this there could be no
+protest, and from it no appeal. No one offered to do either. Gold,
+silver, copper, dirty paper-money, watches, rings, brooches, pins,
+bracelets, trinkets of male and female use, were thrown promiscuously
+down into a large basket which stood at the feet of the Carlist
+chief, who loftily disdained searching any one, assuring them that he
+trusted to their honor as Spaniards.
+
+Then came the turn of the Russell party. First the Paterfamilias
+disgorged. It was a well-filled wallet, and Russell flung it down
+without a word. His watch followed. Then came some trinkets from the
+ladies; then Harry's purse and watch. After this they were about to
+move away to where the other passengers had gone, but the Carlist
+chief stopped them.
+
+
+[Illustration: "The Two Friends Were Comfortably Seated In The Rooms
+Of Harry Rivers."]
+
+
+[Illustration: The Capture Of The Train.]
+
+
+"By the command of his Most Gracious Majesty King Charles," said he,
+"you are to be detained."
+
+"May I inquire for what cause?" asked Harry.
+
+"Because you are foreigners," said the Carlist chief.
+
+Harry translated this to Russell, whose face assumed a sickly pallor.
+To him this was terrible.
+
+The Carlist chief then directed them where to go, and two of the band
+led them to the spot.
+
+Other Spaniards now followed, and deposited their superfluous cash in
+peace, without being detained. Then came the priest. He threw down a
+very lean wallet. No notice was taken of him, and he followed the
+others. These were all gathered in a group, and though conversation
+had not been prohibited, they were all quite silent, as was perhaps
+natural. Among them was Lopez, who had come there among the first. He
+stood there silent, watchful, and attentive. He regarded the Russell
+party in particular, and marked their arrest.
+
+It was now Ashby's turn. He came up and threw down his purse and
+watch. The Carlist chief scrutinized him carefully, and then said,
+
+"Senor, you, being a foreigner, are to be detained for a future
+examination."
+
+"May I join the other foreigners?" asked Ashby.
+
+The Carlist chief shook his head.
+
+"Pardon me, senor, but His Majesty has issued strict orders, which
+must be obeyed. Each foreigner must be examined by himself. The
+regulations are very stringent."
+
+With this he directed one of his men to lead the prisoner away; and
+Ashby, who for a moment had hoped that he would be able to join the
+Russell party, now, to his great chagrin, found himself led away to
+another place too distant to allow of any communication with his
+friends.
+
+The mere fact of this arrest was not so bad to Ashby, since the
+others were in the same case precisely; but in this continued
+separation from them he found material for fresh suspicion and
+renewed jealousy. Katie seemed to him to be altogether too bright,
+and lively, and joyous. He could see that she was laughing and
+talking with Harry quite merrily. This separation, which brought
+sorrow to him, evidently brought joy to her. Was she, then, after
+all, a mere shallow flirt? Had all her love been feigned? Was it
+possible that she could so soon forget? With these thoughts, and
+others like them, this idiotic youth persisted in tormenting himself.
+
+At length the examination was ended, and at its close the Carlist
+chief improved the occasion by addressing a few words to the
+Spaniards. He reminded them that Don Carlos was their rightful king;
+that this contribution was no more than his due; that they, one and
+all, ought to cherish a lively affection for his sacred person; that
+they ought to continue this good work which they had begun by sending
+more; and that the king would be graciously pleased to accept
+whatever they might contribute. In his own person the gallant
+chieftain thanked them, and also in the name of His Majesty, for
+their generous contributions. Finally, he informed them that His
+Majesty, in his boundless pity and compassion, had graciously
+permitted them to resume their journey. The only exception to this
+permission was that of a few foreigners, who were detained, lest
+there might be spies among them. Against gentry of this sort, His
+Majesty's government had to be particularly on their guard. The
+country was swarming with them. They generally pretended to be news
+correspondents, but in reality they were paid agents of the enemy. If
+any such should be caught, they would be shown no mercy.
+
+With this address he dismissed the Spanish portion of the passengers,
+who hastily re-entered the train. The English prisoners were allowed
+to retain their luggage. Accompanied by some Carlists, they chose out
+what they thought needful, and this was set aside. Russell took
+nearly all of his. Meanwhile others of the band went through the
+train, and helped themselves to whatever seemed useful. Among the
+things thus selected as useful were the mail-bags, which, like the
+foreigners, were taken away for further examination.
+
+After this the obstructions were removed from the road, the engine
+started, the train went on its way, and the prisoners saw it no more.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+HOW HARRY AND KATIE MANAGE TO ENJOY THEMSELVES IN THEIR CAPTIVE
+STATE.
+
+
+The train moved off; and as the puffing and panting of the engine,
+the rumble of the wheels, and the shriek of the whistle died away in
+the distance, the captive passengers felt desolate indeed, for it
+seemed as though hope itself had been taken from them.
+
+The Carlist chief then spent some time in examining the contributions
+of the loyal subjects of King Charles. These appeared to give him
+much satisfaction, and, after due inspection, were gathered up and
+deposited in a stout oaken chest.
+
+He now turned his attention to the prisoners, and briefly examined
+them as to their nationality, residence, etc. Harry acted as general
+interpreter, so that there was no difficulty in coming to a full
+understanding. The chief informed them that they would have to be
+conveyed to another place for fuller examination. He deplored the
+necessity of this, and advised them to be patient, telling them that
+they should be put to as little trouble as possible, and that all
+would no doubt turn out well in the end. This he said first to the
+Russell party, and afterward to Ashby. The Russell party had nothing
+to say, except old Russell himself, who said, perhaps, more than was
+prudent under such delicate circumstances. He chafed and fumed, all
+in English, and muttered something about British ironclads and
+writing to the Times. He also made some vague threats about the wrath
+of England, and made the statement that Britons never would be
+slaves. But this was in English, and Harry did not think it worth
+while, on the whole, to translate it to the Carlist chief. Nor did
+Harry feel very much inclined to say anything on his own behalf.
+There was, indeed, nothing to be said; and, besides, he happened to
+be enjoying himself very much with the young ladies.
+
+The Carlist chief made the same statement to Ashby, who once more
+tried to effect a communication with his friends.
+
+"Will you allow me now, Senor Captain," he said, "to join the other
+foreign prisoners? They are my fellow-countrymen, and, in fact, my
+intimate friends."
+
+"Certainly, senor," said the Carlist chief, graciously. "For my own
+part, I have no objection--that is, for the present. But I must first
+see what they have to say about it."
+
+He did so.
+
+Ashby would have gained his wish if it had not been for Russell. When
+the Carlist chief informed them that the other Englishman wished to
+join them, Russell made Harry translate this to him. The moment that
+he understood the request, he burst forth into a passionate tirade
+against Ashby; and all the rage and fury that might be due to this
+misadventure was now poured forth upon Ashby's head.
+
+"The infernal puppy!" he cried. "He join us? Never! I'd rather turn
+Carlist myself, or brigand. If he is forced upon us, I will keep my
+wife and my ward apart and aloof from him. Oh, curse it all! if I
+could only speak Spanish! But, Mr. Rivers, I insist upon your telling
+this Spanish captain that we will not have it."
+
+And so on. Harry found it useless to argue with him, and so he told
+the Carlist chief that Russell objected. The Carlist chief then
+returned and told Ashby, to whom this was another cruel blow.
+
+"It will make no difference," said the Carlist chief, who saw his
+dejection, "as you will all be taken to the same place."
+
+Two mules were now driven up, harnessed to a curious vehicle that
+might have taken Noah and family to the ark. Into this the Russell
+party entered, namely, Mr. Russell, Mrs. Russell, Katie, Dolores, and
+Harry. In addition to these there was the driver. Armed men followed
+on foot.
+
+Another similar vehicle drove up to take the luggage, and into this
+Ashby was told to go. Some time was occupied in loading this, so that
+when Ashby started the others were already far ahead.
+
+The Russell party were conveyed very slowly. At first their route lay
+along a plain, and then when this was traversed they began to ascend
+among the mountains. The pace had all along been slow enough, but now
+it became a crawl. The party were variously occupied. Russell was
+grumbling and growling; Mrs. Russell was sighing and whining; Dolores
+was silent and thoughtful; Harry, however, maintained his usual flow
+of spirits, and found in Katie a congenial soul. These two had been
+devoting themselves to one another during the whole journey, and by
+this time they felt quite like old friends. Each had a lively
+disposition, too buoyant to remain depressed, and each was glad to
+take any opportunity of rallying from the strokes of adverse fortune.
+Thus each was able to assist the other bravely in the noble effort to
+rise superior to circumstances.
+
+"This is a bore," said Harry, "a beastly bore! I know what I should
+like to do--I should walk, if it were not that I very much prefer
+being with you."
+
+"But I should like to walk too," said Katie. "Do you think they will
+let us, Mr. Rivers? It would be too lovely!"
+
+"Will you, really?" said Harry, in a joyous voice. "Oh, they'll let
+us, fast enough. I'll ask."
+
+So Harry asked, and permission was granted readily enough, for the
+mules could then go on faster, and there was no danger of these two
+escaping from twenty armed men. Accordingly, Harry got out and
+assisted Katie in the usual way, namely, by lifting her down. They
+then fell behind the wagon, walking along at a slow pace, having this
+advantage, that, although they were not making any greater progress
+than before, they were left more to themselves, and were under less
+restraint.
+
+"Do you like this?" asked Harry, as they trudged along.
+
+"Oh, very much indeed."
+
+"It's better than the wagon, isn't it?"
+
+"I'm so _awfully_ tired of the wagon!" said Katie.
+
+"And we can talk without being overheard," said Harry. "Of course I
+don't mean to say that we say anything that everybody mightn't hear;
+but then, you know, Miss Westlotorn, one can talk much more freely
+when one isn't surrounded by a coldly critical audience."
+
+At this Katie laughed, and stole a shy, sidelong glance at him, as
+though she suspected some deeper meaning in his words than that which
+appeared on the surface.
+
+"Do you feel very much frightened at this adventure?" continued
+Harry.
+
+"Me frightened?" said Katie. "Not at all. What an idea!"
+
+"Really not?"
+
+"No, really. Do you know, I'm rather fond of adventures."
+
+"But isn't this a little too serious?"
+
+"Why, Mr. Rivers, I'm sure I think it's delightful. These men are
+Carlists, and all Carlists are gentlemen. I dote on Carlists--I do,
+really."
+
+"Well, so do I--if you do," said Harry, laughingly; "only you must
+allow that it isn't a very gentlemanly thing to stop us on our
+journey, relieve us of our purses, and carry us off to parts unknown
+in a mule-cart."
+
+"Oh, you shouldn't look at it in that light. That's too awfully
+prosaic. Now I'm romantic, and I'm positively grateful to them for
+providing me with such a delightful little adventure."
+
+"Do you love adventures?"
+
+"Love them?" replied Katie, with the drollest look in the world.
+"Why, I positively dote on them!"
+
+Her smile was so sweet, and her face so bewitching, that Harry
+thought he never saw any face so lovely.
+
+"You see," continued Katie, "I mope and mope, and keep moping so; and
+things grow so tiresome, that I fairly ache for an adventure."
+
+"Well, but suppose that you were in an awful hurry to meet some one,
+and were stopped in this fashion?"
+
+At this Katie's whole expression changed. She looked at Harry with a
+face full of sympathy, behind which there was visible the most
+intense curiosity.
+
+"Oh, Mr. Rivers," said she, "I'm so sorry! And are you in an awful
+hurry to meet some one?"
+
+"Awful!" said Harry.
+
+"Oh, Mr. Rivers, I'm so sorry!" said Katie again. "And won't you tell
+me all about it, please?"
+
+Now Harry was by nature inclined to make the world his confidant; and
+how much more was he ready to confide in such a one as Katie, who
+invited his confidence with such tender sympathy! Besides, he already
+felt, as has been said, quite like an old acquaintance. Ashby's
+relations to Katie made her seem nearer to him. She was his friend's
+betrothed. And then, too, he had been chatting with her all day long.
+
+"You see," said he, "I'm on the lookout for a friend."
+
+At this Katie smiled with indescribable comicality.
+
+"Won't I do?" she asked.
+
+Harry stared at her for a moment, and then burst into a laugh, in
+which Katie joined merrily.
+
+"I dare say now, Mr. Rivers," said she, "you think I'm too slight an
+acquaintance to be trusted; but you know, in Spain, when one meets
+with a fellow-countryman who can speak English, why, you know, one
+can't help feeling quite like an old friend, and that sort of thing;
+and, mind you, when one has been taken prisoner by the Carlists, one
+feels much more so, you know. But all the same, I hope you'll excuse
+me; I didn't mean any harm."
+
+At this Harry laughed still more.
+
+"You're not mad?" said Katie, with a droll assumption of anxiety.
+
+"Will you really be my friend?" asked Harry.
+
+"Of course. Didn't I say as much?" said Katie.
+
+"Then let's shake hands over it," said Harry, "and swear an eternal
+friendship."
+
+Saying this, he held out his baud, and Katie held out hers. Harry
+pressed it warmly and tenderly.
+
+"Well," said Harry, after a pause, "I'll tell you all about it, for I
+want your--your sympathy, you know, and your advice, you know, and
+all that sort of thing, you know."
+
+"Well, do you know, Mr. Rivers," said Katie, "that's my strong point.
+I always have at my disposal any amount of sympathy; and as for
+advice, why, I could begin and go on advising, and advising, and
+advising, from now till--well, not to be too extravagant, I'll merely
+say till doomsday. So now--won't you begin?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+IN WHICH HARRY BECOMES CONFIDENTIAL, AND TELLS A VERY REMARKABLE
+STORY.
+
+
+Harry paused a little longer, and then said, "Well, you see, the
+friend that I wanted to see is a lady."
+
+"Of course," said Katie; "that's a self-evident fact. I know that,
+and she is your ladylove. But I want to know all about her, and,
+first of all, her name."
+
+"I didn't think that you thought I was thinking of a lady," said
+Harry.
+
+"What a ridiculous observation!" said Katie; "and I know you only say
+that to tease me, when you know I'm so curious about this friend of
+yours."
+
+"Well," said Harry, "in the first place, her name is Talbot."
+
+"Talbot? What else?"
+
+"Sydney--Sydney Talbot."
+
+"Sydney Talbot! But that isn't a girl's name; it's a man's name."
+
+"At any rate," said Harry, "it's her name."
+
+"Well, but hasn't she some pet name--something more feminine, such as
+'Minnie,' for instance, or 'Nellie,' or 'Kittie,' or 'Florrie,' or
+something of that sort?"
+
+"No; her only name is Sydney Talbot. You see, Sydney is a family
+name, and had to be perpetuated. She had no brothers, and so it was
+given to her. Her father's name was also Sydney Talbot, and her
+grandfather's, and--"
+
+"And her great-grandfather's," chimed in Katie, "and so on up to
+Noah; but his name, at any rate, was not Sydney Talbot. Now this is a
+very romantic beginning, so go on. I will only remark that I intend
+to be great friends with your wife some day, and that I've made up my
+mind to call her 'Syddie.' She is actually pining for a pet name. But
+what do you call her?"
+
+"I? Oh, I call her Miss Talbot."
+
+"Miss! You call her Miss--Talbot? What a horrible idea! And you
+pretend to love her!" cried Katie, reproachfully.
+
+"Well--but, you know, Sydney is too stiff."
+
+"Then why not invent a name? Call her 'Poppet,' or 'Topsy,' or
+'Fifine,' or 'Rosie,' or 'Gracie.' Why, I could supply you with fifty
+or sixty names on the spot. But this is all idle trifling. Go on and
+tell me more. Give a full and complete account of yourself and your
+'own one.'"
+
+"Well, you know, I'm doing business in Barcelona, and we were engaged
+to be married last year."
+
+"Did you see her last in Barcelona?"
+
+"No, in England, last year. I met her in London."
+
+"Have you not seen her since?"
+
+"No. We have corresponded ever since, and this marriage was arranged
+by letter."
+
+"Oh, but you're not married yet?" said Katie, in a low voice.
+
+"No," said Harry, "and Heaven only knows when we ever shall be."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Oh, well--because there's been such a muddle about it all. You see,
+I proposed, and was accepted, in the usual course of things."
+
+"Ah, now, Mr. Rivers," said Katie, "that's not fair!"
+
+"Fair! what isn't fair?"
+
+"Why, you're skipping all the best part."
+
+"The best part? I don't understand."
+
+"Well, I mean you're leaving out all the love parts. I want to hear
+all about your love affair--how you first saw her; how you felt; how
+she treated you; how you were tormented by the pangs of jealousy,
+agitated by hope and fear, until you knew that she was yours. And you
+have the heart to skip all this and go on to the stupid, commonplace
+end of it!"
+
+Harry laughed.
+
+"Well," said he, "the end of my case has not yet come; and the
+farther on I go the more exciting it grows. But I'll tell you all if
+you want me to. Shall I begin at the beginning, and tell you how I
+first became acquainted with her?"
+
+"Yes, yes, do!" said Katie, eagerly.
+
+"Well, it was at sea, in a tremendous gale, when we both were face to
+face with death."
+
+At this Katie threw up her eyes, clasped her hands, and exclaimed,
+
+"Oh, how perfectly _ex_quisite! how utterly delicious! how quite too
+awfully jolly! But when? where? Oh, _do_ go on!"
+
+"It was aboard the steamer from Marseilles to Leghorn. During the
+night after leaving a furious storm arose. The steamer was an old
+rattletrap, and soon began to leak fearfully. I was in my berth,
+trying to sleep, when at last I was roused by a yell from all the
+crew and passengers. I rushed out and on deck, and saw the sea all
+breaking in foam over the vessel. The passengers and crew were all
+mixed up in a wild, confused mass, trying to scramble into the boats.
+This was made visible by the lightning flashes at intervals, after
+which everything would become as black as night. I saw that nothing
+could be done, so I took my station near the mizzen shrouds, and held
+on there, waiting for the end. While here I saw a female figure
+crouching down under the bulwarks and clinging there. Partly out of
+pity, and partly for the sake of having something to do, I helped her
+up to her feet, held her up in that position, and told her to cling
+to the shrouds, and stay by me as long as she possibly could.
+
+"At length, in the midst of a flash of lightning, I happened to
+notice that the jolly-boat was hanging from the davits astern. No one
+was near: every one was running about forward. I determined to make
+an effort for life. The woman was almost senseless, so I half
+carried, half dragged her to the boat and got her in. Then I passed a
+line around the seat of the boat and secured her to it; after which I
+began to lower the boat down. This was a deuced hard job, but I
+managed it at last. Then I jumped in, and cut the line that held us,
+and away we went in the boat, which was sent spinning along like a
+feather over the boiling sea. I don't know how we kept afloat, but we
+did. The woman never spoke one word. So we passed a fearful night,
+and at length morning came. Then the woman began to cry bitterly. I
+soothed her as well as I could.
+
+"We were in a terrible situation. The storm had nearly gone down, but
+we were threatened with something worse, for we had neither water nor
+provisions. I gave my companion some brandy, which revived her. We
+were far away out of sight of land, and no sails were visible
+anywhere. I had a couple of oars, and with these I pulled toward the
+north. My companion soon regained her composure and her strength, and
+we were able to discuss our prospects. She told me her name and
+destination. She was on her way to Rome to join her father, in
+company with an aged relative and her maid. Her father had been ill,
+and had been living in Italy for his health. She was anxious about
+him, but still more troubled about her relative, who had been left on
+board the steamer.
+
+"Miss Talbot was very beautiful, and the most unselfish person I ever
+saw. She was perpetually trying to lighten my labor. She insisted on
+taking an oar and trying to row. She bore up most uncomplainingly
+against our hardships. In fact, she acted like a regular brick. Of
+course, before I had talked with her half an hour I was head over
+heels in love with her."
+
+"But it's awfully nice to have your life saved, and be alone together
+in a boat like that," said Katie. She spoke in an injured tone, as
+though a shipwreck was something highly desirable, which a harsh fate
+had cruelly kept away from her.
+
+"Well," continued Harry, "we starved, and starved, and choked with
+thirst, for two or three days; but she never uttered one single
+murmur."
+
+"I should think not," said Katie. "What had she to complain of? What
+more could she want? Why, it was utterly lovely! I'm sure I shouldn't
+care to eat one single bit if I were in such a situation. I could not
+be hungry at such times--I never am. Hungry, indeed!"
+
+The idea was too absurd, so Katie dismissed it with scorn.
+
+"I could see," continued Harry, "that she was suffering. Her face
+grew paler and paler. She was evidently growing weaker. She looked at
+me piteously--"
+
+"Oh, you will be so prosaic!" interrupted Katie. "Can't you see that
+it wasn't hunger at all? It's the old, old story:
+
+
+  "'Then her cheek was pale, and thinner
+    Than should be for one so young,
+    And her eyes on all my motions
+    With a mute observance hung.'
+
+
+"And I said," continued Katie--
+
+
+  "'And I said, my dearest Pard'ner,
+    Speak, and speak the truth to me;
+    Trust me, Pard'ner; all the current
+    Of my being turns to thee.'
+
+
+"The fact is," she added, abruptly, "I believe you're making up
+nearly the whole of this!"
+
+"Making it up!" cried Harry. "Me! Why?"
+
+"Why, because such delightful situations never do occur in real life.
+It's only in fiction."
+
+"No, really, now--it was really so," said Harry. "Why should I make
+this up? Really, on my honor--"
+
+"Well, you're coloring the facts, at least," said Katie. "If it's all
+true, I think it's hard on poor people like me, that never can find
+any pleasant excitement to break the monotony of life. But never
+mind--please go on."
+
+"Well," continued Harry, "we drifted on for several days. We saw
+vessels, but they were too far away to see us. At last we came in
+sight of land, and there we were picked up by a boat that took us to
+Leghorn. I then went on with Miss Talbot to Rome. I learned that we
+were the only ones that had been saved out of the ill-fated steamer.
+Miss Talbot's father, who, as I said, was an invalid, had heard the
+news, and, thinking his daughter lost, sank under the blow. On our
+arrival at Rome he was dead. It was a mournful end to our journey.
+
+"He was buried in Rome. Miss Talbot returned to England with an
+English family, with whom her father had been acquainted. I did not
+intrude on her just then, but paid her a visit afterward. At that
+time we came to an understanding, and then I went back to Barcelona.
+And now I come to the real point of my story--the thing that I was
+going to tell you."
+
+"Oh, I'm so very much obliged," said Katie, "for what you've told me
+thus far!"
+
+"Now, Miss Talbot, you must know, has very few relatives. She's the
+last of an ancient family, and one or two uncles and aunts are all
+that are left besides herself. Her life has been by no means gay, or
+even cheerful, and perhaps that was one reason why she was willing to
+accept me."
+
+"How delightful it is," said Katie, "to see such perfect modesty! Mr.
+Rivers, you are almost too diffident to live!"
+
+"Oh, but really I mean that a girl like Miss Talbot, with her wealth,
+and ancient family, and social standing, and all that, might have the
+pick of all the best fellows in the country."
+
+"That stands to reason; and so you imply that when such a lady chose
+you, you--"
+
+"Ah, now, Miss Westlotorn, I didn't," said Harry. "I'm not so
+infernally conceited as all that, you know."
+
+"But hadn't she promised in the boat?"
+
+"In the boat! Well, yes--"
+
+"Of course: then why did she have to choose you again?"
+
+"Oh, well--in the boat it was an informal sort of thing. But never
+mind. She promised to marry me, and I went back to Barcelona. We then
+corresponded for about a year."
+
+"How awfully dreary!" sighed Katie. "I do so detest letter-writing!
+If I had to write letters, I would break the engagement."
+
+"Well, it's a bother, of course," said Harry; "but, after all, a
+letter is the only substitute one can have for the absent one."
+
+"And how long is it since you last saw her?"
+
+"A year."
+
+"A year! Why, you must have utterly forgotten what she looks like.
+Should you be able to recognize her, if you were to meet her in a
+crowd?"
+
+"Oh yes," said Harry, with a laugh. "Now you must know that when I
+was engaged I expected to go to England in about three months' time
+to get married. Business, however, detained me. I hoped to go again,
+a few months later. But the fact is, I found it impossible; and so on
+for a whole year I was detained, until at last I had to write,
+imploring her to come out to me and be married in Barcelona."
+
+"Well, for my part, I never would marry a man unless he came for me,"
+said Katie.
+
+
+[Illustration: "Here Stood The Leader Of The Band."]
+
+
+[Illustration: "They Then Fell Behind The Wagon, Walking At A Slow
+Pace."]
+
+
+"Then I'm glad," said Harry, "that you are not Miss Talbot. She was
+not so cruel as that; for though at first she refused, she at last
+consented and promised to come. This, however, was only after long
+begging on my part, and a full explanation of the difficulties of my
+position. So she consented, and finally mentioned a certain day on
+which she would leave; and that was about a fortnight ago.
+
+"Now, you know, all the time, I felt awfully about her having to come
+on alone, until at length, as ill-luck would have it, it so happened
+that I was able to steal a few days from my business. So I
+determined, after all, to go on for her. Fool that I was, I didn't
+telegraph! There was no time to write, of course. You see, I was such
+an idiot that I only thought of giving her a pleasant surprise. This
+filled my mind and occupied all my thoughts, and all the way on I was
+chuckling to myself over my scheme; and I kept fancying how delighted
+she would be at finding that, after all, she would not have to make
+the journey alone. I was so full of this that I couldn't think of
+anything else. And now I should like to ask you calmly, Miss
+Westlotorn, one simple question: Did you ever hear in all your life
+of such a perfect and unmitigated chuckle-head?"
+
+"Never!" said Katie, in a demure tone.
+
+"Well," continued Harry, ruefully, "luck was against me. I met with
+several delays of a tedious kind, and lost in all about two days. At
+last I got to my destination, and then--then--in one word, there came
+a thunder-clap. What do you think?"
+
+"What?"
+
+"She was gone!"
+
+"Gone?"
+
+"Yes. She had gone the day before my arrival. She had written again,
+and had telegraphed. She had then set out, expecting me to receive
+her with all a lover's eagerness at Barcelona, at the hotel which I
+had mentioned to her in my last letter, and hoping also that I might
+possibly turn up at any station after passing the Pyrenees. What do
+you think of that? Wasn't that a blow? And was it my fault?"
+
+"Certainly not," said Katie, in a soothing voice. "Not your fault,
+only your misfortune. But what did her friends say?"
+
+"Her friends? Oh, they were awfully indignant, of course, but I
+couldn't wait to explain it all to them. The moment I found out how
+it was, I turned on my heel and hurried back to Barcelona. I
+travelled night and day. I got there without any interruption, and
+rushed to the hotel where, according to my direction, she was to have
+gone."
+
+"Well," asked Katie, as Harry paused, "was she there?"
+
+"No," said Harry; "but, worst of all, she had been there! Yes, she
+had been there. She had made the journey; she had reached Barcelona;
+and I--I, for whom she had come, I was not there to meet her. Well,
+when I did get back she was gone."
+
+"Gone?--gone where?"
+
+"Why, where else could she have gone but home again?"
+
+"True. Being a girl of spirit, she never could stand such treatment
+as that. But did she leave no message for you?"
+
+"Not a word, either in writing or in any other way. I asked the hotel
+people about her, but they knew nothing in particular. She had not
+told anything about herself. She had come, and, after two or three
+days, had gone. She had gone only the day before I got back."
+
+"And you, of course, must have started after her all the way back to
+England, and that's the reason why you are here--"
+
+"Yes," said Harry: "the only hope I had was to overtake the train
+that preceded me. It was not impossible that it might be delayed, and
+that my train should come up with hers. That was my only hope, but of
+course all this is now up."
+
+"Oh, well," said Katie, in a consoling tone, "you'll see her again
+before long, and you can explain it all; and when she finds out that
+it all arose from an excess of zeal, she will see that your fault was
+one on the right side, and she will love you all the better. And so
+you will both have many and many a laugh over this queer
+misadventure; and it will be something that will give flavor and
+spice to all your future life. Why, I'd give anything to have just
+such an adventure--I would, really. I wish I was in Miss Talbot's
+place. I quite envy her--I do, really; that is," she added, with a
+little confusion, "her adventure, you know."
+
+"You have such a nice way of putting things," said Harry, "that I
+wish I could always have you to go to for sympathy."
+
+"Sympathy?" said Katie. "Oh, you know that's quite my forte."
+
+Harry looked into her clear, sunny eyes as they were raised to his,
+full of brightness, and archness, and joyousness.
+
+"And won't you let me call you 'Katie,'" said he, "just while we're
+travelling together? I feel so awfully well acquainted with you, you
+know; and I've told you all about my affairs, you know, just as if
+you were my oldest friend."
+
+"I should like it above all things," said Katie. "I hate to be called
+Miss Westlotorn by my friends. It's too formal."
+
+"And you must call me 'Harry,'" said this volatile young man. "You
+will, now, won't you?" he added, in a coaxing tone.
+
+Katie did not prove obdurate.
+
+"Well--Harry," she said, with a bewitching smile.
+
+"I think you're awfully nice," said Harry.
+
+"Well, I'm sure I think you're a very nice boy," said Katie, in a
+childish way.
+
+For some time longer the party continued their journey. Harry and
+Katie found walking so much pleasanter than riding in the rude cart
+that they refused to get into the vehicle again, although urged to do
+so very strongly both by Mr. and Mrs. Russell. For his part, Harry
+declared that he infinitely preferred walking; and Katie, on being
+appealed to, said that the jolts of the wagon made her head ache. So
+these two continued their walk.
+
+Gradually it grew darker, and the twilight deepened with the rapidity
+common in southern latitudes. Then, fearing lest Katie might be
+fatigued, Harry made her take his arm. After this, being still full
+of anxious fears lest so fair and fragile a being might sink under
+the wearisome tramp, he took her little hand as it lay on his arm,
+and held it in his for all the rest of the way. And what Ashby would
+have said or thought if he had seen that, is more than I can tell,
+I'm sure.
+
+The moon was shining, and its brilliancy was wonderful. Now they
+entered among the mountains. Far on high ascended the lofty wooded
+slopes on one side, while on the other they descended into a valley.
+Beyond this there were other heights, while in the valley between
+there was a beautiful winding river. A turn in the road brought them
+at length to a place where the valley widened, and far away, shining
+like silver in the moonbeams, flowed the river,
+
+
+"With many a winding through the vale."
+
+
+
+All around rose an amphitheatre of hills, some wooded, some
+precipitous, and behind these rose the summits of loftier mountains
+far into the sky.
+
+Here, full before them, there arose a grand and stately castle.
+Perched upon the crest of a spur where it projected from the flank of
+a mountain, it stood before the new-comers the centre of the whole
+scene, the crown and glory of it all. In the garish sunlight there
+might have been perceptible many and many a mark wrought by the
+destructive hand of time, for ages had passed since it first reared
+its lordly form on high. Its architecture spoke of hoar antiquity, of
+a time long past, when the Moor still fought around these scenes, and
+rushed to the fight to the war-cry of Allah Akbar! But now, bathed in
+the mellow moonlight, this ancient castle showed all its grand
+proportions, with not a trace of decay or desolation; and its massive
+walls arose in solemn majesty; its battlements frowned in heavy
+shadows overhead; its lofty towers and turrets seemed still able to
+defy the assaults of time for ages yet to come.
+
+For some time past the country had been growing steadily wilder and
+less peopled, until here there seemed a virtual solitude. On reaching
+the spot the party found a massive gate-way with a ponderous portal.
+Beyond this opened the court-yard, and in the distance rose the keep.
+Here lights shone, and the noise of revelry came to their ears.
+
+And now the prisoners entered and were taken in charge by others, and
+Ashby, who arrived about an hour afterward, was also taken to his
+quarters.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+HOW THE SPANISH PRIEST MEETS WITH A STRANGE ADVENTURE.
+
+
+The train, which had been released by the Carlists, went on its way,
+and after running about ten miles, came to a little town. Here a long
+stay was made, during which information was received of so serious a
+character that it was resolved, for the present at least, not to go
+any farther. In the first place, the train which had immediately
+preceded had halted at the next station beyond, and this train could
+not move until the other had started; but, in addition to this, there
+came reports of all sorts, to the effect that the whole country was
+swarming with Carlists, who had occupied the lines of railroad and
+cut the telegraph wires. It was the latter circumstance that was most
+troublesome, since it made it impossible to get any definite
+information.
+
+The end of it was, that the passengers had to shift for themselves,
+and find shelter and occupation as best they could, until they should
+be able to go on to their destinations: of which passengers only two
+need be mentioned here, namely, Captain Lopez and the priest. The
+former, having been thus rudely separated from Katie, had no object
+in going any farther, and therefore was quite willing to remain in
+this place. But it soon appeared that he had plenty to do. He at once
+set forth to communicate with the civil and military authorities, in
+the hope of obtaining assistance toward rescuing Katie from her
+captivity; and such was his zeal and energy, that before long he had
+received the most earnest promises of assistance and co-operation
+from all to whom he applied. As for the priest aforesaid, he had a
+different purpose, and that purpose did not lead him to make any
+effort to procure lodgings. He refreshed himself with a repast at the
+nearest hosteria, after which, girding up his loins, he left the
+place by the high-road.
+
+The road at first ran through the plain, where, on every side, there
+stretched away fields of brown grass, with flocks of sheep and goats.
+The attendants upon these were nowhere visible, and this lack of
+human life and action gave to the country an indescribable air of
+solitude and desertion. In other respects, however, there was
+everything which could gratify the eye and the taste. The land was
+fertile, the soil cultivated, the scenery beautiful. Tall trees--the
+mulberry and the poplar--arose in long lines; here and there the
+cactus stretched forth its thorny arms, and at intervals there
+appeared the dark green of extensive olive-groves. Behind the
+traveller there extended a wall of purple hills, and before him arose
+the giant heights of the Pyrenees. Among these last the road at
+length entered, and, winding along at the base of sloping hills, it
+ascended very gradually.
+
+The priest walked onward at a long, slinging pace, which told of the
+experienced pedestrian. For three hours he kept this up, being too
+intent upon his progress, and upon his own thoughts, to pay much
+attention to the scenery, except so far as was needed for purposes of
+precaution. Save for this, the external form of nature and the many
+beauties around him were disregarded; and at length, after three
+hours, he sat down to rest at a rock by the wayside. Sitting here, he
+drew forth from his pocket a well-used pipe, which he filled and
+lighted; after which he sat smoking, and surveying, in a
+contemplative manner, the scene before him.
+
+It was, in truth, a scene well worthy of contemplation. For many a
+mile the eye of the beholder could rove over the course of the Ebro,
+and take in the prospect of one of the fairest lands in all the
+world. He had advanced high enough to overlook the valley, which lay
+behind him, with lines of hills in the distance, while in front arose
+the mountains dark in the heavy shade. To the west the country spread
+away until, in the far distance, it ended in a realm of glory. For
+here the sun was sinking into a wide basin formed by a break in the
+lines of mountains, filling it all with fire and splendor; and while
+the hollow between the hills was thus filled with flame, immediately
+above this there were piled up vast masses of heavy strata clouds, of
+fantastic shapes and intense blackness. Above these the sky grew
+clearer, but was still overlaid with thin streaks of cirrus clouds,
+which were tinted with every hue of the rainbow, and spread over all
+the western heavens up to the zenith and beyond.
+
+In that low mass of strata clouds which overhung the sunset there was
+now a wild convulsion. A storm was raging there, too far away to be
+felt, but plainly visible. The fantastic shapes were flung together
+in furious disorder; through the confused masses electric flashes
+shot forth; sometimes in floods of glory, sometimes in straight lines
+of forked lightning, sometimes in rounded lumps of suddenly revealed
+fire--the true bolts of Jove. Toward the south the hills lay wrapped
+in haze and gloom, and in one part there was a heavy shower, where
+the rain streamed down in vertical lines.
+
+The sun went down, leaving behind it a redder splendor by which all
+was glorified; the river wound in molten gold; the trees were tipped
+with purple lustre; the crests of the mountains took on aureoles of
+light. As the sun still descended, the scene was slowly transformed;
+the splendor lessened; the clouds broke up into other forms; the
+thick strata mass dissipated itself; then came a golden haze over the
+wide west; the moon revealed itself over the head of Scorpio, with
+Antares beaming from a bright place in the sky.
+
+The scenes shifted rapidly, and twilight deepened, until the clouds
+made way for the moon, and, breaking up into thin light masses, swept
+away over the sky; while the moon, assuming its proper functions,
+looked mildly down, and bathed all the valley in a mellow lustre.
+
+After about half an hour's rest, the priest arose, put his pipe in
+his pocket, and resumed his long stride. Up the road he went, without
+stopping again, as though he had resolved to cross the Pyrenees in
+that one night, and be over in France by morning: of whom it might be
+said, in the words of the Chinese poet,
+
+
+"That young man walkee no can stop."
+
+
+Another hour brought him a good four miles farther on, and still he
+kept up the same pace. He now reached a place where the road took a
+somewhat sudden turn, and wound around a rocky projection on the
+lull-side. Here, as he turned, he came full upon a figure that was
+walking in the opposite direction.
+
+It was the figure of a woman; and in that bright moonshine it was
+easy to see that she was young, and graceful, and light, and elastic.
+Coming suddenly upon the priest as she did, at the turn in the road,
+she was evidently quite terrified. Her attitude was that of a
+stealthy fugitive; and as she met him there was, in her sudden
+involuntary gesture, the appearance of one who has been captured by a
+pursuer. For an instant she recoiled in an agony of terror, but then
+one glance at the costume of the priest seemed to reassure her; and
+then, clasping her hands, she came nearer, and said, in tremulous
+tones:
+
+"_Padre! padre! per l'amor de Dios soccorre me_!"
+
+The priest looked at her for a few moments in silence. Then he spoke.
+
+"_Etez vous Francaise, mademoiselle_?"
+
+The woman shook her head.
+
+"_E ella Italiana_?"
+
+Again she shook her head.
+
+"_Sind sie Deutsch_?"
+
+Another shake of the head, and then she said:
+
+"_Yo soy Inglesa_."
+
+The priest gave a long whistle.
+
+"English!" he cried; "English! Then in future please be kind enough
+to speak English, for your Spanish--is--well, declined, with thanks."
+
+At these words the woman started, and then, with an uncontrollable
+impulse, seized the hand of the priest in a convulsive grasp.
+
+"Oh!" she cried, "are you really--really an Englishman? Oh, thank
+Heaven! thank Heaven! Then you will help me!"
+
+"English?" said the priest; "well, for the matter of that, I'm
+anything you please just now, in this infernal country. I certainly
+do speak English, but at the same time I prefer calling myself what I
+am--namely, an American."
+
+This loquacity of the priest made no impression upon the woman, who
+was absorbed now by her one idea of escape, of obtaining help, of
+flight.
+
+"Oh, sir," she continued, "can you help me? Can I go on by this road?
+Do you know what I can do? Will you tell me?"
+
+"Oh yes," said the priest, "I'll tell you. I do not know what you can
+do. What can you do? You can read, perhaps, and I suppose you can
+play the piano, and crochet; but I know what you cannot do--you
+cannot speak Spanish."
+
+These words were spoken with the indifferent air of one who is
+thinking of something else.
+
+"Ah, sir," said the woman, in a tone of anguish, "don't mock at me!
+I'm in distress unspeakable. I've--I've lost my way."
+
+She could scarcely speak from agitation. The priest was silent for a
+moment. Then he drew a long breath.
+
+"Lost your way?" said he. "Well, that is queer too. Your way--and
+what way can that be in times like these, and here in this country,
+and, above all, in this part of the country? Are you walking for a
+wager? Are you going round the world in a bee-line? Do you carry a
+portable canoe?"
+
+"I was in the diligence," said the woman, not choosing to notice such
+ill-timed levity, "and we were stopped--by the Carlists--and I
+escaped--and I'm trying to find my way to some safe place--but I
+cannot--I cannot."
+
+"H'm!" said the priest, "that is a coincidence too--just my own case
+to a T. I've been captured by the Carlists too, and I've escaped, and
+I'm now making a bolt for a place of safety. Well, this does beat my
+grandmother, I must say!"
+
+The lady was too full of her own troubles to notice the peculiar
+expressions of the priest. She merely continued, as before, to beg
+for help.
+
+"Oh, sir," said she, "do you know the way here? and can you help me?"
+
+
+[Illustration: "Coming Suddenly Upon The Priest, She Was Evidently
+Quite Terrified."]
+
+
+"Well," said the priest, "I know some of it, I may say, but that
+depends on what you mean by knowing it. But will you allow me to ask
+you one or two questions? In the first place, where did you come from
+last?"
+
+"Last?" said the lady; "the last place I came from was Barcelona."
+
+"When?"
+
+"Yesterday."
+
+"You spoke of a diligence. You must have come from Barcelona by
+train."
+
+"Of course."
+
+"Then that must have been the train that stopped over there."
+
+"Yes; the train stopped. I understood that it was not going on any
+farther for a long time, for that the track was torn up. A diligence
+was prepared for those passengers who were anxious to go on
+immediately, and I was most eager to proceed without delay, so as to
+get to my home as soon as possible. So, early this morning, we left,
+and came, without any incident of any kind until we reached a place
+about five miles away. There we were stopped and robbed. I believe
+all the passengers were detained and held as prisoners--at least I
+myself was. I was handed over to the care of a peasant woman, who
+took me to a cottage. About two hours ago she came to me and told me
+that I might go, and urged me to fly at once. I could not understand
+her very well, for I know very little Spanish indeed, but I could see
+that she was sorry for me, and offered me this chance of escape. It
+was also quite evident that she considered me in great danger, and
+was frightened about me. I felt deeply grateful, and offered her a
+gold locket which had escaped the notice of the robbers, but she
+refused it. So then I started off. I've come along the road ever
+since, and have seen no one except yourself. And now, sir," continued
+the lady, looking at the priest with intense earnestness, "can you
+help me? Will you? Oh, for the love of--"
+
+Here the priest interrupted her. The lady had spoken in a low voice,
+which had a very mournful cadence, and besides this there were signs
+of deep emotion in the tremulous tones and the agitated manner. Her
+flight had been a long and a hurried one; the exertion had been
+severe; her strength had been put forth to the utmost; she was on the
+verge of utter exhaustion. Everything in her appearance, voice, and
+manner combined to inspire pity and sympathy. The good priest had
+seemed not unmoved as she was speaking, and now he interrupted her,
+raising his hand, and speaking in a very gentle voice.
+
+"Ah, now," said he, "come--none of that! Do you think me a savage,
+that you must pray to me for mercy? Help you!" he repeated, in
+stronger tones. "Ay, madame, that will I, and with the last drop of
+my heart's-blood and to my life's end. There, is that strong enough?
+Help you!"--and he gave a short laugh--"that's good, too! Why, what
+else have I been thinking of ever since I met you? What else can you
+suppose that I intend to do? Isn't it enough for me to see your
+distress? But come--it isn't quite so safe as it might be, and
+enemies may be lurking near. We must first find a place of
+retirement, where we can decide on what is best to be done."
+
+The tones of the priest's voice were now totally different from those
+which he had employed hitherto. These were harsh, dry, indifferent,
+almost mocking; but now they were full of sincere feeling and
+unmistakable truth. Their effect upon the lady was very marked and
+strong. She clasped her hands, bowed her head, and in her weakness
+was unable to bear up under this new revulsion of feeling; so she
+burst into tears and stood there weeping.
+
+At this the priest was not a little embarrassed. For a moment he
+seemed about to try to soothe her; but be checked this impulse, and
+looked away, whistling softly to himself. After a few moments he went
+on, speaking in a gentle voice:
+
+"I've been going along alone easily enough, but now, if you will come
+with me, I shall have to make some changes in my plans. You see, two
+cannot travel so easily as one; and then you are a lady, and an
+English lady too, which in these parts means a wealthy foreigner--an
+object of plunder. You, as an English lady, run an amount of risk to
+which I, as a Spanish priest, am not at all exposed. So you see we
+can no longer remain in so public a place as this high-road. We must
+seek some secure place, at least for the present. You don't seem able
+to go much farther. This moonlight night is just the time for flight,
+but you need rest now, and unless you get that first you won't be
+able to escape at all. And so--what do you say to my hunting up a
+hiding-place for the night?"
+
+As the priest began to speak, the lady had made a violent effort to
+recover herself and had succeeded well enough to listen attentively,
+only showing by an occasional sigh or sob that her distress had not
+yet passed away altogether. At the priest's question she paused
+thoughtfully for a short time, and then said,
+
+"My being with you will make a great difference to you?"
+
+"Oh yes," said the priest.
+
+"It will perhaps endanger your safety," continued the lady, anxiously.
+
+"Oh, that is nothing," said the priest; "that is my normal state. I
+am always in danger."
+
+"Still, I should be sorry to add to your danger," she said,
+hesitatingly; "and if--if--"
+
+"Well," said the priest, sharply, "if what?"
+
+"If I am a source of danger," said the lady, calmly, "I should prefer
+going on alone, just as I was; and I shall only ask you to tell me
+what is the nearest town, and to give me generally the direction to
+it."
+
+"Oh, you will, will you?" said the priest, in the mocking tone which
+he had previously used. "Well, then, madame, I shall only ask you to
+do as I say, and ask no questions. I know the country--you don't. I
+have registered a vow in heaven to save you, and save you I will,
+even in spite of all your teeth. I swear it in the name of the great
+Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"
+
+At these strange words the lady was silent for a few moments, and
+then said, in a tremulous voice,
+
+"I'll do anything that you wish me to do."
+
+"Furthermore, my hearer," continued the priest, suddenly assuming and
+immediately dropping the whine of a rustic preacher, "mark this--I
+don't mind saying a few words to ease your scruples: you cannot make
+my position any more dangerous than it is already. I carry my life in
+my hand all the time."
+
+"Still," said the lady, "you can easily take care of yourself; but
+what a terrible thing it would be if you should get into trouble on
+my account!"
+
+"Well, I'll ask only one question--what is your calling in life?"
+
+"I have no calling. I'm a lady--"
+
+"Spinster?" said the priest, in a mild voice.
+
+"Yes," said the lady, gravely, and with deep sadness. It seemed to
+the priest that he had unwittingly touched upon a tender point.
+
+"Pardon me," said he, "this is all I wish to get at. You are not a
+politician, not a political agent, not a spy?"
+
+"Certainly not."
+
+"Nor a newspaper correspondent?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Not even an artist?"
+
+"No; nothing but a simple English lady, and only anxious to get back
+home."
+
+"Very well--very good!" said the priest, approvingly. "And you shall
+go home, too; but remember what I said, and trust in me. And now let
+us see what we had better do. I've been here before, all through and
+through this country, and know it like a book. Now just over there, a
+little to the west, there is an old unoccupied castle, which is in
+very good condition, considering that it's a thousand years old. It
+is just the place for us. Unfortunately, there may be others in it,
+for it is held from time to time by the one or the other of the
+fighting factions; yet, even in that case I know of an odd corner or
+two where we can elude observation for the present; for it is a
+very--a monstrously large castle, and I happen to know the ins and
+outs of it pretty well. I can assure you a good night's rest there."
+
+"It is not inhabited, you say."
+
+"No, not as a general thing."
+
+"I'm sorry for that. If it were, the people would perhaps give us
+shelter and food, and help us on our way."
+
+"The people would perhaps give us more shelter than we might care
+for. But come--we ought to be off, for you need rest, and that soon."
+
+The lady said nothing, but walked along with the priest. For about a
+quarter of a mile they followed the road, and then turned away to the
+left over the country. Here their pathway lay over the flank of the
+mountain, and traversed open fields which were used for pasture. The
+moon shone brightly, illuminating the scene, and the priest walked
+with the assured air of one who knew his way thoroughly.
+
+The lady, who all along had seemed much fatigued, now began to give
+more evident signs of distress. The priest made her take his arm: she
+did so, and for a time was relieved. He sought to cheer her with
+encouraging words. She responded nobly, and certainly made all the
+effort in her power; but her strength had that day been too sorely
+tasked, and threatened to fail her utterly. At last she sank to the
+ground, and sat there, while the priest waited patiently.
+
+"Courage!" said he. "Cheer up! We shall soon be there now."
+
+After a short rest the lady recovered a little, and made a final
+effort. They walked on as before, the lady holding the priest's arm,
+and moving forward by dint of desperate exertions. So they went until
+at last there appeared immediately ahead a massive tower, which
+seemed to arise from behind some trees.
+
+"There it is," said the priest. "One more effort."
+
+But the lady could go no farther. She sank down on the ground once
+more, with something like a groan.
+
+"I can go no farther," said she, in a faint voice.
+
+The priest made no reply, but stood for some time in silence watching
+her. It was evident that he hoped for another rally of her powers,
+but he was disappointed; for the lady sat with her head bowed down,
+trembling, weeping, and all unnerved. Time passed, and there was no
+revival of strength.
+
+"Madame!" said the priest at length, in a harsh and constrained
+voice.
+
+At this the lady gave a sigh, and tried to raise herself, but without
+success. After a useless effort she sank down again.
+
+"Madame," said the priest, "to stay here is out of the question. We
+have not much farther to go; the place of our destination is not far
+off, and I am going to carry you there."
+
+"No," said the lady, "you must not. I--I--"
+
+"Madame," interrupted the other, "as a priest it is my duty to succor
+the distressed, and even as a man I should feel bound to save you."
+
+"It's too much for you," said the lady, faintly. "Save yourself. It's
+no matter--what--becomes of--of me."
+
+"Oh, it isn't, isn't it?" said the priest, in his dryest manner.
+"Well, you will please remember that you and I are in the same boat,
+and we must win or lose together. And so, as I don't intend to be
+captured yet awhile, why, madame, with your permission, and begging
+your pardon, I'll take the liberty of saving you in my own way. At
+the same time, please remember that it's not for your sake I'm doing
+this so much as for my own."
+
+What possible meaning there might be to these last words the priest
+did not explain, nor did the lady understand. In fact, there was no
+time for explanation. The priest, without any more ado, raised the
+lady in his arms and marched off with her.
+
+He was not a very large man, but he was very muscular, and in
+excellent training; so he trudged on at a pace which, under all the
+circumstances, was really wonderful. Fortunately he did not have very
+far to carry his burden. Before long he came to a grove of large
+trees, which stood wide apart and admitted of an easy passage.
+Traversing this, he at length reached a low tower, which was in a
+half-ruinous condition. It stood upon the brink of a deep chasm, the
+sides of which were densely wooded, while at the bottom there was a
+brawling brook. Upon the other side of the chasm appeared the outline
+of a stately castle, with walls and towers and battlements and keep,
+all plainly discernible as they rose up in giant proportions.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+IN WHICH THE PRIEST SEES A VISION, AND GOES IN SEARCH OF A BREAKFAST.
+
+
+The priest placed the lady on the ground near the trunk of a fallen
+tree, against which she might lean, and then, turning away, he drew a
+clasp-knife from his pocket, and began cutting armfuls of brushwood
+and twigs of shrubs. These he canned into the tower and spread over
+the floor with the skill of a practised hand, while the lady sat
+where he had left her, with her head bowed down, taking no notice of
+anything, and seeming like one who was quite prostrated in mind as
+well as in body. When at last the priest's task was ended, he went to
+her and carried her inside the tower.
+
+"Here," said he, "is some brushwood. I'm sorry that there isn't
+anything better, but better is a stone couch with liberty than a bed
+of down with captivity. Don't be worried or frightened. If there is
+any danger, I'll sound the alarm in Zion and get you off in time."
+
+The lady murmured some inarticulate words, and the priest then left
+her and went outside. He there spent some little time in gathering
+some brush for himself, which he spread upon the grass, under the
+castle wall; after which, he seated himself upon it, and pulling out
+his pipe, he filled it and began to smoke.
+
+Hitherto he had been too much preoccupied to pay any very close
+attention to the world around; but now, as he sat there, he became
+aware of sounds which arose apparently from the interior of the great
+castle on the other side of the chasm. The sounds did not startle him
+in the least, however, and he was evidently prepared for something of
+this sort. Between this tower and the great castle there intervened
+the deep chasm; and though no doubt the two structures had once been
+connected, yet all connection had long since been destroyed, and now
+there was no visible way of passing from the one to the other. The
+priest, therefore, felt as secure as though he were miles away, and
+listened serenely to the noises.
+
+There came to his ears sounds of singing, and laughter, and revelry,
+with shouts and cries that rang out upon the air of night. There
+seemed to be no small stir in the castle, as though a multitude had
+gathered there, and had given themselves up securely to general
+merriment. But all this troubled not the priest one whit, for he
+calmly finished his pipe, and then, laying it down, he disposed his
+limbs in a comfortable position, still keeping a sitting posture, and
+in this attitude he fell asleep and slept the sleep of the just.
+
+Very early on the following morning our good priest opened his eyes,
+and the first object that they rested upon was the lady, who stood
+there full before him, and greeted him with a gentle smile.
+
+The priest had not seen her very well on the previous evening, and
+now as he saw her face in full daylight, it seemed different from
+that which had met his view under the moonbeams. The lady was of
+slender form, a trifle over the middle height, and of marked dignity
+of bearing. Her face was perfectly beautiful in the outline of its
+features, but this was as nothing when compared with the refined and
+exquisite grace, the perfect breeding, the quick intelligence, and
+the womanly tenderness that were all expressed in those noble
+lineaments. It was a face full of calm self-possession, and gave
+indications of a great and gracious nature, which could be at once
+loving and brave, and tender and true. Her hair, which was very
+luxuriant, was closely bound up in dark auburn masses; her lips were
+full of sweet sensitiveness; and thus she stood looking at him with
+dark hazel eyes that seemed to glow with feeling and intelligence,
+till the good priest thought that never in all his life had he seen
+anything half so fair. In fact, so overcome was he that he sat
+staring at her for some time without one word, and without giving any
+response whatever to the pleasant words of greeting which she spoke.
+
+"I'm very sorry indeed," said she, as the priest still stared in
+silence at her, "that I was such a trouble to you, after all
+your--your kindness; but the fact is, I was so wretchedly fatigued
+that I was scarcely responsible for my actions. It was too selfish in
+me; but now I mean to make amends, and help you in every possible
+way. Would you like me to do anything? Sha'n't I get breakfast?"
+
+She spoke these words with a smile, in which, however, there was not
+a little sadness. There was nothing in the words themselves beyond
+that painful consideration for others and forgetfulness of self which
+the priest had observed in her the night before; but the voice was a
+wonderful one--a round, full contralto, yet soft and low, with a
+certain mysteriously tremulous undertone that fell with a thrill upon
+his ear.
+
+The priest started up.
+
+"Breakfast!" said he, with a short laugh. "That is the very thing I
+was thinking of myself. I consider that an all-important subject."
+
+"It is certainly a serious matter," said she.
+
+"And you propose to get it for me?"
+
+"Yes," said she, with a faint smile, "if I can."
+
+"I really wish you would," continued the priest, "for it would save
+me from a great responsibility; for if you don't get it for me, hang
+me if I know where I can get any for myself."
+
+"What do you mean?" said she. "Have we nothing to eat?"
+
+"Well, not so bad as that. I have a bit of a sandwich, I believe, and
+you may have it."
+
+With this he produced from his pocket a tin sandwich case and offered
+it to her.
+
+She refused.
+
+"If that is the last that you have," said she, "I can wait."
+
+"But you must eat it, so as to get back your strength."
+
+
+[Illustration: "The Priest Placed The Lady On The Ground Near The
+Trunk Of A Fallen Tree."]
+
+
+"And what will you do?"
+
+"Oh, I'm an old hand at fasting. It's my business."
+
+"As priest, I suppose?" said the lady, with a smile that was
+brighter, or rather less mournful, than any which the priest had thus
+far seen on her melancholy face.
+
+"Yes, as priest," said the other, dryly. "And now will you take it?"
+
+"Do you ever think about yourself?" asked the lady, in a low voice,
+in which the thrill was more perceptible than usual.
+
+"About myself? Oh yes," said he; "I never think of anything else. My
+motto is to take care of Number One. It's only for my own sake that
+I'm anxious for you to eat; but if you won't take it all, why, you'll
+have to be content with half. You won't refuse to share with me and
+take half?"
+
+"By no means. I sha'n't object to take the half, if you choose."
+
+"Well," said he, "that's fair; so let's begin our breakfast. Would
+you mind sitting on that tree over there?"
+
+He led the way to the fallen tree already mentioned, and the two
+seated themselves. He then opened the tin case and drew forth a few
+sandwiches. From these they made their frugal repast.
+
+"You must cultivate patience," said the priest, as he ate. "I know
+exactly what's in your mind. You want to be off. But, according to
+the proverb, the more haste the less speed. Tell me--would you rather
+be here or in the hands of the Carlists?"
+
+"Here."
+
+"Well, I'm afraid if we move incautiously we may be seen and captured
+by the Carlists. So before we start I propose to reconnoitre. Will
+you remain here?"
+
+"I will do whatever you direct."
+
+"You are very good and sensible."
+
+"Thanks; but where do you propose to go."
+
+"I'm going to visit the castle over there."
+
+"The castle?"
+
+"Yes. It is full of people. That they are Carlists I haven't a doubt.
+I mean to visit them, and find out how the land lies."
+
+"But the danger is too great, is it not? May they not detain you?"
+
+"I must run the risk of that."
+
+"Was it your intention to go among the Carlists before you met me?"
+
+"Well, not exactly. I was on my way, and that way might have led
+among them."
+
+"Are you running this risk for my sake?"
+
+"Well, not particularly, although I have an eye to you in this
+matter. My chief aim is, just now, to get something for dinner, and
+after that to find out what is the safest direction for us to take."
+
+The lady sat in thoughtful silence for some time.
+
+"I am afraid," said she, "that you are incurring a terrible risk. You
+are now out of danger; why put yourself into it? Why may we not fly
+now, or to-night? I can fast for any length of time."
+
+"The danger is," said the priest, "that we may both fall into the
+hands of the very men we wish to avoid."
+
+"But that is the very thing you are going to do."
+
+"I--Oh, I can go alone anywhere."
+
+"Ah, there it is!" said the lady, bitterly. "It is I who am a drag on
+you. It is I who am getting you into danger. Yet why not leave me?
+Tell me where the road is: I will go back alone."
+
+"Oh, well," said the priest, with his usual short laugh, "as for
+that, we may talk of it again. I'll tell you presently. It may come
+to that, but I hope not. I am going to that castle all the same. I've
+been there before, and without harm: I expect to come back. But
+suppose I do not, how long will you wait here for me?"
+
+"As long as you say."
+
+"Twenty-four hours?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Very well. I do not think they will detain me, but it is best to be
+prepared. And now, by way of preliminary, I will show you how I can
+go over there. Remember, I have been here before, and have become
+acquainted with some of the secrets of this place. If you should be
+in danger, or if I should not come back, you will be able to fly by
+the way which I will now show you."
+
+The priest arose and entered the tower, followed by the lady. The
+pavement was of stone: part of it was open, and some ruinous steps
+led into a cellar. Here they descended, and found themselves in a
+place which had been excavated from the rock which formed three sides
+of the place. On the fourth was a wall, in which was a wide gap that
+looked out upon the chasm. It seemed as though there had once been a
+bridge at this point leading over to the castle.
+
+"Here," said the priest, "if you look out you cannot imagine any
+possibility of descent, but if you examine carefully you will
+perceive a narrow ledge among the shrubbery. Go out on this, and
+follow it along, and you will find it growing wider as it goes down.
+It will take you all the way to the bottom of this chasm, and there
+you will find stepping-stones by which to cross the brook, and on the
+opposite side a trail like this, which will lead you to the top of
+the opposite ridge."
+
+"I don't think that I should feel inclined to try it," said the lady;
+"but I am glad, all the same, that I have a mode of retreat. It makes
+one feel less desperate."
+
+"Oh, you know, I hope to be back again."
+
+"But what shall I do if you do not return?" said the lady.
+
+"That is what troubles me," said the priest. "To think of you making
+your escape alone--"
+
+"That is not what I meant," said the lady. "I referred to my own
+self-reproach. If you do not come back, I shall feel as though your
+blood is required at my hands."
+
+The priest looked at her and gave his short laugh.
+
+"I shouldn't advise you to come after me to the castle," said he.
+"Your chief difficulty will be the commissariat. If I do not come
+back before twenty-four hours, you will then have to fly for
+yourself. In that case, do not go back to the road you were on
+before. Do not go to the castle. Take this path and go down to the
+bottom of the chasm, and up the other side to the top of the ridge.
+Keep under trees as much as possible. Travel due south. Heaven help
+you! God bless you! Good-bye!"
+
+He looked at the lady. Her eyes, which were fixed on him, seemed
+overflowing with feeling; but whether of anxiety for him or fear for
+herself did not appear.
+
+"You seem to me to be going to death," said she, in a low voice, "and
+I am the cause!"
+
+"To death!" said the priest, with his usual laugh. "_Moriturus te
+salutat_. Pardon!--that's Latin. At any rate, we may as well shake
+hands over it."
+
+He held out his hand. She caught it in both of hers.
+
+"God protect you!" she murmured, in a low voice, with quivering lips.
+"I shall be in despair till you come back. I shall never have the
+courage to fly. If you do not come back, I shall die in this tower."
+
+"Child," said the priest, in a sad, sweet voice, "you are too
+despondent. I will come back--do not fear. Try and get rid of these
+gloomy thoughts. And now, once more, good-bye."
+
+He pressed her hand and departed through the gap. He then began his
+descent, while the lady stood watching him with anxious eyes and
+despairing face till he had passed out of sight.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+HOW THE PRIEST BEARDS A LION IN HIS DEN.
+
+
+The priest walked down the path into the chasm. It ran along a ledge,
+which at first was narrow, and quite concealed from view by dense
+masses of shrubbery, which grew all down the sloping sides of the
+abyss, covering the rock with a green mantle, and giving it an
+inviting aspect of richness and verdure. In such a place no one could
+have suspected the existence or even the possibility of any pathway;
+and this one must have been made with no little labor and skill, in
+the ancient days, when fighting bands had need to pass and repass.
+
+After a few paces the path became more clearly defined. It was very
+steep, yet easy enough in the descent, and went down in a zigzag
+direction until it reached the bottom of the chasm. Here there was a
+brook whose babbling had been heard from above. In winter this was a
+fierce torrent, but now it was reduced to a slender and shallow
+stream. In its bed lay great bowlders of granite, which afforded
+stepping-stones to those who might wish to pass, and could be used at
+any time except when the water was swollen by mountain floods.
+
+After traversing these the priest came to the other side, and began
+to ascend a path of the same kind as that by which he had descended.
+Here he climbed about halfway up, and then paused. At this point
+there were two paths, one of which seemed to go up to the castle,
+while the other went along the side of the chasm. The latter he
+chose, and along this he went, ascending very gradually, until at
+last he reached the top of the ridge on which the castle was
+situated.
+
+He now turned and directed his steps straight toward the castle,
+which he soon reached. At the gate stood some armed tatterdemalions,
+whom the priest recognized as having formed part of the gang that had
+stopped the train the day before. Of these he took no heed, but
+walked up boldly and asked to see their captain. One of the guards
+went with him, and after traversing the court-yard they came to the
+keep. Here the Carlist chief was seen lolling on a stone bench
+outside, and smoking a villanous cigar. As the priest approached, he
+started to his feet with no little surprise on his face, together
+with a dark and menacing frown, which did not by any means augur well
+for the bold adventurer.
+
+"Who are you?" he asked, fiercely.
+
+The priest in return eyed the Carlist from head to foot, and then
+said, in a sharp, authoritative tone,
+
+"Your name and rank?"
+
+At this singular rejoinder to his question the Carlist chief looked
+somewhat amazed.
+
+"My name?" said he, with a sneer. "Never mind what it is. What are
+you? Who are you? What the devil do you mean by coming here?"
+
+"Give your name and rank," persisted the priest, in the same tone as
+before, "and beware how you trifle with one who may be your master.
+Who gave you authority to occupy this post?"
+
+"Master?--authority?" cried the Carlist chief, with an oath, which
+was followed by a laugh. "Who is my master? I never saw him. Here,
+you fellows!" he cried, to some of his gang who stood near, "take
+this fellow off--take him inside. Let me see--take him to the lower
+dungeons, and let him see who is master here!"
+
+At this a score of stout ruffians came forward to obey the order. But
+the priest remained as cool as before. He simply drew forth a paper,
+and looking round upon the ruffians, he said, in a quiet voice,
+
+"Keep back, you fellows, and take care what you do! I'm the Cure of
+Santa Cruz."
+
+At that formidable name the whole band stopped short, mute and
+awe-struck; for it was no common name which he had thus announced. It
+was a name which already had been trumpeted over the world, and in
+Spain had gained a baleful renown--a name which belonged to one who
+was known as the right arm of Don Carlos, one who was known as the
+beau ideal of the Spanish character, surpassing all others in
+splendid audacity and merciless cruelty; lavish generosity and
+bitterest hate; magnificent daring and narrowest fanaticism. At once
+chivalrous and cruel, pious and pitiless, brave and bigoted, meek and
+merciless, the Cure of Santa Cruz had embodied in himself all that
+was brightest and darkest in the Spanish character, and his name had
+become a word to conjure by--a word of power like that of Garibaldi
+in Italy, Schamyl in Circassia, or Stonewall Jackson in America. And
+ thus when these ruffians heard that name it worked upon them like a
+spell, and they stood still, awe-struck and mute. Even the Carlist
+chief was compelled to own its power, although, perhaps, he would not
+have felt by any means inclined to submit to that potent spell had he
+not seen its effect upon his followers.
+
+"I don't believe it," he growled.
+
+"You do believe it," said the priest, fiercely: "you know it.
+Besides, I hold here the mandate of the King;" and he brandished the
+paper, shouting at the same time, "Viva el Rey!" at which all the men
+caught up the same cry and shouted in unison.
+
+The priest smiled a good-natured, amiable, forgiving smile.
+
+"After all," said he, in a milder voice, "it is well for you to be
+cautious. I approve of this rough reception: it is soldierlike. It
+shows that you are true to the King. But read this. Give me something
+to eat and drink, and then I will tell you my errand."
+
+With these words he handed the paper to the Carlist chief, who took
+it somewhat sulkily, and read as follows:
+
+
+"_Head-quarters, Vera, August 23d, 1873.
+
+"To all officers of the army, and to all good and loyal subjects,
+greeting: Receive and respect our friend and lieutenant the Cure of
+Santa Cruz, who bears this, and is engaged in a special mission in
+our service. CARLOS_."
+
+
+On reading this the Carlist chief drew a long breath, looked around
+upon his followers, elevated his eyebrows, and finally turned to the
+priest.
+
+"What do you want?" he asked, in no very courteous manner.
+
+"Nothing," said the priest. "Not one single thing from you
+but--breakfast. Don't be alarmed. I haven't come in here to interfere
+with you at all. My business is elsewhere. Do you understand me?"
+
+The priest gave him a glance which was meant to convey more than the
+words expressed. At this the whole manner of the Carlist chief
+underwent a change. He at once dropped all his sourness and gloom.
+
+"Do you mean it?" he asked, eagerly.
+
+The priest nodded.
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"Then," cried the Carlist, "you're right welcome, and I hope you'll
+not mind what's happened. We have to be cautious, you know, and
+suspicious."
+
+"My dear friend, I assure you I shouldn't have troubled you at all,
+only I'm starving."
+
+"Then I swear you shall have the best breakfast in all Spain. Come
+in; come in. Come, in the name of Heaven, and I'll give you a
+breakfast that will last you for a week."
+
+With these words the Carlist chief led the way inside, and the priest
+followed.
+
+It was the lower story of the central building, or keep, and was
+constructed, in the most massive manner, out of vast blocks of
+rough-hewn stone. The apartment was about fifty feet in length,
+twenty-five in width, and twelve in height. On either side there were
+openings into chambers or passage-ways. The roof was vaulted, and at
+the farther end of the apartment there was a stairway constructed of
+the same cyclopean stones as the rest of the edifice. All the
+stone-work here visible had the same ponderous character, and seemed
+formed to last for many centuries to come.
+
+Around the sides of this lower hall were suspended arms and
+accoutrements. There were also rude massive benches, upon which were
+flung rugs and blankets. Here and there were little groups, not only
+of men, but also of women and children. On the left side there was an
+enormous chimney, which was large enough for a separate chamber. In
+this a fire was burning, and a woman was attending to the cooking of
+a savory stew. An aromatic smell of coffee was diffusing itself
+through the atmosphere; and this was surrounded and intermingled with
+the stronger and ranker, though less pungent, odors of the stew
+aforesaid.
+
+The priest flung himself carelessly into a seat near a massive oaken
+table, and the Carlist chief took a seat beside him. The priest
+questioned the chief very closely as to his doings, and the
+disposition of his people through the country, while the chief
+surveyed the priest furtively and cautiously.
+
+At last he said, abruptly,
+
+"You were on the train yesterday."
+
+"I was," replied the priest, coolly.
+
+"Why did you not tell me who you were?"
+
+"What a question to ask!" said the priest. "Don't you understand?
+When _I_ am out I don't want any one to know or suspect. I did not
+choose to tell even you. Why should I? I didn't know you."
+
+"But you lost your purse," said the chief, in rather a humble voice.
+
+"And was there much in it?" asked the Priest.
+
+The chief laughed.
+
+Breakfast now followed, and of this the priest partook heartily. Then
+he started up.
+
+"I must make haste," said he, "and continue my journey; but as I am
+going into out-of-the-way places, I shall have to ask you for some
+supplies."
+
+This request was very cheerfully granted, loaves and cold meats being
+furnished from the Carlist larder. These the priest put into a
+wallet, and thus equipped, he was ready for the march.
+
+"_Adios_," said he, "noble captain, till we meet again."
+
+"_Adios_," said the chief.
+
+The priest then shook hands with his entertainer and turned away.
+Leaving the castle, he walked down the slope for some distance, until
+at length he reached the skirts of the forest. Turning round here, he
+stood looking back cautiously, till he felt convinced that he had not
+been followed, and was not observed. He now plunged into the forest,
+and worked his way along until he came to the chasm and found the
+path before mentioned. Down this he went on his way back to the
+tower.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+HOW THE FIRST PRIEST VANISHES, AND ANOTHER PRIEST APPEARS UPON THE
+SCENE.
+
+
+As the priest emerged from the brushwood at the top of the path, he
+suddenly found himself face to face with the lady. She had come
+through the opening, and was standing outside waiting there,
+breathless, her hands clasped, and her eyes set in a fixed and eager
+gaze of vigilant outlook and of terrified apprehension. As she
+recognized the priest, her whole expression changed; her face
+flushed, her eyes grew moist with tears of joy, her lips quivered.
+
+"Oh, thank God! thank God!" she cried. "Oh, how glad I am!"
+
+The priest stood and looked at her in silence, although there was
+certainly every occasion for saying something. Finally he held out
+his hand, and she took it in hers, which were cold as ice, and
+tremulous.
+
+
+[Illustration: "I'm The Cure Of Santa Cruz."]
+
+
+"Poor child!" said the priest, "you have been too excited. But were
+you not afraid that it might be some one else?"
+
+"Yes," said she; "so afraid that I lost all strength and could not
+get back. I thought I heard something like that little short laugh of
+yours that you give, but then it seemed imagination. So I waited, and
+if it had been an enemy he would have caught me. But I was right,
+after all," she ended, joyously. "It was your laugh--and you."
+
+Again the priest stood in silence looking at her.
+
+"It's worth going over there," said he at last, "to make a
+fellow-creature happy by coming back."
+
+"Oh no," she said, "not for that. Nothing can compensate for the
+frightful, the terrible anxiety--nothing. But I will say no more. I
+am ready now for any fatigue or peril. My worst fear is over."
+
+"Oh, it's all very well to be glad to see me," said the priest, with
+that short laugh to which the lady had referred, "but that's nothing
+to the gladness you'll feel when you see what I've brought back with
+me. You just wait and see--that's all!"
+
+With these words he ascended into the tower through the gap, and
+assisted the lady after him. They then went up the broken stairway,
+and out into the open air to the fallen tree where they had taken
+their breakfast. Upon this he seated himself, and the lady did the
+same. He now opened the wallet, and distributed to her some of his
+stock of provisions, pointing out to her with an air of triumph the
+fact that they had enough to last them for a week. The lady said but
+little and ate but little; the priest, for his part, ate less; so the
+breakfast was soon despatched; after which the priest loaded his pipe
+and smoked the smoke of peace.
+
+The priest, as he smoked, occasionally threw a furtive glance at the
+lady, who now sat absorbed in her own meditations.
+
+"I propose to ask you a few questions," said the priest, "merely for
+the sake of conversation, and you needn't answer unless you like. In
+the first place, you haven't been long in Spain, I take it?"
+
+"No," said the lady; "only a few days."
+
+"And you are on your way back to England?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Have you been travelling alone?"
+
+"At first I had a maid, but she got frightened and left me at
+Bayonne. Since then I have had to travel alone."
+
+"You mustn't think me too inquisitive," said the priest. "I merely
+wished to know in a general way, and am by no means trying to pry
+into your affairs."
+
+He spoke in a careless tone. He was lolling in an easy attitude, and
+appeared to be enjoying his smoke very much. After saying these words
+he began to fuss with his pipe, which did not draw well, humming to
+himself at the same time some absurd verses:
+
+
+"My love he was a draper's clerk,
+He came to see me after dark:
+Around the Park we used to stray
+To hear the lily-white bandsmen play.
+
+CHORUS OF DRAPER'S CLERKS.
+
+Hark! from the tombs a doleful sound,
+My love lies buried underground!"
+
+
+A faint smile came over the lady's face as she heard these
+nonsensical words from one in the garb of a priest. Still, she
+reflected that while it was his voice that was singing, his mind was
+no doubt intent on something else.
+
+"By-the-bye," resumed the priest, "as I'm asking questions, I should
+like to ask one more. May I?"
+
+"Most certainly," said the lady. "What is it?"
+
+"Well, your name, you know. It's awkward to be as we are. Now, if I
+were shot, and wanted you to help me, I shouldn't know what to call
+you."
+
+The lady smiled.
+
+"My name is Talbot," said she.
+
+"Ah--Mrs. Talbot," said the priest; "thanks."
+
+"Not 'Mrs.'" said the lady, again smiling; "Miss Talbot. My full name
+is Sydney Talbot."
+
+"Sydney Talbot," repeated the priest. "Thanks. That's all. Everything
+else is told. I may add, however, in an incidental way, that my name
+is Brooke."
+
+"Father Brooke?" said the lady, interrogatively, with a furtive smile
+which was perhaps occasioned by the incongruity between the priest's
+sacred garb and somewhat eccentric manner.
+
+To this question the reply was not particularly appropriate. The
+priest, or Brooke, as he may now be called, looked with a smile of
+quiet drollery at Miss Talbot, and then, in a strange whining voice,
+began to drone out some verses of a song:
+
+
+  "Old Bluebeard was a warrior bold,
+  He kept his wives in a great stronghold.
+  One--Two--Three--Four--Five--Six--Seven--
+  They all of them died and went to Heaven.
+  Old B. fell into a dismal state,
+  And went and married Number Eight."
+
+
+
+"Well," he resumed, in his natural voice, "Father Brooke isn't bad;
+Brother Brooke, however, would be better; but, on the whole, simple
+'Brooke' is the best of all."
+
+"Well, now, Mr. Brooke," asked the lady, anxiously, "what are our
+prospects? Have you found out anything?"
+
+"Oh yes; I've had a conversation with an amiable Carlist who was on
+the point of blowing my brains out, and was only prevented by the
+unparalleled 'cheek' of the unworthy being who now addresses you."
+
+"Did you really incur such danger?" asked Miss Talbot, in unfeigned
+anxiety.
+
+"Danger? Oh, a trifle; but a miss is as good as a mile. I'm here now,
+safe and sound, but for two or three seconds you ran a great risk of
+making your journey alone. However, I made friends with them, and was
+entertained royally. Now, as to escape. I'm sorry to say that the
+country is swarming everywhere with these noble Carlists; that there
+is no such thing as law; that there are no magistrates, no police, no
+post-office, no telegraph, no railway trains, no newspapers, and no
+taxes except of an irregular kind."
+
+"That is very bad," said Miss Talbot, slowly, and in a low, anxious
+voice.
+
+"Oh yes," said Brooke, "but it's just as I feared.
+
+
+  "'There was an old man with a beard,'
+
+
+"you know,
+
+
+  "'Who said, "It is just as I feared--
+  Two owls and a wren
+  And a cock and a hen
+  Have all built their nests in my beard."'
+
+
+"That's me. I told you so. Still, there's no need to despair. It's
+quite plain that we cannot travel by day without being discovered, so
+we shall have to try it by night. This will be all the better. So you
+must spend this day in meditation and prayer, and also in laying up a
+stock of bodily and mental strength. To-night we set forth, and we
+must move on all night long. May I ask if there is any place in
+particular to which you prefer going?"
+
+"None whatever. I must leave myself altogether to you."
+
+"So I suppose," said Brooke.
+
+"But is there no danger in this place, Mr. Brooke?"
+
+"Danger? None whatever. I can't explain to you how completely this is
+out of the way of every one, whether marauder or honest man. You may
+be perfectly at your case on that score. Will this place satisfy
+you?"
+
+"Perfectly. But I should like very much to tell you, Mr. Brooke, how
+grateful I feel for all this trouble and--"
+
+"Ah, now, Miss Talbot!" cried Brooke, averting his face, and holding
+up both hands, "don't--don't! Let's drop all that sort of thing. It's
+part of the mockery of civilization. Words generally count for
+nothing. Acts are all in all. What I ask of you is for you to gather
+up your strength so as to be able to foot it with me and not break
+down. But first of all, I must say I very much wish you had some
+costume a little less marked than that of an English lady. Now, if
+you could pass as a peasant-girl, or an old woman, or a goatherd's
+wife, or a vender of quack medicines, or anything humble and yet
+national, why--"
+
+Miss Talbot shook her head with a mournful smile, and looked
+troubled.
+
+"I've had an idea all day," said Brooke, "which I suppose there's no
+great harm in mentioning."
+
+"What?"
+
+"What do you say to disguising yourself as a priest?"
+
+"A priest? How can I?"
+
+"Well, with a dress like this of mine. It's very convenient--long,
+ample, hides everything--just the thing, in fact. You can slip it on
+over your present dress, and--there you are, transformed into a
+priest. I hope you're not proud."
+
+"I'm sure I should be only too glad to disguise myself, but where can
+I get the dress?"
+
+"Take this one."
+
+"The one that you have?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"But what will you do?"
+
+"Do without."
+
+"But that will expose you to danger."
+
+"No it won't. It won't make the slightest difference. I'm only
+wearing this for the sake of variety. The fact is, you see, I found I
+was growing too volatile, and so I assumed a priest's dress, in the
+hope that it would give me greater sobriety and weight of character.
+I've been keeping it up for three days, and feel a little tired of
+it. So you may have it--a free gift--breviary and all, especially the
+breviary. Come--there's a fair offer."
+
+"I really cannot make out," said Miss Talbot, with a laugh, "whether
+you are in jest or earnest."
+
+"Oh, then take me in earnest," said Brooke, "and accept the offer.
+You see, it's your only chance of escape. You know old Billy Magee--
+
+
+  "'Old Billy Magee wore a flaxen wig,
+  And a beard did his face surround,
+  For the bailie came racing after he
+  With a bill for fifty pound.'
+
+
+"So what do you say to gracefully giving way to necessity?"
+
+"If you really think that you will be running no risk--"
+
+"No more than I've always been running until three days ago."
+
+"Well, I shall be very glad indeed, and only too much obliged."
+
+"That's an uncommonly sensible decision," said Brooke. "You see,"
+said he, as he unbuttoned the priest's robe, "I've merely been
+wearing this over my usual dress, and you can do the same." As he
+spoke he drew off the robe. "You can slip it on," he continued, "as
+easy as wink, and you'll find it quite large enough every way."
+
+And now Brooke stood divested of the priest's dress, revealing
+himself clothed in a suit of brown tweed--hunting-coat,
+knickerbockers, stockings, laced boots, etc. He then took from his
+coat pocket a travelling-cap with a visor, which he put upon his
+head.
+
+"You can have the priest's hat too," he added, "and--But no, by Jove!
+I won't--no, I won't let you have the spectacles. You might wear them
+in case of need, though, for they're only plain glass. But hang it! I
+can't--I can't, and you sha'n't. Only fancy putting spectacles on the
+angel Gabriel!"
+
+Meanwhile Miss Talbot had taken the priest's robe and had thrown it
+over her own dress. The clerical frock was of cloth, long enough to
+reach to her feet, and buttoned all the way from her chin down.
+Around the neck was a cape, which descended half-way to the knees. As
+she passed her arms through the sleeves she remarked that it would
+fit her admirably; and then taking the hat, she retired inside the
+tower, so as to adjust the outlines of her new costume in a more
+satisfactory manner than was possible before a spectator. At the door
+of the tower she turned.
+
+"One thing will be against me," said she. "What shall I do about it?"
+
+"What is that?"
+
+"Why, my hair."
+
+"Your hair!" repeated Brooke. "H'm--well, that is a puzzle!"
+
+"It will interfere with anything like a real disguise, of course."
+
+"Well, I suppose it would. In which case we can only hope not to come
+near enough to the enemy to be closely inspected."
+
+"Had I not better cut it off?" said Miss Talbot.
+
+"What!" exclaimed Brooke, with amazement in his face.
+
+Miss Talbot repeated her question.
+
+"Cut off your hair--that hair!" said Brooke. "What a horrible idea!"
+
+"Will you cut it?"
+
+"Never!" said Brooke, fervently.
+
+"Shall I?"
+
+Brooke drew a long breath and looked earnestly at her.
+
+"Oh, don't ask me," said he, at length, in a dejected tone. "I'm
+floored! It's like throwing overboard a cargo of gold, and silver,
+and precious stones to lighten the ship. Yea, more--it's like the
+Russian woman who threw over her child to the wolves to make possible
+the escape of the rest of the family. But there are some who would
+prefer to be eaten by wolves rather than sacrifice the child."
+
+"Well," said Miss Talbot, "your comparison of the child is a little
+too much; but if it comes to throwing the treasure overboard to save
+the ship, I shall not hesitate a moment."
+
+Brooke made no reply, and Miss Talbot went into the tower.
+
+Brooke then resumed his seat, and, looking thoughtfully into vacancy,
+sang in a low voice all to himself:
+
+
+  "Oh, a princess there was in the north countree,
+  And her hair reached down below her knee;
+  And lovers they gathered by thousands there,
+  For love of the maid with the golden hair."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+
+HOW BROOKE AND TALBOT TAKE TO FLIGHT.
+
+
+Brooke was roused from his meditations by a light footstep close
+beside him. He looked up, and saw Miss Talbot standing before him in
+her new costume. As he looked he rose to his feet and gazed at her
+fixedly without a word.
+
+The change was wonderful.
+
+It was no longer a young lady that he saw--it was a young priest. The
+broad hat came down low upon the head, and beneath it there was a
+face full of sweet dignity and gentle grace--a face serene, and
+noble, and pure. Such a face Raffaelle loved to reproduce while
+portraying the Angel of the Visitation, where youth, and radiant
+beauty, and unsullied purity, and divinest grace all appear combined
+in one celestial visage.
+
+Brooke looked for some time with the an intent gaze, and in utter
+silence.
+
+"How do you think I look?" asked Miss Talbot.
+
+"Look?" repeated Brooke. He hesitated as if at a loss, and then went
+on in a way that was peculiarly his own. "Look? Oh, first-rate--very
+well--very well indeed. In fact, I had no idea that you could
+transform yourself so completely. I believe I was on the point of
+saying something about a vision of angels, but I'll be commonplace.
+All I can say is, that if I were to meet such a priest in real life,
+I'd down on my knees at once, make a confession, and--No, I wouldn't;
+I'd try to become a priest myself, so as to be always somewhere near
+him. And if he were a monk, I'd join the same monastery; and if he
+were a missionary, I'd go with him to the uttermost ends of the
+earth; if the cannibals ate him up, I'd make them eat me too; and, in
+any event, I should feel that in such company I should be nearer
+heaven than anywhere else. For, you see, you've always lived in a
+serene atmosphere, where you have known nothing of the evil of the
+world, and so your face has on it the stamp of Heaven itself, which
+it first received, and which has never been effaced. So, you see,
+you're just the one to go about as a priest. Oh, it's a great
+advantage to be as you are, and to have that angelic face! Like the
+old man in the song:
+
+
+  "'Oh, he never got drunk and he never swore,
+  And he never did violate the lor;
+  And so we buried him underground,
+  And the funeral-bell did merrily sound
+  Ding! Dong! Dell!'"
+
+
+Thus far Brooke had rattled on in a strange, dry fashion; but
+suddenly he stopped, and then exclaimed,
+
+"Good Heavens!"
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Miss Talbot, who had seemed much amused at
+all this nonsense.
+
+"Why, what have you done with your hair?"
+
+Miss Talbot raised her hat from her head, and looked at him. Again he
+looked at her in silence.
+
+Yes, it was all gone! That glorious hair, which awhile ago had been
+folded in great masses round her head, was there no longer. She had
+cut it off! It was short now, like the hair of a young man, and hung
+loose in wavy curls over her forehead. Yet so far from her appearance
+being marred or disfigured by such a mutilation, the result was
+actually more becoming to her as she stood there in her new costume.
+Few could have made such a sacrifice without serious injury to their
+appearance; but in this case there was merely a change from one
+character to another, and all the beauty and all the subtle
+fascination still remained.
+
+"I couldn't have believed it," said Brooke, at length.
+
+"What?"
+
+"Oh, well--several things. In the first place, I couldn't have
+believed that any living girl could have made the sacrifice. In the
+second place, I couldn't have believed that the one who had passed
+through such an ordeal could come forth more glorious than ever. But
+the sacrifice was too much. However, it's done. Nay--never shake your
+gory locks at me. Thou cans't not say I did it. But where is it all?"
+
+"It? what?"
+
+"As if you don't know! Why, the treasure that you threw
+overboard--the child that you flung to the wolves, Russian mother!"
+
+"Oh, you mean the hair! Why, I left it in there."
+
+She pointed carelessly to the tower. At this Brooke went over and
+entered it. He saw a mass of hair lying there on the stone floor,
+where she had carelessly thrown it after cutting it off. This he
+gathered up very carefully and even tenderly, picking up even small
+scattered locks of it. Then he rolled it all up into the smallest
+possible space, after which he bound it tight in his handkerchief and
+put it in his pocket. He was, as usual, singing to himself snatches
+of old songs which expressed nothing in particular:
+
+
+  "The maiden she says to him, says she,
+  Another man's wife I've got to be;
+  So go thy ways across the sea,
+  For all is over with you and me.'"
+
+
+Which words had certainly no particular application to present
+circumstances.
+
+When he came out again, Miss Talbot was seated on the tree in a
+meditative mood.
+
+"I was just picking up the hair," said Brooke, in an indifferent
+tone. "If we were tracked here and pursued it might tell tales, and
+it would tell too much."
+
+"Oh, how thoughtless of me!" said she. "But really I did intend to go
+back and throw it down into the torrent. You see, I was so anxious to
+know if my disguise was right, that I hurried out at once to show
+you."
+
+"Oh, it's all the same. I've disposed of it better than you would
+have done."
+
+"I shall try not to be so thoughtless again."
+
+Brooke said nothing, but seated himself near her on the log.
+
+"I'm sorry you don't smoke," said he, after a pause; "but I hope you
+don't object to my taking a small whiff now and then."
+
+"Oh no," said Miss Talbot. "I like to see you smoking."
+
+"Do you know," said Brooke, after he had again filled and lighted his
+inevitable pipe--"do you know, I think your character is almost
+perfect."
+
+"Why, because I don't object to smoking?" asked Miss Talbot, with a
+smile.
+
+"Well, I take that as one of the many straws which show how the wind
+blows. But do you really mean to tell me that you don't regret what
+you have done?"
+
+"What, with my hair? What a question! Regret it? Not at all. It will
+grow again--in time. To use your own figure, when the sailor is
+struggling for life against the storm, he doesn't regret the treasure
+that he has flung overboard so as to lighten the ship. And do you
+think that I am so weak as to hesitate for a moment when your safety
+as well as my own is concerned? For, you see, I have to remember that
+while I am with you, you too are in danger. So, no hesitation is
+possible. How could I have the heart to ask you to help me, if I
+persisted in keeping up any kind of dress that might endanger both of
+us?"
+
+Brooke made no reply, but sat puffing out great clouds of smoke.
+After some lapse of time he opened his mouth to speak.
+
+"I wish you had heavier boots," said he.
+
+"Yes," said Miss Talbot, "my boots are my weak point. But, you see, I
+never anticipated a walk of twenty or thirty miles. However, my dress
+is long, and perhaps my feet will not be noticed."
+
+"Oh, it isn't the fear of their being noticed, but the danger that
+they may give way altogether in our rough walk, and leave you
+barefoot among the rocks."
+
+"Well, if I find them giving way, I shall wrap rags around them
+before they go to pieces altogether."
+
+After a further silence Brooke spoke again.
+
+"There's one thing more," said he, "that may be mentioned. We may
+make good our escape to-night, as I hope, but then--we may not. To
+provide against occurrences of all sorts, it's as well to adopt
+certain fixed characters and act them out. You are a priest--remember
+that; never forget it. You have that breviary, which you will do well
+to look at from time to time. There's mighty good reading in that
+breviary, though I'm sorry to say I never could find it; but no doubt
+you'll do more justice to it than I did, especially if you understand
+Latin, which I'm afraid you don't. But, you see, it won't do for me
+to call you 'Miss Talbot.' We might be captured by fellows who
+understand English, and they would at once take the hint. And so
+suppose I drop the 'Miss,' and call you simply 'Talbot?'"
+
+"That's a very good suggestion," said Miss Talbot. "The name will be
+my own, and familiar, and better than any strange name or title which
+you might invent. Oh yes, by all means drop the 'Miss.'"
+
+"You will understand, of course," said Brooke, anxiously, "that in
+this proposal there is no disrespect, no attempt at undue
+familiarity, no--"
+
+"Surely, surely," said Miss Talbot, earnestly, "it's hardly necessary
+to say all that. If you adopt that tone, I shall have to begin and
+tell you how deeply grateful I am, how much I owe you, how I long to
+do something to--"
+
+"Oh! well. Come, now! if you go on in that way, I am shut up at
+once."
+
+He relapsed into silence. After a few minutes he spoke again.
+
+"Talbot," said he, in a strange tone, much softer than his usual
+voice.
+
+"Well?" said Miss Talbot, gently.
+
+"As I have dropped the 'Miss,' have you any objections to drop the
+'Mister,' and address me by the simple and unconventional name of
+'Brooke?' You see, it's very important for us, in our circumstances,
+to cultivate this seeming familiarity. If you were really a young
+priest, and I were really your friend and travelling companion, we
+should address one another in this simple fashion."
+
+"I have no objection whatever," said Miss Talbot, "and I do not see
+why you should take such pains to explain. It is enough for you to
+ask. Whatever you say I will do."
+
+"Say 'Brooke,' then."
+
+"Brooke," said Miss Talbot, with a little shyness.
+
+"And now, Talbot, I intend to use your surname only in speaking to
+you, and I hope that you will do the same with me. This is merely for
+practice."
+
+"Certainly, Brooke."
+
+The name came a little awkwardly at first, but after a little further
+conversation this difficulty passed away, and the two addressed one
+another quite naturally in this simple fashion. And now, as Brooke
+has chosen this name for Miss Talbot, I also will drop the "Miss,"
+and call her henceforth simply "Talbot."
+
+Brooke made Talbot lie down all the rest of the day, so as to sleep,
+if possible, and, at any rate, to lay up a good stock of strength for
+the formidable work of the approaching night. With her usual
+considerateness and docility, Talbot obeyed; and although she did not
+sleep, she certainly obtained an amount of rest of which she stood in
+great need.
+
+At length the evening came, and the two ate their repast, after which
+Brooke secreted the remainder of the provisions in the tower by way
+of precaution. It was not necessary, he said, to carry that load, and
+if they were forced to return it would be there for their use.
+
+They started a little after sunset. An hour's walk brought them to
+the road, at the spot where they had first met, after which they
+turned toward the place where Brooke had left the train on the
+previous day. Their pace was a moderate one, for the whole night was
+before them, and Brooke was anxious to save Talbot's strength as much
+as possible.
+
+For about an hour more they walked along, until they came to where
+the country was more open. The moon was shining brightly, and thus
+far there had been no signs of life. But at this point there came up
+sounds from the road before them which were not a little alarming.
+Brooke laid himself upon the ground, and listened for some time.
+
+"People are approaching," said he. "There is quite a large crowd.
+They must be Carlists. It will be dangerous for us to go on any
+farther. It will be better to hide here until they pass."
+
+"Very well," said Talbot. "I quite agree with you. I should hate to
+go back again."
+
+There was on their right, not far from the road, an old windmill,
+which stood upon a gently rising ground, and was quite a conspicuous
+object. This caught the eye of Brooke as he looked all around.
+
+"There," said he, "is the place for us. These fellows seem to be on
+the march. They will soon pass by this and be gone. Let us hide in
+the old mill."
+
+Talbot at once assented. They then left the road and crossed the
+fields. In a short time they reached the mill. It was deserted, and
+the machinery was out of order, but otherwise it was in good
+preservation. The door was open, and they entered. Having once
+obtained this concealment, they stood in the door-way anxiously
+watching. At length they saw a crowd of men come up along the road,
+and these they regarded with quick-beating hearts.
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, in a whisper.
+
+"What?"
+
+"What shall we do if they come here?"
+
+"That's a solemn question," said Brooke. "We ought to have something
+to fall back on. Wait."
+
+He went away for a few minutes, and then returned. As he came back to
+the door Talbot pressed his arm and pointed. Brooke looked out.
+
+To his horror the whole band had stopped, and some of them were
+facing toward the mill as though about to approach it.
+
+"What a mistake we've made!" said Brooke.
+
+"They're coming here!" said Talbot, in a thrilling whisper. "What can
+we do? Can we fly?"
+
+"No," said Brooke; "they'll see us. We have only one hope. There's a
+ladder here, and we can climb up into the loft. Come."
+
+Taking Talbot's hand, Brooke led her to the ladder, and they climbed
+up into the loft, where they sat listening.
+
+Talbot's anticipation was too true. The band approached the mill, and
+soon the two fugitives heard them all around.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+
+BROOKE AND TALBOT MAKE SEVERAL NEW ACQUAINTANCES.
+
+
+For some time the two fugitives remained motionless and listened.
+There seemed to be a large number of men below, of whom a few were
+inside the mill, but the greater part remained outside. These kept up
+an incessant jabber; but it was of a discordant character, some
+talking about getting ready a supper, some about making a fire, some
+about forage, while at times a word would be dropped which seemed to
+indicate that they were in pursuit of fugitives. Nothing more
+definite than this could be learned.
+
+Brooke, however, had been gradually creeping to one side of the mill,
+where there was a window, while Talbot followed as noiselessly as
+possible, until they both were able from their concealment to look
+out upon the scene below, which was in no way calculated to reassure
+them. They saw a crowd of men, about a hundred in number, who looked
+very much to Brooke like the train-stoppers of the day before. Their
+arms were piled, and they themselves were dispersed about, engaged in
+various occupations; some eating, some drinking, some smoking, while
+from them all a confused hubbub arose.
+
+Half a dozen ill-looking fellows came toward the door of the mill.
+
+"A fire!" said one. "Let's burn down the old mill. There's wood
+enough in it."
+
+"Ay," said another, "wood enough for a hundred fires."
+
+A shout of applause greeted this proposal, but the hearers above felt
+their hearts quail with horror. Talbot laid her hand on Brooke's arm.
+Brooke, to reassure her, took her hand in his and pressed it gently,
+and felt it cold and tremulous. He drew her nearer to him, and
+whispered softly in her ear,
+
+"Don't be alarmed. At the worst, we can give ourselves up. Trust to
+me."
+
+Talbot drew a long breath, and made a desperate effort to master her
+fears; but the scene below grew more and more terrible. The wild
+shout of approbation which followed the proposal to bum the mill was
+caught up by one after another, till at last the whole band was
+filled with that one idea. A dozen men rushed inside, and began to
+hammer, and tear, and pull at the flooring and other parts of the
+wood-work, while others busied themselves with preparing splints with
+which to kindle the fire.
+
+"Brooke," whispered Talbot, in a tremulous voice--"oh, Brooke, let us
+go down."
+
+"Wait--not yet," said Brooke, on whose brow cold drops of
+perspiration were already standing. "Wait. Let us see what they will
+do."
+
+Talbot drew back with a shudder.
+
+"The mill is of stone," said Brooke. "They can't burn it."
+
+"But all the inside is of wood," said Talbot--"the floors, the doors,
+the machinery, the beams."
+
+Brooke was silent, and watched the preparations outside. These grew
+more and more menacing. A great pile of wood was soon collected,
+which grew rapidly to more formidable proportions. If these prisoners
+hoped for life, they must leave their present hiding-place, and soon,
+too; for soon--ah, too soon, if that pile were once kindled--the
+flames would pour in, and burn all the inner wood-work, even if the
+walls were of stone.
+
+At this moment a man came hurrying forward and burst in among the
+crowd.
+
+"What's the meaning of all this nonsense?" he asked, in a stern
+voice.
+
+"Why, we're burning the mill," said one of the most active of the
+party.
+
+"Fools!" cried the other, "are you mad? It will attract attention. We
+shall be seen--perhaps attacked."
+
+"Pooh!" said the man, impudently, "what of that? That's all the
+better."
+
+The other laid his hand upon his sword, and looked as though he was
+about to use it; but a wild outcry burst forth from all the crowd,
+and with an impatient gesture he turned away. By his dress, which was
+the only uniform visible, and also by his bearing, he seemed to be
+the captain of the band, yet his authority did not seem to receive
+any very strong recognition. Still, the sight of this uniform was of
+itself encouraging to Brooke, who now at once decided upon the course
+which he should adopt. There was no longer time to hesitate. Already
+the match was struck, the next moment the flame would be touched to
+the kindling, and the fires would blaze up.
+
+So Brooke called in a loud voice,
+
+"Stop! stop! till we come down!"
+
+At this cry they all looked up in amazement. The match dropped from
+the hand of the man who held it, and several of the men sprang to
+their arms.
+
+"Who goes there?" cried the one who seemed to be the captain.
+
+"Friends," said Brooke; "we'll come down."
+
+Then turning to Talbot, he whispered:
+
+"Now, Talbot, is the time to show the stuff you're made of. Courage,
+my boy! courage! Remember, Talbot, you're not a girl now--not a weak
+girl, but you're a boy--and an English boy! Remember that, my lad,
+for now your life and mine too depend upon you!"
+
+"Don't fear for me," said Talbot, firmly.
+
+"Good!" said Brooke. "Now follow me, and be as cool as a clock, even
+if you feel the muzzle of a pistol against your forehead."
+
+With these cheerful words Brooke descended and Talbot followed. The
+ladder had not been removed, for the simple reason that it consisted
+of slats nailed against two of the principal beams, too solid even
+for Samson himself to shake. On reaching the lower story they hurried
+out at once, and the gang stood collected together awaiting them--a
+grim and grisly throng. Among them, the man whom Brooke had taken for
+their captain was now their spokesman.
+
+"Who are you?" he asked, rudely, after a hasty glance at each.
+
+Brooke could not now adopt the tone which had been so effective in
+the morning, for his gown was off, and he could no longer be the Cure
+of Santa Cruz. He kept his coolness, however, and answered in an
+off-hand manner.
+
+"Oh, it's all right; we're friends. I'll show you our papers."
+
+"All right?" said the other, with a laugh. "That's good too!"
+
+At this all the crowd around laughed jeeringly.
+
+"I belong to the good cause," said Brooke. "I'm a loyal subject of
+His Majesty. _Viva el Rey_!"
+
+He expected some response to this loyal sentiment, but the actual
+result was simply appalling. The captain looked at him, and then at
+Talbot, with a cruel stare.
+
+"Ah!" said he. "I thought so. Boys," he continued, turning to his
+men, "we're in luck. We'll get something out of these devils. They're
+part of the band. They can put us on the track."
+
+This remark was greeted with a shout of applause.
+
+"Allow me to inform you, senor," said the captain to the unfortunate
+Brooke, "that you have made a slight mistake. You are not our
+friends, but our enemies. We are not Carlists, but Republicans. I am
+Captain Lopez, of the Fourteenth Regiment, and have been detailed
+with these brave fellows on a special mission. You are able to give
+us useful information; but if you refuse to give it you shall both be
+shot."
+
+In spite of the terrible mistake which he had made, Brooke kept his
+coolness and his presence of mind admirably.
+
+"I'm very glad to hear it," said he to Lopez. "The fact is, I thought
+you were Carlists, and so I said that I was one too--as any one would
+ do. But I'm not a Carlist; I'm a Republican."
+
+Lopez, at this, gave utterance to a derisive laugh.
+
+"Oh yes," he said, "of course, you are anything we please. And if we
+should turn out, after all, to be Carlists, you would swear that you
+are a Carlist again. Doesn't it strike you, senor, that you are
+trifling with us?"
+
+"I assure you, Captain Lopez," said Brooke, "that I'm not a Carlist,
+for I'm not a Spaniard."
+
+"You may not be a Spaniard, yet still be a devoted Carlist."
+
+"Yes, but I'm not. I assure you that I'm a Republican. Shall I prove
+it to you and to all these gentlemen?"
+
+"Try it," sneered Lopez.
+
+"I'm an American," said Brooke.
+
+"An American," repeated Lopez, bitterly. "Better for you to be a
+Carlist than that. Is it not enough for you Americans to intermeddle
+with our affairs in Cuba, and help our rebels there, but must you
+also come to help our rebels here? But come--what is your business
+here? Let's see what new pretence you have to offer."
+
+"I am a traveller."
+
+"Yes, I suppose so," sneered Lopez. "And who is this other?"
+
+"He is a young priest."
+
+"A young priest? Ah! Then, senor, let me inform you that as Spaniards
+we hate all Americans, and as Republicans we hate all priests. Spain
+has had too much of both. Americans are her worst enemies outside and
+priests inside. Down with all Americans and priests!"
+
+The echo to this sentiment came in a shout from all the followers of
+Lopez,
+
+"Down with all Americans and priests!"
+
+With this cry a hundred fierce faces surrounded them, and glared at
+them with fiery eyes. It seemed as though their last hour had come.
+The crowd pressed closer, and clamored for their immediate
+destruction. The only thing that held them back was the attitude of
+Brooke, who stood perfectly cool and tranquil, with his eyes fixed on
+Lopez, a good-natured smile on his face, and his hands carelessly in
+his pockets. Close beside him stood Talbot, pale, it is true, but
+with a calm exterior that showed not one trace of fear. Brooke did
+not see her, and did not venture to look at her, but he felt that she
+was as firm as a rock. Had they faltered in the slightest degree, the
+storm must have burst; but as it was, the calmness of these two
+disarmed the fury of the mob, and their fierce passion died away.
+
+"Captain Lopez," said Brooke, in a quiet and friendly tone, "you may
+have reason to hate my country, but I assure you that you have
+absolutely no cause for complaint against me and my friend. We are
+simple travellers who have been interrupted on our journey, and are
+now trying to get to the nearest railway station so as to resume it
+as soon as possible."
+
+"How did you get here?" asked Lopez, after a pause, in which he again
+scrutinized severely the two prisoners.
+
+Brooke had anticipated this question, and had made up his mind as to
+his answer. It was his intention to identify himself with Talbot, and
+speak as though he had all along been travelling with "the young
+priest."
+
+"Our train stopped," said he, "and we took the diligence over this
+road yesterday. We were stopped again, captured and robbed by
+Carlists, and we have escaped from them, and are now trying to get
+back."
+
+"Was your train stopped by Carlists?"
+
+"No; the diligence."
+
+"Where did the Carlists go?"
+
+"I have no idea."
+
+"Where did you come from last?"
+
+"Barcelona."
+
+"Where are you going now?"
+
+"To England," said Brooke; "and finally." he added, "allow me to show
+you this, which I am sure will establish my character in your eyes."
+
+With these words he drew forth a paper and handed it to Lopez. The
+latter took it, and one of the men lighted a bit of wood which served
+as a torch, after which Lopez read the following:
+
+
+"_Head-quarters, Vittoria, May 10th. 1873.
+
+"This is to certify that the bearer of this is an American citizen
+named Raleigh Brooke, and is correspondent of a New York journal. He
+has permission to traverse our lines in pursuit of his business.
+CONCHA_."
+
+
+Lopez read it over a second time.
+
+"A newspaper correspondent!" said he. "H'm! That means a spy." He
+handed it back again to Brooke, who replaced it in his pocket. "I'll
+think it over," continued Lopez. "I'll examine you both to-morrow and
+inspect your papers. I'm too tired now. You may both go inside again
+where you were hiding before. We won't burn you up."
+
+At these last words the whole gang burst into a jeering laugh that
+foreboded something so horrible that the stout heart of Brooke
+quailed within him, as, followed by Talbot, he once more entered the
+old mill.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+
+HOW THE ANXIOUS RUSSELL SEEKS TO CONCEAL A TREASURE.
+
+
+The Russell party, on reaching the castle, were all conducted inside,
+where they found themselves in an arched hall which has already been
+described. Traversing this, they ascended the massive stairway at the
+end, and came to another large hall immediately above the lower one.
+This had once been the grand banqueting hall of the castle, and was
+less rough and severe in its appearance than other parts; for while
+the walls elsewhere showed the unfinished faces of the rude blocks of
+stone, here there was an effort after something like ornament; yet
+this was so slight that even here the general air was still one of
+severe and austere graudeur, as if there had been wrought out in this
+stone-work the mind of the stern Goth who reared it, who held it, not
+for a home, but rather for a fortress, whence he could dominate the
+surrounding country.
+
+If Harry had cherished any hope of prolonging his acquaintance with
+Katie he was now destined to be disappointed; for on reaching this
+upper hall they were informed that they would have to be
+separated--the men to go in one direction and the women in another.
+This arrangement was partly for the comfort of both parties, but
+still more for their safe-keeping, since escape would thus be far
+more difficult. Accordingly the ladies were taken away by some female
+attendants; while Russell, in company with Harry, was taken to their
+quarters on the opposite side of the great hall.
+
+Here they found themselves in an apartment which was very long, very
+wide, and very lofty. The roof was arched, and all the stones were of
+cyclopean dimensions. At one end there was an immense fireplace. On
+either side there were narrow windows, which on one side looked down
+on the front yard inside the wall, while on the other they commanded
+a view of one of the inner courtyards. Harry, on his first entrance
+into the room, walked about surveying the place, and noting these
+particulars by the lurid glow of the torches.
+
+This first survey assured him that, as far as appearances went, there
+was scarcely any possibility of escape. The walls were too strong to
+be penetrated in any way, and the windows were too narrow for any one
+to pass through. In fact, they were slits rather than windows.
+Moreover, even if it had been possible for any one to pass through
+the windows, the ground below was too far away to be reached without
+some means of descent. Finally, there were the armed men outside, and
+the extreme wall, which was too lofty to be scaled. On the whole, the
+prospect was highly unsatisfactory, and Hurry turned away from this
+first survey with a feeling of mild dejection. There was scarcely
+anything in the room which deserved the name of furniture. In one
+corner there was a rude structure with straw on it, which was
+intended for a bed. Opposite this there was a ponderous oaken bench,
+and upon this old Russell seated himself wearily. Here he sat, and as
+Harry completed his survey of the apartment, his eyes rested upon his
+unfortunate companion as he sat there, the picture of terror,
+despondency, and misery. Harry felt an involuntary pity for the man;
+and as his own flow of spirits was unfailing, he set himself to work
+to try and cheer him.
+
+"Well," said he, "this is rather a dismal place, Russell; but, after
+all, it's better than being put in a vault underground."
+
+"It's pup-precious kik-kik-cold," said Russell, his teeth chattering,
+partly from cold and partly from terror. "This'll bring on an attack
+of rheumatiz--that's what it's going to do. Oh, I know it!"
+
+"Well, it a little chilly, that's a fact," said Harry, shrugging his
+shoulders. "It's a pity we couldn't use that fireplace. But what a
+tremendous fireplace it is! Why, it's as big as a barn. What do you
+say to our amusing ourselves by starting a fire? It would be great
+fun."
+
+"But we've gig-gig-got no fuel," said Russell, with a shiver.
+
+"Fuel? Why, let's cut up that big bench."
+
+"What with?"
+
+"Why, with my pocket-knife, of course. We could whittle enough chips
+off it to make a good big fire, and still have enough left for a
+bench. In fact, we could get enough fuel off that for a dozen fires.
+Why, man, there must be at least a cord of wood in that bench.
+Whittling's rather slow work, it's true, but in a place like this
+it'll be an occupation, and that's something. Prisoners go mad unless
+they have something to do; and so, just to save myself from madness,
+I mean to go in for fuel--unless you can think of something else
+that's better."
+
+Rattling out this in his usual lively fashion, Harry went to the
+bench, and began a solemn examination of it, with a view toward
+whittling it up into firewood. Russell did not move, but regarded
+Harry with the same silent misery in his face. At last he spoke:
+
+"What did-did-do you think they're a-going to did-did-do?"
+
+"Who?" asked Harry.
+
+"Why, these people--that kik-kik-captured us."
+
+"These Carlists? Well, I don't know--seems to me they want to make
+some money out of us."
+
+"Why did they let all the Spaniards go and kik-kik-capture us?"
+
+"Oh, well, they think as we're English we'll probably have more money
+about us than their own countrymen, and be safer plunder also."
+
+"Did-did-do you think they'll go so far as to pip-pup-plunder us?"
+asked Russell, in a voice of horror.
+
+"Haven't a doubt of it."
+
+"Oh Lord!" groaned the other.
+
+"What's the matter?"
+
+Russell gave a fresh groan.
+
+"This kik kik-cursed kik-kik-country!" he at length ejaculated.
+
+"Oh, well," said Harry, "it isn't the country, it's the people."
+
+"Do you think they're really Kik-kik-Carlists?"
+
+"Well, yes. I don't see any reason why they shouldn't be."
+
+"I was thinking that they might be bub-bub-bandits."
+
+"Well, there isn't any very great difference between the two, so far
+as we are concerned."
+
+"But isn't there any law among the Kik-kik-Carlists? Can't we appeal
+to Did-did-Don Carlos?"
+
+"Oh yes, of course--if we could only get at him, and if he could only
+get at us; but these two things are just what can't be done. And so
+I'm afraid we'll have to make up our minds to pay the piper."
+
+At this Russell again gave a heavy groan.
+
+"Don't be alarmed," said Hurry, in a soothing tone. "We can beat them
+down."
+
+"No," moaned Russell, "we can't do anything. And I've got too much
+about me altogether."
+
+"You haven't carried any large sum of money with you, surely?" cried
+Harry. "Why, man, you're mad!"
+
+"But I didn't think there'd be any danger on the railway," said
+Russell.
+
+"If your money is in bills of exchange you'll be right enough," said
+Harry.
+
+Russell shook his head.
+
+"No," said he, "it's worse than that."
+
+"How?"
+
+"My money is in bub-bub-bonds--Spanish bub-bub-bonds."
+
+"Bonds!" repeated Harry.
+
+"Yes," groaned Russell--"kik-kik-coupon bub-bub-bonds."
+
+"Coupon bonds! Why, man, what in Heaven's name are you doing with
+coupon bonds in this country?"
+
+"Why, they're Spanish bonds, and I was taking them out of the country
+to England."
+
+"Whew!" whistled Harry. "In how much?"
+
+"Thirty thousand pounds!" wailed Russell, in a voice of despair.
+
+Another prolonged whistle was the result of this information.
+
+"It's no use making it a secret to you," continued Russell. "I'll be
+searched, I suppose, and the bonds'll be taken."
+
+"I'll tell you what to do," said Harry: "let me take care of them."
+
+Russell shook his head.
+
+"N-no; you'll be searched too. They'll be no safer."
+
+"Well, then, hide them in this room somewhere."
+
+"I don't know where to hide them," said Russell, dolefully; "besides,
+we may be taken to another room, and so it's no use hiding them here.
+I've been thinking of sewing them up inside the lining of my coat,
+only I haven't any needle and thread to sew with. Oh, if Mrs. Russell
+were here! I didn't think of this. I'd get her to stitch them inside
+my coat to-night. And now I don't know what to do. If it weren't for
+these bonds I should feel safe enough. But the amount is so
+e-normous!"
+
+"Are they registered?"
+
+"Oh no. I don't believe they register bonds in this miserable
+country, or do anything but steal them," groaned Russell. "I suppose
+they'll overhaul us all to-morrow."
+
+"Very likely."
+
+"Can you think of any way by which I can hide these bonds?"
+
+Harry shook his head. At the same moment there occurred to him what
+Ashby had told him about certain Spanish bonds. If Ashby was right,
+then this must be the very money which belonged to Katie, and which,
+according to Ashby, Russell was trying to get hold of for himself.
+From this point of view it suddenly assumed an immense interest in
+his eyes, and drove away the thought of every other thing. Even the
+fire was now forgotten, and the bench was not desecrated by the
+knife.
+
+"See here; I'll tell you what to do," said Harry, thoughtfully and
+earnestly. "The very worst thing that you can do is to carry all that
+money about with you, on your own person, mind that. You'll be
+searched, of course. To stitch them in your clothes is absurd. These
+people will examine every square inch of all your clothes, including
+your shirt-collar, your pocket-handkerchief, your silk hat, and your
+boots. They'd find the smallest fragment of a bit of paper, even if
+you had it hidden inside your bootlaces. Now, I'll tell you what
+you'll have to do. You'll have to get rid of that money of yours."
+
+"Bub-bub-bub-but how?" stammered Russell, in fresh consternation.
+
+"How? Why, hide it."
+
+"Where?"
+
+"Somewhere about here--and soon too--before you go to sleep."
+
+"But suppose I am tit-tit-taken away, and don't come back again?"
+
+"Well, in that case your only hope is to confide in me, and then if
+you are taken way I shall perhaps be left. It's not likely that both
+of us will be taken away from here. We shall perhaps be separated,
+and one will be left behind. In that case the one who is left can
+watch over the treasure. Besides, in case we should escape we shall
+know where it is, and we may be able to get the government to send a
+body of men here to help us recover it."
+
+"Oh yes--the government!" said Russell, bitterly. "I know the
+government here--only too well. The government will send a body of
+men here to help us recover it, and then--why, then of course they'll
+keep it all for themselves, every farthing. Yes, sir, that's the
+Spanish style--every farthing. No; don't talk to me about the
+government. I'm bound to hold on to this, and not trust to any of
+your beggarly Spanish governments."
+
+"But if you hold on to it you'll be sure to lose it," said Harry, in
+great impatience.
+
+"I don't believe they'll examine me at all," said Russell, suddenly
+changing his tone.
+
+"They will," persisted Harry, "as sure as you're alive, and that too
+before this time to-morrow. In that case you'll lose every penny of
+the thirty thousand pounds."
+
+(And of course, thought Harry, it'll be poor little Katie's loss; and
+all through the infernal obstinacy of this pig-headed tailor!)
+
+"Oh, well. I'll think it over," said Russell, cautiously avoiding any
+further discussion.
+
+"You won't have much time for that," urged Harry.
+
+"Oh yes, I will--plenty of time. I'll have all night, for I won't
+sleep a wink, and I shall have nothing else to do but to think over
+this."
+
+This was droned out in a tone of utter despair.
+
+Harry spent some more time in trying to change Russell's mind, but in
+vain; and at length he gave up, thinking that he would have a better
+chance in the morning. Besides, he was beginning to feel sleepy, and
+his arguments were growing somewhat incoherent; so he flung himself
+on the rude couch just as he was, "all standing," and in a few
+minutes was sound asleep.
+
+Russell sat motionless for some time, until at length the heavy
+breathing of his companion showed that he was asleep. Upon this he
+rose, and went on tiptoe softly over to Harry's bed, and tried in
+various ways to see whether the sleep was false or real. Having
+assured himself that it was real, he took up the torch and began to
+survey the apartment more closely. Already, while talking with Harry,
+his eyes had narrowly scanned every corner of the room, and no place
+had appeared which could afford the slightest chance of concealment.
+From the very first he had thought of the stone pavement of the
+floor; but now, on examination, this proved to be far too ponderous
+to be moved by any force that he could command. Thus, after having
+traversed the whole room, he reached the fireplace.
+
+This, as has been said, was of gigantic dimensions, being intended to
+hold enough wood to heat this vast apartment. Here among the
+mountains, inside this stone castle, the cold was sometimes severe,
+and the builders of the castle had in this way made provision for the
+comfort of its occupants. To this chimney Russell now turned his
+attention, in the hope that something might present itself here which
+could be used as a place of concealment. So he walked stealthily and
+noiselessly toward it, and on reaching it stood surveying its huge
+dimensions in great astonishment. Such chimneys may still be seen in
+many an old castle or palace in the north of Europe, though less
+frequent in the castles of Spain. This one was deep and wide and
+high, and our friend Russell could easily enter it without stooping.
+
+He entered thus the great fireplace and looked around, holding his
+torch so as to light up the interior. Below, there was the pavement
+of stone, which seemed solid and immovable. Above, the chimney arose
+far on high, and through the wide opening the sky overhead was
+plainly visible, with its glittering stars.
+
+Now, as Russell stood peering about, he noticed something in the
+construction of the chimney which struck him as rather peculiar, and
+this was several stones on the left side, which projected from the
+wall and were placed one above another. The arrangement was so
+singular that it at once arrested his attention, and being in search
+of a hiding-place for his treasure, he could not avoid examining it
+further with keener interest. This arrangement of the stones one
+above another was suggestive of climbing. They seemed intended for
+steps, and he therefore peered upward more curiously, to see how far
+these steps continued and what was the end. Looking thus upward, he
+noticed on one side what seemed like a niche in the chimney wall. It
+was so formed that it was not visible unless one were standing deep
+inside the chimney and looking up for it, and it seemed to be deep
+and spacious. No sooner had he caught sight of this niche than he
+determined to investigate it farther. For a few moments he paused to
+see whether Harry was still asleep or not, and then, being satisfied
+on this point, he began to climb up. So nicely were the stones
+adjusted that this was easy even to an inactive and heavy man like
+him, and after ascending three steps ho stood and peered into the
+niche. It seemed quite deep. He could not see any end to it or any
+terminating wall. What the design of it was he could not imagine. He
+saw, however, that it afforded an admirable place of concealment for
+his treasure, and he determined at once to avail himself of it. Here
+he thought it would be secure from discovery, and it might remain
+here undetected and unharmed for any length of time. As for fire, it
+was not likely that the chimney was ever used; but even if it were,
+there was scarcely any possibility that the flames could affect
+anything in this deep niche.
+
+Russell now took from his pocket a bulky parcel, and leaning far
+inside the niche, he laid it carefully down. Then he held up the
+torch and allowed its light to fall into the niche, so as to see that
+all was secure; after which, feeling fully satisfied with his work,
+and experiencing a great sense of relief, he descended from his
+perch. Shortly after he extinguished the torch, and then, stretching
+himself out on the bed beside Harry, he resigned himself to oblivion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+
+IN WHICH RUSSELL UNDERGOES AN EXAMINATION.
+
+
+Early on the following morning Russell was roused from sleep by a
+messenger, who made a peremptory demand for him to rise and follow.
+Harry explained that he was wanted by the Carlist chief for
+examination, and reproached him for not having concealed the bonds
+the previous night; at which reproachful words Russell showed no
+signs of dejection, as Harry had expected, but, on the contrary, to
+his amazement, seemed to have upon his face a slight air of triumph,
+regarding him with a self-satisfied smile and a cunning leer which
+puzzled him greatly. This strange and unexpected change in Russell,
+from terror and despair to peace of mind and jocularity, was a puzzle
+over which Harry racked his brains for some time, but to no purpose.
+
+Meanwhile Russell was led away. He didn't take up any time with his
+toilet, for the unfortunate man saw nothing with which he could even
+wash his face. However, he made no complaint, and for a very good
+reason, since he could not speak a word of Spanish; and, moreover, he
+still felt so joyful over his concealment of the treasure, that he
+was able to bear with considerable equanimity all the lesser ills of
+life.
+
+In a few minutes he found himself ushered into the presence of the
+Carlist chief. The latter was seated upon a chest, over which some
+rugs were spread. Another chest was also there, upon which he signed
+to Russell to be seated.
+
+"Ye doesn't spake Spanish?" said the chief.
+
+At these words Russell started and stared in surprise. The words were
+English, with an accent that was not altogether unfamiliar. It seemed
+a good omen.
+
+"Do you speak English?" he exclaimed.
+
+"A throifle," said the chief. "I had a frind that learned me a few
+sintincis av it; so I doesn't moind spakin it, as it'll be more
+convaynient for both av us. Ye must know, thin, that, in the first
+place, I lamint the necessichood that compils me to arrest the loikes
+av you, but I've got arders from me military shupariors, an' I've got
+to obey thim, so I have. It's no use protistin, for I'm only an
+agint. So I'd loike yez to be honest wid me, an' I'll be the same wid
+you."
+
+"Why, you speak English first-rate--in fact, splendid," said the
+delighted Russell. "I never heard a foreigner speak it so well
+before."
+
+"Sure an' it's aisy enough," said the chief; "as aisy as dhrinkin',
+whin ye have practice. I've got a farm accint, av coorse, but that's
+nayther here nor there."
+
+Russell thought that his accent had a little smack of Irish about it,
+and wondered whether all Spaniards spoke English like that.
+
+"Ye'll excuse me," said the chief, "if I have to ax you a few
+throiflin interrogations for farrum's sake. I'll now begin. What is
+your name?"
+
+"Russell."
+
+"Russell--ah! What profession?"
+
+"A gentleman," said Russell, somewhat pompously.
+
+"A gintleman, eh; an' ye live on yer own money?"
+
+"Of course."
+
+"That's right," said the chief, with deep satisfaction. "It's meself
+that's the proud man this day to meet wid the loikes avyou that's got
+an indepindint fartune, an' can call his sowl his own. An' have yez
+been long in Spain, thin?"
+
+"No, only a couple of months."
+
+"Thravellin' for plisure, av coorse," insinuated the chief.
+
+"Yes; I wanted to take a run through the Continent," said Russell, in
+a grandiose way, as though the "Continent" was something belonging to
+him; "and I'm also bringing home with me a ward of mine--Miss
+Westlotorn."
+
+"Ah! an' so the young lady is a ward av yours? I thought she was your
+daughter."
+
+"No, she's my ward."
+
+"Is she rich?"
+
+"Well, sir, she's comfortable; she's worth about fifty thousand
+pounds sterling. Now I don't call that rich; I only call it
+comfortable."
+
+"An' what do yez call rich?" asked the chief, in a tender voice, full
+of affectionate interest.
+
+"Well, a couple of hundred thousand pounds or so. You see, when I was
+worth fifty thousand I thought I was somebody, but I soon learned how
+paltry an amount that is. No, sir; two hundred thousand pounds are
+necessary to make a rich man, and not a penny less, sir--not a penny,
+sir."
+
+"Thim's me own sintimints intirely," said the chief; "that shuits me,
+so it does. I saw by the cut av yez that ye must be a millionnaire at
+laste--so I did."
+
+"A millionnaire!" said Russell, with affected modesty. "Well, you
+know, in England that's a big word; but I suppose here in Spain, or
+anywhere on the Continent, I might be called one."
+
+"I suppose," said the chief, after a pause, "that ye've got an
+ixtinsive acquaintince wid the nobility an' gintry an' all thira
+fellers?"
+
+"Yes," said Russell, "I have; and not in England only, but throughout
+the Continent. Not that I think much of the Continental nobility.
+Between you and me, I think they're a beggarly lot."
+
+"Thrue for you," said the chief. "Thim's me own sintimints."
+
+"Why, sir," continued Russell, who evidently thought he was making a
+deep impression, and so went on all the more in his vainglorious
+boastings, "some of these here Continental nobility ain't worth a
+brass farthing. Why, sir, there's lots of respectable English
+merchants--tailors, for instance--and other quiet, unassuming
+gentlemen, who could buy out these Continental nobles, out and out,
+over and over again."
+
+"Divil a doubt av that same," said the chief. "Ye know how to ixpriss
+yourself wid very shuitable sintimints. I'd like to know more av you.
+I suppose ye've got a passport?"
+
+"A passport?" said Russell. "Well, yes, I believe I did get one;" and
+fumbling in his pocket, he succeeded in bringing to light that
+important document. This the chief took, and, without opening it, put
+it in his own pocket.
+
+"I'll take a luk at it prisintly," said he. "Perhaps ye can tell me
+about yer frind, the young man that's wid yez. Is he yer son?"
+
+"Son? Oh no; but he's a doosed fine young feller. His name's Rivers."
+
+"Is he rich?"
+
+"Well, he's pretty comfortable, I think. He's in the wine and fruit
+business, and has an agency at Barcelona."
+
+"Sure an' it's meself that's glad to hear that same," said the chief.
+"An' can ye tell me anything about that other young man that was
+shtrivin' to join yer party?"
+
+"That fellow--his name's Ashby."
+
+"Ashby, is it?"
+
+"Yes, and the greatest scoundrel that ever lived--a miserable
+fortune-hunter, trying to inveigle my ward into a marriage. I came
+here barely in time to save her. And the only object the infernal
+scoundrel has now in sneaking after me is to try and get hold of her
+and get her from me. But he'll find he's got pretty tough work before
+him. He's got me to deal with this time."
+
+"Is the young gyerrul fond av him?" asked the chief, in a tone of
+deep anxiety.
+
+"She? Fond of him? Pooh! Nonsense! She's like all girls--likes to
+have attentions paid her, that's all; and so this poor fool thought
+she would marry him. Why, the man's an ass! But I guess he's had
+enough of chasing her by this time. By Jove! there's some
+satisfaction, after all, in being caught this way, since he's caught
+too."
+
+Some further conversation followed of the same kind. Russell
+continued to indulge in a strain of self-glorification, and the chief
+to ask him questions. By yielding to his silly vanity Russell was
+preparing the way for results which he little expected. Little did he
+dream of what was soon to disclose itself. He thought that he was
+impressing the mind of the Carlist chief with ideas of the greatness,
+grandeur, power, wealth, and glory of the celebrated Russell whom he
+had made his prisoner, and hoped in this way to overawe his captor so
+as to secure good treatment, or even to terrify him into letting him
+go. He little knew that the chief regarded him merely as a bird to be
+plucked. In his eyes, the more the feathers the greater the yield.
+The moment the chief found that his prisoner professed to be a
+millionnaire, that moment the fate of Russell and his party was
+sealed. The effect upon the chief was already manifest in part, for
+every moment he grew more courteous in his manner.
+
+"Sure it's meself," said he, at length, "that's bothered about the
+accommodations ye have. It's a cowld, damp room that, an' no
+furniture at all at all."
+
+"Yes," said Russell, "it _is_ rather rough; and for a man that's
+accustomed to high living and luxurious surroundings it's very bad.
+I'm dreadful afraid of rheumatiz."
+
+"Don't spake another word about it," said the chief, briskly. "I'll
+find ye another room where ye'll be as comfortable as the Quane av
+England. Ye'll have as good a bed as the best."
+
+This sudden offer startled Russell and excited dreadful
+apprehensions. What would become of his bonds? He hastened now to
+modify his last words.
+
+"Oh, well," said he, "for that matter, you needn't trouble yourself.
+I dare say I shall do very well where I am."
+
+"Do very well, is it? What! an' you wid the rheumatiz! Sure to glory
+an' ye'll not do anything av the kind. I'll get yez another room
+where ye'll be warrum."
+
+"Oh, but," said Russell, in deep uneasiness, "I like that room, I do,
+really. I like the view and the--the--the ventilation. It's
+splendid--in fact it's the finest room to sleep in I ever saw. If you
+could only let me have a bed to myself--"
+
+"A bed to yerself? Sure an' that's jist what I'm going to give ye--a
+bed to yerself altogether an' a room too; an' so ye'll have comfort,
+an' warrunith, an' solichood all comboined."
+
+"But, really," persisted Russell, "my dear sir, all that is quite
+unnecessary."
+
+"Not a bit av it. Ye'll have the best; an' the room 'll be yours at
+onct, so it will; an' ye'll not go back to bed again in that frozen
+hole."
+
+"But I assure you--I assure you," persisted Russell, most earnestly,
+"it's a noble room--a comfortable room--a splendid room."
+
+"Oh, sure ye're too modest, so ye are," said the chief. "But nivir ye
+moind--lave it all to me. I'll fix it for ye."
+
+Russell was in deep dejection and anxiety, yet he felt afraid to
+press the matter too eagerly. To be taken away from the vicinity of
+his treasure was indeed a crushing blow, yet he dared not object too
+strongly lest the chief might suspect something. So he could only
+submit with the best grace possible under the circumstances, and find
+faint consolation in the thought that the treasure was at least
+secure.
+
+After a brief silence the chief resumed:
+
+"It's pained I am, so I am, to trouble a gintleman av fartune, but
+I'm undher the onplisint naycissichood av subjictin' ye to a further
+examination. It's a mite onplisint at first, but it's nothin' whin
+yer used to it."
+
+"Another examination?" repeated Russell, with no little uneasiness.
+"What is that?"
+
+"Oh, it's only an examination av yer apparel, yer clothes, bit by
+bit."
+
+"My clothes?"
+
+"Yes--to gyard against anythin' bein' concailed about ye."
+
+"But I have nothing concealed, on my honor!"
+
+At this the chief waved his hands deprecatingly.
+
+"Hush!" said he. "Whisht, will ye! don't I know it? begorra meself
+does. It's all a mere farrum. It's a laygal inactmint that I've got
+to follow. Discipline must be kept up. Sure an' if I didn't obey the
+law meself first an' foremost, me own mind 'ud all revolt against me,
+an' thin where'd I be? But it'll not be anythin'. Sure to glory,
+many's the fine man I've shtripped, an' him none the worse for it. So
+go ahead, fool, an' the sooner ye begin, the sooner it'll be over."
+
+"I--I--don't see--I--I--don't know--" stammered Russell.
+
+"Arrah, sure to glory, it's as aisy as wink. Begin where ye are."
+
+"What, here?" cried Russell, aghast.
+
+"Yis."
+
+"Undress here?"
+
+"Av coorse."
+
+"But--but--mayn't I have a private room?"
+
+"But ye mayn't, for ye moight consale somethin'. Ye've got to ondress
+before the examinin' committee--that's me. Sometimes it's done in the
+presence av a committee av the whole--that's the whole regiment av
+us; but this time, out av jue respect for you an' considherations av
+decarrum, I've farrumed a committee av one."
+
+"But what other clothes may I put on?" asked Russell, ruefully.
+
+"Sure an' I've got a fine shuit for ye."
+
+"I don't see any."
+
+"Oh, they're handy enough to here: they're in the next room, quite
+convaynient, an' I'll let ye have thim afther ye get these off."
+
+Russell stood still in deep gloom and despondency. All his finest
+feelings were outraged beyond description at this proposal. The
+chief, however, sat calm and smiling, as though quite unconscious of
+any evil intent.
+
+"Come," said he, "hurry up!"
+
+There was no help for it. He was clearly in this man's power. It was
+a dreadful thought; yet he had to obey.
+
+So he took off his cravat. This he did slowly and solemnly, as though
+preparing to bare his neck for the axe of the executioner.
+
+"Come, make haste," said the chief. "I've only got a few minutes to
+spare; an' if ye can't change yer clothes before me alone, why, I'll
+have to go off, an' thin ye'll have half a dozen av thim up here at
+ye."
+
+"And must I?" moaned the unhappy man.
+
+"Av coorse," said the chief. "An' what is it all? Sure it's nothin'
+at all at all, so it isn't."
+
+Russell gave a heavy sigh, and then taking off his coat he laid it on
+the floor. Then he cast an appealing glance at the chief, who,
+however, only responded with an impatient gesture. Thereupon Russell
+took off his waistcoat. Another appealing glance was then thrown at
+the chief, who only responded by a gesture more impatient than
+before.
+
+"Come," said he, "be quick! Ye see, ye may have no end av val'able
+dockymints stitched in between the lining av yer clothes--I've often
+knowed that same. Begorra, we get more in that way that we find
+stitched in the clothes, than we do from the wallets an' the opin
+conthributions."
+
+"But I haven't anything stitched between my clothes."
+
+"So ye say, an' so I'm bound to believe," said the chief. "Sure I
+wouldn't for the worruld be afther hintiu' that ye iver spake
+anythin' but the truth. Howandiver, I'll tell ye somethin'. Ye see, I
+was standin' at the dure av yer room last night by the marest
+accidint, an' I happened to overhear a confabulation between you an'
+Rivers. An' ye know what ye towld him, and ye know what he said to
+you. Ye said somethin' about havin' Spanish bonds--to the chune av
+thirty thousand pounds--in yer pocket, or about ye somewhere, an' ye
+wanted some place to hide it, an' Rivers advised ye to have it
+stitched in yer clothes. Now, I scorrun avesdhroppin', so I does, but
+whin iufarrumation av that kind comes free to yer ears, ye're bound
+to I get the good av it. An' so I'm goin' to instichoot an
+invistigation over yer clothes, an' over yer room, an' over yer
+thrunks, an' over everythin' ye've got, an' I'm not goin' to rist
+till I've got thim bonds. Oh, ye needn't say anythin'--I can see it
+all in yer face. There's nothin' to say. I don't expect ye to own up
+an' hand over the money. I'm contint to hunt it up meself--that is,
+for the prisint. Ye see, it's mine, for it belongs to His R'yal
+Majesty Carlos, King av Spain. The bonds are issued by Spain, an' as
+he is King av Spain he owns thim bonds. If ye was a native Spaniard
+ye'd give thim up out av pure loyalty, but as ye're a farr'ner, why,
+av coorse ye can't be ixpicted to deny yerself to such an ixtint."
+
+At this astounding disclosure Russell was struck dumb. So, then, his
+secret was betrayed, and in the most dangerous quarter, and, worst of
+all, by his own folly! Once or twice he was about to speak, but the
+chief checked him, and he himself was only too well aware of the
+utter futility of any denial or of any attempt to explain away what
+the chief had overheard. Only one consolation now remained, and that
+was the hope that the chief might not find it. The place in which he
+had hidden the bonds seemed to him to be very much out of the way of
+an ordinary search, and not at all likely to be explored by any one.
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "His Unfortunate Companion Sat There, The Picture Of
+Terror, Despondency, And Misery."]
+
+
+[Illustration: "An' So, I Say, Ye'll Have To Look On Thim Gin'ral's
+Clothes As Yer Own."]
+
+
+At length Russell had finished his task, and had divested himself of
+everything, his remorseless captor insisting on his leaving nothing;
+and so he stood shivering and crouching on the stone floor.
+
+"Now," said the chief, "walk in there. I'll follow."
+
+He pointed to a passage-way on the left, which led to an apartment
+beyond. At his gesture Russell slunk away in that direction, while
+the chief, gathering all the clothes up in a bundle, followed. On
+reaching the apartment, Russell saw some garments lying spread out on
+a bench. They were quite new, and consisted of a military uniform
+profusely decorated with gold-lace. Everything was there complete.
+
+"There," said the chief, "thim clothes belonged to a frind av mine
+whose acquaintince I made a month ago. He left these here an' wint
+away in another shuit, just as ye'll lave yer clothes an' go away, as
+I thrust, in these. Put thim on now, as soon as ye loike. Ye'll find
+thim a fine fit, an' they're an excellint matayrial. The frind that
+left thim was a giniral officer, and be the same tokin that same man
+swore more, an' faster, an' louder, an' deeper than any man I iver
+met with afore or since."
+
+While the affable chief was thus talking, Russell proceeded to array
+himself in the general's uniform. Everything was there complete, from
+top to toe, and everything was of the very best quality--richest gold
+lace, glittering epaulettes, stripes and bands that dazzled the eye,
+buttons and chains of splendor indescribable, hat with gorgeous
+plumage, sword of magnificent decoration, attached to a belt that a
+king might choose to wear. All these delighted the soul of Russell,
+but not least of all the cloth, whose softness and exquisite fineness
+appealed to his professional feelings, and caused his fingers to
+wander lovingly over the costly fabric.
+
+Soon he had completed the task of dressing himself, and once more
+stood erect in all the dignity of manhood.
+
+"Begorra!" said the chief, "ye'd ought to be grateful to me for
+makin' ye put on thim clothes. Ye look loike a commandher-in-chafe,
+so ye do--loike the Juke av Wellington himself. The clothes fit ye
+loike a glove. I niver saw a betther fit--niver. Ye must put on yer
+sword an' belt, so as to give a finish to it all," and with these
+words he handed Russell the weapon of war. Russell took it with
+evident pleasure and fastened it about his waist. The chief made him
+walk up and down, and complimented him so strongly that the prisoner
+in his new delight almost forgot the woes of captivity.
+
+The chief now prepared to retire. Pointing to Russell's clothes,
+which he had kept all the time rolled up in a bundle tucked under one
+arm, he shook his head meditatively and said,
+
+"It'll be a long job I'll be havin' wid these."
+
+"Why so?" asked Russell.
+
+"Sure it's the examinin' that I've got to do," said the chief.
+"Gin'rally we examine thim by stickin' pins through every part, but
+in yer case there's thirty thousand pounds stowed away somewhere, an'
+I'm goin' meself to rip every stitch apart. Afther I've done wid my
+search thro' thim clothes, it isn't loikely that any one in this
+castle 'll ever be loikely to put thim together again. To do that
+same 'ud nade a profissional tailor wid a crayative janius, so it
+would. An' so, I say, ye'll have to look on thim gin'ral's clothes as
+yer own; an' whin ye get free, as I hope ye'll be soon, ye may wear
+thim away home wid ye, an' take my blessin' wid ye. Moreover, ye'll
+have to keep this room. I'll spind this day in examinin' yer clothes,
+an' to-morrow I'll examine the other room. The bonds 'll kape till
+then, as I know ye haven't towld Rivers anythin' about what ye done
+wid thim."
+
+With these words the chief retired, and locked the door after him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+
+HOW RUSSELL HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH A MERRY MONARCH.
+
+
+That same evening Russell was astonished at receiving a fairly
+written note, which when opened contained the following in English:
+
+
+"_The King will graciously pleased to receive Lord Russell this
+evening at seven o'clock_."
+
+
+It was written on simple note-paper, and bore no date. The messenger
+who brought it handed it in, and departed without saying a word.
+
+On reading this note, Russell was completely bewildered. Who, he
+thought, is the King? Who is Lord Russell? A prolonged meditation
+over this could throw no particular light upon it, and at length he
+was forced to conclude that he himself was taken for Lord John
+Russell, that famous English statesman whose name is known over the
+civilized world. It was a mistake, yet, as he complacently thought,
+not, after all, an unnatural one. By long familiarity with the
+British aristocracy (in the capacity of tailor) he had perhaps
+unconsciously their lofty sentiments and caught up their aristocratic
+tone and bearing. In person he felt that he had rather the advantage
+of Lord John. His name had, of course, something to do with the
+mistake. All these things had combined to give his captors the
+impression that he was a British peer.
+
+But who was "the King?" The Queen of Spain would be the ex-Queen; the
+last King of Spain was now the ex-King Amadeus; but "the King"--who
+was he? At length it flashed upon Russell that "the King" could mean
+no other than the celebrated personage who claimed for himself that
+title, and who was known to the world as Don Carloa. This, then, was
+the illustrious personage with whom he was shortly to have an
+interview.
+
+It must be confessed that, in spite of his long association with the
+British aristocracy, the bosom of the valiant Russell heaved with
+strange emotions, and his heart quaked with unusual throes, at the
+prospect of this interview. As his host claimed to be "King," he
+would naturally expect to be treated as such. But how would that be?
+Of the etiquette of courts Russell had no knowledge whatever. From
+French novels which he had read he had a vague idea that people said
+"Sire" when addressing majesty, and got on their knees to kiss royal
+hands when first introduced. But farther than this our good Russell's
+knowledge did not lead him, nor was his imagination able to convey
+him. He could only conjecture in the vaguest possible way, and wait
+as patiently as possible for the hour of the momentous interview.
+
+The appointed time arrived. He was waited on by six men: all were
+armed. Russell felt an involuntary trepidation at this sight, which
+reminded him of events, in his reading, where armed men came in this
+way to lead some wretched prisoner off to execution. However, he
+succeeded in plucking up his courage sufficiently to follow them. His
+own attire, certainly, did not a little toward inspiring him with
+fortitude, and the brilliant uniform of a general officer with golden
+epaulettes, gold stripes, gold buttons, gold lace, gold hatband, gold
+collar, gorgeous hat, resplendent feathers, and rattling, clanking
+sword, all served to stimulate him and rouse him to the heroic mood.
+
+He was led by the men to the grand hall in which he had been before.
+Here, around the sides, were gathered a large number of men, all
+armed, and, though ill-dressed, still presenting a very impressive
+appearance. In the middle of the hall was a table on which a dinner
+was spread. All around a hundred torches flared and flamed, and from
+them vast clouds of pitchy smoke rolled aloft into the vaulted
+ceiling. At one end there was a raised seat, and on that raised seat
+there was a figure clothed in a military garb and infolded in a
+military cloak. Toward this figure Russell was led.
+
+Now, Russell was so overawed by the wild scene, by the armed men,
+and, above all, by the thought of the royal presence and the royal
+eye, that he dared not look up, but kept his eyes humbly on the
+floor, and in this way advanced. On reaching the aforesaid figure our
+Russell fell upon his knees, and seizing the hand of said figure,
+proceeded to kiss it with much vigor, when suddenly a familiar voice
+sounded in his ears, and looking up, he felt like Lalla Rookh at the
+discovery of Feramorz, for he found that this royal personage was
+none other than the Carlist chief.
+
+"Rise, me lord," said the well-known voice. "We are glad to recayve
+ye in our r'y'l prisince. We cud give ye betther intertainmint in our
+r'y'l palace av the Escurial, only thim thayves av rebels won't let
+us. But we can maintain our state here in these sayquesthered
+mountains, an', begorra, we have a throne in the hearts av a bowld
+pisintry."
+
+By this time Russell had risen to his feet, and stood there bowing
+over and over again.
+
+"His Majesty" rose.
+
+"I'm not overfond," said he, "me lord, av state etiquette, though our
+ancistors were divils av fellers at it. What I loike is a good
+dinner, an' a glass av somethin' warrum, an' a pipe afther all. Ye've
+heard the owld song:
+
+
+  "'Oh, a taste av salt an' a plante av praties,
+    An a dhrop av whiskey to wash thim down,
+  An' a tasty dhuidheen to help digistion--
+    That's the fashion in Limerick town.'"
+
+
+It had already caused some surprise to Russell that a Spanish
+chieftain should speak English with the Irish accent; but now to find
+one who claimed to be the King of Spain lightly trolling an Irish
+ditty to a rollicking tune was, to say the least, just a little
+unusual. It occurred to him, however, that "His Majesty" must have
+learned his English from an Irishman; and further thought showed him
+that such a fact was perfectly natural, since, being a Catholic, he
+had of course employed a Catholic tutor, who was almost certain to be
+an Irishman. Which conclusion led to another, namely, that the
+Catholic princes and nobles of Europe, including the Pope himself and
+the College of Cardinals, if they speak English at all, speak it with
+more or less of an Irish brogue.
+
+"His Majesty" now led the way to the table, inviting Russell to
+follow. There Russell beheld a tempting repast, whose savory steam
+penetrated through his nostrils to that heart of hearts--that
+_corcordium_ which lieth behind all sense, filling it with wild
+longings. He saw roast capons, obtained from Heaven knows where; rich
+odoriferous _olla podrida_, and various kinds of game. There was
+aromatic coffee; there were steaming meat-pies, in which was
+perceptible the scent of truffles; while modestly, yet
+all-pervadingly, like the perfume of mignonette in a garden of a
+thousand flowers, or like the influence of one good man in a
+community of worldlings, or like the song of the poet in a hard,
+prosaic age, there was wafted to his senses the steam of fat upland
+mushrooms.
+
+These two had that banquet all to themselves--namely, "His Majesty"
+and "Lord" Russell.
+
+"Me lord," said "His Majesty," "is anything wanting? Tell us. Yer
+wish shall be gratified. Does ye wish for music? A piper an' a
+fiddler too are both convaynient, an', begorra, thim fellers can bate
+out-an'-out all the pipers an' fiddlers this side av the Bay av
+Biscay. They're both Irishmen, so they are, an' they're our sworn
+body-gyard, an' there ye have it. But, man, ye're not dhrinkin'. What
+'il ye have? Here's port from Oporto--pure--none av yer vile Saxon
+compounds; likewise here's sherry from Xeres. Here's marsala an'
+maraschino. Here's champagne an' cognac. Here's also whiskey. What
+d'ye say, me lord? Is it whiskey? Divil a doubt! I knowed
+it--begorra, I knowed it by the twinkle av yer eye. Thrust to me for
+findin' that out; sure it's meself that can tell a conjaynial spirit,
+so it is."
+
+Hereupon "His Majesty" began to brew a tumbler of toddy. Russell, who
+was an experienced hand, gazed upon the royal proceedings with a
+critical eye, but found nothing wanting. The royal hand was as
+experienced as his own. The drink that resulted was equal, to say the
+least of it, to anything that had ever touched his palate. He tasted,
+and felt like a new man. He tasted again, and all his sorrows
+vanished. He tasted for a third time, and there came over him a
+feeling of peace, and content, and brotherly love to all mankind.
+
+"His Majesty" had also been tasting, and with every taste the royal
+mind seemed to assume a new phase.
+
+"In our coort," said "His Majesty," "as at prisint constichooted, we
+cannot offer the injuicemints that are held forth at Vienna, Berlin,
+an' St. Paytersburg; but we can furnish some lads that can bate the
+worruld. I'd like to howld a coort an' have the ladies. We'd have a
+ball. Oh, but it's meself that's fond av dancin'. Do ye dance, me
+lord? Sure but there's nothiu' in life like it! An' more's the pity
+that I can't get here the craim av our Spanish aristocracy. But we're
+too far away entirely. As for dancin'--begorra, I've seen dancin' in
+my time that 'ud take yer head off!
+
+
+  "'Oh, it bates all the illigant dancin'
+    That iver was danced at a ball,
+  Whin Teddy came out to the crowd,
+    And danced upon nothin' at all--
+  Wid a himpin cravat round his neck
+    That the hangman had fixed on his head;
+  An' so he kept kickin' an' prancin'
+    Long afher he ought to be dead.
+                      Whoor-ooo-ooo!'"
+
+
+As "His Majesty" trolled out this, Russell could not help feeling
+that it was decidedly out of accord with his royal character, and
+ventured even to hint as much. Upon this tears started into the royal
+eye. "His Majesty" took Russell's hand, telling him, with deep
+emotion, that he was a true friend, and that he would strive to
+profit by his friendship.
+
+"An' oh, ye thafe of the worrulil," continued "His Majesty," suddenly
+changing the conversation, "ye've played the mischief wid thim bonds.
+Where have ye hid thim, ye rogue? But niver mind. I'll be ayvin wid
+ye yit. How much are they? Thirty thousand pounds! Begorra, I'll give
+ye that amount for thim. I'd like to take up thim bonds for the
+credit av our monarchy an' our kingdom. I'll tell ye what I'll do.
+I'll give ye an ordher on our lord high treasurer for the whole
+amount in cash! That's what I'll do, so I will. Ye naydn't give
+yerself any more throuble. I'll give ye the hard cash through the
+lord high treasurer--that's me way. I'll do it!"
+
+"His Majesty" here mixed another glass of toddy. After a few draughts
+he assumed a more dignified attitude.
+
+"Me lord," said he, "I should like to ask ye now, quite infarrumally,
+what there is to prayvint a raycognition by your governmint av our
+claims an' our rights. We are winnin' our way back to the throne an'
+crown av our ancistors. A lawless mob howlds our capital, but they'll
+be kicked out afore a month av Sundays. I should like to make a
+frindly agraymint through you, me lord, wid your government. Whin I
+git to be king, I agray to cling to an alliance offinsive an'
+dayfinsive wid your governmint. There's one common inimy, the
+raypublic av America, an' it's ayqually hostile to both av us. We, as
+sole repraysintative av Conservatism an' the owld proimayval order,
+will ally ourselves wid you agin the common inimy for paice an' for
+war. What do ye say to that? Begorra, it's a fine offer intoircly!
+Ye'll not find another livin' potentate that 'll make it. Bismarck
+won't. M'Mahon--Irishman though he is--won't. The Czar won't. Franz
+Joseph won't. So there's only us. If ye don't accept our proposals
+we'll go over to the inimy. We'll buy President Grant. We'll make a
+dayscint on Ireland. I know a man that 'ud be proud to take command
+av the invadin' armies. His name's O'Toole, that's now in the Carlist
+camp, an' a divil av a feller he is. He'd sweep Ireland from one ind
+av it to the other. Give me O'Toole, says I, an' I'll bate the
+worruld in arrums, says I. Begorra, I would. An' now fill yer glass,
+me boy."
+
+"His Majesty" mixed another tumbler for Russell.
+
+"Drink, me lord," said he, "to the fairest av the fair."
+
+And with these words he swallowed another tumblerful, while Russell
+did the same.
+
+"By 'the fairest av the fair,'" explained "His Majesty," as he
+proceeded to mix another drink, "I mean yer daughter--the pairless
+Lady Katie."
+
+"My ward, 'Your Majesty,'" said Russell, correcting him.
+
+"All the same, me lord," said "His Majesty;" "it was a slip av the
+tongue. It was me heart that spoke. Listen to me now. I've somethin'
+to tell ye. It's a proposal."
+
+"His Majesty" paused for a moment, then took a fresh drink, then laid
+down the glass, then sighed heavily, and then took another drink.
+
+"Me lord," said he, in a solemn tone, "ye know, no doubt, that we are
+a bachelor. Ye don't know it? Well, we are. I say, we are a bachelor.
+We've been lookin' all around for ages afther a partner--a r'y'l
+consort. All the iligible faymales av all the coorts av Europe have
+been solicitin' our alliance. But none av thim wor shuitable. No.
+Without love, we won't marry--we won't adopt the infernal system ay
+state marriages. Where our heart isn't concerned our r'y'l hand don't
+go--not a bit av it. Now, we niver saw the woman yet that we'd be
+willin' to raise to the throne av Spain ontil we saw yer ward--the
+lovely, the charrumin, the baywitchin' Lady Katie. Nay, me lord,
+start not, an' don't suspect us av onjue praycipitation. We haven't
+addhressed the Lady Katie yet on that point. We've acted in
+accardence wid r'y'l usage, an' now make a farrumal offer av our
+alliance to the parents an' gyarjians av the lovely being. What do ye
+say, me lord? Will ye give yer consint to our proposal, an' allow yer
+ward to become the Quane av Spain?"
+
+At this Russell was quite overwhelmed. He had listened with open
+mouth to this last address of "His Majesty," and at length, when it
+all culminated in this direct and unmistakable proposal, he was so
+astounded that he didn't know what to say. He therefore sat silent
+and staring with open mouth, until at length, not knowing anything
+better to do, he mechanically raised the tumbler of toddy and poured
+the whole of it into that open mouth.
+
+"That's right!" exclaimed "His Majesty," heartily, and he at once
+began to replenish the empty glasses; "an' mind you, me boy, it's as
+much for your intherest, me lord, as it is for hers. It's a great
+thing for a young gyerrel to become the Quane av Spain; an' as for
+yerself, why, av coorse there's no ind to the honors an' dignities
+an' lucrative offices that ye'd be afther gettin' howld av. Ye'd be a
+kind av father-in-law to the Quane. Ye'd be made Ministher av War or
+anythin' else ye axed for. Ye'd be made a Juke av Gibraltar an'
+Prince av the Pyrenees. Ye'd belong to the Privy Council. Ye'd be the
+chief adviser av our r'y'l Majesty--that's me, ye know; an' av coorse
+it isn't every day that ye have such a chance as that."
+
+
+[Illustration: "Russell Fell Upon His Knees."]
+
+
+[Illustration: "These Two Had That Banquet All To Themselves."]
+
+
+"His Majesty" paused for a reply.
+
+Russell stared fixedly before him into vacancy, but uttered not a
+word. Either the high honor that had been proposed, or the brilliant
+future that had been laid open, or else the whiskey toddy, or all
+three combined, had overcome him utterly; and so he sat there staring
+and silent.
+
+"Sure, I know what yer thinkin' about," said "His Majesty." "There's
+only one objection, an' that's religion. But that's nothin'," he
+continued, with airy and pagan indifference; "we can arrange all that
+aisy enough. Love's stronger than religion any day. Ye know the owld
+song."
+
+And "His Majesty" trolled out one of his peculiar melodies:
+
+
+  "There was a Ballyshannon spinster
+    That fell in love wid a Prodes'an' min'ster;
+  But the praste refused to publish the banns,
+    So they both ran away to the Mussulmans."
+
+
+After this "His Majesty" went on in a rapturous way to expatiate upon
+the subject of Katie, and in this way the remainder of the evening
+was taken up. Russell said but little: what he said was chiefly an
+incoherent jumble which expressed with tears of gratitude a full
+acceptance of "His Majesty's" offer. At the same time he was able to
+point out that in England it was the fashion to consult the lady
+herself, and to insist that "His Majesty" should see Katie herself,
+so as to get her consent.
+
+And this "His Majesty" swore that he would do.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+
+HOW HARRY FINDS HIMSELF VERY MUCH OVERESTIMATED, AND AFTERWARD LIGHTS
+UPON A GLOOMY MYSTERY.
+
+
+On the day after the departure of Russell, Harry was invited to an
+interview with the chief. A guard of six Carlists escorted him to the
+hall. Here there was an imposing scene. All along the walls were
+lines of armed men in strange wild costumes; overhead rose the
+vaulted roof, crusted over with the mould of ages; while at one end
+there hung a canopy formed of the gorgeous banner of Castile. Under
+this stood a figure in the uniform of a general officer, and as Harry
+drew near he recognized in him the Carlist chief. At the same moment
+a shout rang through the hall, a hundred rifles fell with a crash
+upon the stony pavement, and then followed a loud, long cry, "Viva el
+Rey!"
+
+Harry's familiarity with Spanish had already been made known to the
+chief, who now addressed him in that language. What, however, was the
+amazement of Harry at learning the astounding fact that the chief
+claimed to be no less a person than Don Carlos himself, and assumed
+the airs and claimed the honors of royalty. In addition to this,
+while the chief claimed such honors, his rude followers bestowed them
+with readiness and even enthusiasm. That this could be anything else
+than a pretence--that this rude chief could really be the courtly and
+gallant Bourbon seemed to Harry an utter absurdity; and in addition
+to this, the descriptions which he had heard of the real Don Carlos
+did not at all accord with the appearance of this man. Yet, if the
+claim was a false one, its very audacity showed him the possible
+peril that surrounded his party; for if their captor was so
+unblushing and unscrupulous a villain, what hope could they have of
+escape?
+
+Speaking then in this way as though he were Don Carlos, and assuming
+at the same time the manner and style of a king, the Carlist chief
+said much about his sorrow at being forced to detain them, and also
+expatiated upon the difficulties of his own position. Finally, he
+informed Harry that a tax had been imposed on all foreigners to help
+pay the expenses of the war.
+
+To this Harry listened attentively, and was not surprised to find
+that the chief expected a money payment. Whether he called it a tax
+or any other name, it amounted to the same thing, and became a ransom
+for their lives. If he and his party were thus held as prisoners to
+ransom, the act amounted, of course, to nothing else than brigandage,
+and this Carlist chief was nothing better than a brigand. Against
+being seized and held as a prisoner on such terms Harry could have
+offered no end of arguments, of course, together with protests,
+objections, and threats; but he had far too clear a head to think of
+such a thing. He knew well the uselessness of mere arguments in a
+case like this, where he had nothing stronger behind, and therefore
+he sought to find out just what his position was. So, first of all,
+he asked what might be the amount of his own ransom.
+
+The answer to this question almost took his breath away. To his
+amazement and horror, the ransom named for him was no less a sum than
+ten thousand pounds.
+
+"Will 'Your Majesty' pardon me," said Harry, with great
+obsequiousness, and giving to his captor the royal honors which he
+claimed--"will 'Your Majesty' pardon me if I assure 'Your Majesty'
+that the amount of my ransom is so enormous that it is utterly
+impossible for me to pay it?"
+
+At this "His Majesty" smiled, and proceeded to tell Harry the ransoms
+fixed for the others: these were--for Russell and his party thirty
+thousand pounds, and for Ashby one thousand. The name "Lord Russell"
+which "His Majesty" applied to that worthy sounded strange to Harry,
+but this was a trifle compared with other things, and so, without
+making any reference to this, he replied:
+
+"Thirty thousand pounds! I assure 'Your Majesty' that Russell has not
+the fourth part of that in all the world."
+
+"His Majesty" looked incredulous, and told Harry that "Lord Russell"
+had himself put his own wealth at two hundred thousand, and that of
+his ward at fifty thousand.
+
+At this Harry's heart quaked within him for fear of Katie. Now he
+began to see more clearly the danger that there was. Russell, he
+thought, had been indulging in some foolish gasconade about himself,
+and had let out the secret of Katie's fortune. He wondered why Ashby
+had been let off on so small a sum; and thinking that he might not
+have heard correctly, he asked again about this. The reply confirmed
+what he had heard, and Harry could not help making a remark about the
+strange injustice of exacting ten thousand from him and only one
+thousand from Ashby. This at once was noticed by "His Majesty," who,
+however, proposed, not to lessen the ransom of Harry, but to raise
+that of Ashby. He eagerly asked Harry about the wealth of his friend.
+
+"Oh, I don't know," said Harry, who saw that it would not help
+himself to have Ashby's ransom raised. "All I do know is this, which
+I assure 'Your Majesty' is truth, that to me a ransom of ten thousand
+pounds is an impossible sum, and means simply death."
+
+"His Majesty" smiled, assenting at the same time to the statement
+that non-payment was equivalent to death.
+
+"In that case," said Harry, "may I ask one favor?"
+
+"His Majesty" graciously assented.
+
+"I should like," said Harry, "to have my valise. There's nothing in
+it that I care about except some cigars--"
+
+"His Majesty" interrupted with a wave of the royal hand, and granted
+his request. After this Harry was informed that one week was allowed
+for time in which to procure the ransom, and that if it were not
+forth-coming at the end of that time, he and his friends would all be
+shot.
+
+After this Harry was dismissed to his own apartment.
+
+The dread sentence and its possible result interfered neither with
+the digestion nor the sleep of the light-hearted Harry. That night he
+went to bed and slept the sleep of the just. He had the bed and the
+room now all to himself, and would have slept till morning had he not
+been roused by a very singular circumstance.
+
+As he lay sleeping, it seemed to him that there was a touch on his
+forehead of something like a hand, and a murmur in his ear of
+something like a voice, and, what is more, a woman's voice. In a
+moment he was wide awake, and had started up and was staring around.
+The moonbeams streamed through the narrow windows into the room and
+fell in broad strips of light upon the stony floor, diffusing a mild
+and mellow lustre in some parts, yet leaving the rest of the great
+room in obscurity. And here, across those strips of light and through
+those moonbeams, Harry plainly discerned a figure which was gliding
+swiftly along. It was a female figure, and it was light and fragile,
+while long dusky drapery floated around it. So completely overwhelmed
+was Harry with amazement and bewilderment at this sight, that for
+full five minutes he sat without moving and stared full before him.
+Then he put his feet out on the floor, and, sitting on the side of
+the bed, slowly ejaculated:
+
+"Well, by Jove!"
+
+Suddenly he started up and sprang toward the place where he had last
+seen the vision. But now there was nothing visible: the figure,
+whatever it was, had disappeared. Now, Harry had a strong, robust,
+healthy nature, a good digestion, tough nerves, and he was not in the
+least superstitious; yet this event certainly made him feel as he had
+never felt before. It was the suddenness of it, as well as the
+incomprehensibility. He had to assure himself over and over again
+that he was really awake, and then he had to repeatedly recall the
+vague and indistinct impressions that had been made.
+
+It was certainly most puzzling. How had any one contrived to enter?
+And why should a woman come? Was it a woman, then--that figure--with
+its noiseless motion, its strange fragility, its flowing, floating,
+cloud-like draperies? Or was it some affection of his own disordered
+senses that had wrought out an apparition from his own fancy? It
+reminded him of those weird and grisly scenes in the old romances
+which he had read in his boyhood, such as the "Mysteries of Udolpho,"
+the "Romance of the Forest," or the "Castle of Otranto." This castle
+might well be the scene of such a mystery. Perhaps the late incident
+was the revival of some dormant memory, arising out of that
+half-forgotten reading in the old romances. It may have been a dream,
+projecting itself forward into his waking hours.
+
+In this way Harry puzzled his brain for some time, sitting on the
+side of the bed, mystified, and quite at a loss what to do. But, as
+he was essentially a man of action, he soon grew weary of idle
+speculation, and determined to search more actively into the mystery,
+and if possible sift it to the bottom. So he drew a match and lighted
+his torch. The flame flared up brightly and flung a lurid glow all
+around. Holding this high above his head, Harry walked about, peering
+into the darkness, and scanning every nook and corner of the large
+apartment. But he could see nothing. It was empty. The shuffling
+noise of his own footsteps as he moved along was the only sound, and
+no living thing met his eye. It was plain that he was alone, and that
+no other could be there with him.
+
+But that figure? Where was it? Whither had it gone? Going back again
+to the bed, he marked the line of its motion, and perceived that it
+had been directed toward the great fireplace: at that spot it had
+faded away from his view. What had been the cause of this?
+
+Back again he went to the great fireplace and examined it carefully.
+The very reading of the old romances to which he had attributed this
+apparition now served to give him a valuable suggestion; for,
+according to those important writings, wherever there is a ghost
+there is also a mysterious subterranean passage, or secret chamber,
+or concealed door. It was for this that Harry now searched, to see if
+any of the machinery of the castle of Udolpho might be found existing
+in a castle in Spain.
+
+He looked all over the floor, but found nothing. He examined the back
+and the sides of the fireplace, but nothing was visible save the
+stony surface, which everywhere had the same massive exterior. At
+length his attention was arrested by those stones already mentioned
+which projected one above the other from the side of the chimney. At
+first it seemed to him as though they might be movable, for he was on
+the lookout for movable stones or secret doors, which might slide
+away in the "Udolpho" fashion and disclose secret passages or hidden
+chambers. He therefore tried each of these in various ways, but found
+them all alike, fixed and immovable.
+
+But now, as he stood trying the topmost stone, with his torch held
+aloft, the glare of the light shone upon the sides of the chimney and
+disclosed that very opening which Russell had already discovered. At
+first he thought that it might be a side flue, or a ventilator, or a
+contrivance to help the draught; but immediately after, the thought
+flashed upon him that the mysterious figure might be concealed here.
+
+In an instant he began to clamber up the stones, full of eager
+excitement. On reaching the top he found, to his amazement, that he
+was in a deep niche which ran into the wall several feet, and was
+high enough for him to stand in. Into this he peered eagerly,
+thinking that he might discover his mysterious visitant, but he saw
+nothing. But as he thus stood gazing into the niche with sharpest
+scrutiny, he saw something white lying on the floor only a few feet
+from him. He stooped forward and picked it up. It was a parcel,
+wrapped up in stiff paper, about twelve inches long, six wide, and
+one in thickness. It was evidently a collection of documents of some
+sort. Full of wonder at this strange discovery, Harry now forgot all
+about the mysterious apparition, and thought no more about the
+strangeness of the place where he was. He was only eager to learn the
+contents of the package, and to investigate them without being seen.
+Although he did not believe that any eye could behold him in that
+dark recess, yet he felt afraid, nevertheless, that some spy might be
+lurking near--some one like his late visitant--and therefore he
+descended once more to the room, where he felt safer. Here, after
+going all around, and peering out of every window, and looking also
+and listening at the door, he felt satisfied that he was unobserved.
+He now went into a corner of the room at the head of the bed and
+knelt down, facing the corner in such a way that he could conceal the
+package while examining it. Here, with eager hands, he tore it open,
+and the contents lay before him.
+
+These contents consisted of a number of printed documents, all folded
+up so as to be of uniform size. One of these he took up and opened.
+It was in Spanish, with formidable flourishing signatures and immense
+seal. One glance was enough to show him what it was. It was a bond,
+in which the Spanish Government offered to pay one thousand pounds
+English sterling money at the end of thirty years, to the bearer; and
+at the bottom was a great array of coupons for semi-annual interest
+on the above, the rate of interest being six per cent., and
+consequently each coupon being for thirty pounds.
+
+A great light now flashed in upon Harry's mind. Hastily he counted
+the documents, and found them to be thirty in number. The amount
+represented was therefore thirty thousand pounds. He understood it
+all. This was Katie's money, of which he had heard. Russell had been
+carrying it about his person, as he had said, and had been afraid of
+losing it. He had refused to make Harry his confidant as to his
+intentions. He had found out that niche somehow, and had hidden there
+the precious package. It was all Katie's, and had now by a strange
+chance fallen into his own hands. It struck Harry as at once very
+strange, and very pleasant, that all Katie's fortune should thus be
+placed in his care, and that he had thus become its guardian. He
+remembered all that Ashby had said about Russell's designs to obtain
+Katie's money for himself; and although he had not altogether
+believed Ashby, still he thought that the money was all the safer
+from being out of Russell's possession. Russell was not altogether
+trustworthy, while he himself would be loyal in this trust, and guard
+it with his heart's-blood.
+
+At length he once more folded up the papers, and then, as he held the
+package in his hands, there arose the great and important
+question--what was he to do with it? To carry it about on his person
+was, of course, not to be thought of. He had already been examined
+once, and had no security that he would not be examined again. This
+made it necessary to find some place where they might be concealed
+until it should be safe to reclaim them. As for concealment, it could
+not be found in the room. He could not thrust it into the straw of
+the bed, for it would be sure to be found. Since he had been here the
+bed had already been examined twice. There remained, then, only the
+chimney, and to this place he once more directed his steps in search
+of a place of concealment.
+
+He climbed up and advanced a few paces to the end of the niche. On
+reaching this he found, to his amazement, that it was not a niche,
+but a passage-way which ran on for so long a distance that, as he
+peered down into it, he could see no end. This passage-way served
+also to lessen the mystery of his late visitant. He now thought that
+this visitant had been one of the Carlist band, who had come in,
+while he was asleep, on a reconnoitring expedition. Yet, however this
+may have been, it did not prevent him from searching for a place of
+concealment in this passage-way. It might not be a good place, the
+hidden documents might still be liable to discovery, yet it was the
+only place, and so there was no choice in the matter.
+
+As Harry looked along this passage-way he came to a huge projecting
+stone, which seemed as though it had been dislodged in some way. So
+large was this stone, and so peculiar was its dislocation, that Harry
+could only think of an earthquake as an adequate cause. It was about
+eight feet in length by four feet in height, and one end jutted
+forth, while the other end was sunken in, behind the surface of the
+wall, in a corresponding manner. At the end where the stone jutted
+out there was a crevice a few inches in width, which seemed well
+adapted for a place of concealment, and upon this he at once decided.
+But to prevent the possibility of discovery it was necessary to
+thrust the package far in, while at the same time it must be arranged
+in such a way that it could be drawn forth again. This could be done
+by means of the string with which it was bound up. This he took off,
+and tying one end to the package, he thrust it into the crevice as
+far as he could, quite out of sight, leaving the end of the string
+hanging out about one inch, in such a way that it was discernible to
+no one except himself.
+
+
+[Illustration: "He Stooped Forward And Picked It Up."]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+
+IN WHICH HARRY YIELDS TO AN UNCONTROLLABLE IMPULSE, AND RISKS HIS
+LIFE IN A DARING ADVENTURE.
+
+
+Harry now felt perfectly secure about the package. It seemed to him
+to be safely hidden, beyond all possibility of discovery; for who
+could ever venture into this passage-way? and if any one should, how
+could that package be seen? Still, as to any one venturing here, he
+had his doubts. There was that mysterious visit. What did that mean?
+It was a female figure--a woman; young, too, light, active. Who could
+it have been? It must have been some one familiar with the castle. He
+now felt convinced that this figure was no apparition, that it was
+some living person, that she had come down through this very
+passage-way, and had entered his room, and touched him and whispered
+to him. So much was clear.
+
+And now before him lay this passageway. He was resolved to explore it
+as far as possible, so as to unfold the mystery. But who was this
+visitor?--a woman! Was she friend or foe? If a foe, why had she come?
+What did she expect, or why had she spoken so gently and roused him
+so quietly? If a friend, why had she fled so hurriedly, without a
+sign or word? The more he thought it over, the more he felt convinced
+that his visitor had made a mistake; that she had come expecting to
+find some one else, and had been startled at the discovery of her
+mistake. Perhaps Mrs. Russell had bribed one of the Carlist women to
+carry a message to her husband. That seemed the most natural way of
+accounting for it.
+
+It was evident to Harry that this passage-way was known, and was
+used; that he was at the mercy of his captor; and that Russell had
+made a great blunder in hiding his package in such a place. But why
+had his visitor failed to discover the package? Perhaps because she
+came in the dark. That would account for it. She could not have seen
+it; she passed by it thus, both while coming and going.
+
+Nevertheless, whether this passage was known and used by others or
+not, Harry could not help feeling that its discovery was a great
+thing for him. Perhaps it might lead out of the castle. That meant
+escape, liberty, life! It meant more. Once outside, he felt that he
+could obtain help from some quarter. He would then come back with a
+force which would be sufficient to capture the castle and free his
+friends; or, if he could not gather a large force, he might find at
+least a small band of men with whom he could steal in through this
+secret passage, and effect the rescue of his friends in that way. And
+by "his friends" he meant Katie. She, at least, could be rescued, and
+the best way would be to rescue her at the outset by carrying her off
+with him. Such were Harry's hopes and intentions.
+
+In entering now upon this exploration, Harry felt the great necessity
+that there was of caution; and yet, in spite of this, the torch would
+have to be retained, or else any farther progress would be
+impossible. To crawl along in the dark might be safer, but it would
+effect nothing, and he could only hope that his torch-light would not
+be observed. Dangerous or not, he must retain it; and besides, he
+could not be in any greater peril than he had already been in. By
+this bold move, he had everything to gain and nothing to lose. There
+was, however, one other precaution which he would have to take, and
+that was to make as little noise as possible. His heavy boots would
+never do, and the sound might pass through even such walls as these.
+Removing these, therefore, he carried them under one arm, and,
+holding the torch in his unoccupied hand, he advanced along the
+passage.
+
+The stones were cold to his feet as he started on his adventurous
+way. Slowly, cautiously, stealthily, he moved along. The passage was
+about six feet in height and two feet wide, with massive stone-walls
+on either side. By its direction, it seemed to pass through the wall
+at one end of the great hall, past the place where the stairway
+ascended from below. Along this Harry moved noiselessly and
+watchfully, and at length came to a place where the passage-way
+turned at right angles, just as it had done at the entrance. Up this
+he walked, and, after a few paces, perceived an abyss before him. In
+an instant he understood what this was. It was another chimney
+similar to the one in his room, from which the passage-way had
+started, and here too, doubtless, there was a room like his own.
+
+He now extinguished the torch, which, together with the boots, he put
+down on the floor, and then, lying flat down, he thrust his head over
+the opening and tried to see what was below. There was a faint light,
+the light of moonbeams, which streamed in here and fell upon the
+floor, just as in his own room. He reached down his hand, and could
+feel that here too there were stepping-stones. In fact, there were
+two rooms connected by this passage-way, and in all probability they
+were exactly similar. But who were in this room? The men had been
+taken to one side of the great hall, the women to the other. Were the
+women here? Were they by themselves? And was Katie here? Would it be
+possible for him to go down so as to try to communicate with any of
+them? It was certainly hazardous. A discovery would ruin all. It
+would be better to wait, at any rate to watch here for a while, and
+listen.
+
+As he watched he could see somewhat better, for his eyes grew more
+accustomed to the dim light. He could make out the stepping-stones,
+and the chimney floor, and the floor of the room for about one-third
+of the distance from the chimney. As he lay there and watched and
+listened, there came to his ears, through the deep stillness of
+night, the sound of regular breathing, as of sleepers, together with
+an occasional sigh, as of some one in a troubled dream. They were all
+asleep, then! Who? The Carlists, or the women attendants? or was it
+not rather his own friends--and--Katie? At this thought an
+uncontrollable desire seized him to venture down and see for himself.
+He might get near enough to see for himself. He could strike a match,
+take one look, and then, if mistaken, retreat. Dared he venture? He
+dared.
+
+He raised himself, and then was about to put one foot down so as to
+descend, but at that very moment, as he stood poised in that
+attitude, he heard a faint shuffling sound below. He stopped and
+looked down cautiously. There, across the moonbeams, he could see a
+figure moving; the very same figure that he had seen moving across
+the moonbeams in his own room--the same slender, slight, fragile
+figure, with the same floating, vaporous drapery. But now he did not
+feel one particle of wonder or superstitious awe. He understood it
+all. The woman who had visited him had fled back here, and was now
+about to return. What should he do? He must retreat. She was
+evidently coming in his direction. He would go back to his own room,
+and wait and watch and intercept her. As Harry hesitated the woman
+stopped also, and listened. Then she advanced again.
+
+Upon this Harry retreated, taking his boots and the extinguished
+torch, and went back again. He succeeded in regaining his own room
+without making any noise, and by that time he had decided on what he
+ought to do. He decided to stand in the fireplace, on the opposite
+side. The woman would come down the stepping-stones and steal into
+the room: he would Watch her and find out what she wanted. Then he
+would act according to the issue of events; and at any rate he could
+intercept her on her return, and make her give an account of herself.
+
+Having come to this conclusion, Harry stood there in the chimney,
+waiting most patiently for what seemed a very long time. He suspected
+that the woman might still be hesitating, but determined to wait
+until she should make her appearance. At length he heard a noise,
+which seemed to come from the passage above. It was a soft, dull,
+scraping, sliding noise of a very peculiar kind, the cause and the
+nature of which he could not conjecture. The sound came, and then
+stopped, and came again, and again stopped, for three or four times.
+Harry listened and waited. At last the sound ceased altogether, and
+there was the same stillness as before.
+
+Harry now waited for so long a time that his patience was quite
+exhausted, and he resolved, come what might, to go up again to the
+end of the passage and wait there. He knew the way now well enough.
+He left his torch and boots behind, and, climbing up, went along the
+passage, half expecting to encounter the woman, and ready to seize
+her and question her. But he found no one. All was still. He reached
+the chimney of the other room, and then, as before, he looked down.
+
+He saw the moonbeams lying on the floor; he heard the slow, low,
+regular breathing of sleepers, one of whom seemed still to be in that
+troubled dream. Familiarity with these surroundings had now made him
+bold.
+
+Should he venture now, or wait longer?
+
+Wait! Why wait? When could he hope to have a better time than the
+present?
+
+But one of the women was no doubt awake--that one who had already
+visited him.
+
+What of that? He cared not; he could not wait. Perhaps she was a
+friend--it seemed like it. At any rate he was resolved to risk it. To
+go back was not to be thought of. All his nerves were so wrought up,
+and to such an intense pitch of excitement, that sleep was impossible
+and any longer waiting intolerable. He determined to risk all now.
+
+And for what?
+
+For the chance, not of escape, but of communicating with Katie.
+
+The fact is, as any one may see, Harry was getting in a very bad way
+about Katie. Else why should he make such a point about seeing her,
+and run such a risk, and make even the chance of his personal safety
+a secondary consideration? And what for? What did Katie care for him?
+What indeed?
+
+These very questions had occurred to the mind of Harry himself, but
+ they had one and all been promptly answered by that volatile young
+man in a way that was quite satisfactory to himself. For he said to
+himself that he was a poor lone man; an unfortunate captive in a
+dungeon; in the hands of a merciless foe; under sentence of death;
+with only a week to live; and that he wanted sympathy, yes, pined for
+it--craved, yearned, hungered and thirsted for sweet sympathy. And it
+seemed to him as though no one could give him that sympathy for which
+he pined so well as Katie. And therefore he was going down to her on
+this desperate errand for the sole purpose of seeing her, and perhaps
+of communicating with her.
+
+A thought occurred to him at the eleventh hour, while he was on the
+verge of the descent, and that was to write something to her and drop
+it down. He might pencil something on a leaf of his pocket-book. But,
+after all, what would be the good of that? Would she ever see it?
+Might it not be picked up by one of the waiting-women in the morning?
+Most likely it would be, in which case it would be carried to the
+chief, "His Majesty," and all would be revealed. He then would be
+conveyed to another part of the castle, and then--good-bye to the
+hidden package and to Katie. This thought decided him. He continued
+his descent.
+
+Slowly, cautiously, and stealthily Harry began to venture down,
+looking behind him at every movement, and at every movement waiting
+and listening. No sound arose, however, except the low breathing,
+which was as regular as before. At length he stood upon the stone
+floor of the fireplace.
+
+Here he stood and looked into the room. By this time his eyes were so
+accustomed to the moonlight that he could see objects with wonderful
+distinctness. He could see three beds, upon which were reclining
+three figures, all apparently buried in sleep. Like himself, all
+these had been compelled to lie down in their clothes, with only such
+additional covering as might be afforded by their own shawls and
+wraps.
+
+Harry stole forward, his heart beating painfully. Upon the rude couch
+nearest him lay a figure that seemed familiar. The moonbeams shone
+full upon her. A shawl with a large stripe was drawn over her. It was
+Katie's shawl.
+
+Harry came nearer.
+
+He could see her! It was--yes, it was Katie!
+
+There was no mistake about it. It was Katie, and she was sound
+asleep. He looked at her as she slept--her head thrown back, and one
+arm upraised, so that the little hand seemed suspended in the air.
+For a few moments he stood, then he sank upon his knees, and gazed in
+silent rapture on that sweet and beautiful face. Her breathing was
+soft and low--scarce audible. He bent his head down to listen. Katie
+stirred. She drew a long breath.
+
+"H-s-s-s-s-sh!" whispered Harry.
+
+At this Katie stopped breathing for a moment, and then she whispered,
+very softly,
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"Harry," said the other. "Don't speak a word."
+
+Saying this, he reached out his hand and took hers. This was intended
+merely to soothe her and to reassure her, for fear that she might be
+startled.
+
+"I knew you would come to me," said Katie, in a rapid and joyous
+whisper; "and here you are--you dear, good boy!"
+
+At this Harry's heart beat with a rapture that was positive pain.
+
+"I had to come. I could not keep away," he whispered.
+
+"I was just dreaming that you were with me," whispered Katie, "and it
+all seems so awfully natural. But won't the others see you?"
+
+"H-s-s-s-s-sh!" said Harry. "They're all sound asleep."
+
+Katie now raised herself up on her elbow, while Harry remained
+kneeling on the floor.
+
+"I think it's so lovely," she said. "It's so awfully nice, and jolly,
+and all that--in this mysterious old castle; and here, lo and behold!
+_you_ come popping in upon one just like a romance."
+
+"H-s-s-s-s-sh! you mustn't speak."
+
+"But it's so awfully nice, you know, I must speak, and, besides,
+we're only whispering."
+
+"Well, whisper lower, and closer."
+
+Katie held her head closer to Harry, and thus these two, for purely
+precautionary purposes, carried on the rest of the conversation in
+that position. And their heads were so close that they touched; and
+their whispers were very soft and low. But all this was necessary;
+for if they had not taken these precautions, they might have wakened
+up old Mrs. Russell, and then, as a matter of course, there would
+have been the mischief to pay.
+
+"There's too much moonlight here," said Harry. "Come over inside the
+old fireplace, and we'll be in the dark."
+
+"Oh, that will be so nice!" said Katie. And she at once got up and
+stole away to the deep, dark fireplace, where both of them were
+wrapped in impenetrable gloom. It was well that they did so, for at
+that moment something waked Mrs. Russell, who called out,
+
+"Katie!"
+
+"Well, auntie," said Katie, from the depths of the fireplace.
+
+"I thought I heard a noise."
+
+"Oh no, auntie; you've been dreaming," said Katie, in a tone of sweet
+sympathy. "Go to sleep again, poor dear."
+
+And auntie sank back into the land of dreams. After a little
+judicious waiting they were able to resume their interrupted
+conversation.
+
+"How, in the name of wonder," said Katie, "did you ever, ever manage
+to get here?"
+
+Harry bent down, and in a low, very low, faint whisper told her all
+about it, dwelling upon every little detail, and not forgetting to
+mention how he had longed to see her, and had risked everything for
+it. And Katie kept interrupting him incessantly, with soft cooing
+whispers of sympathy, which were exceeding sweet and precious.
+
+And Katie proceeded to tell that she had been dreaming--and wasn't it
+funny?--about him; that she thought he had got into one of the
+windows, and was about to carry her off.
+
+"And were you glad to see me?" asked Harry.
+
+"Awfully!" said Katie; "just the same in my dream as I am now, only I
+can't see you one bit--it's so awfully dark."
+
+"Are you afraid?" asked Harry, in a trembling voice.
+
+"Afraid? Oh no. It's awfully nice, and all that, you know."
+
+"But shouldn't you like to get away out of this?"
+
+"Get away?"
+
+"Yes, if I could get off, and get you off too?"
+
+"But how can we go?"
+
+"Well, I don't know just yet. I only know the way from my room here,
+and back again; but I may find out something."
+
+"But that won't do any good. Don't you really know any way out?"
+
+"Not yet, but I hope to find one; I dare say I shall before long."
+
+"Oh, how delicious! how perfectly delicious that would be! I do wish
+that you only could. It would be quite too awfully nice, you know."
+
+"I'll let you know. I promise you."
+
+"But then," said Katie, "you'll be going off yourself and leaving
+poor me behind."
+
+"Leave you!" said Harry, indignantly; "never!"
+
+"Wouldn't you really?" asked Katie, in a tone of delight.
+
+"Never," said Harry. "I wouldn't stir a step without you. I'd rather
+be a prisoner with you than a free man without you."
+
+Katie drew a long breath.
+
+"Well," said she, "I think you must be a true friend."
+
+"I'd rather be here with you," persisted Harry, "than anywhere in the
+world without you."
+
+"If only your passage-way ran outside the building, wouldn't it be
+nice?" said Katie. "Why, we might pop out now, and away we would go,
+and no one a bit the wiser."
+
+"And where would you like me to take you?"
+
+"Where? Oh, anywhere!"
+
+"But where in particular?"
+
+
+[Illustration: "It Was--Yes, It Was Katie!"]
+
+
+"Oh, I don't care. I like Madrid very well, or London; but it's too
+rainy there and foggy."
+
+"Should you like Barcelona?" inquired Harry, tenderly.
+
+"I dare say, though I've never been there. But I don't half know what
+I'm talking about, and I think I've been mixing up my dreams with
+real life; and you come so into the middle of a dream that it seems
+like a continuation of it; and I'm not sure but that this is a dream.
+I'm pinching myself too, all the time, and it hurts, so that I think
+I must be awake. But, all the same, you really mean what you say?"
+
+"Mean it? Why, I can't say one thousandth part of what I really mean.
+Don't you believe it, when you see me here?"
+
+"But I don't see you at all," said Katie.
+
+Harry looked at her for a moment, and then said, abruptly,
+
+"Keep your shawl around you, poor little girl; I'm afraid you'll get
+cold;" and with tender solicitude he proceeded to draw her shawl
+tighter around her slender figure. This was a work which required no
+little time and skill. Not a word was now spoken for some time. This
+was of course wiser on their part than whispering, for whispers are
+sometimes dangerous, and may lead to discovery. But Harry seemed
+troubled about Katie's health, and was never satisfied about that
+shawl.
+
+"You are so very kind!" said Katie, at last.
+
+"It's because I'm so fond of--the shawl," said Harry. "I love to
+arrange it for you. I should like to take it back with me."
+
+"Should you really?"
+
+"Above all things--except one."
+
+"What?"
+
+"Why, of course, I should rather take back with me what's inside the
+shawl."
+
+"Well, I'm sure 'what's inside the shawl' would like very much to get
+away out of this prison; and so, sir, when you find a way, you must
+let her know. But won't Mr. Russell wake and miss you?"
+
+"Mr. Russell? Why, he isn't with me any longer."
+
+"Isn't he?"
+
+"No. I'm all alone. They took him away, and I suppose he's alone
+too."
+
+"Oh dear! I hope I sha'n't be left alone."
+
+"I hope, if you are, you may be left here."
+
+"Why?" asked Katie, who knew perfectly well, but liked to hear it
+stated in plain words.
+
+"Why--because I could come to see you all the time then, instead of
+waiting till they're all asleep."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+
+IN WHICH DOLORES INDULGES IN SOME REMINISCENCES OF THE PAST.
+
+
+The sleeper to whose sighs Harry had listened was Mrs. Russell, who
+awaked on the following morning burdened with the memories of
+unpleasant dreams. Dolores was bright and cheerful. Katie was as gay
+and as sunny as ever--perhaps a trifle more so.
+
+"I don't understand how it is," said Mrs. Russell, "that you two can
+keep up your spirits so in this ogre's castle. I'm certain that
+something dreadful 's going to happen."
+
+"Oh, auntie, you shouldn't be always looking on the dark side of
+things."
+
+"I should like to know what other side there is to look on except the
+dark one. For my part, I think it best always to prepare for the
+worst; for then when it comes one isn't so utterly overwhelmed."
+
+"Yes," said Katie, "but suppose it doesn't come? Why, then, don't you
+see, auntie, you will have had all your worry for nothing?"
+
+"Oh, it's all very well for one like you. You are like a kitten, and
+turn everything to mirth and play."
+
+"Well, here is our dear, darling Dolores," said Katie, who by this
+time had become great friends with the dark-eyed Spanish beauty.
+"Look at her! She doesn't mope."
+
+"Oh no, I doesn't what you call--mopes," said Dolores, in her pretty
+broken English. "I see no causa to mopes."
+
+"But you're a prisoner as much as I am."
+
+"Oh si--but thees is a land that I have a quaintance with: I know
+thees land--thees art."
+
+"Have you ever been here before?"
+
+"Si--yes. I lif here once when a child."
+
+"Oh, you lived here," said Katie. "Well, now, do you know, I call
+that awfully funny."
+
+"My padre--he lif here in thees castello. I lif here one time--one
+anno--one year, in thees castello."
+
+"What! here in this castle?"
+
+"Yes, here. The padre--he had grand flocks of the merino sheeps--to
+cultivate--to feed them in the pasturas--the sheep--one--ten--twenty
+thousand--the sheep. And he had thousand men shepherds--and he lif
+here in thees castello to see over the flocks. But he was away among
+the flocks alia the times. And me, and the madre, and the domesticos,
+we all did lif here, and it seems to me like homes."
+
+"But that must have been long ago?"
+
+"Oh, long, long ago. I was vara leetl--a child; and it was long ago.
+Then the padre went to Cuba."
+
+"Cuba! What! have you been there?"
+
+"Oh, many, many years."
+
+"Across the Atlantic--far away in Cuba?"
+
+"Far, far away," said Dolores, her sweet voice rising to a plaintive
+note; "far away--in Cuba--oh, many, many years! And there the padre
+had a plantation, and was rich; but the insurrection it did break
+out, and he was killed."
+
+Dolores stopped and wiped her eyes. Katie looked at her, and her own
+eyes overflowed with tears of tender sympathy.
+
+"Oh, how sad!" she said. "I had no idea."
+
+Dolores drew a long breath.
+
+"Yes; he died, the good, tender padre; and madre and me be left
+all--all--all--alone--alone--in the cruele world. And the rebel came,
+and the soldiers, and oh, how they did fight! And the slaves, they
+did all run away--all--all--all--away; and the trees and fruits all
+destroy; and the houses all burn up in one gran' conflagration; and
+it was one kind, good American that did help us to fly; or we
+never--never would be able to lif. So we did come back to our patria
+poor, and we had to lif poor in Valencia. I told you I was lifing in
+Valencia when I left that place to come on thees travel."
+
+"I suppose," said Katie, "since you lived in this castle once, you
+must know all about it."
+
+"Oh yes, all--all about it."
+
+"And you must have been all over it in every direction."
+
+"Oh yes, all over it--all--all over it--thousand--thousand times, and
+in every parts and spots."
+
+"It's such a strange old castle," continued Katie, who was very
+anxious to find out how far the knowledge of Dolores went, and
+whether she knew anything about the secret passage; "it's such a
+strange old castle; it's like those that one reads of in the old
+romances."
+
+"Yes, oh, vara, vara," said Dolores; "like the feudal Gothic
+castellos of the old--old charming romances; like the castello of
+the Cid; and you go up the towers and into the turrets, and you walk
+over the top, past the battlementa, and you spy, spy, spy deep down
+into the courts; and you dream, and dream, and dream. And when I was
+a vara leetl child, I did use to do nothing else but wander about,
+and dream, and dream, and get lost, and could not find my way back.
+Oh, I could tell you of a thousand things. I could talk all the day
+of that bright, bright time when my padre was like a noble; so rich
+he was, and living in his grand castello."
+
+"And did you really wander about so? and did you really get lost so?"
+asked Katie, who was still following up her idea, being intent upon
+learning how much Dolores knew about the inner secrets of the
+castle--"such as where, now," she added, eagerly, "where would you
+get lost?"
+
+"Oh, everywhere," said Dolores, "and all over. For there are halls
+that open into gallerias; and gallerias that open into rooms; and
+rooms into closets, and these into other halls; and grand apartments
+of states; and states beds-chambers; and there are the upper rooms
+for guests and domesticos; and down below them are rooms for the
+outer servitores; and far, far down, far down underground, there are
+dungeons--fearful, fearful places with darkness and r-r-rats!--and
+that is all that you do find when you come to move about in this
+wonderful, this maravelloso castello."
+
+"And have you been all through the vaults?" asked Katie, trying to
+lead Dolores on farther.
+
+"Yes," said Dolores, "all--all--through all the vaults, every single
+one; and there was an ancient servitor who showed me all the
+mysteria--an ancient, ancient, venerable man he was--and he showed me
+all the secrets, till all the castello was as known to me as thees
+room; and so I did become lost no more, and we did use to wander
+together through dark and lonely ways, and up to the turrets, and
+down to the vaults, till all this beautiful, beautiful old castello
+was known to me like my own room."
+
+While Dolores talked in this strain she grew more and more
+enthusiastic, and made use of a multiplicity of graceful gestures to
+help out her meaning. And her eyes glowed bright and her expressive
+features showed wonderful feeling, while her motions and her looks
+were full of eloquence. It was a bright and joyous past that opened
+to her memory, and the thought of it could not be entertained without
+emotion. By that emotion she was now all carried away; and as Katie
+watched her glowing face and her dark gleaming eyes and all her
+eloquent gestures, she thought that she had never seen any one half
+so beautiful. But Katie was dying with curiosity to find out how far
+the knowledge of Dolores extended, and so at last, taking her cue
+from Dolores's own words, she said:
+
+"Dark and lonely ways! What dark and lonely ways, dear Dolores? That
+sounds as though there are secret passages through this old castle.
+Oh, I do so love a place with vaults and secret passages! And are
+there any here, dear? and have you been in them ever?"
+
+Like lightning the glance of Dolores swept over Katie's face; it was
+a sudden, swift glance, and one full of subtle questioning and
+caution. Katie saw it all, and perceived too, at once, that whatever
+Dolores might know, she would not tell it in that fashion in answer
+to a point-blank question. As for Dolores, her swift glance passed,
+and she went on with hardly any change in her tone:
+
+"Oh yes; the dark and lonely ways, far, far below--in the vaults and
+through the wide, wide walls. For they run everywhere, so that in the
+ancient times of wars the warriors could pass from tower to tower."
+
+Katie saw that Dolores was on her guard and was evading her question,
+from which she concluded that the little Spanish maid knew all about
+the secret passage-way to Harry's room. The visitor to him must have
+been Dolores, and no other. But why? This she could not answer. She
+determined, however, upon two things--first, to keep her own eyes
+open and watch; and secondly, to tell Harry all about it the next
+time she saw him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+
+IN WHICH "HIS MAJESTY" EXHIBITS THE EMOTIONS OF A ROYAL BOSOM, AND
+MRS. RUSSELL IS DAZZLED BY A BRILLIANT PROSPECT.
+
+
+On the following morning there was great excitement in Mrs. Russell's
+room. This was caused by one of the female attendants, who had come
+with the announcement that they were to be honored in a short time by
+a visit from "His Majesty the King."
+
+"The King!" exclaimed Mrs. Russell, as soon as Dolores had translated
+this. "What King? Who is he?"
+
+"The King!" said Dolores. "He can only be one--one single person--Don
+Carlos--King Charles."
+
+"King!" cried Mrs. Russell, "and coming here! Oh dear! what shall I
+do? And my dresses! and my jewels! and my toilet articles! Oh, what
+ever--ever--ever will become of poor me!"
+
+"Oh, auntie, it is useless to think of that," said Katie. "You are a
+prisoner, and no one knows that so well as the 'King,' as he calls
+himself."
+
+Mrs. Russell, however, felt different, and continued her lamentations
+until "His Majesty" himself appeared. Great was their surprise at
+finding this exalted personage to be no other than their Carlist
+chief; but they felt still greater surprise when "His Majesty" began
+to address them in English, with an accent which, though foreign, was
+still familiar.
+
+"We have called, ladies," said he, with a magnificent bow, "to wish
+yez all a good-marnmin', an' to ax afther yer healths."
+
+The ladies murmured some reply which was not very intelligible, in
+which, however, the words "Your Majesty" occurred quite frequently.
+
+"His Majesty" now seated himself upon the only seat in the room,
+namely, an oaken bench, and then, with a wave of his royal hand,
+said:
+
+"Be sated, ladies, be sated. Let's waive all farrums an' cirimonies,
+an' howld conversation like frinds. _Be_ sated, we beg; it's our
+r'y'l will, so it is."
+
+The ladies looked at one another in meek embarrassment. There was
+nothing for them to sit on except the rough couches where they had
+slept; and finally, as there was nothing else to be done, they sat
+there, Mrs. Russell being nearest to "His Majesty," while Katie and
+Dolores sat farther away, side by side, holding one another's hands,
+and looking very meek and demure indeed.
+
+"On sich occasions as these," said "His Majesty," "we love to dhrop
+all coort cirimonial, an' lave behind all our bodygyards, an' nobles,
+an' barr'ns, an' chamberlains, an' thim fellers, an' come in to have
+a chat like a private gintleman."
+
+"Oh, 'Your Majesty!'" said Mrs. Russell, in a languishing tone, "how
+very, very nice it must be!"
+
+"It is that, bedad; that's thrue for you," said "His Majesty." "An'
+sure it's meself that's the proud man this day at findin' that yez
+can put a thrue interpretation on our r'y'l Majesty."
+
+"Ah, sire," sighed Mrs. Russell, whose eyes fell in shy embarrassment
+before the dazzling gaze of "His Majesty."
+
+"Ax," resumed "His Majesty," "that seemed like thrayson to our r'y'l
+person have unfortunately compilled us to detain yez; but we hope it
+'ll be all right, an' that ye'll be all well thraited. We thrust
+we'll be able to come to terrunos av a satisfactory character."
+
+A murmur followed from Mrs. Russell.
+
+"Aifairs av state," continued "His Majesty," "doesn't allow us to
+give full an' free play to that jaynial timpiramint that's our chafe
+an' layding fayture. It's war toime now, so it is, an' our r'y'l
+moind's got to be harsh, oystayre, an' onbinding. War wid our
+raybellious subjix compile us to rayjuice thim to obejience by farree
+av arrums."
+
+"An' now, madame an' ladies," continued "His Majesty," after a brief
+pause, "I hope yez won't feel alarrumed at what I'm going to say
+nixt. Ye see, our Prime Ministher has conveyed to our r'y'l ear
+charges against your worthy husband av a traysonable nature."
+
+"My husband!" exclaimed Mrs. Russell. "What! my John? Oh!"
+
+"Yis," said "His Majesty." "I'm towld that he's been passing himself
+off as Lord John Russell, the Prime Ministher av England, an' as the
+spicial ambassador exthraardinary from our r'y'l cousin, the Quane av
+England, to invistigate the state av affairs in Spain, wid an' oi to
+raycognition av our r'y'l claims. As such we've honored him wid an'
+aujence, an' communicated to him siviral state saycrits av a highly
+important nature. At that toime he wint an' he tuk onjew advantage av
+our confidince to desayve our r'y'l moind. Upon the discovery av this
+offince I felt the kaynist sorrow, not for him, ladies, but for you;
+an' it's for your sakes that I now come here, to assure you av my
+tinder sympathy, an' also to ax about the fax. Is he Lord John
+Russell?"
+
+Mrs. Russell had at first felt ready to faint at this woful
+disclosure, but she felt the eye of majesty resting on her, and she
+saw something there that reassured her. She afterward told Katie, in
+confidence, that she could understand exactly how Queen Esther had
+felt when Ahasuerus held out his sceptre.
+
+"Ah, sire!" she replied. "Oh, Your Most Gracious Majesty! He isn't
+quite a lord, sire, it's true, but he's a gentleman."
+
+"Sure to glory that's thrue," said "His Majesty." "Don't I know
+it?--meself does. He's a gintleman, so he is, ivery inch av him; an'
+yit may I ax, madame, what made him praytind to be a British
+nobleman?"
+
+"Oh, Your Royal Majesty!" said Mrs. Russell, in deep distress.
+
+"Spake on, fair an' beaucheous one," said "His Majesty," with great
+gallantry. "Spake on. Our r'y'l bosom's full, so it is, av tindirist
+sintimints. Power forth yer story into our r'y'l ear.
+Come--or--whisht! Come over here an' sit by our r'y'l side."
+
+Saying this, "His Majesty" moved over to one end of the bench and sat
+there. Unfortunately, as he placed himself on the extreme end, the
+bench tilted up and the royal person went down. Katie, who was always
+yery volatile, tittered audibly and Dolores did the same. But "His
+Majesty" took no offence. The fact is he laughed himself, and bore it
+all magnanimously, in fact royally. He picked himself up as nimbly as
+a common person could have done.
+
+"Be the powers!" said he, "whin the King loses his gravity, it's
+toime for everybody else to lose his. But come along, jool, come an'
+sit by our r'y'l side, an' tell us the story."
+
+Mrs. Russell had turned quite pale at the royal fall, and paler yet
+at the sound of Katie's laugh, but these words reassured her. They
+seemed to show that she, unworthy and humble, was singled out in a
+special manner to be the mark of royal favor. And why? Was it on her
+own account, or for some other reason? She chose to consider that it
+was on her own account. At the renewed request of "His Majesty,"
+which was so kind, so tender, and at the same time so flattering, she
+could no longer resist, but with fluttering heart, shy timidity, and
+girlish embarrassment, she went over to "His Majesty" and seated
+herself on the bench by his side.
+
+
+[Illustration: "The Bench Tilted Up, And The Royal Person Went
+Down."]
+
+
+The manner of Mrs. Russell, which had all the airs and graces of a
+village coquette, together with the bashfulness of a school miss,
+seemed to Katie and Dolores, but especially Katie, a very rich and
+wondrous thing. She always knew that Mrs. Russell was a gushing,
+sentimental creature, but had never before seen her so deeply
+affected. But on this occasion the good lady felt as though she was
+receiving the homage of the King, and might be excused if she had all
+the sensations of a court beauty.
+
+Mrs. Russell now, at "His Majesty's" renewed request, began to
+explain the position of her husband. He was a tailor, it is true, but
+not by any means a common tailor. In fact, he associated exclusively
+with the aristocracy. He was very eminent in his profession. He had
+an army of cutters and stitchers under him. He was not a tailor, but
+a Merchant Tailor, and, moreover, he was a member of the Merchant
+Tailors' Association, and a man of enormous wealth.
+
+"Sure to glory," ejaculated "His Majesty," as Mrs. Russell paused for
+breath, "I knowed it was just that. It makes all the differ in the
+worruld whether a man's only a tailor wid a small 't' or a Merchant
+Tailor wid capital letters."
+
+"We keep our own carriage," continued Mrs. Russell, bridling and
+tossing her head, "and we have our own coat of arms and crest--the
+Russell arms, you know, the same as the Duke of Bedford."
+
+"'Dade!" said "His Majesty," "so ye have the Russell arrums. I'm
+acquainted wid His Grace the Juke av Bedford. I seen him in Paris.
+He's a conniction av me own in a distant way, an' so you too must be
+a conniction in a distant way, being a mimber av the House av
+Russell."
+
+"Oh, sire! Oh yes--may it please Your Gracious Majesty--yes, I dare
+say I am. Oh yes." Mrs. Russell was quite overcome at the royal
+condescension.
+
+"Sure," continued "His Majesty," "we r'y'l personages always
+acknowledge our cousins. You're a cousin av mine, a distant one, it's
+thrue, but degrays don't count wid us. Wanst a cousin, alwavs a
+cousin."
+
+"Ah, sire!"
+
+"I niver knowed that ve were a cousin befoor," said "His Majesty,"
+"or else I'd saluted ye in our r'y'l fashion, just as our cousin
+Quane Victoria did whin she acknowledged the Imperor Napoleon. It's
+our way to acknowledge relationship wid the r'y'l kiss. We call it
+the Kiss av State. Allow me, cousin."
+
+And before the astounded Mrs. Russell understood his intention, "His
+Majesty" put his arm round her waist, and gave her a sounding smack,
+which seemed to Katie like the report of a pistol.
+
+This was altogether too much for poor Katie. She had almost lost
+control of herself several times already, but now it was impossible
+to maintain it any longer, and she went off into a wild burst of
+laughter. It proved contagious. Dolores caught it, and clung to
+Katie, burying her face against her, and half hiding it behind her.
+
+"His Majesty" dropped his "cousin" as though he had been shot, and,
+turning round, regarded the two young ladies for some minutes in
+silence, while Mrs. Russell sat rigid with horror at this shocking
+irreverence. But in the royal eye, as it rested on Katie, there was a
+merry twinkle, until at length the contagion seized upon "His
+Majesty" himself, and he too burst forth into peals of laughter.
+After this even Mrs. Russell joined in, and so it happened that the
+King and the three ladies enjoyed quite a pleasant season.
+
+The King at length recovered from his laughing fit, and drew himself
+up as though preparing for business.
+
+"Ye see," said he, "Misther Russell has committed an offince against
+our r'y'l prayrogatives, an' ayven his being our cousin doesn't help
+him, so it doesn't, for ye see it's a toime av danger--the habeas
+corpus is suspindid, thrial by jury's done up; there's only martial
+law, an', be jabers, there's a coort-martial in session at this
+blessed momint in the room overhead."
+
+"Oh, sire," exclaimed Mrs. Russell, clasping her hands, "they're not
+sitting on my poor John!"
+
+"Sure an' it's just him, an' divil a one else, so it is; an' it 'ud
+be mesilf that 'ud be proud to git him off if I cud, but I can't, for
+law is law, and there ye have it; and though we are King, yet even we
+haven't any power over the law. _Fiat justitia, ruat coelum_. I've
+got no more conthrol over the law than over the weather. But we've
+got somethin', an' that is a heart that milts at the soight av beauty
+in disthress."
+
+"Oh, sire," said Mrs. Russell, "spare him!"
+
+"His Majesty" took her hand, pressed it, and held it in his.
+
+"Dearest cousin," said he, "ye ax impossibilities. Law is an' must be
+shuprame. Even now the coort is deciding. But in any evint, even the
+worst, ye have a frind in us--constant, tinder, an' thrue; in any
+evint, no matther what, moind ye, I won't forgit. Niver, niver! I'll
+be thrue to me word. Permit us to laymint that we had not met ye
+befoor the late--that is, befoor John Russell obtained this hand.
+Nay, dhrop not that beaucheous head, fair one. Let the r'y'l eye gaze
+on those charrums. Our r'y'l joy is to bask an' sun ourselves in the
+light av loveliness an' beauty."
+
+The strain in which "His Majesty" spoke was certainly high-flown and
+perhaps extravagant, yet his intention was to express tenderness and
+sympathy, and to Mrs. Russell it seemed like a declaration made to
+her, and expressive of much more. She felt shocked, it is true, at
+the word "late" applied to her unfortunate husband by "His Majesty,"
+yet the words which followed were not without a certain consolation.
+
+"Oh, that it were possible," continued "His Majesty," "for some of us
+in this room to be more to one another! Oh, that some one here would
+allow us to hope! Let her think av all that we could do for her. She
+should be the sharer av our heart an' throne. Her lovely brow should
+be graced by the crown av Spain an' the Injies. She should be
+surrounded by the homage av the chivalry av Spain. She should fill
+the most dazzlin' position in all the worruld. She should be the
+cynosure av r'y'l majistic beauty. She should have wealth, an'
+honors, an' titles, an' dignities, an' jools, an' gims, all powered
+pell-mell into her lap; an' all the power, glory, moight, majisty,
+an' dominion av the impayrial Spanish monarchy should be widin the
+grasp av her little hand. What say ye, me fair one?"
+
+All this florid harangue was uttered for the benefit of Katie, and,
+as he spoke, "His Majesty" kept his eyes fixed on her, hoping that
+she would respond by some glance or sign. Yet all the time that he
+was speaking he was unfortunately holding the hand of Mrs. Russell,
+who very naturally took all this proposal to herself. "His Majesty's"
+language had already seemed to convey the information that her
+husband had passed away from earth, and was now the "late" John
+Russell; and much as she might mourn over the fate of one so dear,
+still it could not be but that the devotion of one like "His Majesty"
+should touch her sensitive heart. So when these last words came, and
+brought what seemed to her like a direct appeal, she was deeply
+moved.
+
+"What say ye, me fair one?" repeated "His Majesty" with greater
+earnestness, trying to catch Katie's eye.
+
+Mrs. Russell's eyes were modestly bent downward on the floor. She
+clung to the royal hand.
+
+"Oh, sire!" she murmured. "Oh, Your Royal Majesty! I am thine--yours
+forever--I cannot refuse!"
+
+And flinging her arms about him, her head sank upon his shoulder.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+
+IN WHICH BROOKE AND TALBOT BEGIN TO GROW VERY WELL ACQUAINTED.
+
+
+Brooke's heart sank within him as, followed by Talbot, he once more
+entered the old mill. He knew perfectly well that his position was
+one of peril, and doubly so from the part which he had been playing.
+The jeering laugh of these merciless soldiers kept ringing in his
+ears; the sneers of Lopez and his bitter taunts could not be
+forgotten. His disguise was no longer of any value either to himself
+or to Talbot; his true character, when declared, seemed even worse in
+the eyes of these men than his assumed one had been. To them a
+Carlist was far from being so bad as a newspaper correspondent; for
+while the one was an open enemy, the other was a secret foe, a
+traitor, and a spy. Moreover, in addition to this, there was the fact
+that he was an American, which, instead of disarming their rage, had
+only intensified it. These men called themselves Republicans, but
+they were Spaniards also; and Spaniards hate Americans. They cannot
+forgive the great republic for its overshadowing power which menaces
+them in the New World, and for the mighty attraction which it
+exercises upon disaffected Cubans.
+
+Great though his own danger might be, it was not, however, for
+himself that Brooke feared. It was for Talbot. Trusting herself
+implicitly to his care and guidance, she had assumed this attire.
+Among the Carlists, it would have been the best of protections and
+the safest of disguises. Among Republicans, it was the worst of
+garbs. For many of the Spanish Republicans were full of French
+communistic sentiments, and were ready to wage war with all priests,
+and ecclesiasts of all forms of religion. What could save Talbot from
+their murderous hands? It was too late now for her to go back. She
+must remain a priest, since to reveal herself in her true character
+would be to rush on to certain destruction. As a priest, however, she
+was exposed to inevitable danger; she must brave all perils; and to
+Brooke there seemed not one ray of hope for her safety.
+
+They went back to the loft, and here they remained in silence for
+some time. At length Brooke spoke.
+
+"Talbot!"
+
+"Well, Brooke."
+
+"Give me your hand."
+
+The slender hand of Talbot stole into his. It was as cold as ice.
+
+"Talbot!" said Brooke, in a tremulous voice, holding her hand in a
+firm grasp.
+
+"Well, Brooke."
+
+"Do you understand the danger we are in?"
+
+"Yes, Brooke."
+
+"Do you forgive me for my share in bringing you into it?"
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, reproachfully, "such a question is ungenerous.
+I am the only cause of your present danger. If you had been alone,
+without such a fatal incubus as me, you might easily have escaped;
+or, rather, you would never have fallen into danger. Oh, I know--I
+know only too well, that you have thrown away your life--or, rather,
+risked it--to save me."
+
+As Talbot ended, her voice died away in scarce audible tones, which
+were full of indescribable pathos.
+
+Brooke gave a short laugh, as usual.
+
+"Pooh!" said he. "Tut--tut; stuff and nonsense. Talbot, the fact is,
+I've been a blockhead. I've got you into a fix, and you're the
+sufferer. Now I'm quite ready to die, as I deserve, for getting you
+into danger; but the mischief of it is, what's going to become of
+you? I swear to you, Talbot, this is now my only fear."
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, in mournful tones, "every word of yours is a
+reproach to me. You force me to remember how base I have been in
+allowing you to sacrifice yourself for me. Oh, if I could only recall
+the past few hours! if we were only back again in the tower, I would
+never let you go with me; I would make my journey alone, and--"
+
+"I think," interrupted Brooke, "that I shall have to shut up. Come,
+now, let's make a bargain. I'll say no more about it, if you don't.
+Is it a bargain?"
+
+"I suppose so."
+
+There was silence now for a short time, after which Brooke said:
+
+"Talbot, lad, you don't object, do you, to my holding your hand?"
+
+"Object, Brooke? Certainly not."
+
+"It seems to have the effect," said Brooke, "of soothing me, and of
+making my self-reproach less keen."
+
+"When you hold my hand, Brooke," said Talbot, in a low voice, whose
+tremor showed unusual feeling, "I feel stronger, and all my weakness
+leaves me. And I like best of all what you said to me about my not
+being a girl. I love to have you call me 'Talbot,' for it sounds as
+though you have confidence in poer me; but, best of all, I love to
+hear you say 'Talbot, lad;' for it seems as though you look on me as
+your equal. Your tone is that of a brave man addressing his comrade,
+and the very sound of your voice seems to drive all my fear away."
+
+"Good boy!" said Brooke, in a harsh, husky voice. After which, he
+cleared his throat violently, but said nothing further for a while.
+
+"You see, Talbot, lad," said he, at last, "it is this: I have a
+feeling that I can't get rid of, and I've had it ever since we left
+the tower. The feeling is this--that you are my younger brother. You
+don't understand. I'll tell you about him."
+
+"Your younger brother!" said Talbot, in a low voice, soft and
+unutterably sweet. Then a little sigh followed, and she added: "And
+that I will try to be to you, Brooke, until this danger is over. But
+you must bear with me, and not be angry if I turn out sometimes to be
+a coward."
+
+"A coward?" said Brooke. "Come, I like that. Why, Talbot, boy though
+you are, there is enough stuff in you to fit out half a dozen men.
+You're a Talbot, to begin with; and, in addition to that, you are
+that sort of a person that you would let yourself be torn in pieces
+for the sake of a comrade."
+
+"I'm glad you think that of me," said Talbot, gently.
+
+"I was going to tell you about my younger brother," said Brooke. "We
+were in Cuba together, where the fighting was--just such a country as
+this--and I was trying to work my way along between the two forces so
+as to get to Matanzas. The danger was frightful. Neither side gave
+any quarter. It was a war of savages, and my chief anxiety was for
+poor Otto. But you never saw any one pluckier than he was--as cool,
+as calm, as fearless as though he was in a parlor. So we went for
+weeks."
+
+"And what became of him?" asked Talbot, as Brooke paused.
+
+"We escaped," said he, "and reached Matanzas--but there--the poor
+boy--died. So you see, Talbot, since you have joined me my memory
+goes back to those Cuban days; and whenever I say to you 'Talbot,
+lad,' it seems as though I am speaking to my dear lost Otto. And here
+let me say, Talbot, that if I ever seem familiar, you must not think
+it want of respect; think rather that I am mistaking you for Otto,
+and forgive it."
+
+"Do not say that," said Talbot. "I should prefer to have you think of
+me as 'Otto,' and even call me 'Otto.'"
+
+"No, Talbot, boy, you have your own name, and by that I will call
+you."
+
+"It is strange, Brooke," said Talbot. "We have only known one another
+for a short time, but it seems as though we had been friends for a
+lifetime. I suppose this is owing to the feeling of comradeship which
+has sprung up between us--or perhaps because you think of me as your
+younger brother. For my part, I feel as though we two were comrades,
+like soldiers that we read of, only my part in the business will be a
+miserable one, I fear. We are brothers in arms, Brooke, aren't we?"
+
+"Brothers in arms," said Brooke, in a soft, gentle tone; "yes,
+Talbot, lad, that's exactly what we are. Yes, comrade, we have a
+fight before us, and only each other to rely on."
+
+"In our family," said Talbot, "there is a cimeter which is an
+heirloom. It was brought from the East during the Crusades by an
+ancestor. While there, he was wounded and taken prisoner by a Saracen
+emir named Hayreddin. This Saracen treated him with chivalrous
+generosity, and a warm friendship sprung up between them. They
+exchanged arms, the Saracen taking Talbot's sword, while Talbot took
+Hayreddin's cimeter. Hayreddin set Talbot free. Afterward he himself
+was taken prisoner, and Talbot was fortunate enough to procure his
+freedom. The cimeter is the very one which my ancestor brought back
+from the Holy Land."
+
+"You and I," said Brooke, in a cheery tone, "will be Talbot and
+Hayreddin. You are the Christian knight, and I am the heathen. It's a
+pity we can't exchange arms."
+
+"Yes, we can't very well do that."
+
+"We can exchange something at any rate, comrade," said Brooke. "You
+have my priest's dress--let me have something of yours by way of
+exchange."
+
+"But what can I give?" said Talbot.
+
+"Anything, from a needle to a needle-gun. It would be better if
+portable--an old ribbon, a portable pincushion, a bootlace."
+
+"I have something," said Talbot, suddenly, "if you will take it,
+Brooke; but perhaps you will think it only a bother."
+
+"No, Talbot, lad, brother--brother in arms, and comrade of
+mine!--nothing that you can give shall be regarded as other than a
+comrade's pledge."
+
+Talbot withdrew her hand, which Brooke had been holding all this
+time.
+
+"Here is something," said she. "It will do better than anything
+else."
+
+"What is it?" asked Brooke, who could not see in the gloom what it
+was that she offered.
+
+"A ring," said Talbot, in a voice that had sunk to a whisper.
+
+"A ring," repeated Brooke. "Is it your ring, Talbot? Then put it on
+my finger with your own hands, comrade, and I swear to you by a
+soldier's word that it shall never leave me, either in life or
+death."
+
+Talbot made no reply, but put the ring, which she had detached from
+her own finger, upon the little finger of Brooke's left hand.
+
+Not a word was said by either, and there was now a long silence,
+which was finally broken by Brooke.
+
+"Talbot," said he, "don't you think you can sleep a little?"
+
+"I'll try."
+
+"Do. If you could only sleep a little, I should feel very glad
+indeed."
+
+"I'll try," said Talbot again, "and you must not suppose that I am
+awake."
+
+Talbot now drew off for a little distance, while Brooke remained as
+before, and was left to his own meditations. All was still within,
+and outside the sounds gradually lessened, until at length they were
+heard no more. Slowly the time passed, and to Brooke it had never in
+his life seemed so long. Not a sound escaped from Talbot. Was she
+asleep?
+
+"Talbot, lad!" said Brooke, in a low voice.
+
+"Well, Brooke," was the gentle reply.
+
+"Have you been asleep?"
+
+"Oh--well--a little."
+
+"No, Talbot," said Brooke, "you have not been asleep. And you say
+that you were merely to make it pleasant for me. You are full of
+anguish, Talbot, but you keep up a cheerful tone so as not to add to
+my burdens. You see I know it all, Talbot, and understand you
+thoroughly, so there need not be any further dissimulation."
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, "you are feverish from anxiety, and fanciful.
+Be yourself. Sing one of your droll songs. Talk nonsense. If you go
+on in this mournful strain, you will make me break down utterly."
+
+At this Brooke drew a long breath.
+
+"Forgive me, Talbot," he said. "I really don't know what has come
+over me. If I were alone I could sleep as sound as a top, but anxiety
+about another is a different thing. Still, you are right, and I mean
+to turn the conversation to some other subject. A song, did you say?
+Very well. By-the-bye, did you ever hear this?
+
+
+  "'Oh, Jenny Jones was a lovely gal,
+    And her mother worked a mangle;
+  She fell in love with a fine yonng lad,
+    Who played on the triangle.'"
+
+
+Brooke hummed this, and then stopped.
+
+"I never heard it before," said Talbot. "Sing the rest. Now you are
+yourself again.
+
+Whatever you feel, Brooke, don't speak of it, but laugh, and jest,
+and sing old scraps of songs."
+
+"I won't," said Brooke. "I'll sing nothing more, and I'll say nothing
+more."
+
+Talbot made no reply.
+
+Brooke was true to his resolution, and said not another word. Talbot
+was as silent as he. Each had thoughts which were all-engrossing.
+Neither spoke, but each knew perfectly well that the other was wide
+awake, and full of care.
+
+Thus the night passed away, with its long, long hours. It seemed
+interminable; but at length it came to an end, as all nights must,
+however long. The dawn came, and the two could see each other. Each
+sat propped up against the wall. Neither one spoke for a long time,
+until it was broad day, when Brooke, who had been watching Talbot's
+face until it grew fully revealed, broke the silence with a slight
+cough. Talbot turned and smiled.
+
+"Good-morning," said Brooke. "We seem to be having quite a spell of
+weather. Quite a fine view from these windows. You haven't been out
+yet, I suppose?"
+
+"Not yet," said Talbot.
+
+"Well," said Brooke, "we must take a walk after breakfast:
+
+
+  "'Oh, if I was the owner of London town,
+    I'd buy my love a scarlet gown--
+    A gown of scarlet bombazine,
+    And away we'd travel to Gretna Green.'"
+
+
+"Have you ever been there?" asked Talbot, trying to assume Brooke's
+own careless tone.
+
+"Yes, Talbot; of course I have. Every American makes a pilgrimage
+there when he visits England. As the poet says:
+
+
+  "'I have been there, and still would go;
+    'Tis like a little heaven below.'
+
+
+Talbot!"
+
+Brooke's voice changed.
+
+"Well, Brooke."
+
+"Can you be sure of yourself this day? Can you stand it?"
+
+"Yes, Brooke."
+
+"Are you sure?"
+
+"Yes, Brooke."
+
+"Oh, Talbot, Talbot! don't shrink! Oh, Talbot, don't falter! For my
+sake, don't let me see you falter, Talbot, or I shall break down.
+Alone I could let myself be tortured to death by Comanches, and I'd
+sing my death-song as bravely as Mullins Bryan; but mark this,
+Talbot: if you break down, if you even falter, I'm a lost, ruined,
+and dishonored man. Will you remember that, Talbot?"
+
+As he spoke these words, Brooke's voice had a thrill in it that
+Talbot had never heard before.
+
+"Brooke," said she, "I will be firm. Rather than show any weakness, I
+will die."
+
+"That's very good," said Brooke. "Your hand on it, Talbot."
+
+She held out her hand. He pressed it with a convulsive grasp.
+
+"You will not forget?" he asked, eagerly.
+
+"I cannot forget," she answered, simply.
+
+"Good lad!" said Brooke. He dropped her hand, and at once resumed his
+careless manner. "And now," said he, "we can continue our music:
+
+
+  "'For there the historic blacksmith stands--'
+
+
+Gretna Green, you know--
+
+
+  "'And hammers away at the marriage bands.'
+
+
+Only he don't do so now, you know, for he's dead and gone, and
+they've got new marriage laws."
+
+Not long after this a man came up with a flask of wine and some
+rolls. Brooke took them from him and brought them over.
+
+"Talbot," said he, "you don't want to eat--in fact, at this moment
+you hate food. But while I am with you I'm your master, and I now
+command you to eat. Moreover, let me add that it is necessary to eat,
+or else you may grow faint; and then, when there comes a chance of
+escape, you won't be able to walk, and I shall have to carry you,
+don't you see? And now won't you eat, just for the sake of saving me
+from unnecessary fatigue?"
+
+"I will eat if you will," said Talbot.
+
+"Eat!" exclaimed Brooke. "What! I eat? Oh, well, I don't mind. For
+that matter, I'd just as soon eat a pair of boots as not."
+
+He broke off a fragment of bread and ate it. Talbot did the same, and
+thus both forced themselves to eat, and each did this for the sake of
+the other.
+
+They said nothing while thus forcing themselves to eat. The thought
+that was present to each was enough to occupy the mind, and it was
+one which could not be put in words. Brooke saw Death awaiting
+himself, and, worse than that, he saw Talbot--alone, friendless,
+despairing, in the hands of remorseless fiends. Talbot, on the other
+hand, saw Death awaiting Brooke, and never could shake off the
+torturing thought that his death was owing to her, and that he was
+virtually dying for her. Had it not been for her he might still have
+been safe. And it seemed to her to be a very hard and bitter thing
+that such a man as this should have to die in such a way, and that
+she should be the cause. Ah! it became very hard for her to keep her
+promise to maintain her coolness, and to force back those tears and
+those cries that were ready to burst forth beyond control. Yet such
+was this girl's high nature that she could crush down her weak
+woman's heart, and turn toward Brooke a face in which there was not a
+trace of emotion, and speak in a voice without a tremor.
+
+Soon a man appeared once more, thrusting his head up into the loft,
+and in a stern voice he ordered them to come down.
+
+Brooke rose. He did not look at Talbot. He walked toward the ladder,
+droning out in a nasal whine, to a most extraordinary tune, the
+following words:
+
+
+  "Come on, you tarnal Mingo,
+    I'll make you walk your chalks;
+  D'ye think I care, by jingo!
+    For all yer tomahawks!
+  I'm more of Salamander
+    And less of mortal man:
+  You cannot shake my dander,
+    I'm a rale American!"
+
+
+At the opening he paused, and looked back at Talbot's pale face.
+
+"Did you ever hear the death-song of Mullins Bryan?" he asked.
+
+"No," said Talbot.
+
+"H'm! I suppose not," said Brooke.
+
+He then went down, and Talbot followed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+
+HOW TALBOT HAS LIFE AND FREEDOM OFFERED, AND HOW SHE DECLINES THE
+OFFER.
+
+
+Outside, Lopez was seated upon a stone which stood close by the
+foundation wall of the mill, and near him were about a dozen of his
+followers. The rest of the band were at a distance, and were all
+variously occupied. Some were lolling on the grass, smoking; others
+were lying down as though trying to sleep; others were squatting on
+their haunches in groups, talking and gesticulating; others were
+wandering away in different directions.
+
+All this was taken in at a glance by Brooke as he came out, followed
+by Talbot, after which he turned and faced Lopez. The latter regarded
+him with sharp scrutiny for some time, after which he looked in the
+same way at Talbot. The gaze was returned by Talbot calmly, quietly,
+and unshrinkingly, without boldness, and yet without shyness. It was
+as though she wished to read the true character of this man, so as to
+see what hope there might be.
+
+"Your name!" said Lopez to Brooke, in a tone of command.
+
+"Raleigh Brooke," said he.
+
+"Senor Brooke," said Lopez, "you must be aware that the accounts
+which you gave of yourself last night were very contradictory. Even
+at the best, you are, according to your own statement, a newspaper
+correspondent, which in our eyes is the same as a spy. But more than
+this, you confess yourself to be an American, which makes it still
+worse. And so, senor, you see that you are in an awkward position.
+But this is not all. There is something more that I must ask. You
+speak of having come on in trains--that were stopped. Were you not on
+that train which was stopped by the Carlists?"
+
+"No," said Brooke, firmly, and without a moment's hesitation.
+
+That was false, of course; but Brooke had already identified himself
+with Talbot, for her sake, and had told a story to which he was now
+forced to adhere. It would have been far better if he had told the
+truth at the outset, but it was too late now. So he answered "No."
+
+"One of our men came on by the train in which you say you came,"
+continued Lopez, "and has no recollection of you."
+
+"Very possible," said Brooke, coolly; "and I don't suppose I have any
+recollection of him. People can't remember all who come and go in
+railway trains, even in America, where all the carriages are in one;
+but here, where each car is divided into coaches, how can one know
+anything about his fellow-passengers?"
+
+"I came in the train that was stopped by the Carlists," said Lopez.
+
+"Did you see me there?" asked Brooke.
+
+"No," said Lopez; "but there was a priest."
+
+"Was that the priest?" asked Brooke, pointing to Talbot.
+
+"No," said Lopez--"not at all. This priest that I refer to had a
+beard, and wore spectacles: he was a totally different man from your
+friend."
+
+Lopez now paused and reflected for a few moments.
+
+"Come," said he at length, "I'll give you a chance. I'm not cruel; I
+hate bloodshed; and I don't care about shooting prisoners even when
+they're spies. We all look on you as a spy, but I'll give you a
+chance to save yourself. I'll tell you all frankly. It is this:
+
+"I myself came on in that train that was stopped by the Carlists. In
+that same train there was a party of English ladies and gentlemen.
+All of the passengers, myself included, were robbed; but, mark you,
+while the natives were permitted to go away in safety, these
+English--ladies, mind you, as well as gentlemen--were detained by the
+Carlists. Now, of course, these so-called Carlists are merely brigands,
+or else they would not have captured and robbed a party of
+inoffensive travellers, and still less would they have detained them
+as prisoners. They are brigands, then, and of course they intend to
+exact a ransom from their prisoners, and of course if the ransom is
+not paid they will shoot every one of them.
+
+"Well, after I had escaped from their clutches I communicated at once
+with the military authorities, and reported the capture of these
+travellers. They immediately ordered me to take a detachment of men
+and set off in pursuit. This is our present errand. You now know all;
+and if you are a true man, you will at once not only sympathize with
+our present undertaking, but you will lend us all the aid in your
+power; you will tell us all you know; you will be as frank with me as
+I have been with you, and help us to save these unfortunate ladies
+from a fate worse than death."
+
+"Senor Captain," said Brooke, without hesitating for one instant, "I
+thank you for your frankness, but it is of no possible value to me. I
+have come from a different direction, and cannot be of the slightest
+assistance in this matter."
+
+"Oh, very well," said Lopez, coldly. "As I said before, I am
+merciful, and hate shooting prisoners in cold blood. But mark this:
+if it is necessary I will not hesitate. I will allow you this day to
+think over what I have said. And now, what about this priest?"
+
+"He is an English priest," said Brooke, calmly, "and cannot
+understand Spanish."
+
+"Very well, you shall act as interpreter. In the first place, his
+name and residence?"
+
+"Sydney Talbot," said Brooke, "of London."
+
+"What are you doing in this country?" asked Lopez directly of Talbot.
+
+"I came on a visit to Barcelona," said Talbot in reply, as Brooke
+translated the question.
+
+"For what purpose?"
+
+"On a visit to friends?"
+
+"What friends?"
+
+"English people."
+
+"Name?"
+
+"Rivers," said Talbot, calmly, and without a moment's hesitation. All
+this was news to Brooke, who had never learned her private history or
+the secret of her journey to Spain.
+
+"You do not know the language? You cannot have been long in Spain?"
+
+"No--only a week."
+
+"A very short visit," said Lopez. "Did you come so far only to remain
+a week?"
+
+"No," said Talbot, "I expected to stay much longer."
+
+"Why did you not stay?"
+
+"Because I found on my arrival that the family had left Barcelona."
+
+"Where did they go?"
+
+"I have no idea."
+
+"Were they not expecting you?"
+
+"I supposed that they were expecting me, and I am quite unable to
+account for their departure and their failure to meet me."
+
+"And so you set out on your return home?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Well," said Lopez, "your story is a little absurd, yet not at all
+improbable. I dare say there was a mistake somewhere."
+
+"There must have been--yet I don't know."
+
+"Young sir," said Lopez, after a pause, "you carry your character in
+your face. You at least are not a spy. Upon that I would stake my
+life. I wish I could say as much for your companion. All
+Spaniards--at least all Republicans--would not let a priest off so
+easily; but you are different, and I could no more suspect you than I
+could suspect the apostle St. John. Senor, you are free; you may go
+on your way at once."
+
+"Senor, you are free, and may go on your way at once," repeated
+Brooke, as a flush of joy passed over his face. "Go, Talbot, go," he
+added earnestly; "go at once!"
+
+But Talbot did not move.
+
+"I am deeply grateful, captain," said she, "but I prefer to remain
+with my friend."
+
+"Talbot!" cried Brooke.
+
+"Tell him what I say," was Talbot's calm reply.
+
+"You are mad!" groaned Brooke.
+
+"What is all this?" cried Lopez, angrily. "What does the priest say?"
+
+"The priest says that he will not go," replied Brooke--"that he will
+stay by me."
+
+"Oh, he does, does he?" said Lopez. "Well, that's all the better for
+you. You'll need him, especially if you persist in your obstinacy."
+
+Brooke translated this, and Talbot listened without a word.
+
+Brooke was now ordered back into the mill, and he went, Talbot
+following. On reaching the loft, they both were silent for a long
+time. Brooke spoke first.
+
+"Oh, Talbot, Talbot!" he cried, in a reproachful voice, "why didn't
+you go? You had the chance."
+
+"Go!" exclaimed Talbot. "What! go and leave you?"
+
+"Of course," said Brooke.
+
+"What! when you have risked your life, and are in such danger of
+death, for me? Oh, Brooke, Brooke! Is this, then, your opinion of me?
+Can you think me capable of such utter baseness?"
+
+"Talbot," said Brooke, "it was to save your life that I left the
+tower, and now you will not save yourself."
+
+"Save myself! save my worthless life! I should scorn it if I must
+leave you to die. Never! never! Now, may God do so to me, and more
+also, if aught but death part thee and me--that is, till we escape
+and are out of danger. We must escape together. You shall never lay
+down your life for me."
+
+Talbot spoke with the air of one whose resolution was immovable.
+Brooke's agitation was intense.
+
+"Talbot," he cried, "you are mad. You don't know these men. They are
+remorseless fiends. They will wreak their vengeance on you as well as
+on me."
+
+"Let them," said Talbot, firmly.
+
+"I tell you," cried Brooke, in vehement tones, "that I have a duty to
+perform and a battle to fight. I have to be constant until death to
+my duty; but if you stay by me--if you remain--if you are still in
+peril--oh, Talbot! I shall be false to my duty--for your sake."
+
+"No, Brooke," said Talbot, "you will never be false to your duty for
+my sake. You will be true, and I will stand by you. You shall never
+see me deserting you. If you have any friendship for me, you will be
+glad to see your friend by your side in the hour of your trial."
+
+"It's not that--it's not that!" cried Brooke. "Good heavens! you will
+not understand. Do you not see that if you remain you will soon be
+alone in the world, and then--who will defend you?"
+
+"I understand well what you mean," said Talbot, firmly. "You expect
+to die, and do not wish to leave me here alone among these ruffians.
+Never fear for me. Heaven will protect me. But you must know this
+well, and I say it once for all, I will not leave you. I cannot be
+false or dishonorable. I can die. Yes, Brooke, I can die, for I
+remember how you told me that I am an English lad. We Talbots have
+given up our lives in every generation for what we believe to be the
+good cause; and the last of the Talbots can die gladly rather than
+desert a friend."
+
+Brooke turned away. A sob burst from him. In vain he tried to
+restrain it. Then there followed an exceedingly bitter cry.
+
+"Talbot! Talbot! By heaven, you'll break my heart!"
+
+"Oh, Brooke!" cried Talbot, "be calm--oh, be calm! I say to you, as
+you said to me, be calm _for my sake_; for if you lose your
+self-control I shall break down utterly."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+
+IN WHICH BROOKE AND TALBOT EXCHANGE CONFIDENCES.
+
+
+After some time Brooke grew calmer.
+
+"And now," said Talbot, "tell me all that took place between you and
+this officer, for I have not understood."
+
+Brooke told her all.
+
+"And why can't you do what he asks?" said Talbot in surprise. "Why
+can't you take them to that castle? You were there, and when there
+you say you recognized the Carlist chief himself, the very man who
+stopped the train. He must have the English prisoners there. Do you
+men to say that you will not help those poor captives?"
+
+"I cannot," said Brooke.
+
+"Cannot?"
+
+"Look here, Talbot! I've thought it over and over, and I cannot.
+Honor forbids. Let me explain. You see, while wandering about here, I
+have frequently fallen into the hands of either party, and have often
+been in great danger as now, yet I have always escaped. More than
+this, I have papers from the leading men of both sides, which testify
+to my character. I am therefore in honor bound never, under any
+circumstances, to betray one party to the other, and that, too, no
+matter what my own feelings may be. I came here as a neutral, a
+stranger, a correspondent, to get information for the distant
+American public. That is my business here. But the moment I begin to
+betray one of these parties to the other in any shape or way, the
+moment I communicate to others the information which I may have
+gained in confidence, that moment I become an infernal scoundrel."
+
+"True, Brooke, very true!" said Talbot; "but don't you see how
+different this thing is? Here is a party of travellers captured by
+brigands, and held to ransom. You are merely asked to show the way to
+their prison, so that they may be set free by their friends. What
+betrayal of confidence is there in this?"
+
+"I say that in any way in which I tell one of these parties about the
+doings of the other, I betray the confidence which has been placed in
+me."
+
+"And I say, Brooke, that if you leave these English ladies in the
+hands of merciless villains to languish in captivity, to suffer
+torment, and perhaps to die a cruel death, you will be guilty of an
+unpardonable sin--an offence so foul that it will haunt your last
+hours!"
+
+"No woman," said Brooke, "can understand a man's sense of honor."
+
+"Sir," said Talbot, with indescribable haughtiness, "you forget my
+name. Trust me, sir, no Talbot ever lived who failed one jot or
+tittle in the extremest demand of honor. I, sir, am a Talbot, and
+have no need to go to you for information on points of honor. More
+than this, I say that you are utterly wrong; and that if you leave
+those English ladies in the hands of these Spanish miscreants you
+will do foul offence, not only to the honor of a gentleman, but even
+to the instincts of humanity."
+
+"Forgive me, Talbot," said Brooke, meekly. "I don't mean what you
+think. When I spoke of a man's sense of honor, I referred to his life
+of action, with all its conflict of duty and honor, and all those
+complicated motives of which a woman in her retirement can know
+nothing."
+
+"Believe me, Brooke," said Talbot, earnestly, "women who are
+lookers-on are often better and safer judges than men who are in the
+midst of action. Trust me, and take my advice in this matter. What!
+is it possible that you can have the heart to leave these English
+ladies to a fate of horror among brigands?"
+
+"You put it strongly, Talbot, but that is only a partial view. In
+brief, you ask me to betray to the enemy a place which I may inform
+you happens to be one of the cardinal points in the strategy of the
+Carlist generals. I do not know for certain that the ladies are
+there; and if they are, I do not believe that they will be badly
+treated. A ransom will perhaps be exacted, but nothing more. On the
+whole, I should far rather fall into the hands of the Carlists than
+the Republicans. The Carlists are generous mountaineers, the
+peasantry of the North; the Republicans are the communist mobs of the
+Southern cities. I have seen very much of both sides, and think the
+Carlists better men every way--more chivalrous, more merciful, and
+more religious. I am not afraid about those prisoners. I feel
+convinced that when the general hears of their capture he will set
+them free himself. At any rate, I cannot interfere. To do so would be
+a hideous piece of treachery on my part. For me to betray to the
+Republicans this great and important Carlist fortress, which has
+become known to me by the favor and the confidence of the Carlist
+chiefs, would be a thing of horror and dishonor. I would die first,
+Talbot. So don't say any more. If anything could make me false to my
+honor and duty, it would be your entreaties. I may be wrong, after
+all, but I must act by my own sense of right. Would you wish me to
+save my life, and always afterward have the thought that I had
+stained my honor?"
+
+"No, Brooke," said Talbot; "and since you feel in this way I will say
+no more about it."
+
+Silence now followed. Brooke seated himself on the floor with his
+back against the wall, and Talbot stood looking at him as he thus
+sat.
+
+This man, who led a life which required some of the qualities of the
+hero, had nothing particularly heroic in his outward aspect. He was a
+man of medium size, and sinewy, well-knit frame. He had keen, gray
+eyes, which noticed everything, and could penetrate to the inner core
+of things; close-cropped hair, short serviceable beard, of that style
+which is just now most affected by men of restless energy; a short,
+straight nose, and a general air of masterful self-restraint and
+self-possession. Not a handsome man, strictly speaking, was our
+friend Brooke; not by any means a "lady's man;" but he was something
+better, inasmuch as he was a manly man, one who would be trusted
+thoroughly and followed blindly by other men, ay, and by women too;
+for, after all, it is not the lady's man who is appreciated by true
+women, but the man's man. To such as these the best sort of women
+delight to do reverence. Add to this Brooke's abrupt manner, rather
+harsh voice, inconsequential talk, habit of saying one thing while
+thinking of something totally different, love of drollery, and dry,
+short laugh, and then you have Brooke complete, who is here described
+simply because there has not been any very convenient place for
+describing him before.
+
+Shortly after the examination of the prisoners, the greater part of
+the band had gone away with the captain, and only half a dozen men
+were left behind on guard.
+
+After Brooke had grown tired of his own meditations, he wandered
+toward the window and looked out. Here he stood watching the men
+below, and studying their faces until he had formed his own
+conclusion as to the character of each one.
+
+"I'm trying," said he to Talbot, who came near, "to find out which
+one of these fellows is the most susceptible of bribery and
+corruption. They're all a hard lot; the trouble is that one watches
+the other so closely that I can't get a fair chance."
+
+"I wonder where the others have gone," said Talbot.
+
+"Oh, they've gone off to search for the prisoners, of course," said
+Brooke. "I don't believe they'll find anything about them on this
+road; and as for the castle, they'll be unable to do anything there
+unless they take cannon."
+
+At length the opportunity arrived for which Brooke had been waiting.
+The guards had wandered off to a little distance, and only one man
+was left. He was just below at the door of the mill. Brooke was glad
+to see that he was the ugliest of the lot, and the very one whom he
+had mentally decided upon as being the most corruptible.
+
+Upon this man he began to try his arts.
+
+"Good-morning, senor," said he, insinuatingly.
+
+The man looked up in a surly way, and growled back something.
+
+"Do you smoke?" asked Brooke.
+
+The man grinned.
+
+Upon this Brooke flung down a small piece of tobacco, and then began
+to address himself to further conversation. But alas for his hopes!
+He had just begun to ask where the others had gone and where the man
+belonged, when a flash burst forth, and a rifle ball sung past him
+through the window just above his head. It was one of the other
+ruffians who had done this, who at the same time advanced, and with
+an oath ordered Brooke to hold no communication with the men.
+
+"I may stand at the window and look out, I suppose?" said Brooke,
+coolly.
+
+"We have orders to allow no communication with the prisoners
+whatever. If you speak another word you'll get a bullet through you."
+
+Upon this Brooke concluded that his plan was a failure.
+
+Evening came at length, and the darkness deepened. The band were
+still absent. The men below were perfectly quiet, and seemed to be
+asleep.
+
+"I have a proposal to make," said Talbot, "which is worth something
+if you will only do it."
+
+"What is that?"
+
+"I have been thinking about it all day. It is this: Take this
+priest's dress again, and go. The priest, you know, is not a
+prisoner. He stays voluntarily. He has leave to go whenever he
+wishes. Now, you are the real priest, I am not. I am wearing your
+dress. Take it back, and go."
+
+Brooke looked at her for a few moments in silence. It was too dark
+for her to see the look that he gave her.
+
+At length, with his usual short laugh, he said,
+
+"Well, that's a refreshing sort of a proposal to make, too, after all
+that has passed between us!"
+
+"Why not?" asked Talbot. "What objection is there to it?"
+
+"Such a question," said Brooke, "does not deserve an answer."
+
+"My plan is feasible enough, and quite safe too."
+
+"Nonsense! And what, pray, is to become of you?"
+
+"Never mind that. Think of yourself, Brooke, for once in your life.
+To stay here is certain death for you. This is your very last
+chance."
+
+Brooke was silent for a little time.
+
+"Well," said Talbot, "will you go?"
+
+"Oh, Talbot! Talbot!" cried Brooke; "how can you have the heart to
+make such a proposal to me? I have told you that the only thing that
+moves me is the thought of your danger. Death is nothing to me; I've
+faced it hundreds of times."
+
+"It is preposterous to talk in that way!" said Talbot, excitedly. "My
+danger? I deny that there is any danger for me. As an English lady, I
+shall be safe in any event. I'm sorry I ever took this disguise. If
+you take it back you can go away now in safety. When they find that
+you have gone, they may perhaps threaten a little, but that is all.
+They will have nothing against me, and will, no doubt, set me free.
+This captain seems to be a gentleman, and I should have no fear of
+him. I believe that after the first explosion he would treat me with
+respect, and let me go."
+
+"And so you would really let me go?" said Brooke, after a long pause,
+in a very low voice.
+
+"Gladly, gladly," said Talbot.
+
+"And stay here alone, in a new character, ignorant of the language,
+to face the return of the mad and furious crowd?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"They would tear you to pieces," cried Brooke.
+
+"They would not."
+
+"They would."
+
+"Then let them. I can die," said Talbot, calmly.
+
+"And die for me?"
+
+"Yes, rather than let you die for me."
+
+"And you think I am capable of going away?" said Brooke, in a
+faltering voice.
+
+At this Talbot was utterly silent. Neither spoke a word for a long
+time.
+
+"Talbot, lad," said Brooke, at length, in a gentle voice.
+
+"Well, Brooke!"
+
+"I am glad that I met with you."
+
+"Are you, Brooke?"
+
+"I should like to live," he continued, in a far-off tone, like one
+soliloquizing, "after having met with you; but if I cannot live, I
+shall be glad to think that I have ever known you."
+
+Talbot said nothing to this, and there was another long silence.
+
+"By-the-bye," said Brooke, at last, "I should like to tell you
+something, Talbot, in case you should ever happen to meet with a
+certain friend of mine--you might mention how you met with me, and so
+on."
+
+"Yes," said Talbot, in a low voice.
+
+"This friend," said Brooke, "is a girl." He paused.
+
+"Yes," said Talbot, in the same voice.
+
+"It was in Cuba that I met with her. Her name is Dolores."
+
+"Dolores--what?"
+
+"Dolores Garcia."
+
+"I shall remember the name."
+
+"I was correspondent there, in just such a country as this, between
+two hostile forces. One evening I came to a place where a gang of
+insurgent Cubans were engaged in the pleasing task of burning a
+house. As it happened, I was wearing the dress common to the
+insurgents, and passed for one of themselves. Pressing into the
+house, I found two ladies--a young girl and her mother--in an agony
+of terror, surrounded by a howling crowd of ruffians. In a few words
+I managed to assure them of my help. I succeeded in personating a
+Cuban leader and in getting them away. Then I passed through the
+crowd outside, and, getting horses, I hurried the ladies off.
+Eventually we all reached Havana in safety.
+
+"I learned that an attack had been made on the plantation, that Senor
+Garcia had been killed, and that as I came up the gang was plundering
+the place and threatening to destroy the women.
+
+"Gratitude had the effect of making this young girl Dolores most
+devotedly attached to me. In the course of our journey she evinced
+her affection in a thousand ways. She was very young, and very
+beautiful, and I could not help loving her. I was also deeply moved
+by her passionate love for me, and so I asked her to be my wife, and
+she consented. After reaching Havana, Spanish manners did not allow
+of our seeing much of one another. Shortly afterward I had to return
+to the seat of war to finish my engagement, and bade her good-bye for
+two or three months. I expected at the end of that time to return to
+Havana and marry her.
+
+"Well, I went away and heard nothing more from her. At the end of
+that time I returned, when, to my amazement, I learned that she had
+gone to Spain, and found a letter from her which gave me the whole
+reason for her departure. I had told her before that I myself was
+going to Spain in the course of another year, so she expressed a hope
+of seeing me there. The place to which she was going was Pampeluna.
+I've already tried to find her there, but in vain. The fact is,
+things have been so disturbed about here that people have changed
+their abodes, and can no longer be traced; and so I have never come
+upon the track of Dolores. And I mention this to you, Talbot, so that
+if you should ever, by any chance, happen to meet her, you may tell
+her that you saw me, and that I had been hunting after her all
+through Spain. I dare say it will soothe her, for she loved me most
+passionately, and must often have wondered why I never came for her.
+In fact, she was so gentle, so delicate, so sensitive, and yet so
+intense in her feelings, that I have often feared that the idea of my
+being false might have been too much for her loving heart, and may
+have cut short her young life."
+
+After the conclusion of this story Talbot asked many questions about
+Dolores, and the conversation gradually changed, until at length it
+came round to the cross-questioning of Lopez which Talbot had
+undergone.
+
+"I have never told you," said she, "about my own errand here in this
+country; and as this may be our last conversation, I should like very
+much to tell you all."
+
+Thus this confidence of Brooke's led to a similar act on the part of
+Talbot, who now related to him her own history. As this has been
+already set forth from the lips of Harry Rivers, it need not be
+repeated here. Brooke listened to it in silence. At the close he
+merely remarked:
+
+"Well, Talbot, we've now made our final confessions. This is our last
+interview. And I feel sad, not, my lad, at the thought of death, but
+at the thought of leaving you among these villains. My only thought
+is, what will become of you."
+
+"It's strange," said Talbot, in a musing tone, "very strange. All
+this that I have been telling you seems now removed back away to a
+far, far distant past. It is as though it all happened in a previous
+state of existence."
+
+"I dare say," said Brooke. "Oh yes; you see you've been having a
+precious hard time of it."
+
+"Yes," mused Talbot. "Fear, hope, suspense, shame, grief, despair;
+then fear, suspense, and despair; then hope and joy, followed again
+by despair. So it has been, and all in a few days. Brooke, I tell you
+I am another person altogether from that girl who left her home so
+short a time ago. Miss Talbot--where is she? I am the lad
+Talbot--comrade of a brave man--fighting with him for my life, and
+now along with him resting in the Valley of the Shadow of Death."
+
+"Bosh!" said Brooke, in a husky, choking voice. He muttered a few
+unintelligible words, and then ceased.
+
+"Death is near, Brooke--very near; I feel it."
+
+"Talbot," said Brooke, with something like a groan, "talk of
+something else."
+
+"It's near to you."
+
+"Well, what if it is?"
+
+"And it's near to me."
+
+"It's not; I tell you it's not," cried Brooke, excitedly.
+
+"It was the old fashion of chivalry, upheld by all the Talbots, that
+the page or the squire should never survive the chief. I'm a Talbot.
+Do you understand me, Brooke?"
+
+"If they did so," cried Brooke, in stronger excitement, "they were a
+pack of cursed fools.
+
+
+  "'He that fights and runs away
+    May live to fight another day.'
+
+
+That's my motto."
+
+"Do you think I'll survive you?" asked Talbot, taking no notice of
+Brooke's words.
+
+Brooke gave a wild laugh.
+
+"You'll have to, my boy--you'll have to."
+
+"I'm your page, your vassal," said she. "I'm a Talbot. We've
+exchanged arms. I've flung away the girl life. I'm a boy--the lad
+Talbot. We're brothers in arms, for good or evil, Brooke."
+
+Brooke began to whistle, and then murmured some words like these:
+
+
+                  "Non ego perfidum
+  Dixi sacramentum: ibimus, ibimus,
+  Utcunque praecedes, supremum
+  Carpere iter comites parati."
+
+
+"What do you say?" asked Talbot.
+
+"Oh, nothing," said Brooke; "dog Latin--some rubbish from Horace.
+Allow me, however, to remark, that all this talk about death seems to
+me to be cursed bad taste."
+
+After this he began to whistle a tune.
+
+Suddenly he held up his hand so as to display the ring.
+
+"Who gave you this?" he asked, carelessly.
+
+"Mr. Rivers," said Talbot, simply. "It was our engagement ring."
+
+Brooke gave his usual short laugh, and subsided into silence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+
+IN WHICH BROOKE AND TALBOT STAND FACE TO FACE WITH DEATH.
+
+
+This was to be to Brooke his last day in life. The thought of this
+was ever present to both of them. The band would probably return
+during the night, and in the morning the last scene would be enacted.
+
+In the few days in which these two had known each other they had been
+compelled to undergo great variations of feeling, and had come to
+learn each other's inmost nature more thoroughly and intimately by
+far than could have occurred after years of ordinary social
+intercourse. Together they had faced danger and death; together they
+had endured hope and fear, hunger and weariness, sorrow and despair.
+The feelings of each had been stirred to the uttermost depth. Strong
+natures were they, both of them; and they both were capable of
+self-control, and they each knew how to wear an aspect of calmness
+while all the time the soul within was in a tumult of terror or
+distress. This night was to be the last on earth to one of them,
+perhaps to both. So they said but little. They could but sit in
+silence, and think, and feel, and suffer.
+
+At midnight there was a wild clamor outside. The band had returned.
+The prisoners went to the window, and there, standing side by side,
+they looked out. Brooke thought that his hour might even now be at
+hand, and the same fear occurred to Talbot. Neither spoke. So for a
+long time they stood watching, listening, until at last the sounds
+died away, all movement ceased, and all was still. The men had gone
+to rest, and they now knew that there would be a respite until
+morning. They stood looking out into the night. If a thought of
+flight had ever occurred to either of them, they could now see that
+such a thing was impossible. For they were environed with guards; and
+in the room below and on the grass outside the followers of Lopez
+lay between them and liberty.
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, "if you were now alone I know very well what
+you would do."
+
+"What?"
+
+"You would draw your revolver, jump down, burst through the midst of
+these men, and escape. Why not do so now?"
+
+Brooke gave a short laugh.
+
+"Do? Leave me! Fly! They cannot blame me if you fight your way
+through them. Better to die fighting than be shot down helplessly."
+
+"If I did so, they'd take out their vengeance on you."
+
+"They would not."
+
+"They would."
+
+"Then you stay for me!"
+
+"Yes."
+
+Talbot drew a long breath.
+
+"You are bent on dying, Brooke, not to save me, but merely to prevent
+them from being too hard to me."
+
+"They will let you go," said Brooke. "They will be satisfied--when I
+am gone."
+
+Talbot seized his hands in a convulsive grasp.
+
+"Oh, Brooke!" she groaned. "Can nothing move you? What is life worth
+to me at such a cost? Oh, Brooke, fly! Leave me. Fight your way out.
+I will follow you."
+
+"You cannot. If you tried, you would be sure to be captured. I might
+escape as you say, but you could not."
+
+"Oh, Brooke, try--fly! Oh, I could kill myself rather than endure
+this any longer."
+
+"Talbot!" said Brooke, suddenly shaking her off.
+
+"What, Brooke?"
+
+"You're a fool!"
+
+"Yes, Brooke."
+
+"You're a fool!" he repeated, in a voice that sounded like a gasp.
+"Why will you persist in talking in this way, and blight and shatter
+all my strength of soul? It's too late, I tell you. I will not. I
+will not do anything that can expose you to fresh danger; your peril
+is great enough now, but there is a bare chance for you if nothing
+happens. When they have got one life they may feel inclined to spare
+the other."
+
+"Never!" said Talbot. "They shall not. I will not have it."
+
+"You must!" said Brooke, fiercely.
+
+"I tell you I will not!" cried Talbot, in a passionate voice.
+
+"D--n you!" roared Brooke. "I tell you you must, and you shall!"
+
+At this there was a noise below. Some of the guard had awakened.
+Brooke drew a long breath, and retreated from the window into the
+darkness. Talbot went after him.
+
+"Talbot," said Brooke, in a voice that was strangely sweet yet
+unutterably sad--"Talbot, do you want to break my heart?"
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, in a low, thrilling tone. "Is it your heart
+only, do you think, that is now almost breaking?"
+
+After this there was a deep silence, broken only by their own quick
+breathing.
+
+Brooke felt a hand in his. He caught it in a convulsive grasp; and
+the two hands clung to each other, and throbbed with the vehement
+pulsations of two hearts that now beat with intensest feeling.
+
+"Let me go," wailed Brooke, at last, snatching his hand away. He
+gasped for breath. He retreated farther into the darkness. Talbot
+stood motionless and trembling. There was silence again for a long
+time. It was at last broken by Brooke.
+
+"Come, Talbot," he said, with feverish rapidity and a wretched
+assumption of carelessness. "Let's engage in conversation. What shall
+we talk about? The weather? Or the crops? Or shall we talk politics?
+By-the-bye, can't you sing something? I tell you what--it isn't fair.
+You make me do all the singing. But I don't mind. You're a good
+listener, at any rate. If you like I'll sing a hymn."
+
+And he began, singing through his nose:
+
+
+  "Oh, a maiden she lived in the south countrie,
+  And a werry fine maid, my boy, was she,
+  For her hair was as red as red can be;
+  So off we go to Marymashee.
+
+
+  And a jolly young cove fell in love with she,
+  Says he, 'My lass, will you marry me?'
+  One foot up and t'other foot down,
+  And away we travel to London town."
+
+
+Again there was a sound below. Brooke's song had roused the guard.
+
+Talbot gave a wild start.
+
+"They're coming!" she gasped, in a tone of horror. "They're
+coming--at last. They won't wait!"
+
+"Pooh!" said Brooke, whose voice by this time had regained its old
+careless ring; and he whined on:
+
+
+  "Cats don't come at half-past eight
+  Tap-tap-tappiug at the garding gate!"
+
+
+Talbot gave a sigh that sounded like a groan. The sounds below
+subsided, and all was still once more.
+
+So the night passed.
+
+Morning came.
+
+A man brought up bread and wine; but now there was no thought of
+eating, even for the sake of saving strength. Neither one spoke, nor
+did either venture to look at the other.
+
+At length they were summoned outside. Lopez was there, with half a
+dozen men around him. Farther away were the rest of the men, watching
+the scene. On the right were a dozen men with rifles. Brooke was as
+cool as usual. Talbot was calm, but deathly pale.
+
+"Senor Brooke," said Lopez, "I am a man of but few words, and few
+need now be said. I have given you a long respite--longer than I
+said. What is your decision? Will you go with us and show us where
+the Carlists took the English ladies?"
+
+"Senor Captain," said Brooke, calmly, "I am quite unable to give you
+any information about the ladies. I don't see what I can do."
+
+"Lead us to the place," said Lopez.
+
+Brooke shook his head.
+
+"I can't say any more," said he.
+
+"Very well," said Lopez, quietly. "Then you must die."
+
+"You can certainly kill me, Senor Captain, but what good will that
+do?"
+
+"Oh, no particular good," said Lopez, "but the law is that spies
+shall be shot at once, and I merely gave you a chance. You're a bold
+fellow, and I should like to spare you--that's all."
+
+"Thanks, Senor Captain. And may I make one request?"
+
+"Name it, senor."
+
+"This young priest is free, is he not?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"You will suffer him to go without molestation."
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"He is young, and a stranger in the country. He doesn't know a word
+of the language, and is in despair about--about me. Would it be
+possible for him to procure a guide for part of the way, at least to
+Vittoria, or some nearer railway station?"
+
+"I will furnish him with one," said Lopez, "all the way."
+
+"Thank you, senor," said Brooke.
+
+"Senor," said Lopez, "it pains me deeply to see you rush on to
+destruction."
+
+"Senor Captain," said Brooke, "you are a man of honor and generosity.
+I wish I could do what you ask."
+
+Lopez shrugged his shoulders. Then he sighed. Then he took a final
+look at Brooke.
+
+After this he motioned to two of his men. These two came forward and
+led Brooke to a place opposite the file of armed men. One of the men
+offered to bind his eyes, but Brooke motioned him away.
+
+"I don't want it," said he.
+
+As he said this, Talbot came up and stood by his side. Lopez walked
+down toward the file of men and stood at a point on one side,
+half-way between the condemned and the soldiers.
+
+"Talbot," said Brooke, in a low voice, "go away."
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, "will you not live?"
+
+"What! in dishonor?"
+
+"Oh, my God!" groaned Talbot. "What shall I do? He will die--and I've
+killed him!"
+
+"Talbot," said Brooke, in a husky and unsteady voice, "go away.
+You'll make me die two deaths. You are safe. Lopez has promised to
+send a guide with you to Vittoria."
+
+"A guide?" said Talbot, in a strange voice.
+
+"Think of me--sometimes," stammered Brooke.
+
+Talbot turned and looked at him. Brooke saw the look and all that was
+conveyed in it, and then obstinately shut his eyes.
+
+Lopez now turned to see if the two friends had said their last say.
+He saw a singular sight. The "priest" was standing directly in front
+of Brooke and facing the file of soldiers. At that moment also Brooke
+opened his eyes again and saw Talbot in front of him.
+
+He stepped forward and seized her arm.
+
+"Oh, Talbot! oh, Talbot!" he groaned. "This is worse than death. Why
+will you torment me?"
+
+Talbot shook him off. Brooke threw a despairing look at the captain,
+and shrank back. Talbot folded her arms and stood in front of him.
+
+Had she only been able to speak Spanish she would have told them
+all--how this man had run into danger on her account, how he was now
+dying through her, how she was resolved to die either for him or with
+him. She would have told them all that, but that would not have
+revealed the half of all the eloquent story which stood unfolded in
+her attitude and in her face.
+
+She stood erect, her arms folded on her breast, facing thus the file
+of soldiers.
+
+Her look, however, was as though she saw them not. Her eyes were
+turned toward them, yet their gaze was fixed on vacancy. She thus
+showed her face--looking thus with steadfast eyes--a calm face,
+serene, tranquil, white as marble, and as motionless. All that Brooke
+had seen there which had made him think of the Angel Gabriel, and all
+that Lopez had seen there which made him think of the Apostle John,
+was now clearly manifest in that noble and expressive countenance. It
+was the face of a pure, a lofty, an exalted nature, full of
+profoundest feeling and matchless self-control--the face of one who
+was resolved to die, the face of a martyr, the face of one who was
+standing in full view of Death, who was waiting for his approach, and
+was undismayed.
+
+As for Brooke, he at last experienced all that he had dreaded. He was
+utterly overcome. White, ghastly, trembling from head to foot, he
+stared at Talbot with something like horror in his face, yet he could
+not move. He stood shuddering, and speechless.
+
+At such an astonishing and unexpected spectacle the very soldiers
+gazed in awe.
+
+Hardened as they were, there was something in Talbot's determined
+self-sacrifice, and in Brooke's manifest anguish of soul, which
+overcame them all, and hushed them all alike into wonder and silence.
+All eyes were fixed on the two who thus stood before the file of
+soldiers. At length there arose murmurs--strange murmurs indeed to
+come from such men, for they indicated pity and compassion.
+
+Upon Lopez the effect of all this was overwhelming. He had seen it
+from the beginning. He saw the face of Talbot, the agony of Brooke.
+At first there was only wonder in his looks, then came profound
+agitation. His sword dropped from his hand.
+
+He turned away. Now, as he thus turned away, had he encountered
+fierce, cruel, blood-thirsty faces, he might have come back to his
+first resolve, and recovered from the emotion which was unmanning
+him; but the faces of his men were full of pity and of wonder. His
+fierce followers were themselves overcome, and thus the agitation of
+Lopez was heightened.
+
+"I am a soldier," he cried; "I am not a bandit. I am not a
+cut-throat. It's all very well for us to kill our enemies in battle,
+but, my lads, to kill people in this way is butchery, and if they
+want butchers they'll have to get others. I must talk to these men
+again, especially to this priest."
+
+With these words Captain Lopez dismissed his men and then turned to
+Brooke.
+
+"Senor," said he, "I have some more questions to ask. I will
+therefore postpone proceedings until after further examination."
+
+Talbot understood the actions of Lopez, and comprehended the meaning
+of his words.
+
+There was an immense revulsion of feeling within her--from that
+preparation for death to this restoration to life; yet so perfect was
+her self-control that she lost not one whit of her caution, and
+vigilance, and outward calm. She did not trust herself to look at
+Brooke. She merely turned away and stood with her eyes fixed on the
+ground. Brooke stood watching her with a haggard stare. He did not
+look at Lopez; but as he caught his words he muttered something in
+reply which was unintelligible to Lopez, and quite incoherent in
+itself.
+
+The prisoners were now conducted back again to their place of
+confinement. Here at last, removed from all strange eyes, the
+fortitude of Talbot, so long sustained, gave way utterly. Under the
+pressure of so tremendous a reaction her womanly nature reasserted
+itself. She fell prostrate upon the floor, and lay there, overwhelmed
+by a vehement passion of tears. As for Brooke, he dared not trust
+himself to soothe her; he dared not even so much as look at her, but
+seated himself as far away as possible, and buried his face in his
+hands.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+
+IN WHICH BROOKE SINGS AND TALKS IN A LIGHT AND TRIFLING MANNER.
+
+
+Brooke and Talbot had thus emerged from the Valley of the Shadow of
+Death, but that shadow still rested upon them. Their sudden
+deliverance had left them both alike overwhelmed; and as they stood
+apart, not speaking, not even looking at one another, there was a
+struggle in the mind of each which made it hard indeed for them to
+regain any kind of self-control. The vision of death which had been
+before them had disclosed to each the inmost soul of the other, and
+had led to revelations of feeling that might not have been made under
+any other circumstances. They had both alike expected death; they had
+said to one another their last and truest words; they had given
+expression to their most secret and sacred confidences; they had
+bidden their most solemn and most tender farewells; but the moment
+which had threatened to be the last of life, had passed away leaving
+them still in the land of the living--leaving them together as
+before, bound by the new and imperishable tie of a common memory, for
+neither could forget all that had been said, and felt, and done by
+the other.
+
+
+[Illustration: "The 'Priest' Was Standing Directly In Front Of Brooke."]
+
+After the events of the morning, Lopez had gone away with the greater
+part of his followers, leaving behind a guard of about half a dozen,
+as before. The noise of these movements had aroused the two
+prisoners, and they had gone to the window to look out, seeking
+rather to distract their thoughts than to satisfy anything like
+curiosity. From this window they had watched these proceedings in
+silence, standing close beside each other, with their eyes turned to
+the scene outside, but with thoughts wandering elsewhere. At length
+all had gone except the guard, and the last of the band had been
+swallowed up by the intervening hills. There was nothing more to be
+seen outside or to serve as a pretence for keeping their looks from
+following their thoughts.
+
+Their eyes met. It was a deep and an eloquent look, full of unuttered
+meaning, which each turned upon the other; and each seemed to read in
+the eyes of the other all the secrets of the heart; and standing thus
+they looked into one another's hearts.
+
+It was Brooke who spoke first.
+
+"I wonder," said he, in a low, gentle voice--"I wonder, Talbot, if
+you had that look when you placed yourself in front of me and faced
+their levelled rifles. If so, Talbot, lad, I don't wonder that the
+soldiers paused; for they say that the calm eye of man can tame the
+wild beast or the fury of the maniac; and so your eyes tamed the
+madness of these fierce ruffians. Was your look then, Talbot, as
+calm and as firm as it is now?"
+
+"It was fixed," said Talbot, in a gentle voice, "unalterably. But it
+was not their rifles that I saw; it seemed then as though I saw the
+other world."
+
+A short silence followed, and then Brooke spoke again, in a voice
+which was very weak and tremulous.
+
+"And you, Talbot, stood before their bullets, offering your life for
+mine!"
+
+The accents of his voice seemed to quiver with suppressed passion and
+infinite tenderness.
+
+"It was only a fair exchange," said Talbot, slowly; and her voice
+thrilled, as she spoke, through the heart of Brooke as he went over
+to her to listen; "for you were giving up your own life for me."
+
+There was silence now for some time, during which their eyes were
+fastened upon one another. At length Brooke drew a long breath and
+turned away. Then he began abruptly to sing one of his droll songs.
+His voice was faint at first, but grew stronger as he went on:
+
+
+  "Billy Taylor was a gay young rover,
+    Full of mirth and full of glee;
+  And his mind he did discover
+    To a maid of low degree.
+         Rite follalol-lol-lol-lol-lido,
+         Rite follalol-lol-lol-lol-lay."
+
+
+"You see," continued he, "my way is to sing while I can. There are
+too many times in life when you can't sing 'Billy Taylor.' Then you
+may retire to your corner, and wear sackcloth and ashes. Such a time
+is coming, Talbot, lad, when the strain of 'Billy Taylor' shall be
+heard no more. But so long as I can I'll sing:
+
+
+  "'But this maiden had a parient,
+    Who was very stern to she.
+  "Fly, oh, fly, my dearest darter,
+    From the wiles of your Billee!"
+        Rite follalol-lol-lol-lol-lido,
+        Rite follalol-lol-lol-lol-lay.'"
+
+
+During this little diversion of Brooke's Talbot said nothing. It was,
+as he said, his way, and Talbot had grown accustomed to it. A long
+silence followed, after which Brooke once more addressed her.
+
+"Talbot," said he, "we have been acquainted only two or three days,
+and we have told one another all that is in our hearts. So it seems
+as if we had been friends for a long time. Yes, Talbot; if I were to
+count over all the friends of all my life, I could not find one like
+you--no, not one. And now, if we both escape and you go back to your
+people, how strange it will be never to meet again."
+
+"Never to meet again!" repeated Talbot; and an expression as of sharp
+and sudden pain flashed over her face. "You do not mean to say that
+you will never come to me?"
+
+"Come to you!" repeated Brooke, and he gave that short laugh of his.
+"Oh yes--I'll come, of course, and I'll leave my card; and perhaps
+you'll be 'not at home,' or perhaps I'll be asked to call again, or
+perhaps--"
+
+Talbot smiled, and Brooke, catching her eye, smiled also, and stopped
+abruptly.
+
+Then followed another silence, which, however, unlike most of such
+periods, was not at all embarrassing.
+
+"Have you noticed," said Talbot, at length, "that they have left the
+same small guard which they left before?"
+
+"Oh yes; but what of that?"
+
+"Don't you think that now, after what has happened, they might be far
+less strict, and be open to a moderate bribe?"
+
+"Bribe? And why?" asked Brooke.
+
+"Why? why?" repeated Talbot, in surprise. "Why, to escape--to get our
+freedom."
+
+"But suppose I don't want my freedom?" said Brooke.
+
+"Not want it? What do you mean? Do you suppose that I may not be
+strong enough for the journey? Don't be afraid of that. I feel strong
+enough now for any effort. I'll fly with you--anywhere, Brooke."
+
+"Fly?" said Brooke; "fly? What, and take you to your friends? And
+then what? Why, then--a long good-bye! Talbot, I'm too infernally
+selfish. I'll tell you a secret. Now that the worst is over--now that
+there doesn't seem to be any real danger--I'll confess that I enjoy
+this. I don't want it to end. I feel not only like singing, but like
+dancing. I want to be always living in a tower, or an old windmill,
+or anywhere--so long as I can look up and see you, I don't want
+anything more in the world. And when I look up and see Talbot no
+more--why, then I'll stop singing. For what will life be worth then,
+when all its sunlight, and bloom, and sweetness, and joy are over,
+and when they are all past and gone forever? Life! why, Talbot, lad, I
+never began to know what life could be till I saw you; and do you
+ask me now to put an end to our friendship?"
+
+This was what Brooke said, and then he turned off into a song:
+
+
+  "Then this maiden wiped her eyelids
+    With her pocket-handkerchee;
+  Though I grow a yaller spinster
+    I will stick to my Billee!
+        Rite follalol-lol-lol-lol-lido,
+        Rite follalol-lol-lol-lol-lay."
+
+
+After this there followed another prolonged silence. Talbot was now
+the first to speak.
+
+"Brooke," said she, in her low, soft, tremulous voice, which had died
+down almost to a whisper, "we know the secrets of one another's
+hearts. Oh, Brooke! Brooke! why have we never met before? Oh, Brooke!
+how strangely we have drifted together! How much we have learned
+about each other! Is Fate so bitter as to make us drift away,
+after--after--"
+
+Her voice died away altogether, and she turned her face aside and
+bowed down her head.
+
+Brooke looked at her for a moment, and seemed about to take her hand,
+but he conquered this impulse and resolutely averted his eyes.
+
+"Don't know, I'm sure," said he, at last, with an affectation of airy
+indifference.
+
+"It would take a man with a head as long as a horse to answer such a
+question as that. Talbot, lad, you shouldn't plunge so deep into the
+mysteries of being."
+
+After this there was another silence, and then Talbot looked up at
+Brooke with her deep, dark glance, and began to speak in a calm
+voice, which, however, did not fail to thrill through the heart of
+Brooke as he listened.
+
+"Brooke," said she, "you have your own way. Your way is to conceal a
+most tender and pitying heart under a rough or at least an
+indifferent manner--to hide the deepest feeling under a careless
+smile, and pretend to be most volatile and flippant when you are most
+serious. You can perform heroic actions as though they were the
+merest trifles, and lay down your life for a friend with an idle
+jest. You make nothing of yourself and all of others. You can suffer,
+and pretend that you enjoy it; and when your heart is breaking, you
+can force your voice to troll out verses from old songs as though
+your chief occupation in life were nonsense, and that alone. And this
+is the man," continued Talbot, in a dreamy tone, like that of one
+soliloquizing--"this is the man that I found by chance in my
+distress; the man that responded to my very first appeal by the offer
+of his life; that went into the jaws of death merely to bring me
+food; the man that gave up all the world for me--his duty, his love,
+his life; the man that has no other purpose now but to save me, and
+who, when his whole frame is quivering with anguish, can smile, and
+sing, and--"
+
+"Well, what of it?" interrupted Brooke, harshly. "What of it, oh,
+thou searcher of hearts? And, moreover, as to nonsense, don't you
+know what the poet says?
+
+
+  "'A little nonsense now and then
+    Is relished by the wisest men.'
+
+
+Moreover, and, yea, more, as to smiles and laughter, don't you know
+what another poet says?--Shakspeare, for instance:
+
+
+  "''Tis better to laugh than be sighing;'
+
+
+or, as Lord Bacon, or Plato, or somebody else says, 'Laugh and grow
+fat.' And didn't John Bunyan prefer the House of Mirth to the House
+of Mourning?
+
+
+  "'John Bunyan was a tinker bold,
+    His name we all delight in;
+  All day he tinkered pots and pans,
+    All night he stuck to writin'.
+
+  In Bedford streets bold Johnny toiled,
+    An ordinary tinker;
+  In Bedford jail bold Johnny wrote--
+    Old England's wisest thinker.
+
+  About the Pilgrims Johnny wrote,
+    Who made the emigration;
+  And the Pilgrim Fathers they became
+    Of the glorious Yankee nation.
+
+  Ad urbem ivit Doodlius cum
+    Caballo et calone,
+  Ornavit plnma pilenm
+  Et diiit:--Maccaroni!'
+
+
+"Excuse me," he continued; "you don't understand dog-Latin, do you,
+Talbot?"
+
+"No," said she, with a smile, "but I understand you, Brooke."
+
+"Well," said Brooke, "but apart from the great question of one
+another which is just now fixing us on the rack, or on the wheel, or
+pressing us to any other kind of torment, and considering the great
+subject of mirthfulness merely in the abstract, do you not see how
+true it is that it is and must be the salt of life, that it preserves
+all living men from sourness, and decay, and moral death? Now,
+there's Watts, for instance--Isaac Watts, you know, author of that
+great work, 'Watts's Divine Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Infant
+Minds,' or it may have been 'Watts's Divine Songs and Spiritual Hymns
+for Infant Mind.' I really don't remember. It's of no consequence.
+Now, what was Watts? Why, on my side altogether. Read his works.
+Consult him in all emergencies. If anything's on your mind, go and
+find Watts on the mind. It'll do you good. And as the song says:
+
+
+  "'Oh, the Reverend Isaac Watts, D.D.,
+    Was a wonderful boy at rhyme;
+  So let every old bachelor fill up his glass
+    And go in for a glorious time.
+_Chorus_.--Let dogs delight
+           To bark and bite,
+           But we'll be jolly, my lads, to-night.'"
+
+
+During this last little diversion Brooke never turned his eyes toward
+Talbot. She was close by his side; but he stood looking out of the
+window, and in that attitude kept rattling on in his most nonsensical
+way. It was only in this one fact of his careful manner of eluding
+the grasp, so to speak, of Talbot's eyes, that an observer might
+discern anything but the most careless gayety. To Talbot, however,
+there was something beneath all this, which was very plainly visible;
+and to her, with her profound insight into Brooke's deeper nature,
+all this nonsense offered nothing that was repellent; on the
+contrary, she found it most touching and most sad. It seemed to her
+like the effort of a strong man to rid himself of an overmastering
+feeling--a feeling deep within him that struggled forever upward and
+would not be repressed. It rose up constantly, seeking to break
+through all bounds; yet still he struggled against it; and still, as
+he felt himself grow weaker in the conflict, he sought refuge in
+fresh outbursts of unmeaning words. But amidst it all Talbot saw
+nothing except the man who had gone forth to die for her, and in all
+his words heard nothing except the utterance of that which proved the
+very intensity of his feelings.
+
+"Oh yes," continued Brooke, "there are lots of authorities to be
+quoted in favor of mirthfulness. I've already mentioned Bunyan and
+Watts. I'll give you all the rest of the old divines.
+
+  "'Oh, Baxter is the boy for me,
+  So fall of merriment and glee:
+  And when I want a funny man,
+  I turn to any old Puritan:--
+        A Puritan,
+        A funny man,
+        I read the works of a Puritan!
+
+  Among the Puritan divines
+  Old Cotton Mather brightest shines,
+  And he could be a funny man,
+  Because he was a Puritan:--
+        A Puritan,
+        A funny man,
+        Old Mather was a Puritan!
+
+  The old Blue-Laws, of all the best,
+  Od Calvin made in solemn jest;
+  For fun he never could tolerate.
+  Unless established by the State:--
+        A Puritan,
+        A funny man,
+        John Calvin was a Puritan!"
+
+
+This eccentric song Brooke droned out in nasal tones and with a
+lachrymose whine to the strangest tune that ever was heard. At its
+close he heaved a sigh, and said:
+
+"Well, it's dry work singing hymns all by myself, and you won't even
+'jine' in the choruses, and so--I'll stop the machine."
+
+Saying this, he turned away and went to the opposite side of the
+small loft, where he sat down with his head against the wall.
+
+"Does any lady or gentleman present object to smoking?" said he,
+after a brief pause, as he drew forth his pipe and smoking materials.
+"Because I propose to take a smoke, and I should like to know, just
+out of curiosity."
+
+To this Talbot made no reply, but sat down opposite Brooke, in the
+same attitude, and watched him as he smoked, which he proceeded to do
+without any further delay.
+
+"You don't smoke, I believe, sir," said he, with all gravity.
+
+Talbot said nothing.
+
+"Well," said Brooke, "I wouldn't advise you to begin;" and with that
+he went on puffing away.
+
+Brooke at last finished his smoke, after which he put his pipe in his
+pocket, and then, throwing his head back, sat with his eyes
+obstinately fixed on the ceiling.
+
+Talbot remained in the same attitude, without moving. She had kept
+her eyes all this time fixed on Brooke, and knew that he was avoiding
+her glance. All the same, however, she continued watching him, and
+was waiting patiently till she should catch his eye. But Brooke, as
+though aware of her purpose, avoided her, and still locked away.
+
+Thus these two sat in utter silence for a long time.
+
+It was Talbot who first broke the silence.
+
+"Brooke," said she, in a soft, low voice, which sounded like a sigh.
+
+"Well, Talbot," said Brooke, in a voice which was strangely altered
+from the somewhat hard tones of forced gayety in which he had last
+been speaking.
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, "I am miserable."
+
+Brooke was silent for a time. He made a movement, then checked
+himself, and then said,
+
+"Are you? Odd, too, isn't it?"
+
+"I am miserable," said Talbot again; "and it is strange, for your
+life has been saved, and we are out of immediate danger. Yet I am now
+more miserable than I was last night when your life was in danger.
+Can you tell me why it is so, Brooke?"
+
+Again Brooke made a movement, which he checked, as before, by a
+strong impulse.
+
+"Give it up," said he, shortly.
+
+"I know," said Talbot. "I'll tell you. It was this," and her voice
+dropped as she spoke to a lower tone. "Last night I had made up my
+mind to die for you, Brooke."
+
+Brooke drew a long breath. For an instant his eyes lowered. They
+caught the gaze which Talbot had fixed on him--deep, intense,
+unfathomable. It was but for a moment, and then it was as though he
+made a violent effort, and tore them away.
+
+One of his hands caught at the other, and held it in a tight grip.
+
+"Too much Talbot in that," he said at length, in a harsh voice. "If
+you go on dying for people, what'll become of you?"
+
+"And now," continued Talbot, in a dreamy way--"now, when suspense and
+danger seem over, I am miserable--simply miserable, Brooke. Why
+should my mind have such strange alternations, feelings so
+contradictory, so unreasonable? I ought to be happy--why am I not?"
+
+"Now," said Brooke, in the same harsh tone as before, "you're
+beginning to talk metaphysics, and I'm all at sea there."
+
+Talbot was silent.
+
+Brooke began to sing:
+
+
+  "How doth the little busy bee
+    Improve the shining hour.
+  But I prefer
+    The caterpil-ler
+  That feeds on the self-same flower.
+    The bee he slaves for all his life;--
+  Not so the other one;
+    For he soars to the sky,
+  A butterfly,
+    Ere half his days are done."
+
+
+Silence now followed for a very long time. It was at length broken by
+Brooke.
+
+"Talbot," said he, in a soft, low voice.
+
+"Well, Brooke," said Talbot.
+
+"Will you be silent if I say something?"
+
+"Yes, Brooke."
+
+"Not speak a word?"
+
+"No, Brooke."
+
+"Not move an inch?"
+
+"No, Brooke."
+
+"Well," said Brooke, on second thoughts, "I think I won't say it."
+
+Talbot said nothing.
+
+Brooke sat looking away, as usual, but now, at last, his eyes, which
+had so long avoided hers, sank down till they met her gaze. They
+rested there, and these two sat in silence, regarding one another
+with a strange, sad look of longing, as though there was between them
+a barrier over which they dared not pass. And that barrier arose
+there, invisible yet impassable--the pledge of honor and fidelity
+already given by each to another, at the thought of which they had
+now to crush down the surging passions within.
+
+"Talbot," said Brooke once more.
+
+"Well, Brooke," was the answer.
+
+"Oh, Talbot! Talbot! Do you know what I wish to say?"
+
+"Yes, Brooke," said Talbot. "I know it. I know it--all."
+
+"Well, I will say it," said Brooke, "for I cannot keep it. Oh,
+Talbot! it is this--it is part of my Puritan education, perhaps. Oh,
+Talbot"--and his eyes rested on hers with a devouring gaze, and his
+voice trembled and died out into almost inaudible tones--"oh, Talbot,
+my younger brother Talbot! Very pleasant hast thou been unto me. Thy
+love to me is wonderful--passing the love of women!"
+
+Talbot was true to her promise. She did not move an inch and she did
+not speak a word. But her eyes were fixed upon his; and in those eyes
+Brooke saw once again what he had seen before--the look of a love
+that had already shown itself stronger than life.
+
+
+* * *
+
+
+It was evening.
+
+Suddenly there arose a noise outside. Brooke started up and went to
+the window, where he stood looking out. It was Lopez, with all his
+followers, who were returning.
+
+Brooke, in his usual fashion, sang:
+
+
+  "Oh, little Jack he climbed so high,
+  Up the beanstalk into the sky,
+  And there he saw an ogre grim
+  A comin' to make mince-meat of him.
+    Singing fe-fi-fo-fum--
+    I smell the blood of nu Englishmun!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+
+HOW MR. ASHBY MEETS WITH A GREAT SURPRISE AND A VERY GREAT
+CONSOLATION.
+
+
+Ashby was alone in his chamber. His room opened from the lower hall,
+and was directly beneath that in which Harry was confined. It was of
+the same dimensions in all save height, in which respect it was much
+inferior. The room had also a gloomier character, for the high
+stonewalls, as they rose and arched overhead, had the aspect of some
+cathedral crypt or burial-place. The windows here were narrow slits,
+as above, through which the different court-yards might be seen. The
+floor was of stone, and at one end there was a huge fireplace, very
+similar to the others already mentioned, though not so high.
+
+It had been a long, long day for Ashby. Evening came, and found him
+weary and worn out with _ennui_. Without any occupation for his
+energies, his mind preyed upon itself, and there certainly was
+sufficient occupation for his fancy. His mind was in a whirl, and
+speedily became a prey to every variety of conflicting feeling. He
+remembered Katie's bright smile, and also the dark glance of Dolores.
+He was jealous of the smiles which Katie had so lavishly bestowed on
+Harry. He was offended with her for being so gay under such
+circumstances. But, in his loneliness, there were other feelings
+which were stronger than even this resentment and jealousy. There
+were certain strange and indefinable longings after some society; and
+the society which now seemed most desirable was the gentle presence
+of Dolores. Her last looks remained deeply impressed upon his memory;
+her last deep, earnest glance had sunk into his soul. He could not
+throw aside this recollection.
+
+Dolores was in all his thoughts, though he had tried to thrust her
+aside.
+
+He found himself continually comparing these two. Would Katie be so
+glad at seeing him again as Dolores had been at meeting him? Would
+Katie take so much trouble for the sake of speaking to him? On the
+other hand, would Dolores be so gay, so happy, and so merry when torn
+from him? and would Dolores look upon him in his loneliness with such
+a smile of indifference and light-hearted mirth? Never! Dolores had a
+deeper nature. In the glance of Dolores her inmost soul had been
+revealed. At its recollection his nerves thrilled, his heart throbbed
+faster. He longed to hear her voice again. And thus, as the hours
+passed, the image of Katie faded away, and that of Dolores grew more
+strongly defined; the image of Dolores as she had last appeared to
+him--pale, sad, anxious, earnest, her eyes fixed upon him with deep,
+intense melancholy and profound pity.
+
+
+  "Afar away from thee,
+    Thy pale face haunts me yet;
+  Deep yearns my heart for thee,
+    Thy last sad look and word unable to forget."
+
+
+These words occurred to him, and he murmured them to himself. It was
+to Dolores that he applied them, and naturally too; for how
+ridiculously inapplicable to Katie would they be! All else was now
+forgotten except Dolores. He felt a longing after her that was like
+homesickness. The past all came back. He recalled her as she had been
+when he first met her at Valencia. A thousand little incidents in his
+life there, which had been for a time forgotten, now revived in his
+memory. He had been for months at their house and had been nursed
+through a long illness. He had been loaded with kindness and
+affection. The aged mother had been his nurse during his illness, and
+Dolores had been his companion during his convalescence. He had left
+them, expecting soon to return. Circumstances, however, had arisen
+which kept him away, and he had forgotten her. Now, however, a
+stronger feeling had arisen for her, as Dolores had appeared in more
+than her olden beauty, with the additional charm of a strange,
+pathetic grace, and a wistful look in her dark eyes that seemed to
+speak of something more than ordinary friendship. She had spoken of
+the days at Valencia; she had reproached him for forgetting. She
+herself had not forgotten those days--the days in which they used to
+talk and walk and sing together.
+
+As there was nothing to divert his mind from these thoughts, Ashby
+gave himself up to them, and thus became more helpless against them.
+It was in such a mood as this that he lay upon his rude couch, unable
+to sleep, and wondering what was to be the end of his present
+adventure. Should he ever see her again? Was she here now, or had
+they let her go? The thought that she might possibly have been set
+free, that she might now be far away, was too distressing to be
+entertained. If so, then his prison seemed doubly dark. If so, then
+what could he do? Even if he should become free, what was he to do?
+Upon one thing he was resolved, and that was to seek after her until
+he might find her. And Katie? Well, the fact is, Katie was left out
+of consideration.
+
+Hours had passed. Ashby could not sleep. His mind was as active as
+ever, and still, as ever, his thoughts all gathered about Dolores.
+
+Suddenly, in the very midst of these thick-teeming fancies, his
+attention was arrested by a strange sound.
+
+It was only a slight rustle, scarce audible, yet still he heard it,
+and under such circumstances it seemed most mysterious. In an instant
+he was all attention. He lay motionless, yet listened with intense
+watchfulness, peering at the same time into the dark room, where the
+moonlight struggled through the low, narrow windows.
+
+After a little while he thought that he heard the sound again. He
+listened, without motion.
+
+Then there came a different sound. It was a low whisper--a whisper
+which, however, penetrated to his very soul:
+
+"Assebi!"
+
+Was there any other in all the world who would pronounce his name in
+that way? It was the well-known, well-remembered, and dearly loved
+name as it had been pronounced by Dolores in the old days at
+Valencia. Coming thus to him at such a time, it seemed too good to be
+true. He was afraid that he had been deceived by his own fancy; he
+feared to move lest he might dispel this sweet vision. Yet he hoped
+that he might not be mistaken; and in this hope, scarce expecting an
+answer, he said, in a gentle whisper,
+
+"Dolores!"
+
+"I am here!" said a soft voice.
+
+At this Ashby's heart beat wildly, and a thrill of rapture rushed
+through every nerve and fibre of his being. He sprang up and peered
+through the gloom, and moved forward in the direction from which the
+voice seemed to have come. At this moment he did not stop to consider
+how Dolores could have got there. It was enough that she really was
+there, and all other feelings were lost in his deep joy.
+
+"Dolores," he said, "where are you? I don't see you."
+
+Through the room a figure now advanced across the moonbeams. He saw
+the figure. In another instant he had caught Dolores in his arms, and
+held her strained close to his wildly throbbing heart. But Dolores
+struggled away.
+
+"Oh no!" she said, in a tone of distress, speaking in her sweet
+Spanish--"oh no, Senor Assebi. This is cruel--when I have risked so
+much for you!"
+
+"Forgive me, dearest Dolores," said Ashby; "but you have come to me
+like an angel from heaven in my darkest hour. And I have thought of
+you, and of you only, ever since you left me at Burgos. I wandered
+all through the streets there to find you. I have been in despair at
+losing you. I have been wondering whether I should ever see you
+again--and now, dearest, sweetest Dolores, I have you again!"
+
+All this was rapidly uttered in a resistless torrent of words, in
+which all his long pent-up feelings flowed forth.
+
+Dolores began to sob.
+
+"I didn't think this," she said, "or I should have been afraid to
+come. Senor, you are false to your English bride."
+
+"English bride!" cried Ashby, scornfully. "What is she? A doll! I
+never wish to see her again. My fancy for her was a whim--a passing
+whim! _You_, Dolores--_you_ are the only one that I love! I love
+_you_! I love _you_, I adore you! my own--"
+
+"Senor," cried Dolores, tearing away her hands, which Ashby had
+seized in his, "I will instantly leave you if you are so
+dishonorable. All this is insult to me--yes, to me. Oh, senor, you
+will break my heart!"
+
+As Dolores said this, sobs burst from her. She glided away into the
+gloom, still sobbing. Ashby gave way utterly.
+
+"Dolores," he cried, in a tone of entreaty--"Dolores, forgive me! I
+will never offend again--never--never! Oh, forgive me! Come back,
+Dolores! Oh, do not leave me, Dolores!"
+
+At this Dolores relented, and Ashby saw her approaching him again. He
+advanced toward her.
+
+"Be calm," she said; "speak low; we are in danger."
+
+"But how did you get here?" asked Ashby.
+
+"I will tell you another time. It is a secret passage."
+
+"A secret passage?"
+
+"Yes. I have come to tell you that I can save you. You may escape."
+
+"Escape?"
+
+"Yes. I know the way out."
+
+"How does that happen?"
+
+"Oh, I have been here before."
+
+"You!--here?"
+
+"Yes. When I was a child I was here. My father lived here. He had a
+plantation. But enough; I know the way out."
+
+"But haven't you run too much risk in coming here?"
+
+"I have run a risk," said Dolores, slowly, "but not--too--much."
+
+"A risk?"
+
+"Yes. I went into the wrong room. A man was asleep there. I went to
+him and touched him, and whispered in his ear your name."
+
+"Dolores!"
+
+"Hush! be calm, senor. Remember your promise."
+
+"Who was the man?"
+
+"I could not see him. He pursued me, but I escaped."
+
+"But you!--how did you get here?"
+
+"By a secret passage, as I said."
+
+"In what part of the castle are you?"
+
+"Oh, in the story above."
+
+"Do they treat you well?" asked Ashby, in a tone of tender
+solicitude.
+
+"I have nothing to complain of."
+
+"Do you feel lonely? I wonder if you have felt as I have?"
+
+Dolores sighed.
+
+"Sometimes," she said, "I have felt lonely."
+
+"And you have come here to save me?"
+
+"Yes--why not?"
+
+"But you are risking much--perhaps your life."
+
+It all burst forth now.
+
+"I don't care," said Dolores, impetuously, "if I can save--you!"
+
+Ashby made no reply. He took the little hand of Dolores gently and
+tenderly, without any resistance on her part, and held it in silence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+
+HOW MR. ASHBY AND MISS DOLORES GARCIA CARRY ON A VERY INTERESTING
+CONVERSATION.
+
+
+Ashby stood thus, holding the little hand of Dolores, and was
+overcome by the strongest emotions. He was in a very trying position.
+Her presence filled him with joy, yet she would not allow him to
+express that joy. Being bound to another, he was forced by Dolores to
+respect that bond. And yet, what must her feelings be toward him,
+since she had come here to see him, venturing so far and risking so
+much? Who else in the world would do this for him? Would Katie? The
+idea was too absurd. Katie was a mere butterfly; but Dolores, with
+her intense nature, her passionate self-devotion, was formed out of
+that stuff from which the heroine is made. Katie could lose all she
+loved best, and still go on smiling and smiling; but Dolores could
+lay down her life for her friend. (Such were the sentiments of Ashby
+on this occasion, and need not be considered as by any means a fair
+estimate of the real character of the young lady in question. Katie
+has yet to speak for herself.)
+
+So Ashby felt himself debarred from making any strong demonstration
+of feeling either by word or act. He was afraid that Dolores might
+resent it. She might even fly from him as mysteriously as she had
+come. He was bound, therefore, to set a watch upon himself, and
+repress his feelings most strongly. It seemed to him a great
+concession on her part that she permitted him even to hold her hand.
+This was of itself most sweet, even if he could say nothing of those
+thoughts that were swelling within him.
+
+"How did you manage to hide yourself so at Burgos?" he asked, after a
+long silence.
+
+"I did not hide," said Dolores. "I went to that house where my
+friends were; and on the following morning they took me to a hotel
+where they said there was an English family. These were the Russells,
+and they consented to let me travel with them as far as I was going.
+Your English maiden is very beautiful, senor."
+
+Dolores spoke these last words in a tone full of pathos.
+
+"She is a pink-and-white doll," said Ashby, sharply. "Tell me about
+yourself, Dolores. Do you know"--and he bent down low over her--"do
+you know how I tried to see you? I was up at four, and from that
+until ten I paced the streets in all directions, hoping to get a
+glimpse of you. Did you know that I was looking for you? Then at last
+I saw you with that beast of a tailor, and I was in despair."
+
+"What! could you not join their party? I wondered why you did not
+come to speak to--to me," said Dolores, "and I felt hurt--because I
+thought I might never see you again."
+
+"Dolores," said Ashby, taking her hand in both of his, and drawing
+nearer to her, "I swear that at that time I'd have given my right arm
+to speak to you. But that devil of a tailor is my bitter enemy; and
+you saw the quarrel we had in the railway station at Madrid."
+
+"Then you did not purposely--avoid me?" said Dolores, in a faltering
+voice.
+
+"Oh, Dolores!" said Ashby, in a reproachful tone. He tried to draw
+her nearer, but Dolores would not allow it.
+
+"I thought that I should like to say good-bye, and it seemed sad to
+have you appear to avoid me."
+
+"By heavens, Dolores!" cried Ashby, "I had made up my mind to leave
+the train and follow you to Pampeluna."
+
+Dolores sighed.
+
+"You could not have left your English maiden," said she.
+
+"I could--I would!" cried Ashby. "By heavens, I would! She is nothing
+to me--nothing better than a kitten. The moment you came, I
+understood all my feeling for her. It was nothing. Beside you, she
+sinks into utter insignificance. You, Dolores, are everything to me.
+I tell you, you are infinitely dearer to me than that--"
+
+"Hush, senor," said Dolores; "I will not--I will--will--will not
+listen to one single, single word of this."
+
+"But, oh, dearest, sweetest Dolores, will you not let me tell you how
+I love you?" said Ashby, drawing her closer to him.
+
+Dolores shrank away.
+
+"Oh no--no, no!" she said. "I will not listen--never--never--never!"
+
+"I tell you, Dolores," continued Ashby, "since I have seen you I have
+discovered that all the world and everything in it isn't worth a
+straw to me unless I have you. I swear to you that when you left me
+at Burgos all the light of life went out, and all the joy and
+sweetness of life left me. I'd rather stand here in this prison with
+you than be a king outside without you. And I'm glad that these
+devils of Carlists have captured us."
+
+As Ashby spoke these words in a low, fervid, excited whisper, he held
+Dolores tight in his arms, pressed to his quick-throbbing heart; nor
+could she draw away from him, in spite of her shrinking back. In
+fact, the poor little thing did not seem to have the will to get away
+from him, for the end of it was that her head fell down helplessly on
+his breast, and she began to cry:
+
+"I--think--it's--cruel," she sobbed, "cruel in you!"
+
+Ashby pressed her more closely to his heart in the same "cruel"
+manner, and kissed away her tears.
+
+"You're not kind to me at all," sighed Dolores.
+
+To this observation Ashby made no reply, thinking, perhaps, that at
+that moment words were of no particular use.
+
+"It's very cruel," repeated Dolores, "and I did not think you would
+be so unkind--"
+
+To this Ashby's answer was, as before, by acts that were more
+eloquent than words.
+
+"Dolores," said he, as soon as he was able to express himself
+coherently, "if you had not come, I really think I should have killed
+myself."
+
+"Did you really feel so badly?" asked Dolores, in a tender voice.
+
+"My heart ached," said Ashby; "it ached for the sight of you. Do you
+know what heartache is, darling? Do you know what it is to hunger
+and thirst and long and yearn after some one?"
+
+Dolores sighed. She said nothing, but her head rested more closely on
+Ashby's breast, and one little hand stole timidly up and was laid
+lightly on his shoulder.
+
+"Do you know anything about such feelings, Dolores?" persisted Ashby.
+
+"All," said Dolores, in a scarce audible whisper, "all--all--all! But
+tell me," said she, looking up as though trying to see his face in
+the gloom, "who was it?"
+
+"Who was it? What a question! You! you, darling! you, Dolores!"
+
+"Not the English maiden?" she asked.
+
+"She!" said Ashby, contemptuously; "she is a doll--a butterfly--a
+kitten! She is nothing--a poor creature with no brains and no heart!
+Even her beauty is mere prettiness. There is no soul in her face, no
+lightning in her glance."
+
+"And who has soul in her face and lightning in her glance?" asked
+Dolores, shyly.
+
+"Who? You! you, my darling, dark-eyed Dolores! you, with your deep,
+unfathomable, glowing, soul-lit eyes that pierce to my inmost heart,
+and make me thrill at the recollection."
+
+"And won't you say that all again?" said Dolores; "and won't you say
+that about the English maid? I love to hear you call her names."
+
+Dolores said this with the innocence and frank simplicity of a child.
+
+"She is a baby!" said Ashby; "the English maiden--a mere baby! She
+can only smile, and smile, and be silly. Her only desire is to find
+some one who will pet her. She can only live in the sunshine. She is
+a butterfly! She has no heart, no soul! She is a doll to be looked
+at, but she can give no return. She is a kitten that thinks of
+nothing but play. But as for me, I give all my heart and all my love
+to a girl I know, who is no mere fair-weather friend, but one who has
+clung to me when others were false, who has come to me in my darkness
+and my despair, so that my dungeon has become a heaven, and this dark
+night is the brightest time of my life. And this girl--this, my
+Spanish girl, is my idol and my deity. I adore her, for I know that
+she stands ready to give up all for my sake, and to lay down her very
+life for me. Never--never in all my life have I known anything like
+the deep, intense, vehement, craving, yearning, devouring love that I
+feel for her. It even makes me smile to think how feeble and
+contemptible other feelings have been in comparison with this. I want
+no other occupation than to spend all my hours recalling all that my
+darling love has ever said--in recalling the days at Valencia, before
+I knew she was so dear, and the highest bliss of life I have now. I
+could be willing to die, and could even die gladly, my darling,
+darling Dolores, if I could die with your hand in mine."
+
+Ashby was going on farther in this pleasing strain, when suddenly,
+and without a moment's warning, Dolores gave a spring and vanished.
+
+Ashby stood confounded. Then he stared all around. Then he called
+another,
+
+"Dolores! Dolores! Don't leave me!"
+
+A voice came back through the gloom:
+
+"H-s-s-s-h! I must not stay any longer."
+
+"But shall I never see you again?"
+
+"Certainly; I will come soon, and show you the passage-way."
+
+"Where are you?"
+
+"Never mind--good-night!"
+
+"Oh, Dolores, wait--one word more."
+
+"Be quick!" said Dolores, and her voice now sounded nearer.
+
+"You will see me again?" said Ashby, in tones of entreaty. "You will
+not fly and leave me all alone? You will not leave me in this way? I
+may be taken away from this room, Dolores, or you may be taken to
+another room; and then how can you get to me? Show me how you came
+here. You might do that much for me. Only think what dangers there
+are."
+
+Dolores paused a moment.
+
+"Well," said she, "only promise one thing."
+
+"What?"
+
+"That you will not try to visit me. That would be dangerous. Others
+are with me."
+
+"I will not; I promise--except, of course, in cases of the greatest
+necessity."
+
+"If you do," said Dolores, "I shall think that you have not come for
+me; I shall think it is for the English maiden. And now, come; I will
+show you the way."
+
+Once more Dolores appeared through the gloom.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+
+IN WHICH "HIS MAJESTY" FALLS IN LOVE.
+
+
+Mrs. Russell's position was a very peculiar and a very trying one.
+From the remarks of "His Majesty" she had reason to believe that her
+beloved, yet unfortunate, husband had been found guilty of treason
+against that august monarch, and had been executed. At the same time,
+"His Most Sacred Majesty" had evinced what appeared to be a devoted
+attachment to her humble self. Now, what was a high-toned woman to do
+under such circumstances? Mourn over the departed one? Most
+certainly; that she would ever do. But what about "His Majesty" and
+the royal attentions? Should she turn a deaf ear to that too, too
+eloquent tongue, dash down the crown of Spain, and busy herself in
+unavailing regrets for the lost one? Before doing so it would be well
+to pause.
+
+And then there were other considerations. It was not the man who must
+be considered, but the King. It was not her own feelings which she
+must regard, but the well-being of Spain, the good of Europe, and the
+interests of humanity. Would it not be better that the throne of
+Spain should be filled by a virtuous Englishwoman than by some
+frivolous Continental princess? Would it not be better that the Queen
+of Spain should emulate the domestic graces of a Victoria than the
+corrupt follies of an Isabella? Should she now, out of selfish
+private grief, deprive Spain of such an inestimable boon? Would Spain
+forgive her? Would England? Nay, would the world? Could she forgive
+herself?
+
+"Nay, nay," she said to herself, "this is not a time for weakness. My
+heart must ever lie entombed in the grave of my dear lost Johnny; yet
+State reasons compel me to bestow my hand. I cannot resist the cry of
+stricken Spain. Yes, thou royal wooer! take my hand--it is thine; and
+my only sorrow is that I cannot yet give thee all this stricken
+heart. Yet patience, fond one; it may all be thine in
+time--all--all."
+
+Katie was surprised to observe an unwonted dignity suddenly come over
+Mrs. Russell.
+
+She informed that young person that she needn't call her "Auntie"
+now, but "Madame," or "Senora," and proceeded to drop mysterious
+hints, from which Katie's quick wit soon gathered the whole of the
+facts of the case.
+
+Katie exulted so in this discovery that she felt happier than ever in
+her life before, and her only trouble was that she had no one to whom
+she might tell this. However, she did the best she could, and set
+herself to the task of confirming Mrs. Russell in her views and
+intentions; in which she was so successful that the latter began to
+imagine herself as almost already on the throne; and when Katie once
+or twice accidentally addressed her as "Your Majesty," the good lady
+did not check her.
+
+Another visit from "His Majesty" found Mrs. Russell like ripe fruit
+ready to be gathered. On this occasion, as before, the august monarch
+came alone. He was in high good-humor, and smelt strongly of whiskey.
+He began, in a strain of gallantry, complimenting the ladies in
+general on their numerous charms.
+
+"Yez oughtn't to be kept here undher lock an' kay," said "His
+Majesty," "an' mesilf 'ud be the proud man to let yez out, ivery one
+av yez, but thin how do I know that I'd iver see yez agin? I must
+kape yez till me fate's decoided. I don't know yet that ye'd be
+willin' to come to terruuis; an' so ye're loike O'Rafferty in the
+song:
+
+
+  "'Oh, a fine pair av handcuffs he wore,
+  That the sheriff hiul nately adjusted,
+  Because that official persayved
+  That O'Rafferty couldn't be trusted.'"
+
+
+"Ah, sire," said Mrs. Russell, with a sigh, "Your Royal Majesty holds
+us by stronger bonds than bolts and bars."
+
+"Be jabers!" exclaimed "His Majesty," "that's good! that's nate!
+that's illigant! I couldn't bate that mesilf, an' I hope that all the
+ladies prisent will join in that sintimint."
+
+As he spoke, "His Majesty" looked hard at Katie, but that young lady
+did not catch the royal eye.
+
+"The throne av Spain," continued "His Majesty," "an' the crown an'
+sceptre av Spain, an' all the r'y'l regalia, an' all the moight an'
+majesty an' magnificence av its pomp an' power--be jabers! they're
+all goin' a beggin' in this room; an' there's one here that's only
+got to wink, an' it's hers, every bit av it."
+
+Mrs. Russell here made desperate efforts to catch the royal eye, but
+to no purpose, for that eye was fixed on Katie.
+
+"Yis," continued "His Majesty," "an' afore to-morrow noon it 'ud be
+all hers, any time at all--crown an' sceptre an' all--an' the
+marriage ceremony cud come off in the mornin', loike Tim:
+
+
+  "'Oh, married was Tim at the dawn av day;
+  His bride was a stout owld widdy;
+  She owned a horse, an' she owned a shay,
+  An' her maiden name was Biddy.'"
+
+
+The habits of this illustrious being were singular, and his tendency
+to make odd quotations, which were not always particularly relevant,
+was not the least surprising of his ways. In this last quotation Mrs.
+Russell found several objectionable expressions; but on the whole the
+idea was a flattering one, for the subject of the narrative was
+represented as "marrying a widow;" and this little circumstance was
+taken as a fresh proof of "His Majesty's" devotion.
+
+"Yez mustn't think," continued "His Majesty," "that there's any lack
+av our r'y'l attintion to yez because yez haven't got much to brag av
+in the way av food; begorra! I'm in the same box mesilf, an' it isn't
+much at all at all I can get here except mutton, an' it's mesilf that
+'ud give all the mutton in Spain for a bit av a pratie. Howandiver, I
+hope to get some fish by to-morrow mornin'. If we could only get a
+taste av a few praties there'd be nothin' wantin'; for--
+
+
+    "'It's little I axes,
+    Au' little I wish;
+If others want luxuries, let them;
+    For praties and fish
+    Make an illigant dish,
+If ye only have whiskey to wet them.'"
+
+
+These and other cheerful remarks of a general nature were addressed
+by "His Majesty" to the company at large. It is true, the royal eye
+was fixed exclusively on Katie, and therefore the royal remarks were
+probably so many efforts to do the agreeable to her. But that young
+lady persistently evaded the royal eye; and as Dolores was
+disregarded altogether, it was natural enough that Mrs. Russell
+should appropriate all the royal remarks and make the necessary
+replies.
+
+"Ah, sire! your 'Royal Majesty' is so very funny! Are all the crowned
+heads thus?"
+
+"All av thim--ivery mother's son av thim. An' they're an illigant
+lot. But moind this--it's mesilf that bates the whole lot,
+out-an'-out. Ye know, I'm not only King av Spain, but heir to the
+crown av France."
+
+"Is it possible?" said Mrs. Russell.
+
+"Divil a loie I'm tellin'," said "His Majesty." "It's thrue, so it
+is. I'm nixt av kin to Heuri Cinq--that's Chambord, ye know. The Count
+av Paris is Orleans, not Bourbon. I'm Bourbon, begorra! An' whin
+Chambord doies, an' the nixt revolution takes place in France, I'll
+march on Paris an' give pace to that unhappy counthry. An', be
+jabers! I'll take me wife wid me, an' we'll live in Paris, an' I'll
+get her the most illigant dhresses, an' coort coschumes, an' bonnets,
+an' boots, an' laces, an' gims, an' jools, that iver any woman wore.
+The Quane av Spain 'll be the Quane av France too; an' what's more,
+she'll be the quane of beauty an' fashion, an' the ex-Empress
+Eugenie'll be nowhere. She'll be forgotten."
+
+It was thus that the royal wooer tried to dazzle Katie's imagination;
+but whatever the effect on her may have been, it is certain that Mrs.
+Russell experienced the full effect of the dazzling visions which
+those words were intended to call up.
+
+"An' now," said "His Majesty," starting up, "we must be off. We've
+got business. But we hope to see yez soon, an' have it all arranged.
+Whisper, darlint"--and he bent down his royal head close to Mrs.
+Russell's tingling ear--"whisper, jool: I'm wantin' to have a
+discoorse wid ye--somethin' important--I must see ye alone. It's ill
+convaynient just now, an' I don't want to be overheard. I'll wait
+till the gyerruls are aslape, an' I'll luk in. Ye'll moind, will ye?
+This noight, jool."
+
+"Ah, sire--ah, 'Your Majesty,'" sighed Mrs. Russell, "I'm ready--why
+not now?"
+
+"Whis-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-sht! shure ye'll spoil all, so ye will. Only
+moind--to-noight!"
+
+"Ah, sire, I'll never forget--never--never!"
+
+"Thin moind to be on the luk-out," said "His Majesty;" and with
+these remarkable words he retreated, leaving Mrs. Russell in a state
+of mind which, as the novelists say, "can better be imagined than
+described."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+
+HOW HARRY PAYS ANOTHER VISIT, AND MEETS WITH A STRANGE ADVENTURE.
+
+
+Harry's loneliness was by no means alleviated at finding that Katie
+was so near. It was, indeed, rather aggravated, for to our
+light-hearted friend it seemed intolerable that Katie should be so
+near and yet so far. She was separated from him by only a few paces,
+and yet he was compelled to keep away from her. To run the risk of
+discovery was not to be thought of. By day it was necessary to put up
+with his solitude as best he might. He was sufficiently wary not to
+forget himself, and he did not lose sight of the probability that he
+was watched. The discovery of that passage-way made it seem not
+unlikely that this Castle in Spain was all honeycombed with other
+passages; that its ponderous walls were all a sham; that these
+massive stones served merely as a blind to conceal innumerable
+hiding-places and secret chambers. He was sure now that these walls
+had ears, and perhaps eyes also; and therefore he determined to do
+nothing which could lead to the discovery of his secret.
+
+At length evening came, and then Harry began to breathe freely. He
+was fully resolved on paying another visit to Katie at the earliest
+possible moment. He knew that she would be expecting him. She would
+not be asleep this time. There were many things which he wished to
+say, and, above all, he wished to persuade her to venture into the
+passage-way herself, at some favorable opportunity, so that they
+might see one another more frequently.
+
+It was about nine o'clock when Harry entered the passage-way. It was
+quite dark, the room being illuminated in part, as before, by the
+struggling moonbeams. He went along the passage-way and came to the
+end at the other chimney. There he paused, and waited, and watched.
+Gradually he became aware of some one beneath. He gave a low whisper:
+"Katie!"
+
+A low whisper was returned: "Harry!" Upon this he descended softly
+and noiselessly.
+
+Katie herself was there. She had been expecting him.
+
+"They are all asleep," she said. "I thought I'd just come here to see
+if you were coming."
+
+"You little pet! You knew I'd come."
+
+"I thought you might, you know."
+
+"This day has been so horribly long, Katie; I thought it would never
+end. See here--can't we manage to run away? I wish I could find some
+way out. But you're chilly. This air is damp, and there is a bad
+draught down the chimney. Come in to the corner of the room."
+
+"But, oh, do be very, very cautious!" said Katie.
+
+Holding her hand, Harry went stealthily into the room, and drew her
+with him as quietly as possible, till they reached a corner of the
+room on the right of the fireplace. This corner was all shrouded in
+gloom, so that if the sleepers had awakened they could have seen
+nothing. Here the two found themselves quite secure for the time
+being; and as all the room was perfectly silent, they were not afraid
+to resume their stealthy whispers.
+
+"Have you been lonely to-day, Katie?" asked Harry, in a tender voice.
+
+"Oh, a little."
+
+"A little!" repeated he, in a reproachful tone.
+
+"But there's been such an awful lot of fun," said Katie; "I've been
+almost bursting to tell some one--that's you, you know."
+
+"Fun?" said Harry, wonderingly; "what fun?"
+
+"Oh, that absurd old Paddy King, Don Carlos, as he calls
+himself--only he's no more a king than I am. Don't you think he's
+some strolling Irish vagabond adventurer?"
+
+"Irish vagabond? I don't know," said Harry. Now Harry had only heard
+"His Majesty" speak in Spanish, and therefore did not see the point
+at all.
+
+"Well, for my part, I'm sure he's an Irishman," said Katie. "Mrs.
+Russell says that he learned some English from an Irish priest; but
+that wouldn't account for his queer songs."
+
+"Songs?"
+
+"Oh, he's utterly ridiculous! Who or what he really is I cannot
+imagine. And, do you know, the best fun of all is--he's in love with
+me."
+
+"In love with you?" Harry cried, recoiling as he said it.
+
+"Yes, of course--why not?" said Katie.
+
+"The infernal cad!" cried Harry.
+
+"Oh, what naughty language!" said Katie. "Oh!"
+
+"D--n him!" cried Harry, furiously. "What does the fellow mean?"
+
+"I declare I won't listen to such shocking language," said Katie.
+"Now stop!"
+
+"Well--but what does the scoundrel mean?" repeated Harry, in jealous
+wrath.
+
+"Well, he means to try--to marry me."
+
+"Marry!--you!"
+
+"Oh yes; and he says he'll make me Queen of Spain--and he says he has
+a claim to the crown of France also, which he promises to share with
+me."
+
+"Good heavens!" said Harry, in utter consternation; for Harry had not
+yet done more than vaguely suspect that "His Majesty" might be any
+other than what he claimed to be, and this design of his upon Katie
+seemed now a peril of no common magnitude.
+
+"Why, Katie," he added, after a pause, "a royal personage can't marry
+a private person like you. It's illegal, you know."
+
+"Oh, but the fun of it is he's only a common Irishman, and he drinks
+whiskey, and has an awful brogue. Oh, it's such fun to listen to him!
+But the greatest fun of all is, auntie believes in him. She thinks he
+is really Don Carlos; and, best of all, she thinks he is making love
+to her, and proposing to her."
+
+"To her! Why, she has a husband already."
+
+"Oh, but she thinks he has been killed."
+
+"Killed? Good heavens! Is that really so? Poor old Russell! Oh,
+heavens! The villains! They'd do it, too."
+
+And Harry thought of the bonds and the search after them. It seemed
+to him not at all unlikely that they had killed Russell so as to get
+at these, or perhaps to punish him for not giving them up. Horror now
+quite overwhelmed him. He felt even shocked at Katie's levity.
+
+"But Mrs. Russell," he said; "how does she bear this horrible,
+calamity?"
+
+"Bear it?" said Katie; "why, she wants to be Queen of Spain, and
+France too!"
+
+"What, when her husband lies murdered close by? Oh, heavens!--oh,
+good heavens!"
+
+"Well, do you know, it does seem very odd indeed."
+
+"But you, Katie--how can you talk of such horrors in such a way? What
+will be the fate of the rest of us, after this?"
+
+"Why, you poor foolish boy, you needn't scold and go on so. I don't
+believe he's dead any more than you are. I believe that "His Majesty"
+only said it in fun. In fact, he never did actually say so."
+
+Harry sighed a sigh of perplexity.
+
+"But, you know," continued Katie, "Mrs. Russell went and got it into
+her poor old head. Oh, she's very, very imaginative, poor dear old
+auntie, and she would have it so. And she thinks that all the
+speeches which "His Majesty" makes at me are intended for her."
+
+"The wretched creature!" said Harry; "to speculate upon her husband's
+death, and think of such a thing as marriage."
+
+"Oh, but she says that it is not love that makes her think of it, but
+State policy."
+
+"State fiddlesticks!"
+
+"She says that Mary Queen of Scots married Bothwell after her
+husband's murder, from motives of State policy."
+
+"Oh, good heavens!" said Harry, whose sense of honor and loyalty and
+affection, and even of common decency, was utterly outraged at such a
+revelation; "and she always seemed such a quiet, good, well-meaning
+sort of a person."
+
+"But she means well now," said Katie. "She says her marriage is to be
+for the good of Spain and the world generally."
+
+At this Harry was silent. He could find no more words to express his
+feelings. Besides, although all the words, ejaculations, and
+exclamations above reported were uttered with as much caution and in
+as low a tone as were consistent with his excited feelings, still,
+they made more noise than was wise under the circumstances, and there
+were signs that some of the sleepers were restless. These, at last,
+attracted the attention of the two and interrupted their
+conversation.
+
+Several heavy sighs from a remote corner of the room showed that some
+one was awake, or waking, and this warning forced them to keep
+silence for some time. At length all was still, and Harry ventured to
+speak again.
+
+"Oh, Katie," said he, "can't you do something with that wretched
+woman?"
+
+"No," said Katie. "I'm sure all I say only makes her worse. She wants
+me now to address her as 'Your Majesty!'"
+
+"She's mad," said Harry; "the woman's utterly mad!"
+
+"Well, she's got some great secret now which she won't tell. As 'His
+Majesty' was leaving, the last time, he kept up some very mysterious
+whisperings with her. I've been teasing her all day to tell me what
+they were, but in vain. She's as close as the grave. A great crisis
+is approaching. And the fun of it is she doesn't know that it's me,
+and not her, that 'His Majesty' means."
+
+"You! Oh, Katie, don't talk in that indifferent way."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Oh, don't you see? You are here so much in his power. Oh, we must
+fly. I'll hunt along the passage to-night, and I'm sure I'll find
+something. I'm sure there must be a way out."
+
+"But I don't want to go," said Katie; "that is, not just yet."
+
+"Not want to go?"
+
+"No, not till I have some more fun, and see how this is going to end;
+but--"
+
+Here Katie stopped abruptly and clutched Harry's arm convulsively.
+Harry, too, at the same instant started, and both stood peering into
+the dark, and listening attentively.
+
+For there had come a sudden noise.
+
+It was a very peculiar and a very startling noise. It was a low,
+shuffling sound, as of some one moving stealthily, and it arose from
+the direction of the fireplace--the very place where Harry's retreat
+would lie in case of discovery. But now that retreat seemed cut off;
+and there seemed to be some one there who, perhaps, had come on his
+track. Harry's only thought was that his room had been entered and
+his absence discovered, upon which his guards had at once come
+through in search of him. How many there were he could not tell. He
+could do nothing, however. He could only stand still and watch. Soon,
+he thought, others would come; lights would be produced, and he would
+be discovered.
+
+"Leave me!" said Harry, in a faint whisper. "It's one of the guards.
+I'm lost!"
+
+Katie's answer thrilled through every nerve of the listener.
+
+"Then if you are lost, I will be lost with you!"
+
+Saying this, she twined both her arms round his arm, and held it
+pressed tight to her throbbing heart.
+
+Harry stood erect, vigilant, staring.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+
+
+HOW SEVERAL OF OUR FRIENDS FIND THEMSELVES IN A MOST EXTRAORDINARY
+SITUATION.
+
+
+So Harry stood, with his retreat cut off, staring into the darkness,
+while Katie, clinging to him, awaited the result. Harry expected
+every minute that lights would be produced and everything revealed.
+But the lights did not come, and the discovery was delayed. There
+occurred a pause, during which Harry waited, after which the sliding,
+shuffling sounds recommenced.
+
+They now came nearer. Then came the sound of a stealthy
+footfall--very slow, too, and very cautious. The new-comer, the
+supposed pursuer, whoever he was, seemed now to be in the room, and
+cautiously advancing. As yet he was under the shadow, and was,
+therefore, invisible in the gloom; but he was approaching the place
+where the moonbeams fell--where he might be seen. Harry noted this,
+and wondered how many more of them there might be. Katie also looked
+up now, and stood listening. Both of these were waiting for a chance
+to separate, if possible--Katie to go back to her own place, and
+Harry to fly back to his room.
+
+At length the advancing figure reached the place where the moonbeams
+fell, and here he entered the moonlight, so that it was possible to
+see his outline, though not to distinguish features. It was a man--he
+was unarmed, and all his gestures and motions indicated excessive
+caution and watchfulness. Harry and Katie both saw him, as he groped
+about and peered through the gloom.
+
+"It's 'His Majesty,'" said Katie.
+
+"H-s-s-s-h!" said Harry.
+
+The slight, whispered sounds seemed to catch the ears of the visitor.
+He stood and listened. But the sounds were not repeated, and he
+resumed his progress.
+
+"I know who it is," said Harry, in the faintest possible whisper.
+
+"Who?"
+
+"It's Ashby," said Harry.
+
+Katie said not a word in reply, but the effect of that name upon her
+was none the less manifest. The hands which had been clasping Harry's
+arm relaxed their hold; she moved away from him. Harry caught her
+hand and tried to detain her, but Katie snatched it away, and Harry
+was afraid to insist. It was evident that she was offended; and at
+what? Was it at the mention of Ashby's name? And but a moment before
+she had said that she would share his fate--"Then if you are lost, I
+will be lost with you!" Those were her words. And now she was
+offended!
+
+Harry could not believe it. He took a step after her and found her
+again. He sought again to take her hand. It was not now refused.
+Katie seemed to have overcome her irritation. The quarrel was over.
+So overjoyed was he that he put his arms round her slender form, and
+unconsciously pressed her close to his heart, while her head sank
+down on his breast. And there, all the time, only a few paces off,
+was Ashby himself!
+
+But the beauty of it was that Ashby just then was not thinking of
+Katie at all. He had come here to see Dolores. For her he was making
+this venture, having stolen in through the passage-way which she had
+shown him. He had promised, it is true, not to visit her except in
+cases of extreme necessity; but as he had felt very lonely, he
+concluded that this was the necessity in question, and had come to
+this place.
+
+The room seemed to him very silent. He had come down the chimney with
+very little noise, and had surveyed the scene from the dark recesses
+of the fireplace. The corners of the room were all in darkness, but
+the floor was illuminated here and there by the moonbeams. Having
+thus taken a general view, Ashby could do nothing else but go
+forward; and this he did, thinking that every one was asleep, and
+that by some happy luck he would find Dolores.
+
+As for Dolores, she was not asleep at that time, nor had she been
+asleep at all.
+
+Katie had taken for granted that the beautiful Spaniard was in the
+land of forgetfulness; but Katie had never in her life been more
+entirely mistaken. Dolores was wide awake, and had been engaged in
+thoughts and speculations which made sleep impossible. It was nothing
+less than a plan of escape, over which her busy brain was occupied,
+and there were certain difficulties about it, through which she could
+not see her way clearly. It was over these that she was puzzling her
+brain when her attention was roused by certain strange movements in
+the room.
+
+These were, first, the movements of Katie as she stole to the
+fireplace and waited there.
+
+Secondly, the movements of Harry as he shuffled down to Katie's side.
+
+Thirdly, the preliminary whisperings of Harry and Katie.
+
+Fourthly, the movements of these two out of the fireplace into the
+corner of the room.
+
+Fifthly, their continuous whisperings, which sometimes were so
+animated that they might have wakened any sleeper.
+
+Over all this Dolores was deeply agitated. Who, she asked herself,
+was this visitor to Katie? It could be one, and one only. That one
+was Ashby? She had shown him the way. He alone knew it. He had
+promised her not to come, but he had broken his word and had come.
+And why? Not for her, but for his English maiden! There were these
+two now plotting and whispering in her presence, and that, too, after
+Ashby had disowned with scorn this English maiden, and had spoken
+such words to her! What could she do now? For such outraged love,
+such treachery, and such intolerable insult, what revenge could
+suffice?
+
+Revenge! Yes, nothing less than revenge! For Dolores was not one of
+those tender and sensitive creatures who could lie down and die under
+a cruel wrong. Her ardent Southern nature was roused to fury, and she
+remained there motionless, but--like some wild beast ready to start
+from its lair when the prey is at hand. Away now went all thoughts of
+flight with Ashby. Vengeance alone remained for her to think
+of--vengeance full and complete, which should involve both Ashby and
+the English maiden. What this vengeance was to be, however, she could
+not think of as yet; but she knew that in order to make it as full
+and complete as possible, it would be necessary to think it all over
+from every point of view.
+
+In this amiable frame of mind Dolores was thus waiting and
+listening--stung to madness by every new whisper, and nourishing her
+own rage all the more every moment--until at length she became
+gradually aware of a sound proceeding from another quarter, and not
+coming from the two whisperers in the corner at all. There was some
+one in the fireplace--some newcomer who had approached by that way.
+What did this mean? Who could this be? Did others know of the secret
+passage-way? If so, then her surroundings were very different from
+what she had supposed, and her whole course of action would have to
+be changed.
+
+Dolores watched, and at length saw the figure of the new-comer quite
+distinct in the moonlight, yet not so distinct as to enable her to
+ascertain who it was. The idea was so firmly fixed in her mind that
+the first comer was Ashby, that she could only suppose this new
+visitor to be one of the Carlists, perhaps "His Majesty" himself.
+
+Meanwhile this new-comer had been stealthily moving along, and
+Dolores watched and listened. Now was the time which she might seize,
+if she chose, as the time for vengeance. If this were really one of
+the Carlists, above all, if this were "His Majesty," she might have
+sweet revenge by denouncing the false traitor Ashby on the spot,
+before he could escape. It would be sweet to see the dismay of the
+traitor when thus discovered under her own eyes. Still, even in that
+hour of her madness and her fury, she felt that before taking the
+irrevocable step and denouncing Ashby it would be necessary to be
+perfectly sure. So Dolores waited.
+
+Meanwhile Ashby in his progress had passed beyond the place where
+Dolores was, and had traversed more than half the apartment. At this
+moment he was at fault, and felt anxious to know where to direct his
+way. He thought the best way would be to try first if Dolores was
+awake. And so, in a thin, low, but very distinct whisper, he said:
+
+"Do-lo-res!"
+
+Dolores heard it. Well she knew that in the castle there was no one
+who called her by that name--save one. Instantly a wild revulsion of
+feeling took place. She had mistaken--the first visitor was not
+Ashby. Ashby was not false. He was true. He had come, but he had come
+for her--herself. It was her name that he called. In that sudden
+revulsion of feeling she almost shouted for joy. She started up, and,
+regardless of everything but her own heart, was about to steal toward
+Ashby, when suddenly she was arrested in her attempt.
+
+There arose another sound from some one near the door.
+
+"Here, here," said a whisper--"here I am. How long you've been!"
+
+Ashby heard this voice, and thinking it was Dolores, hurried there.
+Dolores heard it, understood Ashby's action, and sank down in
+consternation and despair. Katie and Harry heard it, and thought it
+was "His Majesty" on his way to Mrs. Russell. And they thought that
+others of "His Majesty's" followers were in the chimney.
+
+Ashby saw a figure dimly defined in the gloom. It was
+indistinguishable. He took it for Dolores. So he folded that figure
+fondly in his arms, and the "figure" reciprocated to the fullest
+extent.
+
+"Oh, my own love and darling!" sighed Ashby, in Spanish.
+
+Mrs. Russell understood not a word of Spanish. She thought, however,
+that if "His Majesty" could express himself more freely in that
+language it was certainly quite natural for him to use it; yet it did
+seem rather unfair to her to come here and talk love and use
+endearing expressions in an unknown tongue. "His Majesty" seemed very
+eloquent and strongly agitated, yet Mrs. Russell could not make out
+what he said, nor had she a chance to explain.
+
+For in the midst of all this there occurred a new interruption. This
+was the sound of a key turning in the door. The door opened
+immediately behind Mrs. Russell, and a soft voice, said in familiar
+tones and in a husky whisper:
+
+"Whis-s-s-s-sht, darlin'--are ye awake, thin! Sure I hope the
+gyerruls are aslape."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+
+
+IN WHICH THE WHOLE PARTY FIND THEMSELVES IS A HAUNTED CASTLE.
+
+
+At the opening of the door and the sound of the voice Ashby started
+back and retreated. He was very much puzzled at the Irish brogue, and
+could only think that a stray Paddy might be among the Carlists.
+However, there was no time to wait, so he sought to regain the
+fireplace. But as he did so a figure came in his way, arms were flung
+about him, and a low, faint whisper came close to his ear:
+
+"Oh, Assebi! I am Dolores; that other is Mrs. Russell. Fly, or you
+are lost!"
+
+Here was a new shock for Ashby, but he did not lose his presence of
+mind. The new-comer was still at the door. He was not followed. At
+this he noted as he stood for a moment or so holding Dolores in his
+arms.
+
+As for Mrs. Russell, nothing could exceed her amazement and terror
+when "His Majesty" came in behind her at the very moment when she
+supposed herself to be in "His Majesty's" arms. It was
+unintelligible--nay, even frightful.
+
+"Weren't you--your Majesty--here--just now?" she stammered.
+
+"Me! Us! Here? Divil a bit av us! We've just come," was the reply.
+
+"But who was it? Some one was here."
+
+"Some one?" said "His Majesty." "Oh, maybe it was our r'y'l
+footstep."
+
+"No--but some one was talking Spanish."
+
+"Walkin' Spanish, ye mane," replied the august monarch. "Sure
+nobody's been talkin' Spanish here at all at all."
+
+
+[Illustration: "He Took It For Dolores."]
+
+
+"But, your Majesty, some one was here--talking to me--close to me."
+
+"Shure it was one av the gyerruls."
+
+"No; it was a--a man!"
+
+"A man!" exclaimed "His Majesty," in surprise.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What! here in this room?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Shure ye've been dramin'--so ye have; or else--maybe it was the
+castle ghost."
+
+"The ghost!" groaned Mrs. Russell. "Oh, your Majesty! Oh, my own one!
+Oh, save me! Don't--don't let it come near me!"
+
+And, flinging her arms around the royal person, Mrs. Russell clung to
+it, sobbing hysterically.
+
+"Shure--whisht, will yez, or ye'll waken up the gyerruls," said the
+monarch. "I'll protect yez, if ye'll let me, so I will."
+
+"Oh!" said Mrs. Russell, clinging more closely to "His Majesty," "do
+you hear that?"
+
+"What?"
+
+"That noise!"
+
+"What noise?"
+
+"I heard a wow--wow--whisper!" sobbed the lady.
+
+"A whisper--nonsinse!" said "His Majesty."
+
+"Oh, listen!" said Mrs. Russell, holding him tight, so that he could
+not get free. At this "His Majesty" remained perfectly still, and
+listened. There certainly were some low, indistinct sounds, among
+which were whispers.
+
+"Shure it's the gyerruls," said "His Majesty." "That's what it is."
+
+"Oh, look! look!" cried Mrs. Russell. "The ghost! the ghost!"
+
+And with a loud cry Mrs. Russell fell back. "His Majesty" encircled
+her with the royal arms, and gently deposited her on the floor,
+standing thus in deep perplexity. But at this instant a sight caught
+his eye which made him start. It was Ashby's figure traversing the
+room, through the moonlight. He had waited up to the last moment and
+had just taken his departure, but as he moved along the floor toward
+the chimney the royal eye saw him.
+
+"Be jabers!" said "His Majesty," "ghost or no ghost, I must see to
+this. The castle's haunted as sure as a gun, but that isn't the
+figure an' farrum av a maydoiayval ghost, so it isn't."
+
+Mrs. Russell now revived, and struggled up to her feet.
+
+"Is--is--it gig--gig--gone?" she asked, with a shudder.
+
+"Sorra a one av me knows," said "His Majesty." "I'm going to
+invistigate."
+
+"Oh!" wailed Mrs. Russell, "leave me not--oh, Your Sacred Majesty,
+desert me not!"
+
+"Shure I'm only going to get loights," said "His Majesty."
+
+"Oh, forsake me not! Be not so cruel!"
+
+"Crool! Ah, be off wid yer nonsinse!" said "His Majesty." "Whisht
+now, jool--sure I'll be back in a jiffy. If it's any one that's got
+in, I'll find him whin I come back; an' if it's a ghost, why, it's
+just as well to know it."
+
+"Oh, your Majesty," cried Mrs. Russell, "do not forsake me! Without
+you it is too--too--too horrible!"
+
+"Shure ain't I telling yez," said "His Majesty," "that I'm only goin'
+to get loights, an' that I'll be back in a jiffy? Be quiet, now, an'
+it 'll be all right."
+
+With these words "His Majesty" tried gently but firmly to disengage
+Mrs. Russell's clasped arms from about his neck. This he found much
+difficulty in doing, but at length he succeeded in getting free.
+After this he went out, locking the door behind him.
+
+After about five minutes he returned with a blazing torch, followed
+by half a dozen men, who remained outside awaiting his summons, while
+"His Majesty" alone went in. The moment that the door opened to admit
+him, some one came rushing into his arms with such violence as almost
+to extinguish the torch and upset the royal person. "His Majesty"
+recovered himself, however, and uttered several ejaculations which in
+any less distinguished person would certainly have sounded like
+profanity.
+
+"Be aisy, now, will yez?" he said, in a milder voice, "an' howld away
+yer arrums, jool, till I invistigate the primisis. If it's a livin'
+man I'll fix him; an' if it's a ghost--begorra, I'll--let him go."
+
+With these words "His Majesty" succeeded in extricating himself from
+the clutches of Mrs. Russell, and, holding aloft the torch, began to
+walk about the room, looking closely everywhere, while Mrs. Russell
+followed at his heels, entreating him to take care of his royal
+person.
+
+"Arrah, shure, now," said "His Majesty," "we're accustomed to danger.
+We don't moind throifles like this--not a bit av it:
+
+
+  "'For divil a bit av me cares,
+      I'm randy to tackle the foe;
+    If alive, let him fight if he dares,
+      If he's dead, to the dogs let him go.'"
+
+
+By this time the noise and the flaming torches had seemed to rouse up
+Katie and Dolores. Both of these now stood up, blinking and
+shrinking, clinging timidly to one another, and looking like two
+frightened children just awakened. They seemed so surprised, so
+confused, and so terrified, that the heart of "His Majesty" swelled
+with pity and compassion.
+
+"Ladies! jools!" said he, "don't, don't give way. Shure it's all over
+now, so it is, an' yez needn't be a bit afraid any more."
+
+"What's all over?" asked Katie, in a tone of alarm.
+
+"What? Why--shure nothin'."
+
+"There was some one in the room," said Mrs. Russell, in frightened
+tones.
+
+"Some one in the room!" cried Katie, in a voice so full of terror
+that it became a positive shriek. "Oh! oh! oh! Who? who? What? what?"
+
+Never was terror more eloquently depicted on any human face than on
+Katie's expressive countenance on this occasion. She flung herself
+into Dolores's arms and clung to her. Dolores said nothing, but clung
+to Katie in silence.
+
+"Alarrums av this sort," said "His Majesty," "isn't shuited to their
+delicate, narvous systems--so they isn't. I've got a dhrop av whiskey
+about me, if--But I suppose they wouldn't care for it."
+
+With these words "His Majesty" approached Katie for the purpose of
+soothing her, or of paying her some delicate compliment, but Katie
+contrived to keep Dolores between herself and the royal wooer till
+the R. W. felt baffled.
+
+"Shure it's very disthressin', so it is," said he, as he turned away.
+"But I'll take a luk round."
+
+He looked all around, walked by the walls, gravely peered into the
+fireplace, and at length came back.
+
+"There's no one here," said he.
+
+"But I saw some one," said Mrs. Russell.
+
+"Shure, thin, it was no livin' man ye saw, an' there ye have it."
+
+"No living man!" screamed Mrs. Russell.
+
+"Shure no; how could it have been? Wouldn't I a seen him, an' me wid
+a loight?"
+
+"Then it's a ghost!" said Mrs. Russell, with another scream.
+
+"Divil a one else," said "His Majesty." "It's the castle ghost--only
+I don't see why he came in modern coschume. But perhaps it isn't the
+castle ghost. It may be the last prisoner that was shot."
+
+This last suggestion was unspeakably horrible to Mrs. Russell. Well
+she knew who that _last prisoner_ was! The _last prisoner_! Oh,
+horror! and the apparition was _It_! And _It_ had come to
+her!--embraced her!--spoke words of love! It was _He_!--her once
+loved but now lost Johnny!
+
+The thought was too much. With a wild yell, she flung her arms around
+"His Majesty" and fainted.
+
+"It's mesilf," said "His Majesty," placidly, "that 'ud be the proud
+man to shtay here an' watch wid yez agin the ghost, but juty calls me
+elsewhere." As he said this, he tried to detach the arms of Mrs.
+Russell, who now clung to him with rigid and death-like tenacity.
+This, however, he could not do, and as her weight was considerable,
+he gravely seated himself on the floor, and implored Katie and
+Dolores to help him. This they did, and their united efforts
+succeeded in loosening Mrs. Russell's grasp. The stricken lady gave a
+gasp and raised her head, but "His Majesty" was too nimble for her.
+By a desperate movement he withdrew from her reach, and stood for a
+moment at a respectable distance.
+
+"Ladies," said he, "it's mesilf that 'ud be the proud man to shtay;
+but there's no danger in the worruld--not the laste in loife, an'
+this lady requires your care. So I'm thinkin' I'll be off, an' if
+anythin' happens agin, you sing out."
+
+Saying these words, "His Majesty" left the room somewhat more
+hurriedly than he had entered it. His departure completed Mrs.
+Russell's prostration. For the remainder of the night she refused to
+be comforted, but remained terrified, lamenting bitterly, and
+exclaiming incessantly: "Oh, why did he leave me!--why, oh, why did
+he leave me!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+
+
+IN WHICH HARRY MAKES AN UNPLEASANT DISCOVERY.
+
+
+Harry had been the first to escape from the room. He had waited long,
+fearing lest others might be in the chimney; but at length, as the
+actions of the new-comer did not seem consistent with those of a
+pursuer, he had concluded to risk it. He had then entered the
+chimney, and was able to reach his own room in safety. Ashby had not
+left until the very last moment, when the door had already opened to
+admit "His Majesty," so that the two had not met. But Harry, on
+reaching his own room, stood for a long time in the fireplace,
+listening; and as he listened, he felt sure that he heard sounds, and
+these sounds seemed as though made by pursuers. Upon this he flung
+himself upon his bed, where he lay motionless for nearly an hour,
+until it seemed scarcely possible that there could be any further
+danger.
+
+He now thought of returning to the room, but after a little
+consideration decided not to. No doubt they would all be awake,
+perhaps also others might be there, and to go back might lead to
+discovery, and destroy all further chances of seeing Katie. Still,
+the thought would not be dismissed. Sleep was impossible, and he lay
+awake, recalling the events of the night.
+
+At length there occurred to his mind the thought of those Spanish
+bonds which he had found and hidden away so carefully. He had not
+visited the place since, or rather, he had not looked at the
+hiding-place. He determined to do so now merely for the sake of
+reassuring himself as to the safety of those precious papers. For
+Katie's fortune lay wrapped up in that parcel, and he was anxious
+that he should be the means of saving it for her. In addition to
+this, he was anxious to search carefully along the passage-way, to
+see if there might not be openings which had thus far escaped
+him--which might possibly lead to the outer world.
+
+He provided himself with his torch and found that he had matches
+enough. He then climbed up into the passage-way, and lighted his
+torch; after which he proceeded onward until he reached the chink
+where the package had been deposited. Here he stooped down and held
+the light close.
+
+The first sight showed nothing. But the string which he had left
+hanging out was, as he knew, not very perceptible, so he held the
+light closer and felt for it. Even then he found nothing.
+
+He now thought that perhaps the package had fallen by its own weight
+a little farther in, drawing the string after it. In order to find
+whether this were so or not, he reached his hand into the chink.
+
+No sooner had he done this than he snatched it away, and sat there
+staring.
+
+The chink was very much larger than it had been before.
+
+There was no doubt about this. Then it had been barely wide enough to
+admit the package. Now he could easily thrust his whole arm into the
+opening.
+
+It was utterly unaccountable. By some incomprehensible means that
+crevice had been enlarged. The whole stone, he now saw, had been
+thrust forward several inches into the passage-way. It seemed as if
+nothing short of an earthquake could suffice to move from its place
+such a stone as that. In itself it appeared to be of vast size and
+weight, and below it, and above it, and on either side, were others
+equally vast. How was it possible for such a rock to be thus
+dislodged? By an earthquake? But nothing of the kind had occurred. He
+was a light sleeper, and was easily aroused by anything unusual.
+Could the castle have "settled?" Impossible. It was too old. It had
+long since shaken down into its deep bed. Still, old buildings do
+often settle, and in fault of any better explanation he was compelled
+to adopt something like this.
+
+In any event, there seemed very great danger that the package had
+been lost. Again and again he thrust his arm far in, but found only
+vacancy. Then he put his hand downward as far as he could. It touched
+something which felt like a stone pavement.
+
+This pavement was about eight inches lower than the one upon which he
+was. All this made the matter still more incomprehensible.
+
+But Harry had come forth to seek after this very thing, namely, some
+mysterious opening into a side-passage, and after the first surprise
+it occurred to him that this might be what he wished to find. And now
+the fact of the stone jutting forth became intelligible, though this
+new explanation promised ill for the safety of the package. It was
+evident that this stone was movable, and afforded in some way an
+entrance to this passage. It seemed strange that so vast a stone
+should be movable, yet there was the fact. Perhaps also it was less
+massive than it seemed. Perhaps it was a mere slab and opened like a
+door. But how?
+
+He now examined its surface with the most careful and minute
+scrutiny. In vain. Over all the surface and over all the edges there
+was nothing that indicated any means by which such a stone could be
+moved--nothing of the nature of hinges, and nothing of the nature of
+a handle, by which to grasp it so as to move it. Yet it was movable,
+and had been moved lately. Perhaps it could be moved without any help
+from a handle.
+
+He now thrust his arm through, and, grasping it, pulled at it with
+all his strength. His utmost effort, however, made no impression. He
+found that the stone was massive within as without, that it was no
+thin slab, but one which his arm could not surround--at least
+eighteen inches in solid thickness where his arm held it. Yet the
+stone did move, and had been moved. The matter became now more
+incomprehensible than ever. It could be moved. It had been moved, yet
+there was a secret contrivance here into which he could not
+penetrate.
+
+Again the thought came to him of the package which contained Katie's
+fortune. Some one had been here. Had that one found the package? It
+must be so. Fool that he was!
+
+A second time had that precious package been deposited in what seemed
+a secure hiding-place, and a second time had the hiding-place proved
+almost a public thoroughfare.
+
+For what seemed a long time Harry examined that stone. In vain. The
+wall arose before him impenetrable. The stone was immovable. Yet that
+stone seemed now to him to hold within itself the secret not only of
+the package, but also of escape and of liberty and life.
+
+Harry at length felt like giving up. Once more, however, though now
+quite hopelessly, he examined the stone in every direction, pressing
+with all his strength upon every part. And now in this, the very
+moment of his utter hopelessness, as often happens--at the very time
+when not expecting it, he found what he sought.
+
+At the extreme end of the stone, more than six feet from the crevice
+where he had hidden the package, he pressed upon it, and found that
+it gave way. The pressure was not at all strong; yet to that slight
+effort the apparently massive rock yielded like a door, and moved
+inward several inches.
+
+In unspeakable amazement and intense excitement Harry pushed it in
+farther, until he saw the whole move in, at his pressure, for about
+two feet. An opening was disclosed. He stepped in and looked around.
+
+He found himself in a kind of chamber which was about four feet wide
+and eight feet long. At the end of this was a stone stair-way which
+went down. Harry looked around, and took all this in at a glance. His
+first thought was about his package.
+
+The package was not there.
+
+He had been prepared for this, yet the disappointment was bitter.
+Still there was consolation in the discovery which he had made, and
+his excitement and curiosity were yet strong. He naturally turned his
+attention to that stone which formed so wonderful a door-way, and
+which had so long baffled him.
+
+He saw that at the end, near the crevice, the stone was about
+eighteen inches thick, but that it was all cut away toward the other
+end, till it ended in a slab of only two inches in thickness. One end
+of the stone was thus a vast block, while the other was a
+comparatively thin slab. He now understood the whole construction.
+
+At the thick end the door was set with stone pivots, into sockets
+above and below, by means of which it was easily moved. The reason
+why he could not move it at first was because he was exerting his
+strength near the hinge, or pivots, where, of course, it was thrown
+away; but as soon as he had touched the farther edge, it yielded to a
+slight pressure. Here, inside, there was a stone handle by which it
+was easily opened, while, outside, he thought that it was closed by
+swinging it as one went out, so that it went by its own weight into
+its place.
+
+After all, there was nothing very strange in this. Harry had read
+about such stone doors. In the accounts of the Moabite cities,
+mention is made of something of the sort; and as those have lasted
+for three thousand years, this one might well lust for several
+hundred.
+
+But the package!
+
+There were no traces of it. At the hinge end of the slab there was a
+wedge-shaped stone, by inserting which here the door could be secured
+against opening from without. Into this wedge-shaped crevice he had
+thrust the package. He saw also that in pushing it far in he had only
+secured its discovery, for he must have pushed it so far that the
+first one who passed had found it.
+
+Now who could that have been?
+
+Whoever it was, the package was gone. No doubt it was one of the
+Carlists, who had taken it to their leader. It was gone beyond all
+possibility of recovery.
+
+Harry had been so taken up with his examination of these things that
+he had forgotten all about the necessity of caution. He stood there
+thus, in thought, the torch brightly burning, when suddenly he was
+roused by some one rushing up the steps. He darted back into the
+passage-way, and banged the stone door after him.
+
+Too late. In an instant the pursuer was upon him and had caught at
+his coat collar.
+
+But Harry was not the man to give up at the first attack. Quick as
+lightning, he drew forth a revolver from his breast pocket, and,
+hastily cocking it, turned to confront his assailant.
+
+One look was enough.
+
+"Ashby!" he cried.
+
+"You scoundrel!" cried Ashby, in a fury. "Scoundrel! villain!
+traitor!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+
+
+IN WHICH THERE IS A VERY PRETTY QUARREL.
+
+
+In order to account for the strange and shockingly rude language of
+Ashby, which must be as astonishing to the reader as it was to Harry,
+it will be necessary to go back a little.
+
+You see, then, my dears, immediately after Harry's flight, Ashby also
+had hurried away, and had reached his own room without further
+adventure. He now began to think that he had acted with mad folly and
+recklessness; yet at the same time he could not bring himself to
+regret it at all. He had seen Dolores, and that was enough, and the
+hunger of his heart was satisfied, for the present at least.
+
+Like Harry, he had a sense of being pursued, which kept him for a
+long time on the watch, until at length he began to feel safe. All
+the circumstances of his recent adventure now came to his memory. One
+thing amidst it all gave him great perplexity. Who were in that room?
+There had been others, and he had heard the motion of one in
+particular behind him--some one who seemed to be moving under the
+chimney. Then came the arrival of "His Majesty." But who was that
+other one? Ashby did not like the appearance of things at all.
+
+After a time, as his confidence became restored, he began to think of
+going back again, just, as he said to himself, for the sake of
+listening at the chimney, and seeing that all was right. Putting it
+in this plausible way, the thought became too tempting a one to be
+resisted, and at length he started on his way back.
+
+The passage-way, with its secrets, had already been shown him by
+Dolores. It started from the chimney, and after a few feet came to
+some steps which ascended to the second floor, upon which were
+situated the rooms of Harry on the one side and the ladies on the
+other. The steps thus led upward toward the very passage-way which
+Harry had been traversing. How they opened into that passage-way,
+however, has yet to be explained.
+
+As Ashby reached the foot of the flight of steps he became aware of
+sounds, which brought him to a full stop. Instead of going back,
+however, he waited. Hidden in impenetrable gloom at the foot of the
+steps, he could listen, and there was no fear of his being seen. His
+only idea was that the Carlists were closing up the way.
+
+At length he noticed a faint gleam of light, and after a short
+interval he noticed that it grew brighter. He then saw the stone door
+open inward. As he watched he did not move, being too eager to know
+what was coming, and feeling confident in his own obscurity.
+
+And now, as he watched, he saw Harry's face suddenly reveal itself,
+as it was lit up by the flaring torch. Yes, it was Harry, and there
+he stood, examining everything in the manner already described; and
+Ashby was a witness of all his proceedings.
+
+As Ashby looked, there came to him a multitude of dark and gloomy
+suspicions. So then, he thought, Harry knows all about this passage,
+and if so, he must know where it leads to. And where was that? It was
+to only one place--that one room alone. And what would Harry want
+there, and what would he find? He would find her--Katie!
+
+Now, although Ashby was full of bitter resentment against Katie, and
+was, perhaps, quite in earnest in all that he had said about her to
+Dolores, yet when he had this fresh confirmation of something like an
+understanding between these two, he became filled with the bitterest
+jealousy and indignation.
+
+He had already felt something of these same feelings. He had seen
+Harry with his own eyes paying devoted attentions to Katie, though he
+knew that Katie was engaged to him. It was this which had made him
+turn away from her, for he had seen that she was false to him. Yet
+his resentment against her did not lessen his jealousy, nay, it
+intensified it. He regarded Harry as guilty of an offence which was
+at once the worst and the most unpardonable. He had been false to his
+friend, and that, too, immediately after he had received that
+friend's fullest confidence, and had promised that friend his most
+energetic assistance. Could anything be worse than this?
+
+And now Ashby saw through it all. Harry had traversed that
+passage-way. He had been in that room. He had seen Katie. Of this he
+had not a doubt. And what now? No doubt he was prowling about to try
+to find some way out, so that he might escape with Katie.
+
+Ashby watched with all these bitter thoughts in his mind, until at
+length he could endure them no longer. He determined to confront his
+former friend, his present enemy, and meet him face to face; to
+charge him with his perfidy, and seek for vengeance. With a leap, he
+bounded up the steps. Harry retreated, yet not so fast but that Ashby
+caught up with him, and grasped him as he was flying. Then Harry
+turned, pistol in hand, and the two stood face to face.
+
+"Ashby!" cried Harry.
+
+And Ashby cried out:
+
+"Scoundrel! villain! traitor!"
+
+His face was white, and his voice hoarse with passion.
+
+Harry was confounded.
+
+"Hang it, Ashby; don't you know me? Are you mad?"
+
+"Know you!" cried Ashby, bitterly. "Thank Heaven, I do know you! I've
+found you out, you infernal sneak, you! Know you? Good heavens! yes,
+I know you for a scoundrel, and a contemptible, double-dealing
+interloper and villain!"
+
+Harry stood aghast.
+
+"What in the name of Heaven is the meaning of all this?"
+
+"You've been in that room!" cried Ashby, pointing up the passage-way.
+
+"Well, what if I have?"
+
+"What if you have? You know what you went there for."
+
+Thus far Harry had been too much amazed to understand anything. But
+now he began to see what it all meant.
+
+"Oh, ho!" said he; "so that's it?"
+
+"That's it! of course that's it!" cried Ashby. "Isn't that enough?
+sneaking after that girl, when you know that she is mine. What the
+devil have you got to say for yourself?"
+
+At this Harry began to rouse himself. He didn't feel like defending
+his conduct; and now, as was natural, took refuge in a fight.
+
+"Confound you!" he cried; "what do you mean by such insults as these?
+Who are you? What business is it of yours?"
+
+"She's engaged to me. I took you into my confidence, and you've
+turned out a traitor and a sneak."
+
+Harry drew a long breath, and instantly recovered his usual coolness.
+
+"My dear sir," said he, "you have a pretty talent for scolding.
+Nature evidently intended you to be an old woman; but doesn't it
+strike you that this sort of thing isn't customary among gentlemen,
+and that you are making an infernal fool of yourself? Do you suppose
+I'm to ask your permission where to go in this castle? I found this
+passage-way myself, and hope to find others also. And, by Jove!" he
+continued, as at this moment the thought of the lost parcel came to
+him, "there's one matter I should like to settle with you before we
+go any farther."
+
+"We shall have to settle several matters."
+
+"I left a parcel in this place a short time ago. It was a very
+valuable one. I should like to ask you if you have it?"
+
+"I? I, sir? I have your parcel?"
+
+"I don't mean to say that you took it knowing it to be mine."
+
+"Oh! you don't, don't you?"
+
+"Mr. Ashby, will you give me a frank answer to a fair question? Do
+you know anything about that parcel?"
+
+"Parcel? Pooh!" said Ashby, who thought that this was some
+transparent trick of Harry's to account for his presence here.
+"Confound you and your parcels! I know nothing about them. I--"
+
+"I ask you, did you pick up that parcel?"
+
+"And I say, confound your parcels!"
+
+Harry was growing quite as furious as Ashby. He now felt certain that
+Ashby had found it and had it in his possession. He considered
+Ashby's answers as palpable evasions of a direct question.
+
+"Well, then," he said, "I say that if you still keep that parcel
+after I claim it, that you are keeping property that is not yours,
+and you know what that means!"
+
+Ashby gave a bitter laugh.
+
+"This as a hint that I am a thief," said he.
+
+"And a pretty strong one, too, I rather think," said Harry. "Do not
+imagine that you have any claims to that package arising out of any
+previous relations to a certain young lady."
+
+"A certain young lady!--a package! What do you mean? I neither know
+nor care. I only know that you and I must settle accounts with one
+another."
+
+"By Jove, that's one sentiment in which I agree!"
+
+"If I hadn't found you here, I might have only suspected; but now
+that I've found you, I do not merely believe, but know that you are
+a--"
+
+"Confound you! if you begin your infernal abuse again, I'll blow your
+brains out! I haven't got your talent for scolding. If you want to
+settle accounts with me, come along like a man, and don't stand here
+jawing like a fishwife."
+
+"By heavens! that will I--and here--"
+
+"Here! pooh! Come along to my room."
+
+"Lead on--I'll follow."
+
+At this Harry led the way, and in a short time, followed by Ashby, he
+once more reached his own room.
+
+And so it had come to this! The friends who a few days before had
+been so intimate, so confiding, and so affectionate, now stood face
+to face as foes, glaring at one another with defiance in their eyes
+and bitter hate in their hearts. Each thought he had received
+sufficient provocation to seek the life of the other, and each
+thought that he had received from the other insults which could only
+be wiped out in blood.
+
+Harry felt sure that Ashby had found the package which he had
+concealed so carefully, and was holding it on the ground of his
+engagement to Katie. Such a right Harry might possibly have conceded
+to Russell, as Katie's guardian, especially as he had been the one
+who last had held it; but to Ashby he never would surrender it. As
+for Ashby, his bitterness and jealousy have already been fully set
+forth, and they were now more intense than ever.
+
+Harry stuck the torch in a hollow stone in the floor which appeared
+to have been made for that purpose. Then he turned to Ashby.
+
+"Now, sir," said Ashby, "you have already heard."
+
+"No more, I beg," said Harry; "not a word. Let's fight like
+gentlemen, not jaw like bullies. Have you a pistol?"
+
+"No."
+
+"That's unfortunate. There's no knowing at what time a pistol may be
+needed."
+
+"No," said Ashby, bitterly. "If I had known that you would prove a
+scoun--"
+
+"By heavens!" roared Harry, "if yon don't shut up I'll put a bullet
+through you! Do you hear? Come now," he continued, growing cooler;
+"we've both said enough, more than enough. Remember that when two
+gentlemen meet in mortal combat the time for insult is over. We have
+no seconds. Let us try to imitate the punctiliousness of seconds in
+our treatment of each other. Do you consent?"
+
+Ashby bowed.
+
+"And now, Mr. Ashby," continued Harry, "as you say you have no
+pistol, is there anything else that you can suggest? Have you a
+knife?"
+
+"Nothing but a penknife."
+
+"Ah, that's very unfortunate. If we could only get hold of a couple
+of rifles from our friends here outside, we should be all right, but
+there's no use in hoping for that. Our ransom is too high for them to
+risk losing it. And so, as far as I can see, the only thing left is
+for us to use this one pistol of mine."
+
+"One pistol? How can both of us use one pistol?"
+
+"We must. There's nothing else to be done."
+
+Ashby shook his head.
+
+"I don't see how," said he.
+
+"It's plain enough," said Harry. "We can take it turn about."
+
+"But the man who fires the first shot has an immense advantage," said
+Ashby.
+
+"Pardon me," said Harry; "that does not necessarily follow. He may
+hit his foe, of course, but the wound may only be a trifling one
+after all; or he may miss his shot altogether. It often happens so in
+duels. Moreover, as you very well know, in a duel it never happens
+that both fire at the same instant. One always fires a little before
+the other. So in our case it will simply amount to this, that one of
+us will fire a little before the other. In that case the first man
+may miss, and the second man will then come in for his turn."
+
+"But how shall we decide who is to fire first?" said Ashby.
+
+"Oh, that's easy enough," said Harry; "we can toss up."
+
+"Oh, very well."
+
+"Have you a coin?"
+
+"Not one."
+
+"Nor I--not a copper, even. The beggarly Carlists have drained me
+dry."
+
+"We must find something else," said Ashby.
+
+"Oh, there needn't be any difficulty about that. A button will do
+quite as well."
+
+And with this Harry cut one of the buttons from his trousers.
+
+"This will do," said he. "The face of the button will be 'head,' and
+the back of it 'tail.' And now, will you try it?"
+
+He handed it to Ashby, who took it without a word.
+
+"If it falls 'heads,' the first fire will be yours; if 'tails,' the
+first fire will be mine."
+
+"Very well," said Ashby; and then, poising the button for a moment,
+he tossed it.
+
+It fell, head uppermost.
+
+"Heads!" said Harry. "Mr. Ashby, the first fire belongs to you.
+Here's the pistol. It's loaded. I'll take my position here. Shall I
+measure the distance?"
+
+"Pardon me, Mr. Rivers," said Ashby; "but I cannot accept this from
+one throw. It must be the best out of three times."
+
+"I don't see why."
+
+"I should not accept it under any other conditions."
+
+"Oh, very well. Let us both act so as to satisfy one another," said
+Harry. "In that case you had better toss again."
+
+Ashby now picked up the button, and tossed a second time. This time
+it fell face downward.
+
+"Tails!" said Harry. "Once more, and that decides it."
+
+Ashby picked up the button and gave a final toss. The button fell.
+This time it was in Ashby's favor. It fell face upward.
+
+"Heads!" said Harry. "It's yours, Mr. Ashby. Will you take the
+pistol?"
+
+Ashby hesitated.
+
+"I think," said he, "we had better arrange our places."
+
+"Very well. At what distance?" said Harry. "Shall we say twelve
+paces?"
+
+"I should think so."
+
+Upon this Harry began by the fireplace, and walked for twelve paces
+along the floor. Reaching this place, he stopped.
+
+"Will this do?" he asked.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Very well; and now which place will you take?"
+
+"Either."
+
+"In that case we must toss up again for choice of positions. But,
+first of all, it will be necessary to move this torch, so that it
+shall be equally favorable."
+
+Saying this, Harry walked over to the torch, and carried it, together
+with the stone, to a place which seemed about midway between the two
+positions. Here he set it on the ground.
+
+"And now, Mr. Ashby," said Harry, "we must toss up for places."
+
+"Very well," said Ashby; "but you had better toss this time, as I did
+it last time."
+
+To this Harry made no objection. He took the button, and tossed it.
+This time luck was favorable, and he won the choice of positions.
+
+"Well," said he, "I'm quite indifferent; but, as I have the choice, I
+suppose I may as well choose the place out there in the room. In that
+case you will stand here in front of the fireplace."
+
+"Very well," said Ashby, who thereupon took up his place there.
+
+"Have you any plan to propose as to firing?"
+
+"None whatever."
+
+"I've been thinking of one which I will mention. You may have a
+better one. The unarmed one shall give the word, or drop a
+handkerchief. Will that do? If you prefer for the one who fires to
+give the word--very well. Only I think that the word had better be
+given."
+
+"Certainly," said Ashby, "and I quite agree to your proposal."
+
+"Very well," said Harry; "and now, Mr. Ashby, here is the pistol."
+
+Saying this, he handed the weapon to Ashby, who took it with a slight
+bow, but in silence.
+
+Harry now measured off twelve paces once more, and reached the spot
+which he had before marked out, upon which he turned and, standing
+erect, faced Ashby.
+
+"Mr. Ashby," said he, "are you ready? If so, take aim, and I will
+give the word."
+
+Ashby raised the pistol and took aim. The weapon covered Harry, and
+he knew it. He knew also that Ashby was a "dead shot." But not a
+nerve quivered. He stood up there as straight as a ramrod, and
+then, in a calm, clear voice, with his usual self-possession, said:
+
+"One; two; three. _Fire_!"
+
+
+[Illustration: "Whoroo, Lads! This Bates The Worruld, So It Does."]
+
+
+For a moment Ashby stood with his pistol thus covering Harry.
+
+Then his arm fell.
+
+"I cannot," said he--"I cannot fire, in cold blood, on an unarmed
+man."
+
+Now, had Ashby stood thus, with a pistol, in the full heat of his
+first fury, he would have tired, without stopping to think; but the
+effect of their enforced courtesy to one another, and more
+particularly of the somewhat tedious preliminaries, had been to calm
+and even chill his hot anger, and to subdue all his fierce
+excitement. As he stood there, with his pistol levelled, and saw
+Harry's cool, calm face, it seemed like butchery. He could not fire.
+And so his hand dropped down with this exclamation.
+
+"But my turn is to come."
+
+"Oh, that's nothing," said Ashby. "You may have your turn now, if you
+choose."
+
+"Oh no," said Harry, "I can't take my turn until after you have
+fired; and the worst of it is, I don't see how we can settle this
+difficulty, if we don't do it now."
+
+"Other chances will, no doubt, occur," said Ashby.
+
+"Pardon me," said Harry, "that is hardly probable, and, besides, that
+will not help the matter. In fact, it will only make it worse. For
+you see, if some time should elapse before such a meeting, the
+recollection of this affair would be so faint that I could not go
+into it with any spirit; whereas now I am all cocked and primed. So
+fire away, my dear fellow, for I really don't want to have an affair
+of this sort hanging over me the rest of my life. We must have it
+out, and now's the time."
+
+"Will you not fire first, Mr. Rivers?" said Ashby, earnestly.
+
+"Oh no, that would make all our preparations childish," was the
+reply. "We have appealed to Fortune, and her decision has been
+given."
+
+Ashby drew a long breath.
+
+"Mr. Rivers," said he, "I cannot shoot an unarmed man in cold blood."
+
+"But what can we do?" said Harry.
+
+"Why, we may be able to borrow a couple of rifles, or even one rifle,
+from our friends here."
+
+Upon this a voice rang out, full and clear, in the room:
+
+"Begorra, an' that same they'll do. Whoroo, lads! this bates the
+worruld, so it does. It's mesilf that's stud by the dure for the last
+tin minutes, an' I've seen a soight that I won't forget till me dyin'
+day. It's loike the toime whin the Irish exiles at Fontenoy marched
+up to the English gyards an' said, 'Gintlemen av the English Gyards,
+fire first!' Begorra, it's mesilf that 'ud be the proud man to lend
+yez the loan av a couple av guns; but don't be alarrumed,
+darlints--afther yez pay yer ranshom, ye'll have a chance."
+
+At the first sound of that voice Harry and Ashby started in
+amazement. So intent had they been on their own business that they
+had heard nothing; and Ashby, though facing the door, had been so
+intent on Harry that he had not noticed that it had been half opened.
+Now they saw the Carlist chief come in, followed by half a dozen
+of his men. Most amazing of all was the discovery that he spoke
+English with an Irish brogue. Katie had already mentioned this to
+Harry, but he had not thought much about it. Now, face to face with
+"His Majesty," they were able to look at him with other feelings. Had
+he entered under other circumstances, he would have talked Spanish;
+but so excited was he that he burst forth in the manner above
+detailed.
+
+"For ye see," said "His Majesty"--
+
+
+  "'Mesilf does admire the best,
+    Av alll that's undher the sun,
+  To stand faciu' the friend av me sowl,
+    Wid blunderbus, pistol, or gun.
+  The word av command it is given,
+    The wenpon we both av us raises,
+  Afther which--sure the one laves for home,
+    Aa' off goes the other to blazes!'"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+
+
+HOW THE VIRTUOUS RUSSELL FINDS A FRIEND IN NEED.
+
+
+It is necessary here to go back for a brief interval in order to take
+up the fortunes of one who some time ago disappeared from these
+pages.
+
+The virtuous Russell was alone. He had passed a night which,
+considering his situation, had not been altogether uncomfortable. He
+had slept a refreshing sleep, and in the land of dreams had been able
+to forget the ills of life. Morning came, however, and with his
+waking thoughts there returned the recollection of the past, and the
+full consciousness of his present position. He was a captive in a
+prison from which he could not hope to escape; at the mercy of a
+powerful and cunning enemy, who knew his secret, and would use every
+effort to get his money. If he refrained for the present from
+exerting violence, it was only too probable that this forbearance was
+but temporary, and that at the last the prisoner must yield.
+
+These were gloomy thoughts, and the good Russell was well-nigh
+overwhelmed.
+
+But the greatest calamities are often alleviated by comparative
+trifles; and so it was a trifle which, on this occasion, served to
+soothe the sorrows of our suffering friend--such a trifle, in fact,
+as a mere costume. Whether it was that, being a tailor, he was more
+affected than others by his raiment; or whether it was that a man's
+dress has, as is claimed, a potent influence which always affects the
+wearer, need not be discussed; certain it is that just now it was his
+novel attire which chiefly engaged the thoughts of Russell, and made
+him less sensible of his misfortunes.
+
+As a dress it was certainly magnificent. The cloth was of the finest
+quality. Gold was lavished freely upon it--gleaming in the numerous
+buttons; shining in the profuse lace which glittered over the breast
+and round the cuffs and round the collar in a flood of glory;
+sparkling in the hatband; flowing down the skirts like the oil from
+Aaron's beard. Many a time had his own fancy designed and his own
+hands fashioned such an array as this for others; but now, as it
+infolded his own ample person, it shone with new lustre, and threw
+something of its own lustre around the wearer.
+
+And now, as the actor, when arrayed in the robes of majesty, assumes
+a kingly port and struts about the stage, so our Russell. He took to
+himself the part which the uniform suggested. He felt like the
+general of an army. He threw out his chest, stood erect, strutted,
+admired his figure and his gait, waved in his hand an imaginary
+sword, and guided invisible armies to the field of battle.
+
+In the midst of all this he was suddenly roused by a slight noise
+behind him.
+
+Turning hastily, he saw a woman, who had entered bearing some
+articles of food for his morning's repast. In a moment Russell
+descended from the lofty heights of imagination to the dull realities
+of a cold world, and, in plain language, began to feel rather
+sheepish at being discovered in such a frame of mind. Nay, this very
+frame of mind, this new sense of personal dignity as general, made
+his chagrin all the greater.
+
+The woman was attired in a picturesque costume, such as is worn by
+the lower orders in the North of Spain, with the addition, however,
+of a bright-colored turban. Her face was decidedly handsome, though
+rather too sharp in outline and expression, while at the same time
+decidedly the worse for wear. A pair of fine bold black eyes were
+fixed upon Russell with an expression of undisguised admiration as
+she stood looking at him. The moment he turned she looked down, and
+then, dropping a courtesy, said:
+
+"Breakfast, senor."
+
+Upon this she deposited her tray upon a heavy oak table, and then
+stood looking at him with the same expression as before. There was
+something in all this which was flattering to the vanity of Russell;
+arid he stood regarding the woman with very much complaisance. And as
+he looked at her, he thought to himself that she was a very pretty
+woman.
+
+The woman then said, still looking at him:
+
+"Beaut'ful! Oh, lovela!"
+
+She spoke in broken English; and Russell, while flattered by her
+admiration, was delighted at hearing his own language.
+
+"Do you speak English, my dear?" he said, in a tone of affectionate
+familiarity, drawing nearer to her.
+
+"Oh yes--me speek Inglees--me in Cuba--learn speek Inglees--vara
+mooch."
+
+"Oh! so you've been in Cuba, have you, my dear? Well, Cuba's a very
+pretty country, and you're a very pretty woman."
+
+The woman smiled, showing rows of splendid teeth.
+
+"Senor mus' be a gran' nobile--a generale."
+
+Russell smiled a lofty smile, and laid his hand patronizingly, yet
+tenderly, upon the woman's shoulder.
+
+"You are a very sensible woman," said he, "and as pretty as you are
+sensible. What is your name?"
+
+"Rita," said the woman.
+
+"Well, Rita, I dare say you and I shall be great friends."
+
+
+[Illustration: "Beaut'ful! Oh, Lovela!"]
+
+
+"Friends! oh, senor is too much magnifico--"
+
+"Oh, I ain't proud, my dear--not a bit, not a mite. I've got plenty
+of money, Rita, and can help my friends; but I ain't proud, not me.
+And what may be your particular duties in this establishment?"
+
+"Senor?"
+
+"I say, what do you do here? Are you house-keeper?"
+
+"Senor, I am maid--to the lady prisoners--an' other things--to servar
+and attendar."
+
+"Prisoners, eh? Do they have many of them here?"
+
+"Oh--sometime," said Rita, with a laugh; "ladies and gen'l'ms."
+
+Russell looked at her with a benignant smile.
+
+"Well, Rita, all that I can say is, it's a pity that such a pretty
+woman as you cannot have some better fortune than this."
+
+Rita laughed.
+
+"Ah, senor, you a flattera!"
+
+"Oh no. I'm a plain, blunt, bluff, honest John Bull. But the fact is,
+you are very pretty, Rita, my dear!"
+
+Rita laughed again at this, and her large black eyes fixed themselves
+with bolder admiration upon the benignant face and splendid dress of
+the gallant tailor.
+
+Here a happy thought occurred to Russell's mind.
+
+It was evident that this woman was already an admiring friend. Could
+he not, in some way, work upon her so as to attract her to his
+interests? Her help would be invaluable. She might, if she chose, do
+much; she might even help him to escape. It was worth trying. To win
+her over to his side, there was nothing which he would not try. But
+how could he get her help? By bribery? Of course, to a certain
+extent; but it would be well to be cautious, and not offer too much.
+Other means might be used.
+
+By gaining her good-will, she would be more accessible to a bribe,
+and would be less exacting.
+
+Now, Russell was sharp at a bargain, and by no means anxious to pay
+more than he could help. Even where his own liberty, even where his
+life was concerned, he paused to consider the expense. He resolved to
+bribe this woman, but to name no price, to let it be undecided, to
+agree in a general way; and afterward, should he succeed in gaining
+his liberty, to cut the amount down as low as possible. He also
+resolved to put money out of the question as far as he could, and
+work upon her good-will and her affections, rather than her avarice.
+The woman's open, undisguised admiration seemed to promise an easy
+conquest. To him she appeared to have a frank, guileless, impetuous
+disposition, all of which was a great help to the furtherance of his
+designs.
+
+Russell looked all around.
+
+"Oh," said Rita, "do not fear--all away."
+
+"Come, my dear," said Russell; "sit down here by my side; I want to
+talk with you."
+
+Russell seated himself on an oaken bench, and Rita promptly seated
+herself by his side. She sat by him, and looked at him with a smile,
+and with the same fervid admiration.
+
+"The pretty child!" thought Russell, as he caught the glance of her
+glowing eyes. "How she does admire me!"
+
+"So you are an attendant here, are you, Rita, my dear?" he asked.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"But it isn't good enough for such a pretty woman as you are!" he
+continued.
+
+"Ah, senor, what do you mean?" said Rita. "What can I do better?"
+
+"But you ought to be something better--far better. Would you not like
+to--"
+
+"Like what?" asked Rita, who was full of excitement.
+
+"Well," said Russell, "to have plenty of money, to have beautiful
+clothes, to live in a beautiful house, to have jewels, to have
+amusements, and so forth?"
+
+Rita's dark eyes flashed fire with eager covetousness at this
+alluring speech.
+
+"Oh, senor," she said, "it is impossible."
+
+"Rita!" said Russell, in a solemn voice.
+
+"Senor!"
+
+"Look at me."
+
+"Si, senor."
+
+Rita had been looking at him all along fixedly enough, but at this
+invitation she threw additional earnestness into the deep glance of
+her bold, dark eyes.
+
+"You see what I am, Rita, my dear. I am a prisoner--in grief, in
+despair. Now, if any one would help me, I could do very much for that
+one."
+
+"You are a gran' nobile?" said Rita, in an inquiring tone.
+
+"Oh yes," said Russell, in his large way; "and, what's more, I can
+make you happy for the rest of your life. I like you, Rita. I'm quite
+fond of you. You're an uncommonly pretty woman."
+
+Saying this, Russell took Rita's hand and pressed it with much
+emphasis. Now, the interpretation which Rita put upon these words and
+this action was very different from what Russell intended. The
+benignant Russell merely wished to impress upon Rita's mind that he
+had very friendly feelings toward her, and that, if she would help
+him, he was in a position to reward her handsomely. He didn't want to
+name any sum. He wished, for obvious reasons, to leave the amount
+unsettled. But Rita understood it differently. Being of a sentimental
+turn, she regarded this as a sort of declaration of love--in fact,
+almost an offer of marriage--and, if not so altogether, at least an
+approach to it. Still, she was a shrewd woman, and waited until
+Russell had explained himself further.
+
+Russell observed her silence, and was quite satisfied. It showed
+proper caution, and caution was an excellent quality in one whom he
+wished to have for a helper in his need. So he went on in the same
+way, still holding Rita's hand.
+
+"You are so pretty, Rita, my dear, I swear I never before saw such a
+pretty woman. This isn't the place for you. You must get out of this;
+and if you will only go away with me, why, there's nothing that I
+wouldn't do for you. When I like a person, I'm ready to do anything
+for them. And the first moment I saw you, I said to myself, 'There's
+the woman for you!'"
+
+"Am I really the woman for you?" asked Rita, full of excited hopes,
+and still continuing to misinterpret his words.
+
+"The very one!" said Russell. "The one of all others! Heaven has sent
+you to me. Rita, my dear, do what I ask!"
+
+Rita was deeply moved. This brilliant, wealthy stranger seemed to
+love her. He wanted her to fly with him. But, oh, if he should prove
+false!
+
+"Ah, senor, you not earnest--you not true!" said Rita, clasping his
+hand in both of hers.
+
+"True! earnest!" cried Russell. "I swear, Rita, my dear, I will be
+true to what I say--always, always! Can't you trust me, Rita, my
+dear?"
+
+"Oh, senor," sighed Rita, deeply moved, "you persuade me too easy.
+And think on the danger--the life is risk--the death will come if we
+are captura."
+
+"Rita, my dear," said Russell, "let us not talk of danger. Let us fly
+together. I will always remember your devotion. I will never forget
+you as long as life lasts. I am noted for my truth and fidelity. I've
+got a warm and throbbing heart. And now, Rita, my dear, if you want
+one who will always be yours truly--if you want one who will love you
+and care for you--why, I'm your man!"
+
+Upon these words Rita put, as usual, her own interpretation. The last
+words especially--"I'm your man"--seemed to her to be the most direct
+offer yet.
+
+"My man?" she said--"and will you be my man, senor?"
+
+"Of course--of course," said Russell, not comprehending her drift.
+
+Upon this Rita flung her arms around the neck of the astonished
+Russell.
+
+"Oh, senor--then--I helpa you. I yours--I do all. We fly--you be
+true--to your Rita."
+
+Russell was so astonished that for some time he said nothing; but
+feeling how important it was to retain her friendship, he did not
+dare to disabuse her of her false idea; nay, he even felt that it
+would be better for her to entertain it since she had it. So he put
+his arm around her and kissed her.
+
+Suddenly Rita started up.
+
+"I mus' go," she said. "I will soon return."
+
+And with these words she hurriedly retreated, leaving Russell to his
+breakfast and his meditations.
+
+Russell had been very successful in his attempt to win over Rita to
+his interests; in fact, too successful. His success caused him at
+first not a little perplexity. Rita, he perceived, had misunderstood
+him; but then, in making friendly advances to a woman who was not
+very well up in the English language, it was next to impossible to
+preserve those nice and delicate shades of meaning which he had
+intended. Upon the whole, however, after mature consideration, he
+concluded that it had all turned out for the best.
+
+It was evident that this woman had formed a very strong attachment
+for him. Very well. She would be all the more devoted to his
+interests, and turn all her thoughts and energies toward securing his
+escape. Things could not have turned out better. He had not intended
+it, but if Rita chose to misunderstand him, why should he try to
+undeceive her? The more she cared for him, the better it would be for
+him. And thus Russell, out of his selfish desires for his own safety,
+allowed himself to trifle with the heart's best affections, and
+beguile poor Rita, and allure her with hopes that could never be
+realized.
+
+After all, however, there were grave obstacles in his way. Could he
+desert his wife and leave her in such peril? Or, worse, could he
+leave those precious bonds, which he had so carefully hidden? If he
+did, he might never see them again.
+
+Was it possible to get them before leaving? Would it be safe to tell
+Rita, and direct her to get them for him? This thought occupied him
+for some time, and he almost made up his mind to do so. But the risk
+was too great. After all, Rita might be a spy in the interests of
+"His Majesty," and sent to worm his secret out of him.
+
+No, it would not be safe. It would be safer to leave the bonds where
+they were. If he escaped, he might hope to obtain assistance from the
+Government, in which case he might be able to come back with them, to
+show them the way, and then, when the castle was recaptured, he might
+be able to regain his treasure. And so he decided finally upon this
+course.
+
+At midday Rita returned, bringing his dinner, a savory _olla
+podrida_. She set it down, and then threw her arms around the
+embarrassed Russell, who was seated on the bench, murmuring words of
+endearment in unintelligible Spanish. He bore it well, however, and,
+remembering his necessities, he tried to exhibit those feelings which
+might be expected from him.
+
+Rita this time had a bundle with her, which she gave to Russell,
+directing him to hide it under the bench for the present.
+
+"You mus' disguisar," she said; "this is a woman dress--"
+
+"A woman's dress?"
+
+"Oh, no difficolta. You wait till avenin', then you put him on, ofer
+your militar coat--just as you stands. Alla right; then you
+disguisado, and commalong me. I be alla ready. You waita forra mi.
+But not you put him on till avenin', or mighta be discovaire, you
+know. Ha, senor?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+
+IN WHICH TWO FUGITIVES HAVE A STARTLING ADVENTURE, NOT WITHOUT PERIL.
+
+
+Evening came, and Russell, with Rita's assistance, put on the woman's
+dress over his general's uniform. The skill of Rita was exerted to
+give her companion the appearance of a female somewhat stricken in
+years, and her success was marked.
+
+Perhaps it was this very success that affected the soul of Russell;
+for no sooner did he look like an old woman than he began to feel and
+act like one. Away went all his courage, and he would have drawn back
+after all, had not Rita urged and almost forced him away.
+
+"Allarighta," she said. "The men all gone insidar, and so ongry they
+think of ony the eaters. So come, my dear. No one shall see. You be
+trust to myselfa--an' we go like snake in the grasses."
+
+Russell thus allowed himself to be hurried away by his bolder
+companion on the path that led to liberty. Rita led the way out into
+the upper hall, and Russell followed, not without great trepidation,
+and bitter regret at his rashness, expecting at every step to see
+"His Majesty," and of course to be arrested and flung into some deep,
+dark dungeon. One or two men were there, who, however, took no notice
+of them.
+
+After this they descended the stairs and entered the lower hall.
+Here, to the immense dismay of Russell, he beheld what seemed to be
+the entire Carlist band. It was their feeding-time. A huge pot was in
+the middle of the hall, and these men were dipping out of it their
+respective portions of some savory mess whose odor filled the air.
+Russell shrunk down almost into his boots at the first sight; but
+as Rita walked along, he had no alternative except to follow her.
+Little danger was there, however, of his being observed. All the men
+were too intent upon their evening meal to notice what seemed like
+two very commonplace women who probably belonged to the castle. And
+thus Russell, to his unspeakable relief, passed through this ordeal
+unquestioned and even unnoticed.
+
+Having passed through the lower hall, they emerged into the outer
+court-yard. Here, as he passed through the door, Russell was just
+drawing a long breath, and thinking within himself that the worst was
+over, when suddenly, without any warning, there approached them no
+less a personage than "His Majesty" himself--the very last man, as it
+is needless to say, whom Russell would have chosen to meet. At that
+sight the soul of Russell, which had been slowly struggling upward,
+once more sank down into his boots, carrying down with it all hope,
+and all desire, and almost all consciousness.
+
+There was not the slightest chance of avoiding him. He was coming
+straight toward them. What was worse, his eyes were fixed upon them.
+
+"Ah, Rita," said "His Majesty" in Spanish, "where are you going in
+the dark?"
+
+Bita paused and made a low obeisance. Russell did the same.
+
+"I'm going over there to see about some washing," said Rita.
+
+"Ah ha!" said "His Majesty," "if you only were going alone I should
+say that some brave boy was intending to help you at your washing.
+But you have a friend with you."
+
+Saying these words, "His Majesty" looked hard at the shrinking
+Russell, who now felt his soul all oozing out at the seams of his
+boots. He stood trembling, shrinking, expecting the worst.
+
+But Rita was equal to the occasion.
+
+"Oh, this is my aunt," said she, "that I told you about. I asked her
+to come here and help me. She's a little rheumatic, being old, but
+she can do a good turn at hard work yet; and she's a good cook, too,
+and she can spin well--oh, beautifully; and she is a wonder in her
+way. Oh, we shall have a better _olla podrida_ than you ever tasted
+when the good old aunt goes to work."
+
+"Your aunt--ah!" said "His Majesty," in a tone that savored of
+disappointment. "H'm--well, Rita, the next time you want help don't
+send for any of your aunts, but send for some one of your nieces.
+They will be far more welcome in a lonely place like this. _Olla
+podridas_ are all very well, no doubt, but what I should prefer would
+be some one who could touch the guitar, and sing a lively song."
+
+And with these words "His Majesty" retired.
+
+"Come," said Rita to the almost senseless Russell. "Come."
+
+Again Russell followed her. She led the way toward an archway in the
+wall on one side of the court-yard. Entering this, they found
+themselves in an arched room, in which it was difficult to see
+through the dim twilight. But to Rita the way seemed quite familiar,
+for she walked on and told Russell to follow without fear. At length
+she stopped, and as Russell came up to her, she said:
+
+"We descenda--steps does be here--I takes your hand and helps."
+
+She took his hand, and began to descend. With this assistance Russell
+was able to follow without much difficulty. Soon it became quite
+dark, and continued so for some time, during which Rita led him
+onward as quickly as possible. At length she paused.
+
+"You mus' be careful," she said; "here is the steps brokes, an' you
+shall go slow--and not slips."
+
+It was so dark here that Russell could see nothing; but he felt that
+Rita was descending, so he prepared to follow. The steps here had
+been broken in places, leaving a rough, inclined plane, with loose
+stones and mortar. There was no great difficulty in descending, but
+it was dark, and Russell's long skirts were very much in the way.
+However, by moving slowly, and by exercising great caution, he was
+able to reach the bottom without any accident.
+
+Here Rita took his hand and again led him on. It now began to grow
+lighter, until at last objects were plainly discernible. The light
+was caused by the moonbeams, which shone in through a place where the
+outside wall was broken away. Looking through the opening, Russell
+saw, not far distant, a precipice, with bits of shrubbery here and
+there. Soon they came to the opening itself.
+
+He found himself on the verge of a deep chasm, the very one already
+mentioned. Above the opening projected part of what had once been a
+bridge, but which had long since fallen. On the opposite side was the
+tower where Brooke and Talbot had found refuge. The bridge had once
+crossed to the tower, and, since it had fallen, this opening had been
+made, from which the chasm could be crossed by descending on one side
+and ascending the other. The slope was steep and rough. Russell, as
+he looked down, could not see any chance of farther progress in this
+direction.
+
+"We mus' go down here," said Rita.
+
+"Here?" said Russell. "How? I can't go down!"
+
+"Oh, it is easy; you mus' follow. I show the ways," said Rita; and,
+saying this, she stepped down from the opening upon a ledge of rock.
+Then turning to the right, she went on for a pace or two and turned
+for Russell. Seeing her walk thus far with ease and in safety, he
+ventured after her. The ledge was wide enough to walk on without
+difficulty; and, although the chasm was deep, yet the side did not
+run down steeply enough to make him feel anything like giddiness. The
+pathway was easy enough when one had a guide to show the way; and
+thus Russell, following closely behind Rita, reached the bottom.
+Then, crossing the brook, she led the way up on the opposite side by
+the path already mentioned, and at length both reached the tower, and
+paused to take breath.
+
+Thus far no alarm had been given in the castle. Every step increased
+Russell's confidence, and when he gained the tower he felt sure of
+escape. But to wait here long was not to be thought of; so, after a
+few moments spent in regaining breath, the two set forth to continue
+their flight.
+
+At length, after a fatiguing journey, they reached the main road, and
+here they turned toward the south, in which direction they went for
+some miles.
+
+They had now been walking for many hours, and Russell, who was quite
+unused to any exercise of this sort, was greatly fatigued. Nothing,
+indeed, but the dread of capture and the thought of a merciless
+pursuer on his track had kept him up so long. He felt that he had
+reached the utmost limit of his strength.
+
+At last they caught sight of a windmill in a field on the right. The
+sight enlivened him. Here, he thought, they might hide and obtain
+rest. He said this to Rita. She acquiesced. To gain the windmill was
+now their chief desire.
+
+Nearer they came, and nearer.
+
+But now, just when all seemed gained, they saw a number of armed men
+coming toward them, and in a few minutes they were arrested by the
+followers of Lopez.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVI.
+
+
+HOW DANGERS THICKEN AROUND THE DESPAIRING RUSSELL.
+
+
+The moon was still shining very brightly, and they could see very
+well the faces and the uniforms of their captors. The sight of the
+government uniforms was very reassuring to Rita, who was only anxious
+to escape from the Carlists; but the first glance which Russell gave
+at the captain of the band overwhelmed him with terror. He recognized
+Lopez, and saw that he had fallen into the hands of one who had no
+reason, and perhaps no inclination, to show him the slightest mercy.
+At that sight all Russell's courage subsided, and he fell into a
+state of mental prostration as extreme as that which he had
+experienced when "His Majesty" had confronted him in his flight.
+
+For, unfortunately for him, Lopez had received at his hands treatment
+which was sufficient to inspire a deep resentment even in a man less
+impetuous than this hot-blooded Spaniard. First, he had not only
+discouraged his attentions to Katie, but had prohibited them in every
+possible way, and in the most positive and insulting manner. Again,
+but a short time before this, at the railway station at Madrid, he
+had caused him to be ejected from the railway-carriage. For all this
+he felt that Lopez must cherish a deep desire for vengeance, and
+would rejoice now if he were to discover that his enemy had become
+his prisoner. In such an emergency as this, Russell was utterly
+helpless, and could only hope that his disguise might baffle Lopez,
+or that the quick wit of Rita might be able to save him from
+discovery.
+
+After regarding them for a sufficient time, Lopez began an
+examination of the prisoners.
+
+"Who are you?" he asked.
+
+Rita answered.
+
+"I am a poor woman," said she, "and this lady is a foreigner who does
+not understand Spanish."
+
+"What are you doing here alone on this road?"
+
+"We are fugitives."
+
+"Fugitives from whom?"
+
+"From the Carlists."
+
+At this Lopez was visibly excited.
+
+"The Carlists?" he asked. "Where are they? Where did you leave them?
+Tell the truth, woman, and you shall be rewarded. But if you are
+false, I shall regard you both as spies."
+
+"Noble captain, I am anxious to tell the truth, and glad that we have
+fallen among friends. We have escaped from an old castle some
+distance away, and have been flying for hours--"
+
+"A castle!" said Lopez, interrupting her; "where is it?"
+
+"There, to the north," said Rita.
+
+"Oh, very well. I shall be able to find out from you again where it
+may be situated; but now tell me more about yourselves. What were you
+doing at the castle?"
+
+"Noble senor, about three weeks ago I was taken prisoner by the
+Carlists, and they took me to this castle, where they made me serve
+as an attendant on the prisoners. Among them was this lady."
+
+"Prisoners?" cried Lopez; "have they any others?"
+
+"Two days ago," said Rita, "they brought several new prisoners."
+
+"How many?"
+
+"Six."
+
+"Who were they?"
+
+"I don't know--foreigners."
+
+"Men or women?"
+
+"Three of them were men and three were women. Some one said they were
+English."
+
+"English?" said Lopez, growing more excited still at this news, which
+was so much in accordance with his wishes--"English? Tell me more
+about them."
+
+"Well, senor, of the men one was elderly; the other two were young,
+quite handsome; they looked rich, noble, proud."
+
+"Never mind. Now tell me about the women. Were they ladies?"
+
+"Yes, senor, they were noble ladies, wealthy, high-born, proud. And
+one was elderly, and they said she was a great lady. And some said
+she was the mother of the young ladies, though they did not look like
+her daughters, nor did they look like sisters."
+
+"Tell me about them; what did they look like?"
+
+"One, senor, looked like a Spanish lady. And she was dark and
+beautiful and sad, with melancholy eyes. Never did the sun shine on a
+more lovely lady; but her sadness always made me feel sad."
+
+Lopez interrupted her with an impatient gesture.
+
+"Never mind her. Now describe the other one." said he.
+
+"The other?" said Rita; "she looked like an English duchess. She was
+light--oh, a wonderful light blonde, with golden hair, and eyes as
+blue as heaven, with cheeks pink-and-white, and with dimples dancing
+on them, and with the smile of an angel that always lurked in her
+lips and laughed out of her eyes. And she was as beautiful as a
+dream, and no one ever saw her sad. Heaven does not hold in all its
+mansions a more beautiful, beautiful angel than this English
+duchess."
+
+Rita spoke enthusiastically; the more so as she saw Lopez look at her
+with a deep attention, and a gaze that devoured all her words.
+
+"That is she!" cried Lopez, in intense excitement. "That is the one
+of whom I wished to hear. So you have seen her? Ah, well, good woman,
+this information is your best passport--more, it is worth much to me.
+I'll reward you."
+
+"Oh, senor," said Rita, anxious to strike while the iron was hot, and
+secure her freedom at once, "if this information is welcome and
+valuable, the only reward I want is to let us go. Let us go, noble
+senor, for we have urgent business, and our detention here may be our
+ruin."
+
+"Ruin?" cried Lopez; "what nonsense! You are free now, and safe from
+the Carlists. As to letting you go, that is out of the question. You
+are the very woman I want to see. You know all about this castle. You
+must be my guide back to it. I have been sent to recapture those
+unfortunate prisoners. I have been unable thus far to get on their
+track. As to that castle, there is a certain one up yonder which I
+had an idea of reconnoitring; but if all I hear is true, I shall have
+to get artillery. Now you have escaped, and you may be able to give
+me information of a very valuable kind. I should like to know how you
+contrived to escape from a place like that, and I urge you to be
+frank with me. Remember this, that the quickest way to liberty will
+be to help me to get those prisoners. You must remain with me until
+then. The sooner I capture them, the sooner you shall be allowed to
+depart."
+
+All this was a sore blow to Rita's hopes; but her quick mind soon
+took in all the facts of her position, and she concluded that it
+would be best to be frank, as the captain had urged. She also saw
+that it would be for her interest that the castle should be captured
+as soon as possible. And she knew, too, that a band of brave men,
+headed by a determined leader, could have no difficulty in capturing
+the castle by a surprise, if she should only make known to them the
+passage-way by which she had lately escaped.
+
+Accordingly Rita proceeded to give to Lopez a full account of the way
+in which she had managed to effect the escape of herself and her
+companion from the castle. Lopez listened with the deepest attention,
+making her explain with the utmost minuteness the nature of the
+chambers and passages which she had traversed, and their position
+with reference to the rest of the castle; also the track down the
+sides of the chasm; its height, length, and width, and how far it
+offered concealment to those passing over it.
+
+"My good woman," said he, "do not object to a little further
+detention. I assure you it need not be for more than twenty-four
+hours. After all, what is that? By this time to-morrow I shall have
+that castle in my own hands. It is of such infinite importance to me
+to capture those prisoners, that I assure you there is nothing I will
+not do for you, if you are faithful to me till I conclude this
+business of mine. So make up your mind to work for me in a cheerful,
+loyal, active way; and you will rejoice to your dying day that you
+ever met with Hernando Lopez."
+
+During this conversation, Russell, standing apart, had watched them
+attentively. Although unable to understand the words, he was able to
+gather from the faces, gestures, and tones of the two a very fair
+idea of their meaning. He could see that Lopez grew more and more
+excited; that the excitement was most intense, yet altogether
+agreeable; and that he himself was far, very far, from being the
+subject of that conversation. He could see that the effect produced
+upon Lopez was of the most desirable kind, and that the dreaded
+captain was now in a mood from which no danger was to be apprehended.
+And therefore it was that the virtuous, yet undeniably timid Russell,
+began to pluck up heart. To such a degree was his late terror
+surmounted, that he now became conscious of a fact which had hitherto
+been suppressed under the long excitement of hurried flight and
+sudden capture; and this fact was that he had been fasting for a long
+time, and was now ravenously hungry.
+
+At length the conversation ended, and Lopez was about to turn away,
+when, suddenly, he noticed Russell. He raised his hat courteously as
+if to a lady, and Russell returned this civility with a most awkward
+bow. But Lopez did not notice this. He was in a pleasant frame of
+mind, and full of excited hopes.
+
+"I hope," said he, with a polite smile, "your ladyship will not be
+put out by this slight delay. Otherwise I am at your service."
+
+Russell understood this to be an offer of assistance, and, feeling
+secure in his disguise, he made a bold effort to communicate with the
+enemy. And this is the way he did it:
+
+"Me hungry," he said; "d--n hungry!"
+
+"Hungria?" said Lopez. "Ah, a Hungarian lady! Ah, true--I had
+forgotten. And so, Rita, your friend is a Hungarian lady?"
+
+"Yes," said Rita, delighted at having her companion's nationality so
+conveniently disposed of. "Yes; she's a foreigner, a Hungarian lady,
+and no one can understand her language."
+
+"Very good," said Lopez. "It is all the same whether Hungarian or
+Spanish. She is a lady, and shall be treated as well as possible. And
+now, Rita, you must rest, for you must be strong and active for
+tomorrow's work."
+
+With these words Lopez showed them to their resting-place. It was in
+the loft, where Brooke and Talbot were confined. Here Rita ascended
+nimbly, and Russell followed, not without difficulty; and soon Rita
+forgot her fatigue, and Russell his hunger, in a sound sleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVII.
+
+
+IN WHICH RUSSELL MAKES NEW FRIENDS, AND TALBOT SEES NEW PERILS.
+
+
+Russell and Rita had thus been brought to the loft of the old mill,
+in which Brooke and Talbot were prisoners. It was fortunate for these
+latter that there had occurred this little episode of the arrival of
+new prisoners, for it served to give a diversion to their thoughts,
+turning them into a new channel, and relieving them from that intense
+excitement of feeling by which they had been overcome. It also gave
+them a subject of common interest apart from themselves; and thus
+they were once more able to converse with one another, without having
+that sense of violent self-restraint which had thus far afflicted
+them. Brooke was able to be lively, without any affectation of too
+extravagant gayety, and Talbot was no longer crushed into dumbness.
+
+They had seen the arrival of the prisoners from the window, and had
+watched them closely. The two fugitives had been captured close by
+the mill by the band of Lopez, just as that band was approaching the
+spot after a weary and useless day. The examination had been
+overheard by the two listeners in the loft, who were thus able to
+understand the meaning of the new turn which affairs had taken. After
+the prisoners had been brought up to the loft, their character and
+appearance still formed a field for ingenious speculation; and many
+were the theories hazarded by each, in turn, toward the solution of
+those points.
+
+Morning at length came, and the prisoners awaked. Rita was first on
+her feet, and Brooke was able to read her whole character at a
+glance. He saw her to be a common sort of woman, with a bold face,
+piercing eyes, and ready tongue. He soon entered into a conversation
+with her, and learned from her exactly what she had already told
+Lopez. She also informed him that Lopez had detained her, in order
+that she might guide him back to the castle. This much Brooke had
+already gathered from what little he had overheard of the examination
+of the previous evening, and it gave him unmixed pleasure. For,
+although he had refused to violate his honor by acting as guide to
+betray the castle, he had no objection that others should do so. The
+fate of the castle and its Carlist occupants was in itself a matter
+of indifference to him. To be taken there would make an agreeable
+change for himself and Talbot. If Lopez should take them with him, it
+would be pleasant to go back with Talbot to that tower and renew the
+past; and although, for reasons already given, he did not feel like
+flying with her, still he felt that liberty would be better for both,
+and was ready to avail himself of any chance that might offer.
+
+Brooke reported to Talbot what Rita had said, and while they were
+conversing Russell awoke. Suddenly he detected, to his amazement, the
+sound of English words. The shock was so great that he was on the
+very point of betraying himself, and it was only by a strong effort
+that he maintained his self-control. Then, listening quietly, he
+understood the whole state of the case, as it had resulted from
+Rita's examination by Lopez.
+
+Unable to sleep any longer, Russell roused himself, and slowly
+putting himself on his feet, walked to the window. His figure and
+movements at once struck the notice of Talbot, who drew the attention
+of Brooke to the strange and eccentric attitudes of the "Hungarian
+countess." Brooke scrutinized the good Russell closely, and expressed
+his opinions with great freedom, and a severe criticism followed, in
+which these two, safe, as they supposed, in the ignorance of the
+foreigner, made very severe strictures upon Russell's whole
+_personnel_.
+
+Russell, for his part, watched them as well as he could, and listened
+attentively, without being in the least offended. He could perceive
+easily enough that the priest was English and the other was American.
+He longed, in his helplessness, to take them into his confidence. He
+was not at all satisfied with his own relations toward Rita, and
+thought that if he could only trust these two, who were of his own
+blood, he might be safe. And yet he felt the need of caution. They
+might betray him. Like himself, they were prisoners, perhaps in a
+more perilous situation, and would not hesitate to sacrifice him if
+they could gain anything by it.
+
+When he heard of the proposed return to the castle, he felt at first
+thoroughly dismayed. Farther thought, however, made it seem less
+dreadful, for he hoped that if Lopez were to capture the place and
+deliver Katie, his wrath might be appeased, and he might recover his
+hidden money; while, on the other hand, he perceived that if the
+worst came to the worst and his disguise was discovered, Lopez even
+then could not be more dangerous than "His Majesty" had been.
+
+There was something, however, in the tone and manner of these two, as
+well as in their general aspect, which gradually broke down the
+mistrust and reserve of Russell. He began to feel convinced that he
+might trust them, that his secret would be safe in their hands, and
+that they might give him valuable information and advice, if not
+assistance. Besides, he reflected that chances of escape might arise,
+and he thought that he would be safer in their company than in that
+of Rita. Finally, he came to the conclusion to trust them. But here
+he determined to go only half-way. He would tell them that he was
+English, but not an Englishman, and would leave farther disclosures
+to the chapter of accidents. If Lopez should discover this much and
+no more, there would be no danger, and he might conclude that he
+himself had made the mistake, since Hungarian and English were both
+alike unknown to him.
+
+
+[Illustration: The Hungarian Countess.]
+
+
+After careful observation, Russell also concluded that he would be
+safer if he addressed his confidences to the young priest with the
+sweet and gentle face. The other one looked less trustworthy, or at
+least less inclined to pity. Under these circumstances, therefore,
+and with this design, the good man began his advances, moving in a
+hesitating way toward them, with furtive glances, and with such very
+extraordinary gestures that Brooke and Talbot regarded him in great
+surprise.
+
+"The Hungarian countess," said Talbot, "seems more eccentric than
+ever."
+
+Russell looked all around in a stealthy way. Rita's eyes were fixed
+on him, but he did not care for that. He smiled at her, however, and
+nodded blithely, so as to disarm any possible suspicions, and then
+addressed himself to Talbot.
+
+"Oh, sir!" said he, "I'm not a Hungarian countess at all. I'm a poor
+unfortunate English-woman, that's escaping from the banditti, with
+the help of this good creature. And I know I can trust you."
+
+At this the amazement of Brooke and Talbot was inexpressible. Brooke,
+however, held his tongue, seeing that as Talbot had been addressed,
+it would be better for her to answer. So Talbot, after a few
+expressions of sympathy, asked Russell to explain farther.
+
+Russell then informed them that her name was Mrs. Russell; that she
+had been captured, along with her daughter, by the Carlists; that she
+had escaped, hoping to get help to rescue her daughter. All this
+Russell stated, not without much circumlocution and contradiction.
+
+Brooke now interposed.
+
+"But don't you know," said he, "that these people are
+Republicans--that they're going to capture the castle, or try to? If
+they succeed, they will free your daughter. So you see you have
+fallen among the right sort of people, and you may be quite at your
+ease. It's all the best for you. If I were you, I would tell the
+captain all about it. Get yonder good woman, your companion, to
+explain."
+
+At this Russell gave a look of despair.
+
+"The very thing," said he, "that I dare not do."
+
+"Why not?"
+
+Russell then, still keeping up the part of Mrs. Russell, and
+mentioning Katie as her daughter, explained that Lopez was his bitter
+enemy, and told them about his love for Katie and his ejection from
+the railway-carriage.
+
+"Well," said Brooke, "you needn't be afraid of him. This matter will
+settle itself. He'll free your daughter from captivity, and she'll
+marry him, of course. After that you can take the sweetest revenge on
+him by tormenting him for the rest of his days as his mother-in-law."
+
+Russell sighed a heavy sigh and turned away. As he did so, he caught
+the eyes of Rita, which were fastened upon him with a fixed, earnest,
+eager stare, and there was that in her look which served to drive
+away every other thought except the one that in this woman there was
+a new danger, more formidable than any which had yet menaced him.
+This look made him feel like an arrested debtor in the grasp of the
+bailiff, or like an insane man under the watchful eye of his keeper.
+In Rita he now recognized his bailiff and his keeper. She was worse.
+She had designs on him! And for what? For marrying him. Marriage was,
+of course, impossible, for he had a wife already; but did Rita know
+this? To tell the truth, he had been fooling her; and he now saw for
+the first time that he would have to answer for this. When she should
+discover it, what would she do? He had heard the words of the poet:
+
+
+"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,"
+
+
+and he recalled these words only to shudder. He shuddered still more
+as he thought that Rita belonged to the Spanish race--a race that
+never forgives--a race implacable, swift to avenge--a race that
+recognizes only one atonement for wrongs, and that is to wipe them
+out in blood.
+
+Such were the thoughts of our honest friend, and they were painful in
+the extreme. They awakened new fears. That one look of Rita's made
+him dread her more than Lopez, more than "His Majesty." He began to
+think now, with something like pleasure, of going back to the castle.
+Lopez would protect him; and if Lopez should fail, he would steal
+back by the secret path and surrender himself to "His Majesty." He
+would find his bonds, and purchase his freedom with these. In
+addition to this, he determined to wait for a favorable opportunity,
+when Rita might be away, to confide to these new and sympathizing
+friends the whole story of his woes.
+
+Further conversation between Russell and these new friends was now
+prevented by the entrance of Lopez himself. He advanced to Brooke,
+and addressed him with much civility, not without friendliness.
+
+"Senor," said he, "I have been thinking over your case, and I have
+concluded to hand you over to my military superiors. They may take
+the responsibility of deciding about your guilt or innocence. But for
+the present, as I am responsible for you, I must detain you as my
+prisoner. If you were only connected with some recognized profession,
+I should be happy to accept your parole, and let you follow at your
+leisure; but as you are considered here a possible spy, I cannot
+think of that. You must, therefore, come with us under guard.
+Moreover, as to your friend, this young priest, he must consider
+himself as bound, for a short time, with us. I expect to have need of
+him for a few days. I have nothing against him; he is not a prisoner,
+but is detained merely for a purpose in connection with his sacred
+office. When that purpose is accomplished, he will be at liberty to
+go or stay."
+
+With these words Lopez retired. He had taken no notice of Russell, at
+which the latter felt a deep sense of relief.
+
+Far different, however, were the feelings of Brooke, and of Talbot
+also, when he had translated to her the captain's words.
+
+"He has need of me," repeated Talbot, "for a purpose in connection
+with my sacred office. Is that what he said, Brooke?"
+
+"Yes," said Brooke, in a low voice.
+
+"But what am I to do?"
+
+Brooke led her away, out of Russell's hearing, and conversed with her
+in low whispers.
+
+"Don't anticipate trouble, Talbot," he whispered.
+
+"But I must prepare myself for a possible emergency," was the reply.
+"Now, what emergency can possibly arise?"
+
+"The burial of the dead, perhaps," said Brooke. "They are going to
+attack the castle. Some will be killed. That's natural enough. Have
+you nerve enough to perform the burial-service?"
+
+"I don't know," said Talbot. "I might as well try to command a
+regiment."
+
+"Oh, I'll show you the whole thing. All you've got to do is to read
+the burial-service out of the breviary. We'll practice it together.
+You need only pronounce the Latin like Italian. Do you know Italian?"
+
+"No."
+
+"French?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Oh, well, you're an English priest, you know, and so you had better
+pronounce it like English. These devils will be none the wiser."
+
+Talbot was silent and thoughtful for a few moments.
+
+"Brooke," said she, at length, "what were they saying about Lopez
+going to rescue an English girl, this--this person's daughter? This
+person, a--Mrs. Russell, said that Lopez was in love with the girl.
+You spoke about his rescuing her and marrying her."
+
+She hesitated.
+
+"Well?" said Brooke.
+
+"Well," said Talbot, mournfully, "don't you see what I mean? and the
+use he wishes to make of me in my false character as priest?"
+
+"By Jove!" exclaimed Brooke, as Talbot's meaning dawned upon him.
+
+"You see, Brooke, I'm afraid that in my disguise as priest I may be
+required to marry this English girl to Lopez; and that is
+sacrilege--it is infamy--it is too horrible. I cannot--I will not.
+Never!"
+
+At this Brooke was filled with consternation. He could only say
+something about the necessity of not anticipating evil, and express
+the hope that it might only be a burial. But Talbot felt that her
+fear was just, and that a new and unavoidable danger now arose before
+her.
+
+
+***
+
+
+In a short time after this the band set off, guided by Rita. Toward
+evening they reached a spot about a mile from the castle, where they
+secreted themselves in a grove, and rested.
+
+Evening came, and the moon rose. Then, as silently as possible, they
+went to the tower. Here arrangements were made for the security of
+the prisoners, and Rita prepared to lead the band through the secret
+way into the castle.
+
+
+[Illustration: "Russell Followed, Not Without Difficulty."]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXVIII.
+
+
+IN WHICH, AFTER A SERIES OF SURPRISES, "HIS MAJESTY" GETS THE
+GREATEST SURPRISE OF ALL.
+
+
+Return must now be made to the castle and the two young men whose
+duel had been interrupted. Captured thus, they stood for a time quite
+overwhelmed, their intense excitement now followed by a violent
+reaction, in the midst of which there was the appalling thought of
+the consequences which might flow from this. For Ashby to be found in
+Harry's room would surely lead to the discovery of everything--the
+secret passage-way, the sliding-door, and, perhaps, their visits to
+the ladies. Each one thought of this for himself. Each one had
+believed that the Carlists did not know about the secret passages.
+But now all was over.
+
+"Well," continued "His Majesty," speaking in Spanish, "business
+before pleasure. We will examine you both about this tomorrow. For
+the present we will leave a guard in this room. Meanwhile, Senor
+Rivers, you may hand over that pistol; or stay--no--you have put it
+to such a noble use that you may keep it: one pistol against six men
+need not be feared. And now, gentlemen, adieu till to-morrow."
+
+With these words "His Majesty" retired, securing the door behind him,
+and Harry and Ashby were left with the guards. They stood apart from
+one another, pale, anxious, and each wrapped up in his own thoughts.
+For all that had happened each blamed the other, and thus their
+mutual hate was only intensified.
+
+The cause of "His Majesty's" appearance upon the scene can be easily
+explained. He had been greatly troubled in his mind by the "ghost" in
+Mrs. Russell's room, and could not account for it. He had not thought
+of any secret communication, for, being a comparative stranger here,
+he had not known of any. Thinking, however, that he might get some
+light on the subject, he had wandered to the door of Harry's room,
+and there the sound of voices had arrested his attention. Knowing
+that Harry was placed there in solitary confinement, he felt that the
+clue to the mystery might now be here; and so, gathering half a dozen
+men, he had come in upon them as above described.
+
+Leaving this room, "His Majesty" now went once more to the room of
+Mrs. Russell, in the hope of gaining more light yet. Upon entering,
+he was once more nearly overthrown by the impetuous onslaught of the
+irrepressible Mrs. Russell, who, at this new and unexpected advent of
+her royal lover, overwhelmed herself and everybody else with her
+joyous vociferations. This, however, "His Majesty" endured with truly
+royal dignity, tempering kindness with firmness, and dealing gently
+with her weak woman's nature. Katie was there, but the royal eye, on
+wandering about, noticed the absence of Dolores.
+
+"Whativer's become av the senorita?" he asked.
+
+Mrs. Russell gave a startled look around.
+
+"What! Where is she? She's gone!" she screamed; "she's gone! Oh, Your
+Gracious Majesty, the ghost! the ghost! Save me!"
+
+"Whisht! Howld yer tung!" said "His Majesty." "The ghost, is it? So
+he's come an' carried off the senorita! Well, I've found the ghost."
+
+"Found the ghost!" gasped Mrs. Russell.
+
+"Mesilf has. Begorra, it's the truth I'm tellin'. Do ye know his
+name?"
+
+"His name!" gasped Mrs. Russell, once more thinking of her late
+terrible fancy.
+
+"Yis, his name; ye can't guess it? No? Well, I'll tell yez. It's
+Ashby."
+
+"Ashby! Mr. Ashby!" cried Mrs. Russell. "Why! how could he get here?"
+
+"Oh, well," said "His Majesty," "he did get here, an' that's no loie.
+How he got here I'll find out to-morrer. But he did get here, an'
+he's been here since, an' by the same token he's sperited off the
+senorita. But there's two av thim."
+
+"Two of them!" repeated Mrs. Russell, in wonder.
+
+"Ay, two av thim; an' the other's that young blade Rivers!"
+
+Katie, thus far, had not said a word. She heard of the discovery of
+Ashby with surprise, but with no deeper feeling. The moment, however,
+that the name of Rivers was mentioned, she gave a gasp, and her head
+fell forward on her hands.
+
+"His Majesty" noticed the action. He put his own interpretation upon
+it. But he said not a word that had any reference to it; he was too
+cautious for that. And surely in this "His Majesty" showed a skill
+and a discrimination which was most politic, and well worthy of the
+royal ruler of millions. More than this. One glance showed him how
+the land lay with Katie; so our monarch, not content with abstaining
+from all further allusion to Harry, actually carried his
+complaisance--or, if you please, his diplomacy--so far as to try to
+appease all possible anxieties that might arise in Katie's mind.
+
+"Shure the two lads meant no harrum at all at all," said "His
+Majesty." "They happened to find a way to get here, an' they came
+here, an' begorra they'd have been fools if they didn't. Shure to
+glory, there's no harrum in life in comin' here on a bit av a visit.
+An' there's no wondher that a young man 'ud come here, wid such
+charrums as these to invoite him. Shure it 'ud be enough to call the
+dead back to loife, so it would. An' if they've run off wid the
+senorita, all I can say is, they can't go far, an' the senorita'll
+have to come back agin, so she will:
+
+
+  "'Tis to visit my Nancy I go,
+    Through bushes au' briers an' flucis;
+  For Nancy has bothered me brains,
+    An' I've taken French lave av me sinsis.'"
+
+
+"And wasn't there any ghost at all?" asked Mrs. Russell, to whom this
+information had given inexpressible relief.
+
+"Well," said "His Majesty, "there's no knowin'; an' it's best to be
+on yer gyard, so it is, for sorra a one av us knows whin a ghost may
+be prowlin' round about, an' there ye have it. As for the other
+ghosts, Ashby an' Rivers, they won't do yez any more harruum--they're
+undher gyard."
+
+"Under guard!" said Katie, and threw an imploring look at "His
+Majesty." It was almost the first time that he had fairly caught her
+eye, so dexterously had she always avoided his glance.
+
+"Well," said "His Majesty," "they're none the worse for that--not a
+bit. Av all r'y'l atthributes none is so thruly majistic as the
+atthributes av mercy, an' makeniss, an' magnanimeetee. These are the
+shuprame atthributes av r'y'lty, an' iminintly characterize our own
+r'y'l chyracter, so they does. So the young lads may whistle for all
+av me--an' sorra a harrum shall harrum thim."
+
+At this Katie threw toward "His Majesty" a glance of gratitude
+unspeakable, which sank deep into the royal soul.
+
+"An' now, ladies," said he, "I must infarrum yez that afther the
+ayvints av this noight I doesn't considher this room safe for yez at
+all at all. Shure it's loike a public thoroughfare, an' it's a
+gathering-place an' rendezvous for min an' angils, ghosts an'
+hobgoblins, an' all manner av ayvil craytures. So the long an' the
+short av it is, I have to infarrum yez that I'm going to move yez out
+av this the morrer, an' have yez put in another room where there
+won't be nothin' in loife to harrum yez, where ye'll have more
+comfort comboined with safety thin ye've had here."
+
+This remark made Katie reflect. The worst had already happened--the
+discovery and arrest of Harry. After that she could not hope to see
+him again. She did not wish to leave the room; but as Harry's visits
+were now at an end, she could not see that it would make any
+difference. But Mrs. Russell had a great deal to say.
+
+"Oh, how grateful!" she cried, in her most gushing manner. "Oh, how
+deeply grateful I am to Your Gracious Majesty! It's so kind, so
+thoughtful, so considerate, and so true. Oh, what can I ever say or
+do to express my gratitude? Only, Your Gracious Majesty, do not leave
+me now! Leave me not--oh, forsake me not! This room is a place of
+horrors. It is a haunted chamber. When you are here, I have no fear;
+but when you are gone, then I am overwhelmed. Oh, Your Gracious
+Majesty, forsake me not! Leave me not! Oh, leave me not,
+or--I--shall--die!"
+
+Against such an appeal as this the gallantry of "His Majesty" was
+scarcely proof.
+
+He threw a tender glance at Katie, which, however, was not perceived,
+and then said:
+
+"Shure to glory, if it's afeared ye are, why that's a different
+matther, so it is. I didn't intind to move yez away this noight; but
+if yez are afeared, why there's no raison in loife why yez shouldn't
+go off now to the other room."
+
+"Oh, take me away!" cried Mrs. Russell; "take me away, Your Royal
+Majesty--take me with you!"
+
+"Shure it's mesilf that'll take both av yez, if ye wish it, whiniver
+ye say the worrud," said "His Majesty." "An' remimber, there's the
+crown av Spain, an' the power, an' the glory, an' the dignity, an'
+the pomp, an' the splindor av the Spanish throne, all to be had wid a
+wink av one av your lovely eyes, so it is. Remimber that."
+
+"Ah, sire!" said Mrs. Russell, languishingly. "Oh, Your Gracious
+Majesty! Ah, what shall I say?"
+
+She had taken it all to herself, and in the most open way; while
+Katie didn't take it at all. "His Majesty" saw this, and determined
+to be more direct.
+
+"Well," said he, "ye see--"
+
+But at this moment a wild yell sounded forth from without, with
+sudden and appalling fury. It burst upon their ears, from the
+stillness of midnight, with terrific violence, chilling the very
+blood in their veins. Then came the rush of heavy feet, the clatter
+of swords, the explosion of firearms, the shouts of many voices:
+
+"Hurrah for the Republic!"
+
+"Down with the Carlists!"
+
+Mrs. Russell gave a long, piercing yell, which drowned every other
+sound, and flung herself into "His Majesty's" arms.
+
+"His Majesty" tore himself away.
+
+"What's that?" he cried. "It's an insurrection av the populace, so it
+is. We'll so off an' mate thim."
+
+With these words he rushed out of the room.
+
+The ladies were left alone, and listened in terror to the uproar. Up
+from every side there came the shouts of men, the tramp of rushing
+feet, the clangor of trumpets, and the thunder of firearms. Far on
+high from the battlemented roof; far down from the vaulted cellars;
+without, from the courtyards; within, from unseen chambers, came the
+uproar of fighting-men. There was a wild rush forward, and another
+fierce rush backward; now all the conflict seemed to sway on one
+side, now on another; at one time the congregated sounds would all
+gather apparently in one central point, then this would burst and
+break, and with a wild explosion all the castle, in every part, would
+be filled with universal riot. Then came the clang of arms, the
+volleying of guns, the trampling of feet, the hurrying, the
+struggling, the panting, the convulsive screaming of a multitude of
+men in the fierce, hot agony of battle.
+
+In the midst of this the door was flung open, and "His Majesty" burst
+into the room. His apparel was all disordered; his face and hands
+were blackened with powder and stained with blood. He appeared to
+have been in the thickest of the fight. He burst in, and instantly
+banging to the door, he fastened it on the inside.
+
+"We're betrayed!" he cried. "It's the inimy! We'll be captured! We'll
+be executed! All's lost!"
+
+At this Mrs. Russell flung herself into the royal arms. "His Majesty"
+had by this time grown so accustomed to this that he accepted it with
+resignation as part of the misfortunes of the hour, and merely heaved
+a sigh.
+
+But they were roused by thunderous blows upon the door. Massive
+though that door was, it would soon be beaten in by such blows as
+those.
+
+"We're lost!" cried "His Majesty." "Is there any way out? Shure some
+av yez know," he asked, eagerly. "Ye know," he said, earnestly, to
+Katie, "the way--the way _he_ came--Rivers!"
+
+"His Majesty's" position was desperate. At such an appeal Katie could
+not be unmoved.
+
+"Save me! Show me the way," repeated "His Majesty."
+
+Katie said nothing. She hurried toward the fireplace. "His Majesty"
+followed. Mrs. Russell still clung to the royal person.
+
+Katie pointed up the steps to the opening.
+
+"Is it there?--begorra, mesilf never knowed it or suspected it."
+
+He seized a torch that lay in the fireplace, and sprang up into the
+opening. Then he lighted it.
+
+"Aren't you going to take me, Your Sacred Majesty? Oh, leave me not!"
+
+"Be jabers!" cried "His Majesty," "I'll baffle thim yet: yis,
+ladies--I'll help yez--come along, thin."
+
+Mrs. Russell came first; Katie then followed. Katie's motive in
+following was nothing in particular, but several in general. In the
+first place, she was afraid of the fighting-men bursting into the
+room; in the second place, she naturally clung to the fortunes of her
+auntie; and, finally, she had a vague idea of meeting with Harry.
+
+Thus the two ladies followed, while "His Majesty" went ahead,
+carrying the torch.
+
+At length he came to a place where the stone opened into the
+passage-way. It had been left open by Ashby. This place seemed to
+"His Majesty" to lead in a more favorable direction, and accordingly
+he turned in here. Then he descended the steps, and finally reached
+an opening. He stood here and listened. The room below seemed empty.
+He descended, requesting the ladies to wait a few moments. On
+reaching the room, he perceived that it was closed. The door had not
+been opened.
+
+Ashby was not there, of course, as "His Majesty" knew; but "His
+Majesty" was not a little surprised at seeing Dolores. There was no
+chance for her to hide, so she stood looking at him. But her face was
+pale, and sad, and frightened.
+
+Before a word could be said, Mrs. Russell scrambled down, and came
+clinging to "His Majesty." Katie followed, and, in great amazement,
+saw Dolores. She at once ran up to her, put her arms around her, and
+kissed her.
+
+"I might accuse this senorita of high-traison," said "His Majesty,"
+"but what's the use?"
+
+"Oh, sire, spare her!" said Mrs. Russell. "Remember that mercy is
+majesty's darling attribute."
+
+"Bedad it is," said "His Majesty." "Who iver says it isn't? And you,
+senorita," said "His Majesty" to Dolores, in Spanish--"you seem to
+know the secret ways here."
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Why did you come here?"
+
+"I fled here."
+
+"His Majesty" smiled.
+
+"Oh, I understand; but don't fear me. I wouldn't harm you--though
+this does look like treason. Still, answer me frankly, do you know
+any other secret passages?"
+
+"I know them all."
+
+"Will you help me to escape?"
+
+Dolores hesitated.
+
+"You need not hesitate; if you don't help me I'll kill you. No, I
+won't kill you--I'll kill Ashby. He's in the hands of six of my
+guards. I've only to give the word, and he'll be shot. Quick,
+now--what do you say?"
+
+"Will you let me go free?" asked Dolores.
+
+"Well," said "His Majesty," "under the circumstances, I think I will
+consent to let you go free. Oh yes; only show me the way out, and you
+may do as you choose."
+
+"Then I will show you," said Dolores. "But, first, will you tell me
+in what room Senor Ashby is confined?"
+
+"No," said "His Majesty;" "get me out first, and then I will let you
+know all you wish."
+
+"Very well," said Dolores.
+
+She led the way up into the passage which they had left. Mrs. Russell
+followed close upon "His Majesty's" heels. As for Katie, she did not
+move.
+
+Follow? Why should she? It was quiet here, and the immediate fear of
+the armed men no longer impelled her away. Should she leave the
+castle? Not she. The castle seemed to be captured by some enemy. This
+enemy must be the soldiers of the government. In that case she ought
+by all means to stay. Besides, she knew that Harry was still here,
+and to escape without him was not to be thought of.
+
+The consequence was that Katie remained behind. It was very dark; but
+that made no difference, as she had grown accustomed to the darkness
+since she had come here. True, the moonbeams glimmered through the
+narrow windows, but the greater part of the room was sunk in gloom.
+She thought for a moment of trying to persuade her "Auntie" to
+remain; but the next instant she reflected upon the infatuation of
+"Auntie" about "His Majesty," and concluded that it would be useless
+to say a word. And therefore "Auntie" went off, leaving Katie alone,
+seeking the crown of Spain, and the throne, and sceptre, and power,
+might, dominion, pomp, splendor, and majesty--will-o'-the-wisps all
+of them, my beloved readers, in search of which I'm afraid poor
+"Auntie" will come to grief.
+
+Dolores led the way, followed thus by "His Majesty" and "Auntie." At
+the top they came to the stone door-way, which was still open. This
+Dolores closed carefully.
+
+Then she pressed against a stone which was on the opposite side of
+the chamber. It yielded, and opened in just like the other. Passing
+through, they all found themselves in a chamber like the last, only
+it ran in a different direction. Here Dolores closed this door as
+carefully as before.
+
+From this chamber another passage-way led. It is not necessary to
+detail here the way by which Dolores led them. Suffice it to say that
+it was long, tortuous, and constantly descending by means of many
+steps. Several stone doors had to be opened.
+
+To one less familiar than Dolores, all passage through would have
+been impossible, and "His Majesty" came to the conclusion that he
+could never find his way back, if ever he wanted to come. He said as
+much to Dolores.
+
+"It's easy to learn," said she. "The plan on which it is arranged is
+so simple that a child can understand it when once it is explained;
+but you never could find it out for yourself."
+
+"Very likely," said "His Majesty." "It's the way with most riddles."
+
+They continued on, until at last they came to a place at which
+Dolores, after pushing the rock, stood and listened. There was a
+sound, outside, of rushing water.
+
+Then, pushing at the rock again, it opened. The torch-light shining
+out disclosed a cavern, at the mouth of which this passage-way thus
+opened. A brook bubbled along in front. Opposite was a precipice.
+Above was the sky, where the moon shone. They were at the bottom of
+the deep chasm.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIX.
+
+
+HOW LOPEZ AGAIN MEETS WITH KATIE, AND HOW KATIE SHOWS NO JOY AT HER
+DELIVERANCE.
+
+
+Katie remained, as has been stated, in the lower room, which had been
+Ashby's place of imprisonment. She was not long left alone: soon she
+heard the noise of footsteps. There was nothing in this sound to
+alarm her, however, and so she waited quite calmly, thinking that the
+new-comer might be more friendly than the last, and that this new
+turn of affairs might improve her position. The door opened, and a
+man entered in the dress of an officer, while behind him there were
+visible soldiers in the uniform of the Spanish army. These men
+carried torches.
+
+The first comer, also had a torch, which he held high above his head
+as he stared about and peered through the gloom. At length he caught
+sight of Katie, and, with a cry of joy, advanced straight toward her.
+It was not until he had come close to her that Katie was able to
+recognize Lopez.
+
+"Why, Captain Lopez!" she said, in excellent Spanish; for her Spanish
+connections, and life in Spain, had made her as familiar as a native
+with that language. "I never was so amazed in my life. I never heard
+that you were here; why haven't I seen you before?"
+
+Lopez paused for a moment in surprise at Katie's words, and still
+more at her manner.
+
+"I've only arrived this instant," said he, "and I've come here to
+save you from these brigands, and congratulate you and myself on my
+good-fortune in finding you. The other ladies I cannot find. I hope,
+senorita, that you have not suffered much while here a prisoner in
+the hands of these ruffians?"
+
+"Oh no," said Katie.
+
+"This room is not fit for you," continued Lopez, "and you shall at
+once be removed to a more comfortable apartment."
+
+Such a proposal as this was by no means agreeable to Katie, who liked
+the idea of the secret passage, and did not wish to go out of reach
+of it.
+
+"Oh, do not take me away from here!" said she. "I assure you I prefer
+this room to any other. In fact, I am quite attached to it."
+
+Lopez laughed.
+
+"Really," said he, "I had no idea that a prisoner could become
+attached to such a gloomy dungeon as this. Ah, senorita, you are
+jesting. I assure you, however, that there are better rooms than this
+in the castle, and in a few minutes you shall be taken to one. You
+shall also be provided with proper attendants; for there are
+women about the castle who can wait on you."
+
+Lopez was so earnest and determined that Katie saw plainly the
+uselessness of any further objections, and therefore murmured a few
+civil words of thanks.
+
+Lopez looked profoundly disappointed. He had come in the glory of a
+conqueror--more, of a deliverer; to free Katie from the grasp of a
+remorseless tyrant; to break in pieces her chains; to snatch her from
+the jaws of death. He had expected to see her on the verge of
+despair; he had fully counted on being received by her in wild and
+eager excitement, almost like a messenger from Heaven. It was upon
+all this that he had counted, as he had toiled to effect her rescue.
+His task had been by no means light. Fortune had favored him, or else
+his toil would all have been unavailing. His rescue of her in so
+short a time was therefore very near the miraculous. And now as he
+came to her, after all his efforts, after all this brilliant success,
+with these hopes and expectations, he found his arrival greeted
+in the coolest manner, and treated as the most commonplace thing in
+the world. More than this, instead of finding Katie languishing in
+her dungeon, he found her actually unwilling to leave it, and
+pretending that she had an "attachment for it." Of course, all this
+was pretence and affectation, yet still there was something
+underneath which Lopez could not quite comprehend. For the present he
+could only conceal his deep disappointment and vexation as best he
+might, and arrange his plans for the future.
+
+After retiring for a few minutes, he came back with a woman. This was
+one of the women who had been captured, and was now allowed to remain
+on condition of service, the particular service required of her being
+merely attendance upon Katie.
+
+Lopez here had a fresh disappointment. He had seen Katie's solitary
+state, and thought that by bringing her an attendant he would give
+her pleasure. But to Katie the presence of any attendant was
+exceedingly distasteful. It was like having a spy set over her. It
+was bad enough to be taken away from within reach of those secret
+passages, but to be afflicted with this attendant and spy was too
+much.
+
+Lopez noticed her slight frown and her downcast look. He was
+surprised once more, and more disappointed than ever.
+
+"And now, senorita," said Lopez, "if you are quite ready, I will show
+you the way to the new room, where you may stay so long as you remain
+here."
+
+"Very well, senor captain," said Katie, quietly.
+
+"If you have any luggage, it shall be sent up to-morrow."
+
+"Thanks, senor."
+
+Upon this Captain Lopez went out with the torch, and Katie, with her
+attendant, followed. She noticed, as she went, that there were marks
+of great confusion in the castle; some men were bound, others lying
+wounded, with women weeping over them; others again, in the Spanish
+uniform, were lolling about, drinking and carousing.
+
+Katie followed Lopez up-stairs, and here in the upper hall there were
+the same signs as below, though the crowd of men was not so great nor
+so noisy. Passing through this, they came to a third stairway, which
+ran up from one side of this upper hall and led into a passage-way
+higher still. Here Lopez opened a door, and, on entering, Katie saw a
+room which was smaller than those below. One or two mats were on the
+stone floor. There was a couch at one end covered with skins, and at
+the other a large chest. The room bore marks of having been recently
+occupied, and Katie thought that perhaps the occupant had been "His
+Majesty."
+
+The windows here, of which there were several, were narrow slits like
+those below; and a hasty glance showed Katie that they looked down
+into the court-yard. This, however, gave her no consolation. It was a
+matter of indifference now where she was. Having been taken away from
+the neighborhood of those friendly passageways, all other places
+seemed equally objectionable. Her discontent and dejection were
+evident in her face, though she made no remark.
+
+"I am sorry," said Lopez, "deeply sorry that I have nothing better
+than this room to offer; but I hope that before long we shall be able
+to leave the castle."
+
+Katie did not hope so, and, in fact, did not know whether to hope so
+or not. All would depend upon circumstances. And as she did not know
+how circumstances were, and was not willing to ask, she did not know
+what to say now; so she simply said the very non-committal words,
+
+"Thanks, senor."
+
+Lopez could tell pretty well why she said no more than this. It was
+because she felt dissatisfied about something in connection with her
+rescue--but what that something was he could not conjecture. That was
+the mystery which baffled him. However, he had sense enough to see
+that his own best course was to leave her to her own devices, and not
+annoy her by ill-timed questions. So he prepared to depart.
+
+"Senorita," said he, "this woman is your attendant. If you are afraid
+to be alone, she will sleep in the room with you; but, if you prefer
+it, she will not."
+
+"Oh, I should so very much prefer being left alone, Captain Lopez!"
+said Katie, hurriedly.
+
+Lopez looked surprised.
+
+"Oh, very well," said he; "but I thought you were so timid that you
+would prefer having some one."
+
+"Oh no--thanks! I'm not at all timid," said Katie.
+
+This was a new surprise to Lopez, who had believed Katie to be the
+most timid young lady living. But he said nothing more. He merely
+wished her good-night; and, having directed the attendant to leave,
+he locked the door after him and went away, a deeply disappointed and
+a deeply meditating man.
+
+Katie sprang to the door, held her ear close, and listened till the
+footsteps had died away. Then she hurried back. Her quick eye had
+noticed the fragment of a wax-candle on the floor, in a corner. Some
+matches were lying loosely about, which had evidently been used by
+"His Majesty" to light the royal pipe. With one of these Katie
+lighted the candle, and surveyed the apartment once more.
+
+There was a fireplace here, deep, but not so high or large as the
+others before mentioned. This Katie examined first. Alas! she saw
+nothing. The chimney ran straight up, and not an opening appeared.
+
+After this she retreated dejectedly, and examined no farther.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XL.
+
+
+IN WHICH THERE SEEMS SOME CHANCE OF A TRIANGULAR DUEL.
+
+
+Harry and Ashby, transformed from bosom friends to mortal enemies,
+now occupied the same room, but with an armed guard to prevent
+further intercourse. Such intercourse was, however, more effectually
+prevented by something far more powerful than any armed
+guard--namely, by mutual hate, and by the consciousness that their
+hostile meeting, though interrupted, had not been terminated. It had
+only been deferred; and yet again, at some future time, they must
+meet and settle this quarrel. Even this prospect, however, important
+though it was, did not by any means form the most important part of
+their thoughts as they stood thus apart absorbed in themselves.
+
+Each one turned his thoughts rather to the events which had last
+occupied him before they had encountered one another; and so, while
+Harry wandered in fancy back to Katie's room, Ashby was taken up with
+tender reminiscences of Dolores.
+
+In the midst of such sentimental meditations, they were startled by
+the sudden outburst of that loud alarm and wild tumult already
+mentioned. In an instant they both were roused out of their
+abstraction, and brought back to the stern realities of life. The
+guard, too, were roused, and, springing to their feet, they stood
+waiting for orders. But after a few minutes the uproar became so
+tremendous that the position of the guards grew unendurable, and they
+went to the door and tried to open it. This they could not do, for it
+was fastened on the outside, so that departure from the room by that
+way was not possible; yet the sounds which came to their ears were
+sufficient to inform them of the whole truth, and tell them that
+the castle had been surprised by an attacking party, which was
+evidently victorious.
+
+The longer they listened the plainer did this become, and from this
+there arose the inevitable conclusion that they--that is, the Carlist
+guard--were prisoners. Upon this, restiveness and uneasiness began to
+be visible among them, and a dread of their coming doom from the
+hands of merciless enemies quite demoralized them. They exchanged
+looks of terror; they looked wildly around to see if there were any
+chances of escape; but to their eyes the stone walls, the stone
+floor, the narrow windows, and the vaulted roof offered not a chance
+of escape, or even of a partial concealment.
+
+As for Harry and Ashby, they passed in one instant from depths of
+despair to the highest hope. They recognized the shouts and the
+watchword of the Republic, and felt that in the hands of the soldiers
+of the government they would be safe.
+
+Suddenly the door was opened. Outside were armed men with blazing
+torches, from among whom there advanced into the room an officer.
+
+The Carlists were immediately disarmed, and their arms taken outside.
+But the officer took no notice of them. His eyes, searching on every
+side, soon perceived Harry and Ashby, who had drawn near.
+
+"Senor captain," said Harry, "I rejoice that you have come to save us
+from captivity and death. We have been here as prisoners for two or
+three days, and an immense ransom was exacted from us, which we could
+not pay. Had you not come, we should undoubtedly have been shot."
+
+Ashby said not a word. He had recognized Lopez at a glance, and
+dreaded the worst from this vengeful enemy.
+
+Lopez kept his eyes fixed on Ashby as he spoke, though he addressed
+Harry.
+
+"Senors," said he, "I am glad that I have come in time to avert so
+horrible a crime. You, senor," he continued, addressing Harry, "may
+retire: you are free. You will be respected and protected by my
+followers, and may either go, or remain till our return to Vittoria.
+As for Senor Ashby, I wish to have a brief conversation with him."
+
+At this Harry bowed, and with some further expression of gratitude
+went out of the room a free man, his heart swelling with exultation
+and joy and hope.
+
+"Senor Ashby," said Lopez, "we have met again."
+
+Ashby bowed.
+
+"Senor Ashby," continued Lopez, "insults have been given and received
+on both sides, and we are already under engagements to have a hostile
+meeting. Is it not so?"
+
+Ashby bowed again.
+
+Lopez had spoken these words in a low tone, which was inaudible to
+his men. He now turned and ordered them to withdraw, and stand
+outside until further orders.
+
+They obeyed.
+
+"Senor Ashby," he continued, "the lady is here for whom we both are
+seeking. It was about her that our quarrel arose."
+
+"I am ready now," said Ashby.
+
+"For the quarrel?" said Lopez. "Ay--but I am not;" and he gave a
+bitter laugh.
+
+"A man of honor," said Ashby, scornfully, "will always be ready."
+
+Lopez again gave a bitter laugh.
+
+"Dear senor," said he, "I have had too many affairs to be afraid of
+risking my reputation as a man of honor by postponing our little
+meeting. I have other things to attend to first. And first I must
+have a little leisure to get rid of that bitterness and gall which
+you, senor, with your English superciliousness, have poured into my
+heart. For a time you had your hour of triumph, and I was made to
+feel by you all the insolent superiority of a man of wealth over a
+man of the people. But now, senor, our positions have changed. I have
+the power, and you are nothing. Even your wealth will not save you;
+for while you are my prisoner all the gold of Mexico will be
+unavailing to deliver you until I choose."
+
+Ashby had now a sudden thought that his position was very peculiar
+and very unenviable. He had just quarrelled with his best friend, and
+had just been saved from murdering him, for the sake of a girl whom
+he had ceased to love (or whom he believed he had ceased to love,
+which was the same thing just then); and now here was another of
+Katie's numerous lovers, full of love and jealousy--the one as
+strong as death, the other as cruel as the grave; which lover was
+evidently now regarding him as a tiger regards his helpless victim,
+and was playing with him for a time, so as to enjoy his torments
+before devouring him. These thoughts passed through his mind, and he
+had nothing to say.
+
+"Senor," said Lopez, "our quarrel was about that young lady, and our
+meeting may take place at any time. For the present, I have to say
+that if you will consent to give up all claim to her hand and leave
+the castle, I will send you at once with a sufficient guard to any
+place you name, or to the nearest station. But if not, then I shall
+be under the painful necessity of detaining you."
+
+"May I ask," said Ashby, "upon what ground you propose to detain me?"
+
+"Certainly," said Lopez. "I arrest you as a spy."
+
+"A spy!"
+
+"Certainly. What are you doing here? You were seized by the Carlists,
+it is true, but what of that? You may have betrayed your party to
+them. I find you coming North on no good or reasonable errand. You
+certainly were following that party--as a spy, or something like
+it--in your private interests. I am therefore at liberty to arrest
+you as a spy, perhaps in league with the enemies of Spain. It is a
+charge of which I can prove you guilty, and for which you will be
+shot."
+
+"And that is a gentleman's satisfaction!" said Ashby, with a sneer.
+
+"Gentlemen," said Lopez, "obtain satisfaction in many ways. It will
+give me no small satisfaction, for instance, to know that you are
+here while I urge my suit for the young lady's hand, for which I have
+the good wishes and co-operation of her guardian. It will give me no
+small satisfaction to inform you when, as she surely will, she grants
+me her consent; and, finally, the highest satisfaction of all will be
+afforded when I request your presence at our wedding--a compliment
+which, I am sure, senor, you will appreciate. For, senor, we shall be
+married here, and immediately, since I have brought a priest with me,
+so as to put the whole matter beyond the reach of accident."
+
+Having fired off this heavy shot, Lopez watched to see the effect
+upon his victim.
+
+Ashby showed not the slightest emotion. Neither in face nor in
+gesture did he evince any agitation whatever; nor in his voice, for
+he said, in a perfectly cool and indifferent way,
+
+"Very well, senor. I can do nothing against all that."
+
+Lopez felt disappointed. He had expected to see agonies depicted on
+his helpless victim, and to exult in the sight. But he concluded that
+this was owing to Ashby's "English phlegm," and that he was thus
+preserving, like the Indian at the stake, a proudly calm exterior,
+while really suffering torments of hidden pain.
+
+"Since you are so calm," said Lopez again, "perhaps you will consent
+to purchase your freedom by formally relinquishing all claim to that
+young lady's hand. That is the shortest way of regaining your
+liberty, and it will be quite satisfactory to me."
+
+Lopez spoke this in an ironical tone, taunting Ashby thus on his cool
+demeanor.
+
+Now, the giving up of all claims to Katie was in itself so far from
+being repugnant to Ashby, that, as the reader knows, he had already
+virtually renounced her, and formally, too, by word of mouth to
+Dolores. But to do this to Lopez was a far different thing. It would,
+he felt, be base; it would be cowardly; it would be a vile piece of
+truckling to an enemy, who would exult over it to the end of his
+days. The idea could not be entertained for a moment.
+
+"Senor." said Ashby, with his usual coolness, "you are well aware
+that, apart from all other considerations, your proposition could not
+be entertained for a moment by a man of honor."
+
+"Perhaps not," said Lopez; "but I had to make mention of it, merely
+as a form, and not supposing that you would entertain it."
+
+"I am in the hands of fortune," said Ashby: "I'll take my chances as
+they come."
+
+Upon this Lopez said nothing more, but, with a formal adieu, took his
+departure.
+
+Ashby was left with the six unarmed Carlist prisoners.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLI.
+
+
+HOW THE UNHAPPY RUSSELL FINDS THE DANGER OF PLAYING WITH EDGE-TOOLS.
+
+
+When Lopez, with the assistance of Rita, had burst into the castle,
+he had left his prisoners in the tower in the charge of a couple of
+guards, these prisoners being Brooke, Talbot, and Russell. During the
+attack on the castle there was a time in which Russell might very
+easily have escaped. The two guards were eager to join the melee, and
+as their instructions had reference principally to Brooke and Talbot,
+they paid no attention whatever to the "Hungarian lady." They knew
+that Rita had done an act for which the captain would reward her, and
+concluded that the "Hungarian lady" was a friend rather than a
+prisoner. Under such circumstances escape would have been easy enough
+to Russell, had he been bold enough to attempt it.
+
+Yet, after all, how could he really escape? To go back over the same
+road would be only to encounter fresh perils, perhaps worse than any
+with which he had met hitherto. To go in any other direction would be
+simple madness. There was, therefore, no other course open to him
+than to remain where he was.
+
+After a long time some of the men came back, at the command of Lopez,
+with orders to bring the prisoners into the castle. The guard obeyed
+and followed, taking with them Brooke and Talbot. Russell was about
+to accompany them, and was just hesitating as to the path, when
+suddenly he found himself confronted by Rita, who had just come up.
+
+"H-s-s-s-sh!" she said. "All is safe. I haf my reward. The captain
+haf pay me. Now we shall go. Alla right. Come!"
+
+Russell felt a strange sinking of heart. As to going away with her,
+that was not to be thought of, and he only sought now for some
+plausible excuse.
+
+"I--I'm too tired," he said; "I'm worn out, Rita. I cannot walk."
+
+"Bah!" said she. "Come--you shall not go far: I take you to where you
+shall restar."
+
+"But I'm tired," said Russell. "I want to rest here."
+
+"Bah! you not too tired to go one two mile; that not mooch to go.
+Come!"
+
+"I can't," whined Russell.
+
+"But you will be captar--you shall be a preesonaire--you shall be
+deescovaire--alla found out by the capitan; so come--fly, you haf no
+time to lose."
+
+"I can't help it," said Russell, in despair. "If I'm caught again I
+don't care. I'm worn out."
+
+"But you moos!"
+
+"I can't!"
+
+"Come--I shall carry you; I shall lifta you, and carry you to your
+safetydom.
+
+Come!"
+
+"It's impossible," said Russell, who, in addition to his fear, began
+to feel vexation at this woman's pertinacity.
+
+There was something in his tone which made Rita pause. She stood
+erect, folded her arms, and looked at him. The moonlight fell on
+both. Each could see the other.
+
+Russell did not feel pleased with her appearance. She looked too
+hard--too austere. She seemed to have an unlimited possibility of
+daring and of vengeance. He began to think that he had been playing
+with edge-tools, and that in trying to make use of Rita he had only
+gained a new master for himself. The vague fears which had been
+gathering through the day now grew stronger, and he realized his full
+danger.
+
+"You not want to fly? You not want to 'scape?" said Rita, with a
+frown.
+
+Russell thought it best to own up.
+
+"Well, n-n-no," said he. "On the whole, I do not."
+
+"Why?" asked Rita, in a hard voice.
+
+"Oh--well--I've--I've--I've changed my mind," said Russell, in a
+trembling voice.
+
+He began to be more afraid of Rita than ever.
+
+"Ah!" said Rita. "It is so--very well. Now leest'n to me; look at me.
+What haf I done? I haf betray my maestro--I haf betray my friends:
+this castle is took; my friends are run away, many of them dead;
+their bodies are over there--they are dead. Who kill them? I--I the
+traidor! I the Judas! I betray! And why? I betray--because you tempt
+me! Do you know that? You tempt me! You ask me to helpa you! you
+promise me all the world! I helpa you! I make mysef a traidor, and
+now it haf come to this!
+
+"Where are my friends?" continued Rita. "Gone! fled! dead! They sall
+haunt me--their ghosts--they sall call for venganza; and I haf make
+mysef a traidor to the friends that lofe me an' was kind! See me,
+what I am! You haf make me to this--you! you! you! What! do you think
+I sall let you turn false to me? No! nevaire! You sall be true to
+me--what--evaire! You haf promis to gif me all the world. You haf
+promis to gif me youselfa. You sall be what you say--'my man!' I sall
+haf the recompensa, if I die from remordimiento. If you be a traidor
+to me, I sall haf the venganza!"
+
+During this wild harangue Rita seemed transported to fury--she seemed
+a madwoman. Russell trembled in every limb from sheer terror. He
+never had in all his life seen anything like this. His only hope now
+was to escape from her insane rage, no matter under whose protection.
+
+At length she stopped and grew calmer. Then she said, in a low, stern
+voice:
+
+"Now--will you come? Will you fly?"
+
+Russell shuddered more than ever. Fly? Not he! She might tear him to
+pieces, but he would never fly with her. Fly? Why, it was impossible!
+He might, indeed, fly from her; but as to flying _with_ her, that
+could not be thought of.
+
+He shrunk back, trembling in every limb.
+
+"I can't," he said--"I can't; I'm too weak--I'm old--and weak and
+worn out.
+
+"But I say," continued Rita, impatiently, "that I sall take you to a
+place where you sall restar."
+
+"I can't," said Russell.
+
+"Do you intendar to keep you promeese?"
+
+"What promise?" said Russell, hesitatingly.
+
+"To marry me," said Rita, coldly.
+
+"Marry you! I never said that," replied Russell.
+
+"You did."
+
+"I did not. I have a wife living--you know that surely. She is in the
+castle."
+
+"She? Bah! She is dead. I know that," said Rita, triumphantly.
+
+Russell shuddered more than ever. Dead! dead! he thought. What a
+thought of horror! And how? Was it this woman that did the deed--this
+fiend from the robbers' hold--to make room for herself? Russell felt
+that she was capable of any enormity, and his soul sickened at the
+thought. He groaned, and was silent.
+
+"Dead, I tell you! dead! She is dead! Aha! you think me fool, simple,
+aha! But I know, I know to take car' of the number one! Aha! how you
+like that, meestaire?
+
+"And now leest'n," continued Rita. "You not fly? Very well. You sall
+come to the castle. You sall stay with the capitan. You sall tell him
+all--I tell him all. He sall judge and decidar. Come! come! You sall
+not stay here. You sall go and restar you old bone."
+
+Rita motioned to him sternly to follow, and Russell obeyed. He was
+not at all disinclined to move in this direction, since it led him to
+the friendly protection of the castle. It was with uncommon vigor and
+nimbleness that he followed his tormentor down the steep side, and
+across the brook at the bottom, and up the other side. Rita noticed
+this, and said, scornfully:
+
+"You too weak to go one two mile on the level groun', but you strong
+enough to descendar and ascendar these cliff. But wait, ola
+man--remember if you falsami I sall haf my venganza. Now you go and
+spik to the capitan, and you see what he sall do for you."
+
+Rita said no more, but led Russell along until they reached the
+castle. There Russell seated himself on the stone floor among the
+soldiers, feeling safer here than anywhere, while Rita went away.
+Russell supposed that she had gone in search of Lopez to tell her own
+story first.
+
+He was right. Lopez had been very busy, but Rita was able, after all,
+to obtain a hearing from him sufficiently long to enable her to plead
+her cause in her own way.
+
+She told Lopez all.
+
+Now Lopez was under great obligations to Rita, and was willing to do
+almost anything for her. At the same time, he was the bitter enemy of
+Russell. Here there was an opportunity open to him to evince
+gratitude and to obtain vengeance. He appreciated the situation most
+fully. He promised Rita that he would do whatever she wished.
+
+"I only wish one thing," said Rita: "make him keep his promise."
+
+"I will," said Lopez.
+
+"Will you make him marry me?"
+
+"I will," said Lopez. "I have a priest here. I have brought him here,
+for I expect to be married myself to a lady whom I have long loved in
+vain. I have rescued her from these foul brigands, and she will not
+now refuse me. And I promise, Rita, that you shall be married to your
+dear one at the same time that I am married to mine, and by the same
+priest."
+
+Upon this Rita was voluble in the expression of her gratitude.
+
+Lopez now went to seek out Russell. He found the good man wearied and
+worn out. He led him away to a room that happened to be the very one
+in which he was confined before. Brooke and Talbot were both here.
+Russell entreated Brooke to intercede for him with Lopez. Lopez saw
+the action and understood it.
+
+"What does he want?" said Lopez.
+
+Russell then explained, through Brooke, what Lopez had already
+learned through Rita, namely, that he was Mr. Russell, and that Rita
+was claiming his fulfilment of a promise which he had never made, and
+could never fulfil--first, on the ground that Rita had not freed him;
+and, secondly, on the more important ground that he was already
+married.
+
+To all this the answer of Lopez was brief and stern.
+
+"She did free you," said he, "for you are now out of the power of the
+Carlists, and may be your own master on the performance of your
+promise. Moreover, as to your being married already, Rita assures me
+that your former wife is dead."
+
+At this Russell groaned.
+
+"She is not dead," he said.
+
+"Oh, well," said Lopez, "I don't care. Rita is willing to run the
+risk."
+
+Russell now pleaded for Katie's sake.
+
+But this roused Lopez to worse anger.
+
+"If you were merely a cruel father," said he, "I would forgive you
+for her sake; but you are a guardian, and not over-honest, as I
+believe. She has no love for you. She never wishes to see you again.
+Nor do I. You are nothing to her. She is nothing to you. You have
+made your bed, and must lie on it. You must blame yourself, and not
+me."
+
+With these words Lopez retired, leaving the unhappy Russell in a
+condition that may be better imagined than described.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLII.
+
+
+IN WHICH DOLORES REAPPEARS IN THE ACT OF MAKING A RECONNOITRE.
+
+
+Harry had already been set free, but Ashby was held as a prisoner. At
+first he remained in the room where Lopez had found him, along with
+the Carlist guard, but after a few hours he was removed to another
+chamber. This was chiefly to prevent any possible attempt at escape
+which Ashby might make with the assistance of the other prisoners,
+who, knowing the weak points of the castle, might be able, with a
+bold leader, to strike an effective blow for liberty.
+
+The moonbeams now were streaming in upon the stone floor where the
+six Carlist prisoners were lying. They were sound asleep, and their
+deep breathing was the only sound that might be heard. Two of them
+were in the bed, the other four were on the floor. But these men were
+used to roughing it, and on the flinty pavement they slept as soundly
+as on a bed of down.
+
+Suddenly, in the neighborhood of the chimney, there was a slight
+noise.
+
+No one in the room heard it, for they were all sleeping too soundly.
+
+The noise ceased for a time; then it was renewed. It was a rustling,
+sliding sound, as of some living thing moving there.
+
+After this the noise ceased.
+
+There was another long pause.
+
+Then came a whisper--
+
+"_Assebi_!"
+
+No one heard. The sleepers were all far away in the land of dreams.
+
+The whisper was repeated:
+
+"_Assebi_!"
+
+There was no answer. Nor did any of the sleepers awake. Out of such a
+sound sleep nothing could awaken them that was of the nature of a
+mere whisper.
+
+Of course this moving body was our friend Dolores. There is no need
+to make a mystery of it. She alone now had access to this room; she
+alone would come here. She alone, having come here, would utter that
+one word,
+
+"_Assebi_!"
+
+It was Dolores.
+
+She bad come back to this room to seek after Ashby, to see him; if
+not, then to hear of him, and, if possible, to help him.
+
+After assisting "His Majesty" to effect his royal escape, Dolores had
+thought for a few moments of surrendering herself. After further
+thought, however, she had concluded not to. She saw that nothing
+could be gained, and much might be risked by such an act. The
+knowledge which she had of all the interior of the castle gave her an
+immense advantage so long as she was free; and until she saw how
+things were it would be better for her to remain free. There would be
+great danger in confiding too readily. She knew that the Republicans
+were no better than the Carlists, and perhaps these were merely a
+rival band of the same ferocious marauders. Ashby, being a foreigner,
+was perhaps in as great danger as ever; and if so, she should
+preserve her freedom, so as to be able to help him.
+
+This was a very sensible decision; but as Dolores was a very sensible
+girl, and a very brave one too, it was only natural that she should
+have decided in this way.
+
+After waiting until the noise in the castle had ceased, Dolores
+approached the room and reached the place of descent. Here she waited
+and listened.
+
+She heard the deep breathing of the sleepers. By this she knew that
+several men were now in the room.
+
+But was Ashby there?
+
+She could not tell.
+
+That he was not asleep she felt sure. He would be expecting her, at
+any rate; and that would serve to keep him awake.
+
+She determined to try still further. So she began, as cautiously as
+possible, to make the descent. She succeeded in doing this without
+awaking any of the sleepers. For a while she stood in the deep,
+impenetrable shadow and surveyed the apartment. She saw, where the
+moonbeams fell, the outline of figures on the floor and on the bed.
+The remoter parts of the chamber were hid in gloom.
+
+Then she called, in a low and penetrating whisper,
+
+"_Assebi_!"
+
+There was no answer.
+
+Dolores now felt sure that Ashby was not there; but in order to make
+assurance doubly sure, she repeated the call.
+
+There was still no answer; and now Dolores felt certain that he had
+been taken away.
+
+Once more she determined to satisfy herself as to the people who were
+in the room. It was a hazardous thing to do, but it had to be done.
+She must see. She had matches in her pocket. She resolved to throw a
+little light on the subject.
+
+She struck a match. The flame burst forth. Holding it above her head,
+Dolores peered into the room. The flame illumined the whole
+apartment. A second or two was enough to show her the whole. There
+were six men. They were Carlists. They were prisoners. Ashby had been
+taken away.
+
+So much was plain enough.
+
+Ashby was not there. He had been removed--but how? That was the
+question, and a most important one. Was he free, or was he still a
+prisoner? This must be ascertained before Dolores could decide
+anything. It was not a question to be decided by mere conjecture. It
+was certainly possible that the captors of the castle, finding these
+prisoners held captive by the Carlists, had released them all; and if
+so, it was all very well; but Dolores knew the suspicious nature of
+her countrymen, and felt very much inclined to doubt whether they had
+set the prisoners free upon the spot. They were foreigners, and she
+knew that Spaniards of every party would consider that a sufficient
+excuse for detaining them.
+
+The only way in which she could satisfy her curiosity and decide upon
+her own future course was by communicating with these Carlist
+prisoners, and learning the truth from them.
+
+But how?
+
+They were sleeping so soundly that something louder far than any
+ordinary cry would be needed to reach their ears. To call to them
+would, therefore, be useless. Some other way would have to be
+adopted. But in what way? That was the question that Dolores had now
+to answer. There was only one way. A risk must be run. It could not
+be helped. She would have to rouse them, and the most effective way,
+as well as the one most inaudible to those without, would be to
+venture into the room and rouse them in some way by touch.
+
+A rapid view of all the risks of the case made her resolve to
+encounter them. She felt able to awake the sleepers without being
+discovered, and quickly made up her mind.
+
+Gliding swiftly and noiselessly to the nearest sleeper, Dolores
+caught his hair, and giving it a sudden, violent pull, she darted
+back as quickly, before she could be discovered.
+
+It was effectual.
+
+The sleeper started up with a violent oath, and began abusing his
+comrade. This one also awaked, and a fierce altercation went on
+between them, wherein the one charged the other with pulling his
+hair, and the other denied it with oaths. In the midst of this
+Dolores had ascended into the passage-way, and stood there waiting
+for a chance to be heard. At length the noise subsided, and the two
+began to settle themselves for sleep, when Dolores, seizing the
+opportunity, called out, in a low but clear and distinct voice,
+
+"Viva el Rey!"
+
+The Carlists heard it.
+
+"What's that?" cried one.
+
+"Some one's in the room," cried the other.
+
+"Viva el Rey!" said Dolores once more, in the same tone.
+
+At this the two men started to their feet.
+
+"Who goes there?" said one, in a low voice.
+
+"A friend," said Dolores.
+
+"Where?" asked the man, in surprise.
+
+"Come to the chimney," said Dolores.
+
+The two men went there, till they reached the fireplace.
+
+"Where are you?" asked they.
+
+Dolores did not think it necessary to tell them the truth just yet.
+
+"I'm in the room above," said she. "I'm speaking through an opening
+in the flue. I can help you, if you will be cautious and patient."
+
+"Who are you?"
+
+"A prisoner. I know the way out. I can help you. Be cautious. Is the
+English prisoner with you?"
+
+"No," said the Carlist, wondering what sort of a prisoner this could
+be, and why this prisoner asked after the Englishman.
+
+Dolores questioned them further, and the men told all they knew. They
+had overheard the words that had passed between Ashby and Lopez, and
+told what they had heard.
+
+From these Dolores gained new light upon the facts of the case.
+Having been a witness to the scene in the station at Madrid, she at
+once perceived that this enemy of Ashby's could be no other than that
+man in civilian dress, but of military aspect, with whom he had had
+the quarrel, who had been forced to leave the carriage of the
+Russells. This man had travelled in the same train. He had been
+captured, plundered, and then set free with the other Spaniards.
+Dolores conjectured that he had obtained somc soldiers, surprised the
+castle, and freed Katie. She also felt that Ashby was now a prisoner
+once more, in the hands not of a mere robber, but of his bitterest
+enemy.
+
+Thus the whole truth flashed upon her mind.
+
+But where was Ashby?
+
+That she could not tell as yet. She could only hope, and make plans.
+
+"Can we come up to you?" asked the Carlists.
+
+"No," said Dolores. "Besides, there's no escape here. I can come to
+you, and I will do so before long. Do not sleep too soundly. Do not
+wake the others. Be ready to act when I come."
+
+The men readily promised this.
+
+"But why can't we go now? why can't you help us now?" they asked.
+
+"We can't go away from this," said Dolores, "without the English
+prisoner. But with him we shall surely escape; so be ready to act
+when I give the word."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIII.
+
+
+HOW KATIE FEELS DEJECTED, AND HOW LOPEZ FEELS DISAPPOINTED.
+
+
+There is no need to enlarge upon Katie's feelings, as she sat in her
+lonely chamber, buried in thoughts which were both sweet and painful.
+We all know perfectly well what they must have been, for we all
+understand about that sort of thing. We've dreamed love's young
+dream, you and I, haven't we? and so we'll let this pass. As for
+Katie, I'm afraid she must, in her short experience, from all
+appearances, have dreamed a great many of love's young dreams; but
+never among all her dreams or waking thoughts had she known a sadder
+or more sorrowful hour than the present. Even her soul--volatile,
+buoyant, and lively--found it impossible for a time to rally. She sat
+with clasped hands and bowed head, looking care-worn, dejected, and
+utterly miserable; and it was in this state of mind that Lopez found
+her on the following morning.
+
+He felt again disappointed (in fact, Lopez was apparently always
+feeling disappointed), though why he should feel so is somewhat
+singular, since Katie would have been more than human, or less, if
+she had shown a joyous face in such a situation.
+
+Lopez gave a sigh by way of salutation. Katie did not look up, but
+knew perfectly well who it was and what he wanted.
+
+"I hope you have found this room more comfortable than the last," he
+began at length, after the usual salutation.
+
+"I'm sure I don't see what comfort one can expect in such a place as
+this," was the reply.
+
+"I'm sorry that I haven't anything better to offer," said Lopez;
+"anything that is in my power to grant I will do for you."
+
+"Those are merely idle words," said Katie. "There is one thing, and
+one only, that I wish, and that you can give: that one thing you have
+no right to keep from me, and yet it is useless to ask you for it."
+
+"Useless--oh, do not say that! Tell me what it is."
+
+"My freedom," said Katie, earnestly.
+
+"Freedom!" said Lopez; "why, you are free--free as a bird!"
+
+"Yes, as a bird in a cage," was the bitter reply.
+
+"Ladies must always be under some restraint," said Lopez: "otherwise
+you are perfectly free."
+
+"This, sir," said Katie, hotly, "I consider insult; it is nothing
+less than mockery at my distress. Is it freedom to be locked up in a
+cell and cut off from all my friends?"
+
+Lopez gave a gasp. He was anxious to please Katie, yet this was a
+bad, a very bad beginning.
+
+"Why," said he, "where can you go?"
+
+"You will not even let me go about the castle," said Katie. "If you
+barred your gates, and let me move about inside, even then it would
+be imprisonment; but you lock me in this cell, and then you come to
+mock me."
+
+"Great Heaven!" said Lopez. "Oh, senorita! won't you understand? Let
+me explain. This castle is full of rough, rude men. It would not be
+safe for you to move about. They are not trained servants; they are
+brutal and fierce. If you went among them you would be exposed to
+insult."
+
+"My attendant comes and goes," said Katie; "she is not insulted. Why
+may I not be at least as free as she is?"
+
+"Because," said Lopez, "you are a lady; she is only a common woman.
+Things would be insults to you which she only laughs at. I cannot
+allow you to expose yourself to the brutal ribaldry of the ruffians
+below. If a father had his daughter here, he would lock her up, as I
+do you, out of affection."
+
+At this Katie turned her head away, with the air of one who was
+utterly incredulous, and felt the uselessness of argument.
+
+Lopez was silent for a few moments. Then he went on.
+
+
+[Illustration: "She Sat With Clasped Hands And Bowed Head."]
+
+
+"Listen," said he, "and see if you have reason to be angry with me.
+Let me tell you some little of what I have done. But for me, you
+would still be a prisoner in the hands of a remorseless villain, a
+common brigand. Listen to me, I entreat you, and then tell me if you
+are right in blaming me. As soon as I was freed I hurried on to
+Vittoria, the nearest military station. I had but one idea--the
+rescue of you from the hands of those villains. At Vittoria, after
+incredible effort, I succeeded in getting a detachment of men from
+the commandant. With these I set forth on the following morning,
+trying to find my way to you. It was an almost impossible task. The
+country, never thickly inhabited, was literally deserted. I could
+find no one to ask, and could find no trace of your captors anywhere.
+I did, however, what I could, and sought everywhere most painfully
+and perseveringly. At length, just as I was beginning to despair,
+chance--the merest chance--threw in my way a couple of fugitives.
+These, fortunately, were able to give me the information I wanted.
+One of them knew all about this castle, and knew that you were here.
+With this help I was able to find my way here. And now I was once
+more favored by the merest chance. Had I tried to capture the place
+in a regular fashion I should have been driven back, for this castle
+is impregnable, except to artillery; but my guide knew of a
+subterranean passage-way, and guided me through this into the
+court-yard. Once here, I found all the men in a careless condition,
+and made a rush upon them before they could get their arms. Over and
+over again I risked my life in the fight that followed, while
+pressing forward in my eagerness to find you before they could get
+you off. I found you at last. I was full of joy and triumph at the
+thought of rescuing you from a loathsome captivity. Judge of my surprise
+and bitter disappointment when I saw you so indifferent, when you met me
+so coolly; and, instead of showing gratitude, seemed rather angry at me
+than otherwise."
+
+Lopez paused here to see the effect of his eloquent speech.
+
+Katie looked up.
+
+"It was not captivity, as you call it," said she; "and if it was, it was
+not loathsome. That word, senor, is far more applicable to my present
+condition."
+
+"You don't know," said Lopez. "You can't understand. You must have been
+under some fatal misapprehension. Is it possible that you were ignorant
+of the character of your captor--a mere brigand--one who pretends to be a
+Carlist, merely that he may rob passengers, or capture them and hold them
+to ransom? Have you been all this time in such ignorance?"
+
+"No, senor; I knew in whose hands I had fallen--he is a man of honor!"
+
+"A man of honor!" cried Lopez, in amazement.
+
+"Senor, you cannot know yet who he is. I must tell you. He is the King of
+Spain--His Majesty King Charles!"
+
+"Don Carlos!" cried Lopez.
+
+At this information he stood transfixed with amazement. Nothing was more
+probable than that Don Carlos had been in the castle, though he did not
+suppose that Don Carlos would rob travellers or hold them to ransom. And
+then there came upon him the bitter thought of all that he had lost by
+the escape of this distinguished personage. Had he captured him, he would
+have been certain of immortal glory--of advancement, of high command,
+honor, wealth, everything which a grateful government could bestow. And
+all had slipped out of his hands by the narrowest chance. The thought of
+that lost glory well-nigh overcame him.
+
+"I didn't see him," he groaned, as he stood clasping his hands in an
+attitude of despair. "He must have left before I came."
+
+"He left," said Katie, "while you were in the castle."
+
+"Ah!" said Lopez, "how do you know that?"
+
+"Because," said Katie, "I saw him when he left."
+
+"But you were in that room. How could he leave that room?"
+
+"I saw him when he left," said Katie, "that is all. You need not believe
+me unless you wish, but it is true."
+
+Lopez had to believe her.
+
+"And what is more," said Katie, "you will not remain here long. He will
+soon be back."
+
+"Pooh!" said Lopez, "he can do nothing. He can't get in here. This castle
+is impregnable to anything less than an army."
+
+"But you got in."
+
+"But I've guarded that passage so that others cannot," said he.
+
+"Do you think," said she, "that there are no other secret passages than
+that?"
+
+Katie had drawn a bow at a venture. She knew from the statements of
+Dolores that there were secret passages all about; but whether there were
+any others that ran out into the country outside she did not know. Still,
+she thought she would try the effect of this on Lopez. She was fully
+satisfied with the result of her experiment.
+
+Lopez started and stared.
+
+"Other secret passages!" he said. "Do you know of any?"
+
+"If I did I would not tell," said Katie.
+
+Lopez was much disturbed. He did not know but that there really were
+other secret passages. The escape of "His Majesty" seemed to point to
+this. He determined to institute a thorough search.
+
+"I'll find out every passage in the castle before evening," said he.
+
+Katie smiled. She did not believe that he would find one. Lopez felt
+nettled at her smile.
+
+"You don't believe I shall find them," said he. "If I don't find them I
+shall conclude that they are not there."
+
+"A very safe conclusion!" said Katie.
+
+Lopez felt angry. He had come hoping to make an impression on Katie by
+telling her of his love and devotion. In this he had been miserably
+disappointed. He had become angry and excited. He was no longer in a fit
+mood to appeal to her feelings, and he felt it. He therefore concluded
+that it would be best to retire for the present, and come again after he
+had grown calmer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIV.
+
+
+HOW LOPEZ HAS ANOTHER CONVERSATION WITH KATIE, AND FEELS PUZZLED.
+
+
+It was not much more than an hour afterward when Lopez paid Katie a
+second visit. By that time he had overcome all his excitement, and had
+settled upon a plan of action of a different kind. It was of no use, he
+saw, to appeal to Katie's feelings, and so he thought that he would try
+the effect of a little pressure of a moral character.
+
+"I hope you will pardon me," said he, "for troubling you again, but it is
+necessary for us to understand one another, and I think you do not see
+exactly how I am situated."
+
+At this Katie made no observation, but drew a long breath, and leaned
+back with the air of a martyr. This was excessively aggravating to Lopez,
+but he managed to smother his irritation, and proceeded:
+
+"Pardon me, senorita, if I have to recall the past. I saw you, as you
+remember, some months ago for the first time, and found you not unwilling
+to receive my attentions. From the first moment of my acquaintance with
+you I loved you, and thought that I had reason for hope. Lovers are
+always sanguine."
+
+"I can assure you, senor," said Katie, "I do not see how you could have
+found any reason to hope in this case."
+
+Lopez felt this rebuff very keenly, but kept his temper.
+
+"I was merely speaking of my own hopes," said he, mildly, "and you
+certainly were far more amiable than you now are."
+
+"I'm sure, senor, I should be sorry to be otherwise than amiable, but
+sleepless nights and solitary confinement must necessarily affect one's
+temper. I can only say I do not wish to be rude."
+
+"Pardon me--rude? That is impossible," said Lopez, grasping eagerly at
+this as at some small concession. "I only want you to give me now a fair
+hearing. Let me say, once for all, that I loved you then, and have loved
+you ever since, most devotedly."
+
+"I suppose I have to listen," said Katie, "as I am your prisoner; but I
+will only hint that before speaking of love it might be as well to set me
+free."
+
+Lopez drew a long breath. It was hard indeed for him to keep down his
+anger.
+
+"Very well," said he, taking no notice of her words. "In the midst of my
+hopes there came this English Ashby, and at once I felt that I was pushed
+into the background. I bore my disappointment as well as I could, and in
+addition to this I put up with things of which you never knew. That man
+had a most insolent manner. He was wealthy. He was purse-proud, and
+excited universal hate by his overbearing ways. There was always the
+clink of gold in his voice, and even in his step. I have even received
+insults from him."
+
+"Why did you put up with insults?" asked Katie. "I thought that no
+Spaniard ever allowed himself to be insulted."
+
+"For your sake," said Lopez, in a tender voice. "For your sake I endured
+all."
+
+"For my sake! I am at a loss to see why you should allow any one to
+insult you for my sake."
+
+"Ah! there were many reasons why I had to be very, very patient for your
+sake. In the first place, I saw that you preferred him to me, and I
+feared that if I quarrelled with him you would hate me; and that would
+have been worse than death. Again, if I had quarrelled with him, you
+would have been known as the cause, and would have been talked about; and
+in Spain it is a great dishonor to a young lady to be talked about. But
+do not suppose that I would have allowed him to insult me with impunity.
+No; a day was to come for a settlement, and he knew it. When we left
+Madrid we had agreed upon a meeting."
+
+"I didn't know that," said Katie, carelessly.
+
+Lopez was struck with this careless tone with regard to a matter which
+affected the life of Ashby; for it was hardly possible that Ashby could
+have come unharmed out of a mortal combat, but he took no notice of it.
+
+"Such," said he, "was the state of affairs up to the hour of our journey.
+Then the train was stopped, and I moved heaven and earth to follow you
+and effect your rescue, with what success you perceive; for here I am,
+and this castle is in my hands."
+
+"I must protest," said Katie, with much dignity, "against your using such
+a word as 'rescue' with reference to me. I consider that I have been
+seized and thrown into prison. I do not wish to be unkind; I merely say
+this in justice to myself, and also to "His Majesty" the King, of whom I
+was merely the honored guest, with plenty of friends around me."
+
+At this Lopez was struck dumb with vexation. Never could Katie be brought
+to look upon his really gallant and daring exploit in its proper light.
+And yet he could not disprove her assertion. He did not know what had
+been her position here. If the King had really been here, it was, after
+all, quite possible that she had been, as she said, an honored guest.
+
+"'His Majesty,'" said Katie, in a calm and placid tone, "was most
+attentive. He did his utmost to alleviate our dulness. He paid us
+constant visits, and assured us over and over again that our stay was to
+be but short. Never have I met with one who was more kind, more
+considerate, and at the same time more lively. Always laughing and
+cheerful, he seemed more like some well-known friend than the great king
+of a great country. With us he forgot all the cares of his situation. He
+was gallant, chivalrous--more, he was even pleased to be merry, and to
+indulge in many little pleasantries. And now you perceive, Senor Captain,
+what the real change in my situation has been. It has been from sunshine
+to gloom; from laughter to tears; from bright and pleasant society to
+loneliness and despair."
+
+This was putting it strong--very strong indeed, and Lopez felt it in his
+very soul. He at once gave up any further efforts in this direction. He
+had nothing more to offer in answer to such a statement as this. He felt
+it to be a fact that Katie had been happy before he came, and that she
+was now miserable. Whatever the cause was, there was the unanswerable
+fact.
+
+He now adopted a severe tone.
+
+"You are aware, senora," said he, "that when I captured this castle there
+were several prisoners."
+
+Katie nodded.
+
+"I suppose so," said she. "I don't know."
+
+"Very well. Among them was your dear friend--"
+
+"My dear friend? Who? Not 'His Majesty?'"
+
+Lopez laughed bitterly. "How transparent that little trick is," he said
+to himself.
+
+"By 'your dear friend,'" said he, "I mean, of course, Mr. Ashby."
+
+"Mr. Ashby! Oh!" said Katie.
+
+To tell the truth, by this time Katie had almost forgotten his existence.
+She seemed to herself to have lived years since last she spoke to Mr.
+Ashby. So she said, in an indifferent tone,
+
+"Mr. Ashby? Oh!"
+
+Lopez, of course, thought this a part of her assumed indifference, and
+smiled at his own penetration. He could see through her little arts; and
+he knew something which would soon force her to tear away her mask.
+
+"He is arrested as a spy," said Lopez, abruptly.
+
+"A spy!" said Katie; "Mr. Ashby a spy! Why, he hasn't been a spy. I don't
+understand."
+
+"Whether he is one or not," said Lopez, harshly, "will soon appear, as he
+will be tried by court-martial to-day. In times like these no mercy is
+shown to spies. The country is swarming with them. They have a short
+trial, a quick sentence, and a summary execution."
+
+"Still," said Katie, "I don't see how you can make out that Mr. Ashby is
+a spy."
+
+Katie showed no horror at all, no excitement whatever, and Lopez was
+proportionally amazed. He had not expected this.
+
+"I can't tell," said he; "the court-martial will deal with him. I dare
+say he is a spy, and I fully expect that he will be shot."
+
+"Well," said Katie, "I dare say he must be. You seem to hate him so, and
+you say he has insulted you, so you will take this way of being revenged.
+All the same, I shouldn't like to deal that way with my enemy. Poor Mr.
+Ashby! It's very, very sad! Oh, what would "His Majesty" think if he were
+to hear this!"
+
+Once more Lopez was struck dumb. He had counted with certainty upon
+producing a strong effect on Katie. By holding Ashby's doom over her
+head, he hoped to influence her. But this tremendous blow had fallen, and
+had evidently not been felt. For Ashby and for his fate Katie had nothing
+but the most commonplace expressions of pity--no horror, no grief, no
+despair, nothing of the sort.
+
+In fact, so completely overcome was Lopez by this unexpected result of
+his interview with Katie that he left abruptly.
+
+He was full of wonder. "Is it possible," he thought, "that this is her
+English stubbornness? Can she have so much of that infernal English
+stolidity as to be able to conceal so perfectly her deepest feelings?
+Impossible! Does she love Ashby? She cannot! Does she love anybody? No!
+Can she love? I don't believe it! What a girl! what a girl! And she seems
+so gentle, so timid, but in reality she's as bold as a lion, and as
+fierce as a she-tiger. By heavens! she shall be mine, if she's the Evil
+One himself.
+
+"And that poor fool Ashby thinks she loves him! Bah! she cares no more
+for him than she does for me. The idiot! This is a sweeter vengeance for
+me than anything else. And, by heavens! he shall still be present at our
+marriage. For married we shall be in spite of fate, even if I have to
+gain her consent with the muzzle of my pistol against her brow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLV.
+
+
+IN WHICH HARRY ASKS A FAVOR, AND LOPEZ BEGINS TO SEE A LITTLE LIGHT.
+
+
+While Lopez was thus chafing and fuming he was accosted by Harry.
+
+Harry's position was peculiar, and not particularly enviable. He had been
+informed that he was a free man, and master of his own actions. Lopez had
+nothing against him, and by this time had forgotten even his existence.
+After his deliverance, Harry had gone mooning about, stared at by all in
+the castle, until at length he had fallen asleep.
+
+In the morning he made a great discovery. This was the fact that his
+freedom to go was useless, and that he was still a prisoner here--a
+prisoner, though a voluntary one--a prisoner bound to this place by bonds
+stronger than iron manacles or walls of stone. These bonds were the
+feelings which had started up within him before he was aware, and now
+held him fast tied to Katie. He awoke to feel that his present freedom
+was far less sweet than his late captivity--that delightful captivity
+with its stolen interviews, and the sweet thoughts of her who was so
+near.
+
+And where was she now? He had seen nothing of her. Had she fled? But how,
+and why, and where would she have fled from him? Had she been captured?
+But why? Who would capture her? Yet where was she? These were the
+questions that came thronging upon him to vex his soul and destroy his
+peace; so that it was for the purpose of finding out something definite
+about her that he had sought out Lopez.
+
+He looked pale and agitated. Lopez, preoccupied though he was, could not
+help noticing this, and he thought that Harry must be suffering from
+anxiety about his friend Ashby. This, however, he immediately found, from
+Harry's first question, to be a great mistake.
+
+Harry was far from suspecting the state of mind in which Lopez was--how
+full of love and jealousy and suspicion; how at that very moment he was
+eager to penetrate into the secret of Katie's heart. In fact, Harry
+suspected nothing at all, and so was not at all on his guard, but blurted
+out all his feelings.
+
+"Captain Lopez," he began, "did you see a young English lady here last
+night--a Miss Westlotorn?"
+
+"Yes," said Lopez.
+
+"Did you? Is she--Did--Is--is--is she in--in the castle?" stammered
+Harry, in distress and deep agitation.
+
+There was not one expression on Harry's face nor one tremor in his
+faltering voice that was not instantly marked by Lopez. There seemed in
+this to be some clue to the mystery.
+
+"She is in the castle," said Lopez.
+
+"Where--when--where?" said Harry, excitedly. "I've been looking for her
+everywhere. I've gone over the whole castle. I hope she isn't hurt! Is
+she safe? Did she fall into the hands of the soldiers?"
+
+"She fell into my hands," said Lopez, bluntly.
+
+Harry fastened on him a look of devouring anxiety.
+
+"Did you--Is she--What did--When--that is--is she safe?"
+
+"She is safe," said Lopez.
+
+Harry drew a long breath.
+
+"You see," said he, with a little more composure, "I have felt anxious
+about her. I have been worried, you know, and I have felt anxious about
+her--in fact, you know, I have felt anxious about her."
+
+"She is kept out of the way just now," said Lopez, "on account of the
+riot in the castle and the dread we have of an attack. I don't care about
+letting the men know she is here."
+
+Harry drew a breath of relief.
+
+"I'm glad," he said.
+
+Another sigh followed. Then he looked wistfully at Lopez.
+
+"Would it be too much to ask--if I were to ask--if you would present
+me--to--to pay my respects to her, as an old friend?"
+
+"Impossible, senor," said Lopez. "She is with the women; you couldn't
+visit her. You will be able to pay your respects to her after she reaches
+Vittoria, or some other place of safety. Until then it is impossible. As
+for yourself, I hope you are comfortable; and whenever you wish to go you
+may go."
+
+Harry sighed, and stood as one in a dream.
+
+"I think," said he, "I shall not go--just yet. Perhaps I may wait till
+the rest are going."
+
+"Good-morning, senor," said Lopez, walking away.
+
+Harry stood rooted to the spot.
+
+As Lopez walked off, he felt that he had got hold of something which
+might be used against Katie. "Another"--he said to himself--"another poor
+fool who has become infatuated, like myself, but now the power is mine,
+and I will use it. Yes; perhaps she herself may feel toward this man
+something of what I feel toward her. If so--if so--I'll drag the secret
+out of her. But, by heaven! that poor fool is standing there yet. There's
+a mad lover for you! Ha, ha! Is he any worse than I have been? Let me
+see. Suppose I had been taken prisoner as he has been, shut up with her
+in a castle, then freed; would I not long to see her? Would not liberty
+be useless without her? That man can't leave his prison-house. She is
+here--she is here; that's enough. Yet what is she to him? Is not this man
+Ashby's friend? I saw them meet at the hotel in Burgos as I watched
+Ashby. They greeted like brothers, and went off together for the night.
+And _he_--why, he has fallen in love with his friend's betrothed! his
+friend's--ha, ha!--betrothed--ha, ha!--and, by Jove! why not? That girl
+could make a saint fall in love with her. That girl--why she oughtn't to
+be allowed to go at large, and therefore I've shut her up; and shut up
+she shall be for the remainder of her days, like a good Spanish wife. But
+I must have a few more words with my moon-struck lover."
+
+With these thoughts Lopez sauntered back to where Harry was standing,
+fixed upon the spot where he had left him.
+
+"Pardon, senor," said he, "but it seems to me that you take a deep
+interest in the senorita. May I ask if she is a relative? In that case
+some allowance might be made: she might not object to see a relative."
+
+"Oh," said Harry, eagerly, his whole face gleaming with joy, "she will
+never object to see _me_. Ask her; ask her. She will be delighted to see
+_me_."
+
+At this there were two distinct feelings struggling for the mastery in
+the breast of the Spaniard; one was exultation at the ready way in which
+Harry had fallen into his trap; the other was one of jealousy at Harry's
+easy confidence. He had never felt such confidence at finding a welcome
+reception from Katie. However, he was now on the right track, and he
+determined to follow it up.
+
+"Are you a relative of the lady's?" he asked.
+
+"Well, no--not exactly a relative," said Harry.
+
+"Ah! perhaps a connection by marriage?"
+
+"Well, no--not exactly a connection, either--"
+
+"Well, you see, senor, in Spain etiquette is very strict, and our ladies
+are under more restraint than with you. I must treat this lady in
+accordance with my own feelings, and a Spanish gentleman would feel as if
+he were slighting a lady if he were to act out of accordance with Spanish
+etiquette."
+
+"Oh," said Harry, earnestly, "she is an English lady."
+
+"But I am a Spanish gentleman."
+
+Harry drew a long breath. He was in despair. Oh, how he longed to be
+Katie's third cousin for a few minutes.
+
+"I am very sorry," said Lopez, "but you see I have to be guided by my own
+sense of propriety. I suppose you are a very old friend, senor; yet I
+have been quite intimate with the senorita myself, and never heard her
+mention your name."
+
+"Well," said Harry, "I have not known her _very_ long."
+
+"She used to speak freely of all her English friends," continued Lopez;
+"for you see she had not many, having lived so long in Spain; and so I
+was surprised to hear you speak of her as so intimate a friend."
+
+"Well," said Harry, "my acquaintance with her is not of _very_ long
+standing."
+
+"You were not acquainted with her at Madrid?" said Lopez.
+
+"No," said Harry, dreamily.
+
+"Nor at Cadiz?" continued Lopez.
+
+"No--not Cadiz."
+
+"Then, senor, you could only have made her acquaintance on this journey,"
+said Lopez, with a smile, which was not merely put on for a purpose. He
+felt like smiling, so successful had he been in getting at the truth.
+
+Harry looked confused.
+
+"Well, you see, senor, in captivity, or on a journey, people are very
+much thrown together, and they make friendships very fast."
+
+"Oh yes," said Lopez, "I understand. In short, it amounts to this, that
+one day of such intercourse, so free, so unconventional, is equal to a
+whole year, or even a whole lifetime, of the formal intercourse of
+ordinary social life."
+
+"Well, senor, I am sorry. I came back thinking that you might be some
+near relative or connection. My own ideas and habits do not allow me to
+permit what you ask; but the senorita will be her own mistress in time,
+and then of course she can see whom she chooses."
+
+And now, for a second time, Lopez walked away, thinking that he
+understood all. Another victim, he thought. And in two or three days: in
+that time she has turned his head. And does she return his passion? Is
+she as indifferent to him as she is to me, and to Ashby? I will soon find
+out.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVI.
+
+
+IN WHICH LOPEZ MAKES A FRESH ASSAULT, AND KATIE BREAKS DOWN UTTERLY.
+
+
+Once more Lopez called upon Katie: it was about two hours after his last
+call. This was his third call in one day. She looked surprised and also
+vexed.
+
+"A little matter has occurred to me," said he, "which I thought I would
+mention to you, as it ought to be of some concern to you."
+
+"Ah!" said Katie, languidly, as Lopez paused. She seemed to be more
+indifferent, if possible, than ever; more self-absorbed, and more bored
+with his society.
+
+"It's about a certain Mr. Rivers," continued Lopez.
+
+It was not without very careful premeditation that Lopez had entered upon
+this interview, and the result of his thoughts was that he had decided
+upon introducing this matter in the most abrupt manner possible. But in
+all his speculations as to the possible effect of this new scheme, he had
+never imagined anything like the reality as he now witnessed it.
+
+At the mention of that name Katie's manner changed instantly and utterly.
+From languor, from indifference, and from boredom, she started up erect
+with wild excitement and terrified interest. In her face there was a
+perfect anguish of fear and apprehension. Her eyes stared upon him in
+utter horror; she gasped for breath, and it was not until some time that
+she could articulate a few words.
+
+"Mr.--Mr.--Rivers!" she gasped. "Did you say--Mr. Rivers?"
+
+However amazed Lopez was at Katie's intensity of excitement, he made no
+reference to it, and answered in a quiet and matter-of-fact tone.
+
+"He said he was acquainted with you, and wanted to see you."
+
+"To see me? Mr. Rivers?" said Katie, still agitated. "And can--can
+he--will he--will you let him? Did you consent?"
+
+"Well," said Lopez, "you see, there were reasons--"
+
+"Reasons!" repeated Katie, all tremulously, and in dire
+suspense--"reasons!" she waited his reply breathlessly. The thought of
+Harry being in the power of Lopez, of the hate and malignant vengeance
+which Lopez might pour forth upon his devoted head, had all occurred to
+her at once at the mention of his name, and still overwhelmed her.
+
+"In Spain, you know," said Lopez, "there is not such freedom of social
+intercourse between young unmarried ladies and gentlemen as in England,
+and I did not think that you would feel like violating our Spanish
+etiquette."
+
+"Spanish etiquette!" cried Katie, with nervous eagerness; "oh, that is
+nothing--Tell him he may come--he may come; tell him he may come--I shall
+be most happy to see him--I shall be so glad to see him! I shall--oh, I
+shall--be--I shall be--oh yes, glad to see him!"
+
+Katie was struggling with intense feeling. Her feelings carried her away
+completely. Lopez saw this plainly, and felt, as he had felt in Ashby's
+case, partly triumphant exultation, partly the bitterest jealousy. But he
+had a careful guard over every exhibition of his own feelings. And yet,
+in the midst of his exultation, his jealousy, and his efforts at
+self-control, he marvelled greatly at the intensity of feeling displayed
+by this girl whom he had believed to be so immovable. And for whom?--for
+an acquaintance of three days' standing.
+
+"Oh, but you see," said he, "there is something else to prevent,
+unfortunately."
+
+"Something else!" repeated Katie, in a low, trembling voice: "and
+_unfortunately_! did you say _unfortunately_?"
+
+"I said _unfortunately_," said Lopez. "You see--I forgot to mention it
+before, as I did not know that you were acquainted with him--but this
+Rivers has been arrested as a spy."
+
+This was, of course, untrue; but Lopez was merely trying an experiment on
+Katie.
+
+The experiment was fearfully successful.
+
+In an instant all that Lopez had said at their last interview about the
+fate of spies rushed to her mind. Ashby's fate she had regarded with mild
+pity, but the fate of Rivers seemed to crush her down into the dust.
+
+She clutched the arm of Lopez convulsively with both her hands; she
+raised up her face--white with horror; she gasped for breath.
+
+"Oh, senor! oh, senor!" she cried, "what is it that you mean? A spy!
+Harry a spy, and arrested! Oh, you cannot mean it! Say that you do not
+mean it! Oh, say it--say it!"
+
+She could say no more. Her grasp loosened. She fell back, and, burying
+her face in her hands, burst into a passion of tears. Sobs convulsed that
+slender frame. Lopez sat with a bitter smile regarding her.
+
+"You seem to value the life of this Rivers," said he at length, after a
+long silence.
+
+Katie lifted her face, and regarded him with eyes all red and swollen.
+
+"His life!" she exclaimed, with a shudder--"his life! Ah, that is it! And
+I see in your face that there is--no--hope. Oh, Harry! oh, Harry, Harry!"
+
+Her voice died away in a low shudder. Lopez himself was moved. He had not
+been in the least prepared for such an utter break-down as this. Ah! now
+he saw that Katie could love, and how she could love! At the force of
+that love all else passed away--pride, shame, hate, all; everything was
+forgotten except that name, upon which her voice dwelt with such longing.
+
+"Yes," he said, "he is a spy. He is now being tried, or rather, he has
+been tried--for I may as well tell it--and has been condemned. I need say
+no more about it; I have already said enough. You know the fate of a
+condemned spy. Before another hour all will be over."
+
+At first Katie seemed about to faint, but the last sentence roused her.
+She started up, and again seized his arm with her convulsive grasp. With
+white, tremulous lips she said, in a low voice which had sunk to a
+whisper,
+
+"An hour! an hour! Did you say--another hour?"
+
+Lopez bowed his head in silence.
+
+"But _you_--_you_--_you_," said Katie, fiercely--"_you_ do not believe
+him guilty?"
+
+"I have nothing to do with it," said Lopez, coldly.
+
+"Nothing to do? Are you not commander here?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Can you do nothing?" she asked again.
+
+"No. The trial is over. His fate has already been decided; in another
+hour all will be over."
+
+The repetition of these words roused Katie to a fresh outburst of
+despairing grief.
+
+"Oh!" said she; "in so short a time! so short!"
+
+"It was because he was so near his doom," continued Lopez, "that the
+condemned prisoner requested to see you, and I thought I would mention
+it. Had it not been for this request he would have been shot without your
+knowing it."
+
+Katie wrung her hands, in a blind passion of despair.
+
+"Oh!" she burst forth, "something must be done! He shall not die! He must
+not! Oh, heavens! how can I live, and think of it? Harry! Harry! was
+there no one to speak for you? A _spy_! It's false! He was a simple
+traveller. Oh, Captain Lopez, there must be some way of saving him, or at
+least of deferring his doom. Can it not be put off--for one day?"
+
+"That would be of no avail," said Lopez.
+
+"One day!" pleaded Katie, in eager tones.
+
+"It's useless," said Lopez; "it's impossible. The sentence of the court
+cannot be revoked."
+
+"But time flies! Oh, Captain Lopez, can you not let him go?"
+
+"Oh yes," said Lopez, "I can do that easily enough. I could let him out,
+so that he could escape."
+
+At this Katie fell on her knees, and clasped the hands of Lopez.
+
+"Oh, Captain Lopez, I kneel to you! I pray to you! On my knees I pray for
+his life! Let him fly! Oh, let him fly! Oh, I pray--I pray on my knees!"
+
+Lopez drew a long breath. This scene was terrible to him in many ways;
+but, above all, it was terrible to see what love was thus lavished on
+this comparative stranger, when he would risk his life, and had risked
+his life, for a single smile.
+
+"Think," said he, "what it is that you ask. The moment I let him go, that
+moment I myself am a criminal, I myself am condemned. I must fly--I must
+become a ruined man! Ruined? Worse: dishonored, disgraced in my native
+land; I who have had high ambitions, and have won no mean distinctions.
+And yet do you ask this of me?"
+
+Katie bowed her head down; she kissed his hands, and in tremulous tones
+said,
+
+"Oh, I must--I must! I do!"
+
+Lopez was trembling from head to foot. He himself could now scarcely
+speak from agitation.
+
+"And may I," he said, in a low voice--"may I--ask--nothing from you--when
+I give up--honor, life, hope, all--for your sake?"
+
+There was a suggestiveness in this question which flashed at once in all
+its fullest meaning into Katie's mind. She dropped his hands; she sank
+upon the floor; she bowed her head tremblingly and despairingly. Lopez
+looked at her with an agitation equal to her own, and a despair only
+less. She loved another--she could never love him; she loved another--oh,
+how vehemently, how dearly she loved him! Yet she _must_ be his!
+
+"One hour was allowed him," murmured Lopez--"one hour to prepare. Much of
+that hour has already passed. Say, will you save his life? and shall I
+set him free? Say, shall I go to ruin? Say, will you give up as much for
+me as I am ready to give up for you? Quick--another minute, and it may be
+too late!"
+
+Katie started up wildly.
+
+"Go! go!" she said, in a hot, feverish whisper. "Haste--fly--save him!"
+
+"You promise?" said Lopez.
+
+"Oh, my God! yes!" cried Katie, and fell senseless to the floor.
+
+"See to your mistress," said Lopez, in a faltering voice, as he went
+outside and met the attendant there.
+
+Then Lopez went away, not to free Harry, for he was already free, but to
+a lonely room, where he flung himself on his face on the stony floor, and
+lay there long, weeping like a child.
+
+For the agony of this man at winning Katie thus was equal to that of
+Katie over her act of self-sacrifice.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVII.
+
+
+IN WHICH LOPEZ USES HIS ADVANTAGE TO THE UTTERMOST, AND KATIE SINKS INTO
+DEEPER DESPAIR.
+
+
+And so Lopez had resolved to gratify both his love and his vengeance. He
+was determined at all hazards to force Katie to be his wife; and at the
+same time he would be able to take a sweet and most effective revenge on
+the hated Ashby. As for this new lover, Rivers, who had so unexpectedly
+started up, the decision was more difficult. He felt no hate toward him
+as he did toward Ashby. He had received no insults at his hands. There
+was in Harry's manner none of that outrageous superciliousness which had
+made Ashby so detestable. The face of Rivers was of itself one which
+conciliated all, and his character was visible in his frank, free, and
+easy manners. With such a man it was almost impossible to quarrel; still,
+the jealousy of Lopez had been roused at the discovery of Katie's love
+for Rivers, and for this he felt a resentment. He determined, therefore,
+to include that young man in his plans, and thought that the simplest and
+most effective mode of dealing with him would be to invite him also to
+the wedding. Thus both the lovers should see with their own eyes the end
+of this affair. Ashby should see it, Rivers also should see it. The
+prospect was a delightful one, and did much toward restoring Lopez to his
+equanimity.
+
+"Aha!" he said to himself, as he reached this conclusion--"aha, my
+tender, cooing doves! how will you like that?"
+
+
+[Illustration: "He Flung Himself On His Face On The Stony Floor, And Lay
+There Long."]
+
+
+Another thought, which gave him almost equal delight, was that of the
+revenge which he would be able to take on Russell. Russell had stirred up
+his deepest hate. He had insulted him at Madrid, and had put a stop to
+his attentions to Katie. He had publicly expelled him from the
+railway-carriage. Had he been Katie's father, Lopez would have felt
+resentful enough, and would have found it hard to forgive; but as he was
+merely a guardian, and as Katie had no affection for him, he was under no
+constraint whatever, and could gratify his revenge without any
+hinderance. It was to him a most delightful chance which had thrown
+Russell in his way under such peculiar and ridiculous relations to Rita;
+and to take advantage of this was a happy thought, which filled him with
+such exultation that for a time he almost lost sight of the darker and
+more disheartening side of this affair.
+
+That darker side was the aversion which Katie had evinced toward himself.
+She had shown it. It was not merely her love for Rivers; it was something
+like repugnance to himself, which had been evident at their first
+meeting. The juncture which he considered most favorable to his hopes had
+evidently been most unfavorable. He had hoped to be received as a
+deliverer; he had only been viewed as a captor. Her face, her expression,
+her tears, her agony, were all present evermore to his memory.
+
+He must see her soon. He must press on this marriage at once. Delay would
+only be worse. His situation here was precarious. If he were to linger
+too long, the Carlists might rally, and he would be besieged. Before
+that could happen he must have Katie for his wife, and then retreat as
+fast as possible. He could not defer the marriage till they reached
+Vittoria, for then Katie would surely elude him and effect her escape. He
+concluded that he must be married on the following day at the farthest,
+and in the morning. To postpone it any longer was not to be thought of.
+
+That evening he visited Katie once more. As he entered and looked at her,
+he was struck to the heart to see the change that had come over her. She
+was pale, thin, and haggard. She looked up hastily, with staring eyes.
+Then she started up and looked, but said nothing. But Lopez reflected
+that all this was the result of a love for another, and at that thought
+his pity passed away. He would go on with his work, he thought. He would
+not be defeated by uureasonable whims, and violent yet fitful gusts of
+passion.
+
+"He is safe!" said Lopez.
+
+Katie clasped her hands. Her voice now returned, and, casting up her
+eyes, she ejaculated in low tones,
+
+"Oh, thank Heaven!--but where--where--has he gone?"
+
+Lopez shook his head.
+
+"Not yet," said he; "nor can he go--till your promise is fulfilled."
+
+Katie shuddered.
+
+"Is there--is there--no other way?" she asked, tremulously.
+
+"No," said Lopez. "And the promise must be fulfilled soon."
+
+"Soon!" said Katie, with white lips.
+
+"I will explain," said Lopez. "I am in danger here in many ways--enemies
+all around. The moment that Rivers is released I am a ruined man. I too
+must fly; but you must accompany me. So the moment that Rivers is free
+you must be mine. Our marriage must take place at once."
+
+"At once!" cried Katie, with a look of horror. "Oh heavens!"
+
+Lopez drew a deep breath. This aversion of Katie toward himself was
+horrible.
+
+"Or else," continued Lopez, "in the event of your refusal--"
+
+"What? what?"
+
+"Rivers is a prisoner yet. He has been reprieved--that is all. The court
+did not decide."
+
+"A prisoner--yet!" repeated Katie.
+
+"He cannot go," said Lopez, "till we are married."
+
+"Oh heavens!"
+
+"Till then he is in the greatest possible peril; till then he is only
+safe by the most violent exercise of arbitrary authority on my part. Some
+of my followers are intensely excited: all are mutinous: they clamor for
+his death. They look at me with sinister faces and low muttered
+execrations. With these fierce, implacable spirits how can he be safe? I
+am not safe myself. The moment I set him free I dare not remain behind. I
+cannot go--I will not go--without you. His life depends on you. My men
+cannot be long restrained. I myself have had to tell them that it is only
+for twenty-four hours."
+
+"Oh heavens!" cried Katie, in even deeper anguish.
+
+"Before that time is up he must go--yes, long before--so as to be well on
+his journey, out of reach of these fierce enemies. I must go soon after
+he does. I cannot go alone--I cannot give up everything. If I give up
+ambition for your sake, it is only fair that I should satisfy my love."
+
+"Love!" cried Katie. "Oh! Love! How can you talk of love!"
+
+"_Love_!" said Lopez, bitterly. "No one ever felt it so painfully as I."
+
+Katie was silent. She turned away, wringing her hands.
+
+"Do you wish his life?"
+
+"His life? Oh heavens! am I not ready to lay down my life for him?"
+
+"Lay down your life?" repeated Lopez. "That is not wanted. No! You have
+yet a long life to live in love and happiness."
+
+"Never!" said Katie, vehemently. "There is no love or happiness in life
+now for me. I love him--I love him, and him only! Oh, how I love him!"
+
+Lopez gave a sneering laugh.
+
+"Pardon me, you are too facile in your loves, senorita, to talk in that
+strain. You love so easily that you will probably have many love-affairs
+in your happy future. You loved Ashby, and in a day or two you declare
+yourself ready to die for Rivers!"
+
+This was a bitter taunt, but Katie's distress was so deep that she did
+not feel it.
+
+"Oh, I never knew love before!" said she. "I thought I loved Mr. Ashby;
+but I was mistaken--I never loved him. It was nothing; I was
+inexperienced. I didn't understand--I didn't know. But I know now. Oh, I
+know all now--all!"
+
+Lopez felt rather pleased at Katie's declaration about Ashby. He did not
+believe her altogether. He believed that she had loved him, but had
+forgotten him while flirting with another. If she had forgotten Ashby so
+readily, she would also forget Rivers with equal readiness, and say quite
+as boldly that she had never loved Rivers. This passion was a sudden
+whim--it was no more than a dream; she was hardly in her right mind, she
+was infatuated. Of course she would get over it. And he determined to use
+his advantages to the utmost. So he returned to the subject.
+
+"You see," said he, "as long as Rivers is here, he is subject to the most
+deadly peril. He is even now in danger. Do you wish to save him?"
+
+"Oh heavens!" cried Katie. "I do! I do!"
+
+"Well, then, you must do as I have said."
+
+Katie moaned.
+
+"Will you?"
+
+"Oh, let me wait! I'll promise anything--everything; but, for Heaven's
+sake, let me wait--only a little, little time! Oh, senor, on my knees I
+fall--I pray, as I would pray to Heaven, give me time--time--time! only a
+little--only a very, very little!"
+
+Katie knelt; she put her palms together; she looked up, as in prayer, to
+this mighty tyrant who held over her such power. Lopez could not endure
+the sight: it filled him with tender pity, with grief, with remorse. He
+began to yield.
+
+Instinctively he bent down and took her in his arms. He was about to
+grant her everything. He was about to tell her, with tears, that he would
+grant her years, if she would only promise to _try_ to love him.
+
+But Katie misunderstood his action. The touch of his arms was enough--it
+was too much! She tore herself away, and stood shuddering and weeping.
+
+Lopez felt that gesture of loathing and aversion cut like a knife to his
+inmost being. At once all tenderness, all pity, departed. He determined
+to have no more of this trifling.
+
+"Listen!" said he, coldly. "By saving Rivers I destroy myself. You must
+be my wife. I must then fly--do you hear?--fly from Spain, from my
+country, from all I have loved: I must be an exile. This is all for you.
+Think of all that I give up for you! I cannot postpone. If I postpone, my
+people will kill Rivers and myself too. The life of Rivers depends on you
+alone."
+
+Katie said not a word. She was helpless.
+
+"To-morrow, early," said Lopez, "you must be mine. Rivers shall be then
+set free."
+
+Without waiting for any further words, Lopez bade her adieu, and retired.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLVIII.
+
+
+HOW LOPEZ GOES TO SEE THE PRIEST ABOUT HIS MARRIAGE.
+
+
+After leaving Katie, Lopez decided to give notice to the priest about the
+nature of the ceremony that was to be performed, and also to appoint the
+time for its performance on the following morning.
+
+As he entered the room Talbot saw in his face the sign of some important
+purpose. At once she divined it. She had already made up her mind as to
+what that service would be that Lopez expected of her, and what her own
+action should be. Brooke also, in spite of his plausible arguments, was
+afraid that she was only too near the truth, and such terrors gathered
+around the prospect that he could not think of it. But now all suspense
+was at an end. The truth was about to be made known, and, whatever it
+was, they would have to face it.
+
+"Senor," said Lopez, addressing himself to Brooke, yet courteously
+including Talbot in his glance, "I have now come to tell you why I have
+required thus far the company of your friend the priest, and you may
+explain to him what I have to say. It is for a very simple and pleasing
+ceremony--namely, a marriage."
+
+"A marriage!" repeated Brooke, in a low voice.
+
+That word, sometimes so full of joyous meaning and so surrounded with
+associations of mirth and festivity, now rang in Brooke's ears with a
+sound as harsh and terrible as that of a death-knell. It was the word
+which he dreaded more than all others to hear from the lips of Lopez. His
+heart sank within him, and he knew not what to think, or where to turn
+for hope. That Talbot would refuse to perform this ceremony he felt
+convinced, but what would be the consequences of such a refusal under
+such circumstances?
+
+"The priest," continued Lopez, who had not noticed any difference in
+Brooke's manner, and was not at all aware of the intense agitation which
+now pervaded all his frame--"the priest will be ready to perform the
+ceremony at an early hour to-morrow morning."
+
+"To-morrow morning!" repeated Brooke, mechanically.
+
+Worse and worse! This man was hurrying matters so that he did not leave
+any time for thought, much less for action. To-morrow morning, at an
+early hour! Oh, terrible haste! Oh, fearful flight of time! "Was there,
+then, so short a time until this new ordeal, with its new dangers? Brooke
+shuddered.
+
+A sudden thought now came to him, at which he grasped eagerly. It was
+utterly useless, and he knew it, but it was all that he had to offer
+against this man's resolution.
+
+"Can the priest officiate without the government license?"
+
+"Government license!" repeated Lopez. "Of course. The Church does not ask
+permission of the State to perform the solemn sacraments. What has the
+State to do with the acts of a priest of the Church?"
+
+"Oh, I don't know," said Brooke, dejectedly; "it's different in other
+countries."
+
+"Spain," said Lopez, severely--"Spain is a Christian country."
+
+"True--true; I forgot," said Brooke.
+
+"In an infidel country," continued Lopez, "like England or America, the
+State regulates marriage, of course; but it is different in Spain--very
+different."
+
+Brooke scarcely heard this. He was groping about mentally in search of an
+idea. Another one came--a hopeless one, like the last--but he caught at
+it, since there was nothing else to do.
+
+"This priest," said he, "is an Englishman."
+
+"Well!" said Lopez, with a slight expression of surprise.
+
+"I didn't know but that it might make some difference," said Brooke,
+meekly.
+
+"Difference! How?"
+
+"Not--not knowing your language, you know."
+
+"My language!" said Lopez; "what does that matter? He has the language of
+the Church, and that language every priest uses in the formulas and
+services of the Church, whether he is a Spaniard, or an Englishman, or an
+African negro. He celebrates the sacraments in the words laid down by the
+Church, and the languages of the various nations have nothing to do with
+these holy rites. I fear, senor, you are raising objections which will
+seem as strange and unreasonable to your friend, this good priest, as
+they do to me."
+
+At this Brooke was struck dumb. He had nothing more to say.
+
+"You will tell your friend," said Lopez, "to be ready at an early hour
+to-morrow morning. I also will do myself the honor, senor, to invite you
+to give us the pleasure of your company on this occasion."
+
+Brooke bowed, and murmured something about the consciousness which he had
+of the honor that Lopez had done him; and in the midst of these
+commonplaces Lopez retired.
+
+After his departure Brooke remained silent for a long time. Talbot feared
+the worst, and as she had divined already the meaning of this visit, she
+understood perfectly the feelings of Brooke. So she said not a word, but
+patiently waited until he chose to speak. At length he told her all.
+
+"I thought so," said Talbot.
+
+"What will you do?" asked Brooke, in a low voice.
+
+"Nothing," said Talbot, simply.
+
+"Nothing?" repeated Brooke. "What can I do?"
+
+"Can you not do what he requests?" asked Brooke, in a trembling voice.
+
+"What! and marry them?"
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"It is impossible!" said Talbot, firmly.
+
+"Oh heavens!" moaned Brooke, in a tone of despair.
+
+"Oh, Brooke, do not talk like that!" said Talbot, entreatingly. "Have I
+not already said all that can be said?"
+
+"Well," said Brooke, "listen to reason for a moment. Only think what
+marriage is. It is a union of two loving hearts. In Scotland people marry
+themselves. Why cannot you do in Spain what you might safely do in
+Scotland?"
+
+"Yes," said Talbot, "and in Turkey a man may marry a hundred wives. Why
+may not you do in Spain what you may safely do in Turkey? Oh, Brooke!
+Brooke! Are you altogether candid now, and true to your better self? Do
+not tempt me, Brooke. Do not try to shake me. My mind is clear on this
+point. I cannot do wrong, not even to please yon, Brooke."
+
+As Talbot said this she looked at Brooke with a glance that penetrated to
+his soul. Her eyes showed unfathomable tenderness and devotion, yet her
+face and her voice told of a resolve that was immutable.
+
+Then Brooke tried another tone.
+
+"Confound these Spaniards!" he cried. "Talbot! Talbot! Come, why not
+marry this couple of cursed fools and have done with it?"
+
+Of these words Talbot took no notice whatever. She was silent for a time
+and thoughtful. Then she went on to speak:
+
+"I know. I begin, I think, to understand all about it. The girl he means
+to marry is this English girl, the daughter of Mrs. Russell. Captain
+Lopez loved her, as we were told. He has followed her here, and effected
+her deliverance from her Carlist captors, and now, as a matter of course,
+she feels grateful to him and is willing to marry him. But how can I do
+anything? I cannot. It is horrible sacrilege. It is frightful sin. No; I
+will tell him the whole truth."
+
+Brooke looked at her with a face of anguish.
+
+"Oh, Talbot," said he, "if you do, what will become of you?"
+
+"What?" said Talbot, in a firm voice.
+
+"He will kill you--and worse than that," said Brooke.
+
+"Why should he kill me?" said Talbot. "It will do him no good. What cause
+will he have to kill me?"
+
+"I have thought it all over," said Brooke, "all over, a thousand times. I
+have speculated as to the possible result of a frank disclosure, and I've
+come to the conclusion that it is better to run every risk in this
+disguise, and go even to the verge of death, rather than divulge your
+secret now."
+
+"Divulge my secret!" said Talbot, in surprise. "And why not? What is
+there to divulge? I have only to say that I am not a priest--I am an
+English lady, who have assumed this disguise as a safeguard."
+
+Brooke sighed.
+
+"It's too late, too late! Oh, fool that I was--cursed, cursed fool! But I
+was afraid to trust those Republicans; I feared that they might harm you
+if they knew you to be a woman. It was for your sake that I kept your
+secret, and now it has turned out to be the very worst thing that I could
+have done."
+
+"I deny that it was the worst," said Talbot, calmly. "Thus far it has
+protected me most effectively. As for the future, we have yet to choose
+our plans."
+
+"Too late!" said Brooke.
+
+"I do not think so," said Talbot. "You do not give any reasons. At any
+rate, I will try--"
+
+"Do not! do not!" said Brooke, earnestly. "It is too late. I will tell
+you. You see, this deception has gone on so long, and his trust in you is
+so profound, that the shock would be more than he could bear. As a priest
+you have won his confidence, even his reverence. If you now tell him that
+it was all a cheat, his wrath would burst forth beyond all bounds. He
+would consider it an outrage on his holiest and most generous feelings.
+He would believe that you had wantonly trifled with all that is most
+sacred and most sensitive in the heart. Then there is more than this. For
+some reason he is bent on marrying this girl. If you refuse now, and tell
+him the truth, it will only intensify his resentment against you, and
+turn it into a vengeful fury. There is no pain that he will not inflict.
+There will be nothing too horrible for his revenge. He will say that you
+deceived and cheated him unnecessarily and persistently; that even if
+there was a necessity for it in the first place, you might at least have
+confided in him after he had shown himself so merciful to me. He will say
+that you must have found him out to be a chivalrous gentleman, in whose
+protection you would have been safe, and this maintenance of your
+disguise all this time and up to the last moment was a mockery and a
+sham. And therefore," concluded Brooke, "every other resource ought
+first to be tried, and this should not be made use of till all others
+have failed. It will be useless at any time, but if it is made use of at
+all, it ought to be last of all."
+
+"Well, I don't know," said Talbot, doubtfully. "I will do as you say,
+Brooke; but to go on in this way, and keep up this disguise till the
+last, seems to me to involve certain destruction. I suppose he cannot be
+persuaded to postpone the marriage."
+
+Brooke shook his head despondingly.
+
+"No," said he, "that is impossible. There is some strong reason for this
+haste. He has, perhaps, extorted some promise from the girl. Perhaps she
+does not love him. Perhaps he is afraid if he gives her time that she
+will back out of it, and is determined to marry her while he has the
+chance."
+
+"If that is the case," said Talbot, "it only makes it worse for me. If
+she does not love him, and all this is as you say, there is another and a
+stronger reason for my refusal to have anything to do with such sacrilege
+and sin."
+
+"Oh, Talbot!" said Brooke. He turned his face toward her. It was a face
+of agony; there was despair in his look. "Oh, Talbot! I could bear this
+trial, any trial, for myself; but for you--for you, Talbot," he
+continued, in thrilling tones, "for you I cannot bear it. Think! Can you
+not do something?"
+
+Talbot trembled. Her eyes filled with tears. For a time she stood thus
+with quivering lips and trembling hands, struggling with her emotion, and
+without much success. When she was able at last to speak it was in
+tremulous, broken tones.
+
+"Oh, Brooke!" she said, "for your sake I would do anything, anything; but
+I cannot, even for your sake, do wrong to others. For you--if it were
+myself alone that were concerned--I might be tempted to do an act of
+sacrilege--or sin. Ask me to suffer for you, Brooke, and I will suffer:
+oh, how gladly! Yes, Brooke," she continued, in a voice that sent a
+thrill through all his being--"yes, Brooke, ask me to die for you, or let
+the chance arise in which I may die to save you, and I will die. But
+do not look at me so, Brooke! do not look at me so! Your face is full of
+despair; your look is the look of one whose heart is breaking; and this,
+Brooke, this seems worse than death! Be yourself, Brooke! rouse yourself!
+Cannot you take refuge in some other thoughts? The very worst of your
+songs might rouse you now. Sing, Brooke--sing anything. Talk nonsense,
+and save your heart and mine from breaking!"
+
+Brooke turned away, and walked up and down for a few minutes, while he
+struggled to regain his composure. The struggle was a severe one, but he
+succeeded in assuming an outward calm. He at length returned, and,
+placing himself before Talbot, gave that short laugh of his, and said,
+with some of his old rattle,
+
+"Well, Talbot lad, you're more than half right. And, as I've always said,
+there's nothing like a good song--and I've lots of good songs; but as you
+suggest a bad song--in fact, the worst of all my songs--why, I dare say
+it wouldn't be a bad idea to sing it. By-the-bye, Talbot, you ought to
+learn to sing--at least, to hum tunes. I'll teach you how to whistle, if
+you like. I wonder if this Spanish cur likes music. I'll sing you a song,
+if you like, and I'll bet ten cents you never heard it before."
+
+And Brooke sang, to a most extraordinary tune, these most extraordinary
+words:
+
+
+  "Oh, a raggedy gang to the piper danced,
+    Of tatterdemalions all,
+  Till the corpulent butler drove them off
+    Beyond the manor wall.
+  The raggedy piper shook his fist:
+    'A minstrel's curse on thee,
+  Thou lubberly, duck-legg'd son of a gun,
+    For settin' dorgs on we!'"
+
+
+"Brooke," said Talbot, with her usual calm, sad face, "I'm glad that you
+are singing, though your song is certainly slightly vulgar."
+
+"Oh, I know it," said Brooke; "but then vulgarity is sometimes a very good
+thing. It don't do for people to be too fastidious. The fact is, this age
+is over-refined, and I'm bound to reform it, or perish."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XLIX.
+
+
+HOW LOPEZ INVITES HARRY TO HIS WEDDING, AND HOW HARRY MAKES A DISTURBANCE.
+
+
+On the following day the prisoners were roused at dawn. First of all,
+Ashby was taken to the room in which the marriage ceremony was to be
+performed, which was the same room where the Russell party had been
+confined. Half a dozen soldiers came for him, and went through the solemn
+mockery of treating him as an invited guest. He had scarcely arrived here
+when Harry also reached the place. A special invitation from Lopez to be
+present at a wedding had attracted him, and filled him with wonder and
+curiosity. His anxiety about Katie, and his longing to see her, were as
+strong as ever, and the effect of these feelings was manifest in his pale
+face and agitated manner; but his desire to please Lopez and retain his
+good-will had drawn him here to be a spectator, though his abstracted air
+showed that his thoughts were elsewhere. Thus, silent and preoccupied,
+Harry stood apart; and Ashby, mindful of their recent hostile meeting,
+kept to himself, and made no motion toward holding any communication
+whatever.
+
+As they stood thus, a third comer appeared upon the scene.
+
+This was Russell. He still wore his woman's dress, having a vague idea
+that it might prove of service in some new attempt to escape, though quite
+unable to imagine any way in which such escape could be possible. Harry,
+attracted by this singular figure, looked at him, and recognized him at
+once, and the effect upon him was so strong that, in spite of his
+melancholy, he burst into a roar of laughter.
+
+Russell, at this, threw toward him a piteous look of appeal, and then
+approached him, in search after sympathy. The two were soon engaged in
+conversation, while Ashby, whom this ludicrous figure had very forcibly
+affected, stood aloof watching him, with a smile on his face which he was
+unable to repress.
+
+The unhappy Russell, full of horror at the prospect before him, still
+clung to some vague and undefined hopes that at the very last moment some
+chance might intervene to prevent the terrible tragedy of a marriage with
+Rita. The appearance of Harry seemed a good omen. He hailed it as such;
+and had an angel appeared, the sight could scarcely have afforded more joy
+to the virtuous Russell than that which he felt at the sight of Harry.
+
+While these two were conversing, Brooke appeared, followed by Talbot.
+Harry's back was turned to the door, so that he did not see Talbot, and
+Talbot did not see his face.
+
+But even if Harry's face had been full before her, she would not have seen
+it. With a slow step, a face pale as marble, and eyes fixed on the floor,
+deep in thoughts which were far, far removed from this room and its
+surroundings, Talbot entered, following Brooke, who was as blind to the
+assembled company and as deeply preoccupied as herself. Before each there
+was a terrible ordeal. As for Talbot, she was to be the central figure,
+and how could she perform her part? For Talbot it was a simple matter to
+sum up the whole situation. She could either consent or refuse. But for
+Brooke there was a harder task. It was for him to try to discover some way
+of saving a friend, whom to save was an impossibility. And so all that
+Talbot suffered was likewise suffered by Brooke, who, in addition, had his
+own peculiar sufferings to bear, while Talbot, in addition to her own
+sufferings, was afflicted still more by the full knowledge of all that
+Brooke was undergoing.
+
+While Harry was talking with Russell he threw a casual glance around, and
+caught the outline of Talbot's figure. He saw--what? Only the priest, as
+he thought. It was enough for him. A mere priest was a profoundly
+uninteresting personage. His eyes saw no deeper than the external dress,
+and he went on talking with Russell.
+
+Two or three more soldiers now came in, until at length there were about a
+dozen. All the other soldiers were outside. At any other time this unusual
+ceremony would have attracted a few idle gazers; but just now all the rest
+of the men were intent upon the important business of breakfast, which was
+just being ladled out to each from a huge caldron.
+
+Now Rita entered, and with her came Katie, leaning feebly on her arm.
+
+Lopez followed.
+
+At the sight of these two women Russell and Harry stopped their
+conversation abruptly. For each one the sight was an overwhelming
+sensation. To Russell it was as though his last hour had come. Here was
+his persecutor, his tormentor, who was resolved to marry him whether he
+would or not. He had confided his griefs to Harry, but had been unable to
+obtain from him any satisfactory advice. What should he do? He could not
+say; he could not even think. Could he dare to say "No," when Lopez and
+Rita and the priest and all the soldiers expected "Yes?" Could he face the
+awful result of disobedience to Lopez, of defiance to Rita? His whole
+nature shrank back in terror from the thought, and prompted him, in this
+dire emergency, of two evils to choose the least.
+
+To Harry, also, the sight of Katie was equally overwhelming. He was struck
+dumb. He stood rooted to the spot, while wonder, suspicion, and fear all
+struggled together within him.
+
+What was the meaning of all this? A marriage?--a marriage of this Spanish
+captain? With whom? Who was the bride? What was Katie doing here? And why
+was Katie coming here in such a manner, with downcast eyes, death-pale
+face, and drooping, trembling figure, scarce able to walk, and leaning so
+heavily upon the arm of this Spanish woman? Such were the questions which
+Harry, in his bewilderment, asked himself and could not answer. To see
+Katie thus was like the stroke of a thunder-bolt, and he was dumb with
+wonder. She came with no word, no smile, no look for him; she came like a
+helpless victim destined for the sacrifice.
+
+Ashby also saw all of this! He had felt already the extremest bitterness
+toward Katie, yet the sight of her now was powerful enough to awaken
+within him the deepest pity. What was the meaning of this? Was Katie the
+bride? Was she about to marry Lopez? Was this the revenge which Lopez had
+planned? It was manifestly so; and yet why had Katie consented? He could
+not understand it. It seemed like a fresh proof of her frivolity and
+falsity; and at such an exhibition he felt bewildered. She had been false
+to him for the sake of Rivers; was she also false to Rivers for the sake
+of Lopez?
+
+And yet, in spite of such thoughts as these, Ashby was full of pity for
+her. He could not help it. And justly so; for hard indeed must that heart
+have been which could have remained unmoved at such a sight. Never was a
+bride seen more despairing. There was agony in her face, and in her
+attitude, and in her gestures. It was not a bride that he saw; it was a
+victim. It was an altar of sacrifice upon which Katie was to be offered
+up--not an altar of love.
+
+And thus Ashby, like Harry, stood overwhelmed at this unexpected sight.
+
+Harry felt an almost irrepressible impulse to spring forward and greet
+her, but something there was in her look which deterred him. It was her
+face of despair, her attitude of utter weakness and prostration, her
+downcast eyes, her averted look. He could not move; he was petrified.
+There came over him something like a feeling of horror. He shuddered at
+the sight. All his thoughts and all his soul were fixed on her, while he
+kept asking himself, What is this? What does it mean? A marriage? And is
+this the bride--Katie?
+
+Meanwhile Lopez had taken up a position at the upper end of the room, and,
+looking around with a sarcastic smile, began to make a few remarks:
+
+"Senors," said he, "I have done myself the honor of requesting your
+company on this occasion, so as to have your presence on the happiest
+moment of my life, on the joyful moment when I am to be united in the holy
+bonds of matrimony to one whom I have long loved, and whom I have at last
+won by rescuing her from a fearful peril. I shall expect your warmest
+congratulations; but however warm they may be, they cannot be adequate to
+the occasion that calls them forth."
+
+At this speech Harry stood transfixed. Then his whole nature and aspect
+changed instantly and utterly. His face grew death-white, there glowed a
+burning spot on each cheek, and his eyes, as he stared at Lopez, blazed
+with the fury of a madman.
+
+"Senor," said he, feverishly and in a loud voice, "who is the lady?"
+
+Lopez smiled scornfully, and took Katie's cold hand in his.
+
+"This," said he, "is the lady--my chosen bride."
+
+Scarce was the action done, scarce were the words spoken, when Harry's
+hand, quick as lightning, had plunged into his breast pocket and snatched
+forth a revolver. In an instant it was levelled. Lopez saw the act, and
+with rapid presence of mind dropped Katie's hand and flung himself flat on
+the floor.
+
+At the same instant two shots in immediate succession came from Harry's
+revolver. In another instant Lopez was on his feet, and had bounded
+against his assailant. A fierce struggle followed. Harry hurled Lopez to
+the floor; but the soldiers rushed up, and those without, hearing the
+noise, hurried in. All was the wildest confusion, in the midst of which
+was Harry struggling like a wild beast with overpowering numbers. He was
+at length held fast by the fierce soldiers, who wished to kill him on the
+spot, but were restrained by Lopez.
+
+"Tie his hands behind him," he cried, in a loud voice, "and leave him
+here. Don't hurt him. It's nothing at all. It's all a mistake."
+
+But amidst the crowd of those who rushed upon Harry, Katie, with a wild
+scream, had flung herself; and as they now retreated at the command of
+their leader, she caught her prostrate lover in her arms, and fainted.
+Lopez dragged her away rudely. Harry, with his hands tied behind him, rose
+up and looked all around in despair.
+
+Amidst that wild uproar, Talbot had been roused from her deep abstraction.
+She looked up, and as the struggle subsided she saw rising full before her
+out of the crowd of combatants the face of Harry Rivers. She recognized
+it, and there came over her heart a cold shudder, followed by a dark
+despair, in comparison with which her late troubles now seemed trivial.
+
+For this was Harry Rivers, the man for whose sake she had come to Spain!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER L.
+
+
+HOW LOPEZ INVITES THE PRIEST TO MARRY HIM, AND HOW THE PRIEST MAKES A
+DISTURBANCE.
+
+
+All was wild confusion.
+
+Katie had fainted, and Rita was endeavoring to bring her back to
+consciousness. Russell stood amazed and bewildered. His chief fear now was
+one of being implicated in this mad outbreak of Rivers, who had been his
+companion in the train and in the castle, and might be taken as his
+confidant.
+
+Talbot stood staring at Harry in wonder and in dark perplexity. Harry,
+however, saw her not; but thought only of Katie, whom he had failed to
+save. Struggles now were useless. He could only fall back on despair.
+
+Brooke noticed a new expression on Talbot's face, and marvelled, but
+thought it merely arose from natural wonder or natural sympathy with this
+unhappy man, who by his madness had rushed upon his doom.
+
+Ashby meanwhile stood calm. He saw and understood the act of Harry and
+Katie. He wondered somewhat to find that their acquaintance had gone so
+far. He knew that both had been false to him, but had no idea that either
+had grown to feel such passionate love for the other. And there came over
+him a passing feeling of jealous anger, together with a natural
+indignation at the baseness of these two--the one his love, the other his
+friend--who had both betrayed him. So he looked with cold complacency upon
+their woes, and thought that they were both receiving such severe
+retribution that he had no need for further revenge.
+
+Lopez, having seen that Harry's hands were firmly bound, turned to Katie,
+who at length came to her senses, and looked all around with a shudder. He
+was anxious to soothe her, so as to finish the ceremony.
+
+"Be calm," he said, in a low whisper, "for his sake. He may even yet be
+saved--I swear it. If you perform your promise I will forgive him. As you
+value your life, control yourself. If these men understand how it is, they
+will kill him on the spot."
+
+At these words Katie shuddered the more, and with a violent effort
+attained to something like calmness. She then stood up, more tremulous and
+weak than ever, and stood thus, leaning upon Rita, without daring to
+encounter Harry's look.
+
+"The ceremony shall go on," said Lopez, aloud. "This fool's-play shall not
+stop it."
+
+"Keep calm," he whispered to Katie; "his life now depends on you
+altogether."
+
+Harry still stood there, with soldiers around him, his hands bound, his
+face bloodless, but with the eyes of a madman.
+
+"Senor," said Lopez, coolly, "I had no idea that you were a lunatic. You
+must submit to temporary restraint."
+
+Harry made no reply. He looked all around, as though trying to see if
+there might be any signs of sympathy in the faces of the others, as though
+seeking in his despair for some faint ray of hope. He saw the cold sneer
+of Ashby; he saw the fierce frown of Lopez; he saw the trembling figure of
+Russell; he saw the anxious face of Brooke; and then, last of all, he
+saw--Talbot!
+
+
+[Illustration: "Harry, With His Hands Tied Behind Him, Rose Up, And Looked
+All Around In Despair."]
+
+
+This was the first time that he had got a sight of her face. In that
+instant, in spite of her disguise, there came in one flash the recognition
+of the whole truth. He saw that she had been lost--had been captured--had
+put on this disguise. At this discovery there followed within him nothing
+less than a complete paralysis of thought and feeling. In the shock of his
+sudden amazement he could only ejaculate in half-audible tones the one
+word--"Sydney!"
+
+Lopez heard this, but did not understand it. He wondered why Harry should
+exhibit such emotion at the sight of the priest, but hastily concluded
+that it was some more of his wild and insane excitement over this marriage
+ceremony.
+
+Brooke heard it, and stared in bewilderment first at one and then at the
+other.
+
+Talbot stood as before. She moved not, she spoke not, she was stolid and
+stiff, like a statue of ice; but there was in her face a new horror--it
+was the face of one who sees a ghost.
+
+To both of these it was a terrible moment. For Talbot saw Harry, and Harry
+saw Talbot, and each recognized the other fully, though neither ventured
+to address the other. This, then, was the meeting of those two who had
+once loved and exchanged vows; who had suffered and rejoiced together; who
+had parted in sorrow, and looked forward to a reunion with joy; who but a
+short time since had desired nothing so much as the sight of each other;
+this was their meeting and thus it took place, at the very climax of that
+new and more passionate love which had been conceived by each for another!
+
+Had Harry only recognized her a few minutes before, the sight would have
+effectually chilled his hot blood and saved him from his mad assault on
+Lopez. He was calm enough now, however, and this was quite sufficient for
+the latter.
+
+"Senor," said he, "you deserve to be shot on the spot without mercy, but
+out of regard for this lady and at her solicitation I spare you. And now,
+senor priest, let the ceremony begin, for this lady seems feeble."
+
+Lopez waited, expecting Brooke to translate this to Talbot.
+
+Brooke hesitated.
+
+Lopez, in surprise, repeated his words. "Why do you not interpret?" he
+added.
+
+It was the crisis of Talbot's fate. How could Brooke decide? Why should he
+interpret at all? Should he do this? No; better draw upon himself the
+wrath of Lopez. And yet what could he accomplish by a refusal to
+interpret? These other prisoners could act. They understood Spanish as
+well as English. Such were the questions in Brooke's mind, and he could
+not decide.
+
+Suddenly the decision on this matter was taken away altogether, and
+adopted by Talbot herself. She would not let the vengeful wrath of Lopez
+fall on Brooke or on any other than herself. She understood his feelings
+fully, and therefore, to put an end to all suspense, she took the matter
+in her own hands.
+
+She therefore came close up to Lopez, and fixed her large, dark, solemn
+eyes sternly yet mournfully upon his. Her face bore witness to a
+resolution that was immutable. Lopez could read its expression and see all
+that was in her mind.
+
+She pointed to Katie, then to herself, and then to him. Then looking
+fixedly at him, she shook her head violently and with emphasis, and then
+hurled the breviary upon the floor. The act and the expression were more
+eloquent than words. Lopez understood all perfectly. His eyes flashed with
+just indignation, and a savage smile came over his face.
+
+"Oho, senor priest," said he; "so you think that because I have once or
+twice restrained my anger, that I can be set at defiance with impunity!
+I'm tired of being magnanimous; so let me tell you that however merciful I
+have been before, I will show none now. You must go on. I will allow of no
+hesitation. Tell him that," he added, to Brooke.
+
+"He says," said Brooke, "that you must obey."
+
+Talbot scarcely heard this.
+
+She never moved her eyes from Lopez; she simply shook her head, with her
+immutable resolve as visible as ever. Lopez could see that the priest, for
+some motive or other, was bent on self-sacrifice.
+
+He took out his watch. "I'll allow five minutes," said he, "for decision.
+If at the end of that time you refuse, I will blow out your brains with my
+own hand. Tell him that."
+
+"Senor captain," said Brooke, impetuously, "let me say one word."
+
+"Translate for me, I say!"
+
+"One word first."
+
+"Not one--obey me!" cried Lopez, in fury.
+
+"Senor captain," said Brooke, not heeding him, "this is a priest. It is a
+matter of conscience."
+
+"Silence!" roared Lopez. "Tell him what I said. His time will soon be up!"
+
+Brooke turned to Talbot.
+
+"He'll only give you five minutes, Talbot," said he. "I'll try to dissuade
+him."
+
+"No use, Brooke," said Talbot, mournfully. "I came prepared for this."
+
+Brooke turned again to Lopez.
+
+"The priest says that his vows forbid him to blaspheme the holy sacrament
+of marriage in this way. He says he will die rather than risk his soul by
+an act of sacrilege."
+
+"A curse on his soul!" cried Lopez. "What do I care!"
+
+"Look out for your own soul!" cried Brooke.
+
+"Aha! are you too a priest? Beware, sir! your life is already in peril."
+
+At this moment Harry cried out in a loud voice,
+
+"Stop, Captain Lopez--stop, for God's sake! This is a mistake--a terrible
+mistake."
+
+Lopez turned round in a fury.
+
+"Gag that devil!" he roared.
+
+In a moment the soldiers had seized Harry and bound a bandage over his
+mouth, by which they effectually stopped any further remarks.
+
+The last chance yet remained which Brooke might seize for Talbot--it was
+to divulge her secret and tell about her disguise. To divulge it to this
+euraged and furious chieftain might now only render him ten times more
+furious and vengeful; it might only aggravate the doom of the prisoner;
+but the risk must be run.
+
+"Stop!" cried Brooke. "Senor captain, listen. It's a mistake--She is--"
+
+"Silence," roared Lopez, "or I'll blow your brains out!"
+
+"Senor, this priest is not--"
+
+"Seize this fellow!" yelled Lopez. "Bind him! Gag him!"
+
+Several of the men sprang toward Brooke, who struggled madly, shouting at
+the same time words which soon were drowned in the uproar that followed.
+
+Lopez now snatched a rifle from one of his men. Katie gave a loud scream;
+Russell fell on his knees; Ashby shuddered.
+
+Lopez took deadly aim at Talbot.
+
+"Your time is up!" he said, coolly.
+
+Talbot stood motionless, with a face of marble and an attitude perfectly
+rigid; not a nerve quivered as she looked into the muzzle of the rifle,
+but her lips moved as if she were murmuring a prayer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LI.
+
+
+IN WHICH AN INTERRUPTION OCCURS IN A MARRIAGE CEREMONY.
+
+
+Talbot stood; the rifle was levelled at her; Lopez had taken deadly aim;
+his finger was on the trigger; she felt that her last hour had come, and
+that naught could avail her now but prayer.
+
+Brooke was struggling like a madman. Two of the soldiers had been hurled
+to the floor; another was clinging to his neck; a fourth was savagely
+trying to gouge out his eyes.
+
+Lopez pulled the trigger. The report rang through the hall.
+
+At that very instant, as the fire and smoke went flashing and blazing at
+Talbot--or rather, the very instant before--a figure dashed toward her. It
+was Brooke. By one supreme and convulsive effort he had torn himself away
+from his assailants, and with one great bound had flung himself at Talbot.
+At the rush which he made she fell backward, and the next instant Brooke
+fell upon her. Talbot then struggled up to her feet, and through the dense
+clouds of smoke reached down to raise up Brooke. He was senseless.
+
+With a low moan like the cry of a suffering animal, Talbot threw herself
+upon the senseless form. From his forehead there trickled several streams
+of blood which fell to the floor in a pool. She pressed her lips again and
+again to the wound, and then through the dense smoke she rose and looked
+around, confronting Lopez with the blood of Brooke's wounds staining all
+her face. It was a face beautiful in its marble whiteness as the face of a
+statue of Athena; yet terrible in the fixed and stony horror of its eyes,
+and in the blood-streaks that covered it, and in the incarnate hate of its
+expression--terrible in all this as the Gorgon face of Medusa.
+
+
+[Illustration: "She Hurled The Breviary Upon The Floor."]
+
+
+Lopez shrank back: his vengeance was satisfied, his fury had all subsided,
+and there flashed through every nerve a thrill of horror. It was then to
+him as though the dead--the priest whom he had just slain--had sprung up
+by an immediate resurrection from death to punish him for such atrocious
+sacrilege. All the superstition of his Spanish nature now rolled in one
+wave over his soul, overwhelming it with panic fear. The dead! the dead!
+he thought--the priest with the angel face--murdered because he would not
+sin--it was he! But the angel face was now the awful head of a haunting
+and avenging demon.
+
+And now at this very instant, while the smoke was still hanging in dense
+folds half-way between floor and ceiling; while Brooke still lay in his
+blood; while Talbot still glared in fury upon Lopez; at this very moment
+there arose a wild cry--sudden, menacing, irresistible--by which the whole
+face of the scene was changed.
+
+"Viva el Rey!"
+
+Such was the cry that now sounded out in the midst of the amazed
+Republicans. There was a rush and a trample. Then followed the thunder of
+rifles, and through the smoke dusky figures were visible, rushing to and
+fro.
+
+Once again, once more, and again, and yet again, report after report rang
+out. All the room was dense with smoke, and in that thick darkness nothing
+was visible; but voices yelled in fear, and other voices shouted in
+triumph; while far above all sounded the war-cry, "Viva el Rey!" "Down
+with the rebels!" "No quarter!"
+
+Shrieks arose in the hall without. Then cries followed--"Treason! treason!
+We are betrayed! Fly! fly!" These words were screamed in the shrill tones
+of a woman. The terror of that cry communicated itself to all. A universal
+trample and a rush succeeded, and the whole band of Republicans, in mad
+panic, fled away.
+
+Out they went, that panic-stricken band, into the court-yard, and out
+through the gates, and afar away through the open country, each one
+seeking his own safety, and hearing in his disordered fancy the sound
+behind him of hot pursuit. There was no pursuit--no enemy followed close
+behind; but in that crowd of panic-stricken fugitives each heard the swift
+rush and the quick trampling footfalls of all the rest; and as none dared
+to look back, so all continued to run; and so they ran, and ran, and ran,
+and they have probably been keeping it up ever since, unless, indeed, they
+thought better of it, and concluded to stop and rest.
+
+The reason why there was no pursuit is a very simple one. The fact is, the
+attacking force amounted to no more than six, these six being no others
+than our friends the imprisoned Carlists, headed by the intrepid, the
+ardent, the devoted, the plucky little Spanish maid Dolores. She had
+contrived to pick up some stray arms and ammunition with which she had
+supplied her Carlist friends, and, waiting for some opportune moment, had
+made a sudden rush, like Gideon upon the Midianites, with the startling
+results above described.
+
+But let us on with our story.
+
+The smoke rolled away, and there was disclosed a new scene.
+
+Two or three wounded Republicans lay writhing on the floor. Lopez lay
+near, bound tight, and surrounded by the six Carlists, who, I am sorry to
+say, insulted their captive by fierce threats and unnecessary taunts. At
+all this Lopez seemed unmoved, though the expression of his face was by no
+means a happy one.
+
+It is a very annoying thing, my reader, when you are bringing in your long
+suit, and the game appears to be all your own, to have it all changed by
+the interposition of a miserable trump, on the existence of which you had
+not reckoned; and then to leave the _role_ of Conquering Hero, and change
+the part of victor for that of vanquished, requires so many high moral
+qualities that few can be reasonably expected to exhibit them in such a
+wicked world as this.
+
+And here there is an excellent opportunity to pause and moralize; but, on
+the whole, perhaps it is better to proceed.
+
+Very well, then.
+
+There was Dolores, and she was clinging to Ashby in a perfect abandon of
+joy. She had found him! that was bliss indeed. She had saved him! that was
+joy almost too great for endurance. The impetuous and ardent nature of
+Dolores, which made her so brave, made her also the slave of her changing
+moods; and so it was that the heroine who had but lately led that wild
+charge on to victory now sobbed and wept convulsively in Ashby's arms. As
+for Ashby, he no longer seemed made of stone. He forgot all else except
+the one fact that Dolores had come back to him. Lopez might have
+perceived, if he had leisure for such observations, that Ashby's English
+phlegm formed but a part of his character; and the sight of that young
+man's rapture over Dolores might have made him think the English a fickle
+and volatile race.
+
+The scene disclosed Harry and Katie also in an equally tender situation;
+for Harry's bonds had been cut, and he had flown at once to Katie's side.
+But the prostration consequent upon all this excitement was so great that
+he found it necessary to carry her to the open air.
+
+Dolores now roused herself.
+
+"Come," said she, "let us close the gates before they rally."
+
+With these words she hurried out, followed by Ashby. Then the Carlists
+followed.
+
+Russell still remained. As yet he could scarcely believe in his
+good-fortune. Over and over again had he felt himself carefully all over
+to assure himself that no bullet had penetrated any part of his precious
+skin, and gradually the sweet conviction of his soundness pervaded his
+inner man. Then there was another joyful discovery, which was that Rita
+had disappeared. In the wild tumult and dense smoke he had lost sight of
+her. What had become of her he could not imagine. Whether she had fled in
+the wild panic, or had remained and concealed herself, he could not say.
+His knowledge of her character made him dread the worst, and he felt sure
+that she was not very far away. So he thought that the safest place for
+himself would be as near as possible to those Carlists whom Rita had
+betrayed, and whom she now justly dreaded more than anything else. So he
+hurried out after the noble six.
+
+On the floor Brooke lay, and there Talbot was seated, holding his head on
+her lap. He was senseless, yet she could feel that his heart was beating,
+and in that pulsation she found her hope. His wounds did not seem deep,
+for she had felt with tender fingers along the place where the blood was
+flowing, without detecting anything that seemed formidable. Still, the
+sight of his prostrate and bleeding form, as he lay senseless in her arms,
+after he had flung his life away for her sake, was one that moved her so
+profoundly that all the world for her was now at that moment centred in
+that prostrate figure with the poor, piteous, bleeding head. With tender
+hands she wiped away the blood that still oozed from the wound and
+trickled down his face; more tenderly still she bowed down low over that
+unconscious head and kissed the dear wounds that had been received for
+her, and thus hung over him in a rapture of love and an agony of despair.
+
+Lopez saw this and wondered, and looked on in still increasing wonder,
+till this was all that he saw, and all else was forgotten in a sudden
+great light that flashed into his mind.
+
+He saw it all. "So this," he thought, "was the reason why these two held
+such self-sacrificing affection; this was the reason why one would persist
+in risking everything for the other. The priest would not leave the spy
+when freedom was offered; the priest had stood before the spy, interposing
+between him and the bullets; the spy had flung himself into the jaws of
+death to save the priest. Priest! Ah, thou of the angel face! thou, so
+calm in the presence of death for thy beloved! thou! no angel, no demon,
+but a woman, with a woman's heart of hearts, daring all things for thy
+love!"
+
+A mighty revolution took place in the breast of Lopez. Bound as he was, he
+struggled to his feet and then dropped on his knees before Talbot. He then
+bent down and examined Brooke very carefully. Then he looked up, nodded,
+and smiled. Then he kissed Talbot's hand. Then he again smiled as if to
+encourage her.
+
+Talbot caught at the hint and the hope that was thus held out. Lopez was
+offering his assistance. She accepted it. She determined to loose his
+bonds. True, he might fly on the instant, and bring back all his men; but
+the preservation of Brooke was too important a thing to admit of a
+moment's hesitation. Besides, had she not already discovered that this
+Spaniard had a heart full of noble and tender emotions? that he was at
+once heroic and compassionate, and one on whose honor she might rely to
+the uttermost?
+
+With a small penknife she quickly cut his bonds.
+
+Lopez was free.
+
+But Lopez remained. He bent over Brooke. He raised him up to a more
+comfortable position, and examined him in a way which showed both skill
+and experience.
+
+Then he suddenly rose and left the room. Talbot heard his footsteps
+outside. Was he escaping? she asked herself, and her answer was, No.
+
+She was right. In a few moments Lopez came back with some cold water. He
+bathed Brooke's head, loosened his neckcloth, and rubbed his hands as
+skilfully as a doctor and as tenderly as a nurse.
+
+At length Brooke drew a long breath, then opened his eyes, and looked
+around with a bewildered air. Then he sat up and stared. He saw Lopez, no
+longer stern and hostile, but surveying him with kindly anxiety. He saw
+Talbot, her face all stained with blood, but her eyes fixed on him,
+glowing with love unutterable and radiant with joy.
+
+"Oh, Brooke," said she, "tell him to fly! He is free--tell him."
+
+Not understanding any of the circumstances around him, Brooke obeyed
+Talbot mechanically, and translated her words simply as she had spoken
+them.
+
+"Fly!" said he; "you are free."
+
+A flush of joy passed over the face of Lopez.
+
+"Noblest of ladies!" said he, looking reverentially at Talbot, "I take my
+life from you, and will never forget you till my dying day. Farewell!
+farewell!"
+
+And with these words he was gone.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LII.
+
+
+IN WHICH TALBOT TAKES OFF HER DISGUISE.
+
+
+Brooke and Talbot were now alone; for, though there were one or two
+wounded in the room, yet these were too much taken up with their own pains
+to think of anything else.
+
+Brooke's wound, after all, turned out to be but slight. The bullet had
+grazed his skull, making a furrow through the scalp of no greater depth
+than the skin, and carrying away a pathway of hair. The sudden and sharp
+force of such a blow had been sufficient to fell him to the floor and
+leave him senseless; but, upon reviving, it did not take a very long time
+for him to regain his strength and the full use of his faculties. The
+traces of the blow were soon effaced, and Brooke at last showed himself to
+be very little the worse for his adventure. His face was marked here and
+there by spots from the powder; but the blood-stains were quickly washed
+away, and his head was bound up in a narrow bandage made of Talbot's
+handkerchief. His hat, which had fallen off during his struggles with the
+soldiers, was now recovered, and as it was of soft stuff he was able to
+wear it.
+
+"With this," said he, "Brooke is himself again."
+
+Talbot now proceeded to wash the bloodstains from her own face.
+
+"That looks better," said Brooke. "Streaks of blood did not improve your
+personal appearance."
+
+He tried to speak in his usual careless tone, but his voice was tremulous
+and agitated.
+
+"Your blood, Brooke," said Talbot, in a faltering voice--"your
+blood--poured out--for me!"
+
+There was a solemn silence after this. Then Brooke leaned back and gave a
+heavy sigh.
+
+"I feel a little shaky still," said he.
+
+"Let me support you," said Talbot, with feverish eagerness. "You must be
+weak still--very weak. You must not exert yourself too much."
+
+She held out her arms as though to raise him up; but Brooke drew back.
+
+"No, no," he murmured, in a faint voice; "it's no matter--no matter at
+all."
+
+Talbot looked down and said nothing.
+
+"I don't know what happened," said Brooke. "Where is everybody? And
+Lopez--why did you tell him he was free? Was he a prisoner? And how? Tell
+me all about it."
+
+Upon this Talbot narrated as briefly as possible the circumstances of the
+recent struggle.
+
+"Where is everybody now?" asked Brooke.
+
+"I don't know. It is enough for me that you are here, and alive and safe."
+
+"And so you let Lopez go, after all?" asked Brooke, after another pause.
+
+"Yes," said Talbot; "he did what I was praying for--he brought you back to
+life. Was I wrong?"
+
+"Wrong or right," said Brooke, "I approve of it. Everything that you do is
+right in my eyes."
+
+Talbot now began to take off the priest's dress.
+
+"What are you doing?" asked Brooke, hastily, starting up to his feet with
+a quickness which showed that, as he had said, he was quite himself again.
+
+"I have no further use for this dress now," said she. "I will take it
+off."
+
+"Don't," said Brooke, imploringly. "Wear it still--at least as long as you
+are with me; for I shall think of you, Talbot, in that dress always, until
+my dying day--you in that dress--in that priest's dress, with the face of
+an angel of heaven. It was thus that you looked as you came between me and
+the levelled guns of the soldiers at the old mill Talbot, I should now be
+a dead man but for you."
+
+Talbot looked at him earnestly, and a sad smile stole over her face.
+
+"Brooke," said she, "I should now be a dead girl but for you."
+
+They both stood face to face. Brooke's memory was now fully restored, and
+in his mind there was the clear and unclouded recollection of that scene
+which had called forth his act of self-surrender. As he looked at Talbot,
+he saw her eyes fastened on his with an expression such as he had seen
+there before more than once--a look which told him of all that was in her
+heart. He held out his hands. She held out hers to meet them, and he
+seized them in a convulsive grasp. Thus they stood, holding one another's
+hands, and looking into one another's eyes and hearts.
+
+Talbot's eyes were moist with tears that trembled in them, and her lips
+quivered as though she was about to speak. But Brooke said not one word.
+
+At last Talbot burst forth.
+
+"Brooke," said she, impetuously, "you may keep silent, if you choose, but
+I will not, for I cannot. I will speak, Brooke. My life is yours, for you
+have saved it, and henceforth all old ties belonging to my old life are
+broken. From this time I fling all the past away forever, and begin life
+anew."
+
+Brooke looked at her with unutterable agitation.
+
+"Oh, Talbot, Talbot, what do you mean?"
+
+Talbot drew nearer and spoke further. Her eyes were fixed on his with a
+deeper and more earnest gaze; her voice was low, and slow, and tremulous;
+and at every word there went a thrill through all the being of the man to
+whom she spoke. And this man to whom she spoke was one whose idol she had
+already grown to be; whose heart her presence filled with silent delight;
+through whom her glance flashed with the force of lightning; through whose
+frame her lightest touch could send a tremor of ecstasy. This man she now
+held, her hands clasped in his, her eyes fixed on his, and her lips
+uttering words such as he had never heard before.
+
+"Oh, Brooke," said Talbot, "I will speak! Brooke--noble, tender
+heart!--you love me, and with all the strength of your soul. Honor forbids
+you to say this in words, but you say it in every look, and it is spoken
+in every tone of your voice, and I feel it in every touch of your hands.
+Can I not read it in your eyes, Brooke, every time that you look at me?
+Most of all, can I not see how you love me when you fling your life away
+for me? But what is that last act of yours? It is nothing more than the
+sequel of long acts of self-sacrifice for me! Brooke, I know that you love
+me, and that you love me better than all the world, and better than life
+itself. Keep your words to yourself, if you choose. Lock your lips tight.
+Save your plighted word, if you can; but, after all, your heart is mine. I
+know that you love me, and me only, and, Brooke--oh, Brooke! you
+know--well--well you know how dearly I--love--you!"
+
+It was his Talbot who said this, and she said it to him, and she said it
+at the very time when he was all quivering under the influence of his own
+mighty love, and the magnetism of her look and of her touch. His head fell
+bowed down nearer to her as she spoke; he trembled from head to foot. He
+tore away his hands from her grasp, flung his arms around her, and
+strained her again and again to his breast in a convulsive energy of
+passion. His voice was all broken, and was scarce audible as in agitated
+tones he murmured in her ear,
+
+"Talbot! Talbot, darling! I love you--I adore you! I never knew what love
+was, till I met you!"
+
+
+******
+
+
+These asterisks are intended to represent a long silence which succeeded
+the remarks above reported. The policy of silence was for them quite the
+most sensible under the circumstances. Until this moment they had both
+clung to those engagements to others which neither had forgotten, and
+which they had confided to each other. Each knew the other's secret. But
+now they both flung up those engagements and confessed their love to one
+another. And how such high-toned people could justify such conduct to
+their consciences is a problem that I, for my part, don't pretend to be
+able to solve.
+
+At length they began to be aware of the existence of the outside world.
+
+"These poor wounded," said Talbot, "require some attention. Let us go out.
+Let us get some water and try to make it easier for them."
+
+Talbot now proceeded to take off the priest's dress, in which task she had
+been interrupted by Brooke. He again tried to dissuade her, but in vain.
+
+"No," said she; "it only gets me into trouble. If I am to be taken
+prisoner again it shall be in my true character. This disguise may be
+useful to you."
+
+And with these words Talbot removed the dress, and stood forth in her own
+proper costume--that of an English lady, as she was when Brooke first met
+her.
+
+And now the two went out to procure water for the wounded prisoners.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LIII.
+
+
+WHICH TELLS OF A REUNION OF VERY DEAR OLD FRIENDS.
+
+
+While Brooke and Talbot were thus conversing, others were indulging in the
+same pursuit, and none to better purpose than Harry and Katie.
+
+No one can say that Katie had not been very severely tried, and had not
+passed through a most distressing ordeal. Apart from the long trial of
+mind which had preceded that eventful morning, the circumstances of the
+final scene were enough to shake up stronger nerves than those of Katie.
+So completely was she prostrated, that under any other circumstances
+nothing could have saved her from a fit of sickness, which might possibly
+have resulted in brain-fever and terminated fatally, for all I know; but
+fortunately, under these actually existing circumstances, she was spared
+all this. The presence of Harry made all the difference in the world.
+
+After retiring from the scene of conflict, they ascended into that upper
+chamber in which Katie had last been imprisoned, and here they seated
+themselves so that Katie might rest, supported by Harry's encircling arms,
+and at the same time be refreshed by the fresh air. Katie now began to
+rally with the rapidity which is characteristic of buoyant natures, and
+soon began to show something of her usual lightness of heart. Harry,
+however, though most tender and affectionate, seemed changed, and the
+change was soon detected by Katie's quick perception.
+
+"What is the matter with you?" she asked. "You don't seem glad at all."
+
+"Oh yes," said Harry. "I'm very glad indeed."
+
+He spoke in a doleful tone of voice, which was by no means in accord with
+his words.
+
+"Your voice don't sound very glad," said Katie, reproachfully, "and you
+look troubled. You are so preoccupied that you can't say anything. But I
+suppose you feel the effects of that awful scene--and oh, how awful it
+was!"
+
+Katie relapsed into silence, and Harry felt somewhat relieved; for in
+truth he was preoccupied, and had much on his mind.
+
+It was the thought of Talbot that filled his mind. It was she whom he had
+seen in that priest's disguise. It was his affianced bride whom he had
+lost, and now at last found! Found! Great Heaven! and here! and thus!
+Here--when he was here ready to die for Katie; when he was now with Katie,
+who had turned to him from all the world!
+
+Was he a man of honor? Honor! The name now seemed a mockery. Which way
+would honor impel him? To give up Katie? What! when she had given up all
+for him? What! when he had fought a mortal quarrel with Ashby for her?
+Honor! Was not honor due to Ashby? and had he not been a traitor to his
+friend?
+
+There was this fight yet before him, and it would be soon; for Ashby was
+free. A fight for Katie! And Talbot was here! She would know all. And
+she--she who had come all the way from England, who had found him not, who
+had imagined herself deserted--she would learn of his perfidy. The thought
+was horrible.
+
+Upon such agonizing thoughts as these came Katie's question,
+
+"Why are you so sad?"
+
+Harry sighed.
+
+"I'm thinking of Ashby," said he. "He's free now. He'll soon be seeking
+you."
+
+At this Katie tapped her foot nervously.
+
+"Well," said she, "if you are thinking of him it's very bad taste to say
+so. I wasn't thinking of him at all."
+
+But this remark seemed to set Katie off thinking about Ashby, for she too
+seemed preoccupied.
+
+"I think it's a great shame," said she.
+
+"What?"
+
+"Why, for Mr. Ashby to come bothering me just now."
+
+Harry said nothing, and they both relapsed once more into silence.
+
+The harder task was before Harry. There were two for him to face. One, the
+friend to whom he had been traitor; the other, his betrothed, to whom he
+had been false. Of these two the latter was by far the worse. He had faced
+Ashby already, and could face him again, as a mortal enemy, to fight a
+mortal battle; but Talbot! Ah! with what eyes could he look upon that pure
+and noble face? with what words could he address her?
+
+Katie's thoughts seemed to be running in that channel which Harry was
+using for his own; for she suddenly looked at him with earnest scrutiny,
+and said, abruptly,
+
+"But you are as bad."
+
+"As bad?"
+
+"As bad as me."
+
+Harry sighed.
+
+"Mr. Ashby," said Katie, innocently, "will want to see you too, you know."
+
+"Of course," said Harry.
+
+"Oh well, then," said Katie, "I needn't see him at all. You can explain it
+all; for really I hardly know what I can possibly find to say to him."
+
+"I'm afraid," said Harry, "that he will insist on seeing you, and on
+learning his fate from your own lips."
+
+"His fate!" said Katie--"oh dear!"
+
+"I would take all the difficulty from you if I could," said Harry, "but I
+don't see how I can."
+
+"Oh well," said Katie, cheerfully. "Perhaps he will not be in any very
+great hurry to see me, after all. He did not seem very anxious about me in
+the room below. He did not look like a maniac. He did not remonstrate with
+Lopez. He did not draw his pistol and attack the captain in the midst of
+his men. He did not fight for me, and risk his life. No; he thought too
+much of his own dear self, and left all the fighting and all the risk to
+one who is worth far more than ten thousand Ashbys! And that's what I'll
+tell him!" said Katie. "Let me see him now, while all this is fresh in my
+memory. Come, Harry, let us wait no longer, but if this meeting has to be,
+let it be now."
+
+Katie poured forth these words in an impetuous torrent, and, starting up,
+led the way out. Harry followed, and thus they descended the stairway to
+the lower hall.
+
+Ashby had gone out shortly after Harry and Katie, following Dolores, who
+was anxious to see about the gates. The six Carlists followed. The gates
+were wide-open, and far away a few of the fugitives could still be seen
+flying as fast as their feet could carry them. The six Carlists soon had
+the gates firmly closed and barred, and mounted guard here, deeming this
+to be the weak point of the castle; and thinking, too, that if an enemy
+appeared, he would consider six men at the gate a sign that six hundred
+were in the garrison.
+
+Russell had followed the six Carlists, thinking that with them he would be
+safer than anywhere else. Rita had now a horror of those Carlists whom she
+had betrayed, and, as he thought, would venture anywhere rather than into
+their presence.
+
+And now the good man felt quite martial. This new change in his situation,
+and the inspiring presence of his military friends, made him determine to
+get rid of that odious disguise which Rita had furnished him. He
+proceeded, therefore, to divest himself of it.
+
+The Carlists had not noticed him thus far, and had not at all recognized
+him. Great was their surprise when they saw this "woman" tearing off her
+outer robe; but far greater was it when they saw the marvellous
+transformation of a commonplace woman into a resplendent general-officer
+all in blue and gold.
+
+A murmur ran through them, partly of amusement, partly of approval.
+
+One of them addressed him.
+
+Russell shook his head.
+
+"He is a French general," said one; "he doesn't understand us. Can't some
+one speak French?"
+
+No one could.
+
+One of them then ran inside and brought out a sword, with belt, etc.,
+which he handed to the "French general." Russell took it, and after some
+trouble succeeded in buckling the martial gear around him. Then, by way of
+an additional safeguard against his enemy, he drew his sword, and taking
+his seat on a stone near the gate, glared watchfully around.
+
+Dolores and Ashby had much to talk of, but Dolores was too prudent to
+waste time on mere explanations. There was yet very much to be done. Above
+all, they must now consider how they were to get out of the castle. After
+all, as far as she could see, their position had changed little, if at
+all, for the better. The enemy would rally. They would be attacked. No
+defence was possible. They would soon be prisoners or fugitives. And if
+they were to fly, how could they hope to escape in a country swarming with
+roving bands of marauders belonging to both parties? The problem was a
+difficult one, and one which was not to be solved very readily.
+
+At length Dolores thought of the wounded men, and as she had a very tender
+heart, she proposed to go and help them. The two then returned and entered
+the castle.
+
+They reached the hall at the very time when the other parties were coming
+into it--namely, Brooke and Talbot from the room, and Harry and Katie
+from the upper regions. Such coincidences are frequent in real life, and
+still more frequent in our "Castles in Spain."
+
+As Brooke and Talbot came out, Ashby and Dolores, advancing toward the
+room, met them face to face. Brooke and Dolores looked upon one another.
+There was the flash of mutual recognition in the faces of both. Brooke
+seemed struck dumb. Dolores was the first to speak.
+
+"Raleigh!" she said, in tones of amazement and consternation.
+
+"Dolores!" said Brooke, in a deep, hollow voice.
+
+Brooke was ghastly; but this may have been the effect of the recent shock.
+As for Dolores, every trace of color fled from her face, and she was as
+white as marble.
+
+Talbot heard this, and saw it. These words, these familiar names, smote
+her to the heart. She recollected the story which Brooke had told her. She
+remembered the name of that Cuban maid. It was this--it was "Dolores!" Was
+this she?
+
+She looked around in despair.
+
+At that moment, as her despairing eyes wandered around, they fell full
+upon the face of Harry; for Harry and Katie on descending the stairs had,
+on this instant, reached the spot.
+
+Harry saw her again.
+
+The priest's dress was removed. She stood in her own garb--her very
+self--Talbot! with all her noble face revealed, and all her exquisite
+grace of feature and of form.
+
+"Sydney!" said he.
+
+"Harry!" said Talbot.
+
+Katie heard this. She turned pale. All her thoughts fled from her; she
+shrank back, and stood staring. But one thought now remained--the thought
+suggested by that name, Sydney. Well she remembered that name, and all the
+incidents of that story which Harry had told her when they were first
+acquainted--the wreck of the ship--the maiden deserted and despairing--her
+rescue by Harry--their escape in the boat--their love--their plighted
+faith--the appointed marriage--the lost bride.
+
+Sydney! It was she herself--the promised bride of Harry, whom he would, no
+doubt, be required to wed at once.
+
+Now she understood why Harry had been so preoccupied.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LIV.
+
+
+IN WHICH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE FIND THEMSELVES IN A VERY EMBARRASSING
+SITUATION.
+
+
+Brooke and Dolores stood facing one another in silence. The embarrassment
+was most painful. Each felt it too much to be able to notice it in the
+other, and each instinctively avoided the glance of the other's eyes,
+casting only looks of a furtive kind at the other's face, and then hastily
+looking elsewhere. In fact, the situation was truly horrible.
+
+But Brooke felt it incumbent on him to say something; he also felt anxious
+to vindicate his honor--if such a thing were, indeed, in any way possible.
+But ardent words, excited, eager welcomes, and all those other
+circumstances that usually attend upon the meeting of long-divided lovers,
+were, in this case, clearly impossible. Brooke felt Talbot's
+presence--Talbot, who was worth to him ten thousand like Dolores; so he
+could only take refuge in the most commonplace conventionalities. It is
+true, Talbot could not understand Spanish; but Talbot could understand
+those tones of voice which form the universal and natural language of man;
+and if Brooke had felt ever so full of eager delight, he would have
+hesitated to manifest it under such very delicate circumstances.
+
+At length Brooke cleared his throat.
+
+"This," said he, in a solemn tone--"this is indeed an unexpected
+pleasure."
+
+Dolores sighed.
+
+"It is indeed, senor," she replied, "an unexpected, a most unexpected
+one."
+
+"It is indeed," said Brooke, in quite a helpless way.
+
+Saying this he held out his hand. Dolores held out hers. They shook hands.
+Then they cast hasty looks at one another.
+
+"I hope you have been quite well," said Brooke.
+
+"Oh, quite," said Dolores; "and you, senor?"
+
+"Oh, very well," said Brooke, "very well indeed."
+
+And now another pause succeeded. Both of them were horribly embarrassed.
+Each had the same feeling, but neither one knew the feeling of the other.
+Each knew that a change had occurred, but neither knew that the same
+change had been experienced by the other. Brooke knew himself false, but
+thought Dolores true; while Dolores had a similar feeling. Besides, this
+new love which each had conceived and cherished made the old one seem a
+mistake--made them regard each other with aversion, and this meeting as a
+calamity; yet each felt bound to conceal these feelings, and exhibit
+toward the other an impossible cordiality. All this caused a wretched
+embarrassment and restraint, which each felt and for which each took the
+blame, thinking the other altogether true and innocent.
+
+The deep feelings of the past were yet strong in their hearts--the
+immediate past, and with these their hearts were full. Yet these had to be
+concealed. Each felt bound to the other by a solemn vow, and by every
+principle of duty and honor. They had exchanged vows of love and eternal
+fidelity. From such vows who could release them? Yet the vows were already
+broken by each, and of this each was conscious. Had Brooke met Dolores
+before this last scene with Talbot, he might have felt self-reproach, but
+he could not have felt such a sense of unworthiness. For before that he
+had, at least, kept a watch upon his tongue, and in words, at least, he
+had not told his love for another. But now his word had gone forth, and he
+had pledged himself to another, when there was a previous pledge to
+Dolores.
+
+But he had to say something. Dolores was silent. He thought she was
+waiting for him to explain.
+
+"I-I--" he stammered--"I have hunted--hunted you--all through Spain."
+
+This was the truth, for Brooke had been faithful to Dolores until he had
+met with Talbot.
+
+Dolores was conscience-smitten by this proof of her former lover's
+fidelity. She hastened to excuse herself somehow.
+
+"I--I--" she said, with an embarrassment equal to that of Brooke--"I
+thought you were in America."
+
+"No; I was in Cuba."
+
+"I thought I had lost you," said Dolores: "you ceased to write."
+
+This sounded like the reproach of a faithful lover. Brooke felt hurt.
+
+"Oh no," said he; "I wrote, but you ceased to answer."
+
+"I thought something had happened," said Dolores.
+
+"I thought so too," said Brooke. "I never got your letters. Where did you
+go?"
+
+Dolores jumped at this question as giving a chance of relief. So she began
+to give a long account of her life in Spain, detailing minute incidents,
+and growing gradually calmer, more self-possessed, and more observant of
+Brooke. She saw with satisfaction that Brooke made no demonstrations; yet
+her satisfaction was checked by the thought that perhaps he was deterred
+from exhibiting the raptures of a lover by the presence of others--by the
+fear that he had been only too true, and that those raptures would yet be
+exhibited. She resolved that he should not have an opportunity. Yet how
+could she avoid him? And thus she thought, and still she went on talking.
+
+The effect of her story was a crushing one. She made no mention of Ashby;
+and Brooke concluded that she had been true, while he had been false. And
+now what was he? Clearly false. Could he come back to Dolores? Could he be
+what he had been? Could he give up Talbot? The thought was intolerable.
+Never had any one been to him so dear as Talbot. Never had Talbot been to
+him so dear as now. And yet was he not in honor bound to Dolores? Honor!
+and did not honor bind him to Talbot?
+
+Such was the struggle within this unhappy man.
+
+Almost at the same time Harry and Talbot had recognized each other.
+
+Talbot, who had stood unmoved at the presence of death, now felt herself
+quail and grow all unnerved at the presence of Harry. But then she had
+been strengthened by her new love for Brooke; now she was weakened by the
+remembrance of her lost love for Harry. This was an ordeal for which there
+was no outside inspiration. The remembrance of her passionate words to
+Brooke, so lately uttered, so ardently answered, was strong within her.
+And yet here was one who held her promise, who could claim her as his own,
+who could take her away from Brooke; and what could she do?
+
+Harry, on the other hand, had dared death for Katie; for her he had tried
+to fling away his life. This had been done in the presence of his Sydney.
+Had she understood that? She could not have understood it. Could he
+explain? Impossible! Could he tell the story of his falsity to this noble
+lady, whom he had known only to love, whom he had known also to revere?
+And this proud, this delicately nurtured girl had come from her home for
+his sake, to suffer, to risk her life, to become a miserable captive! Was
+there not in this a stronger reason than ever why he should be true to
+her? And yet, if he loved another better, would it not be wrong to marry
+Sydney?
+
+All the tenderness of his heart rose up within him in one strong, yearning
+thought of--Oh, Katie! But all his honor, his pride, his manliness--all
+his pity, too, and his sympathy--made itself felt in a deep undertone of
+feeling--Oh, Sydney! true and faithful!
+
+At last he was able to speak.
+
+"Oh, Sydney," said he, "what bitter, bitter fortune has brought you here
+to this horrible place--to so much misery?"
+
+Talbot looked down. She could not look in his face. She felt unworthy of
+him. He seemed faithful still. She had seen the act of his in attacking
+Lopez, but had not understood it. She thought him faithful, in spite of
+all.
+
+"Bitter!" said she, slowly. "Bitter! yes, bitter indeed--bitter was the
+fortune that brought me here!"
+
+She could say no more. She was thinking only of that bitter fortune which
+had brought her to a place where she might be forever torn from Brooke;
+where Brooke, too, had found one who might tear him from her.
+
+But Harry understood this differently. He detected in these words a
+reflection upon himself. He thought she alluded to her long journey to
+him--when she had come so far, and had reached her destination only to
+find him absent; when she had waited for days without finding any trace of
+him or hearing any word from him, and at last had turned about on her
+lonely, homeward road. And yet he was blameless then. As far as that was
+concerned, he could excuse himself; he could explain all. He felt so
+guilty in some things, that he was anxious to show his innocence in other
+things where he had not been to blame; and so he hastened most eagerly to
+give a long and an eloquent vindication of himself, by explaining all
+about his journey to England, and his return to Barcelona, and his search
+after her which had led him to this.
+
+And in all this Talbot found only proofs of Harry's unalterable fidelity.
+e had been true! She had been false! What now was there for her to do? To
+sacrifice this man? What? after such love and loyalty? Or, on the other
+hand, to give up Brooke! Brooke!--give up Brooke! Oh heavens! How was that
+possible? Would she not rather die than give up Brooke? When her own words
+to him were fresh in her memory, and when his words of love to her were
+still ringing in her ears--at such a moment as this could she think of
+giving up Brooke?
+
+Such were the thoughts and feelings of these two.
+
+Meanwhile Ashby, finding himself left alone by Dolores, stood for a while
+wondering who her friend might be; until at length, finding that she was
+beginning to give him a detailed history of her life, he looked around in
+despair. And he saw Katie standing alone, where she had been left by
+Harry, near the foot of the stairway; and as all the others were engaged
+in their own affairs, and, moreover, as his relations with Katie were of
+the most intimate kind, he saw no other course open to him than to
+approach her and converse with her. And at that moment he remembered that
+Katie had in her possession--perhaps in her pocket--a--certain letter
+which he had written to her only a few days before, full of protestations
+of love; in which he informed her that he was going to travel with her in
+the same train, in the hope of seeing her at Burgos or Bayonne; in which
+ he urged her to come to him, to be his wife; to set at defiance her
+hostile guardian, and to unite herself with him. This seemed strange to
+him now, when his mind was filled with thoughts of Dolores, and his heart
+was full of the love of Dolores. Even his resentment against her had
+passed away. She had allowed herself to indulge in a flirtation with his
+friend Rivers. Was that a crime? He, on the other hand, had lost all love
+for her, and had given all his heart to Dolores. Katie seemed to him now
+not repugnant as a false one, but merely pitiable as a weak, child-like
+character. The falsity now seemed rather on his part than on hers. He
+believed that Harry had gone much farther in treachery than Katie. Katie,
+he thought, was merely a weak-minded flirt; while Harry had become a
+traitor in allowing himself to fall in love with her. Even for Harry he
+could now make some allowances; and since he had found out his own
+feelings, he had less jealousy, and therefore less resentment against his
+former friend. As for jealousy, if he now had that feeling, it was all
+directed elsewhere--namely, toward that stranger whose sudden appearance
+had so engrossed Dolores.
+
+In such a state of mind as this Ashby advanced toward Katie. Now Katie had
+come down with the express purpose of seeing him, and with her mind full
+of a very pretty speech which she intended to make to him. But the sudden
+meeting of Harry with Talbot had raised other thoughts and feelings, which
+had driven her pretty speech altogether out of her mind. A bitter jealousy
+afflicted her tender heart. This lady was the Sydney Talbot of whom he had
+told her, and who had come all the way from England on this perilous
+journey to marry him. Would she now give him up? Impossible! And how could
+Harry escape her?
+
+As Ashby approached, Katie therefore had but little thought for him. Ashby
+also thought less of her than of Dolores. Who was this stranger? he
+thought. Why was he so familiar? Why did Dolores leave him so abruptly?
+and why was she telling to this stranger the whole story of her life?
+
+Thus Ashby and Katie met again.
+
+Ashby had to say something, and so, as was natural, he took refuge in
+conventionalities.
+
+"I hope," said he, "that no ill effects have arisen from this recent
+excitement."
+
+"Oh no," said Katie, in an abstracted tone. She was trying to listen to
+Talbot's words. They did not sound pleasant.
+
+Ashby also was trying to listen to Dolores. She seemed to him to be
+altogether too familiar.
+
+"I'm very glad," said Ashby. "I was afraid that this excitement might have
+an injurious effect."
+
+(Dolores was still giving an account of herself. It was unworthy of her!)
+
+"Oh no," said Katie, "not at all."
+
+She heard Harry speak in an apologetic manner. It was very hard to bear.
+Would he leave her for this lady?
+
+There was now a pause.
+
+Ashby and Katie were both listening with all their might to hear what was
+said by Dolores and by Harry respectively.
+
+Ashby felt the necessity of saying something.
+
+"Very fine weather," said he.
+
+"Oh, very fine," said Katie.
+
+"A fine moon."
+
+"Oh, very fine."
+
+At this mention of the moon, each thought of those moonbeams which had
+streamed in through the narrow windows on those past few nights--nights so
+memorable to each; and each thought of them with the same feelings.
+
+Ashby tried to find something new to say. He thought of the position in
+which they all were--its danger--their liability to recapture--the
+necessity of flight, and yet the difficulty of doing so--things which he
+and Dolores had just been considering.
+
+"This," said he, "is a very embarrassing position."
+
+Katie by this understood him to mean the relations which they bore to one
+another, and which had become somewhat confused by her affair with Harry.
+She thought this was Ashby's way of putting it.
+
+She sighed. She looked at Harry and Talbot. They seemed coming to an
+understanding. Harry was certainly making an explanation which seemed
+unnecessarily long. And here was Ashby hinting at an explanation with
+herself. She had forgotten all her fine speech with which she had come
+down. She knew not what to say. She only felt a jealous fear about Harry,
+and another fear about an explanation with Ashby.
+
+Ashby meanwhile thought nothing about Katie, but was full of eagerness to
+learn what was going on between Dolores and Brooke.
+
+And thus it was certainly an embarrassing situation.
+
+There were three couples involved in this embarrassing situation, and
+among them all it is difficult to say which was most embarrassed. It was
+bad enough to meet with the old lover, but it was worse to feel that the
+eye of the new lover was upon them. Moreover, each new lover felt jealous
+of the old one; and the mind of each had thus to be distracted between two
+discordant anxieties. In short, it was, as Ashby had well said, a most
+embarrassing situation.
+
+Suddenly, in the midst of all this, a figure entered the hall which
+attracted all eyes. It was a figure of commanding importance; a man rather
+elderly, in the uniform of a general-officer--all ablaze with gold. There
+was a universal shock at such an apparition. The first thought of every
+one was that the castle had been captured by some new enemy--that this was
+the leader, and that they all were prisoners.
+
+But one by one, to Ashby, Harry, Brooke; to Katie, Talbot, and
+Dolores--came the recognition of the fact that under this magnificent
+exterior lay concealed the person of their companion and friend, the
+venerable and the virtuous Russell.
+
+"I want to look after something," said he; and with these words he went
+into the room where he had first been confined--namely, the one opposite
+to that in which the recent ceremony had taken place.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LV.
+
+
+HOW HARRY AND KATIE DISCUSS THE SITUATION, AND ASHBY TELLS DOLORES HER
+DUTY.
+
+
+The sudden appearance of Russell broke the spell which had rested upon
+all.
+
+Talbot was the first to make a movement.
+
+"Excuse me for a few moments," said she. "There are some wounded men
+inside who are in my care. I came out to get some water for them. I must
+make haste."
+
+Saying these words, she left Harry, and went to a corner of the apartment
+where there was a jar of water. Filling a vessel from this, she returned
+to the wounded.
+
+Harry did not follow her.
+
+Upon seeing this movement of Talbot, Katie withdrew from Ashby. Ashby did
+not seem to notice this, for he was still watching Dolores.
+
+Dolores now remarked to Brooke that she was just at that time engaged in
+looking after the defences of the castle, for there was serious danger of
+an immediate attack by the enemy.
+
+At this Brooke said nothing, but merely bowed, and followed Talbot to help
+her with the wounded men.
+
+Dolores, upon this, cast a glance at Ashby and went out. Ashby immediately
+followed her.
+
+Upon this, Harry approached Katie. Neither said a word, but, acting on one
+common impulse, they went upstairs together into the upper hall. As they
+thus went up, Russell came out of the other room, and, seeing them
+ascending the stairs, he followed them.
+
+On reaching the top of the stairs, Harry and Katie stood, and Russell also
+stopped a little below. He wasn't proud. He was anxious for information.
+So he stood and listened to what they had to say.
+
+The two stood there in silence for some time, until at length Katie spoke.
+
+"Isn't this horrible?" said she, with a heavy sigh.
+
+Harry gave another sigh responsive to hers.
+
+"It's worse," said Katie, "than ever."
+
+Harry, with another sigh, allowed that it was.
+
+"I can't stay here," said Katie, "in this place, and, what's more, I won't
+stay. I'm free now, and I've made up my mind to go away."
+
+"Will you?" said Harry, in an eager voice.
+
+"Yes, I will," said Katie, decidedly; "and I'll go all alone. You needn't
+come; for of course you'll stay."
+
+"Stay?" said Harry--"stay? and here--when you've gone away?"
+
+"Oh yes," said Katie, "of course you'll stay here with your dear Sydney!"
+
+Harry sighed.
+
+"But _I_ won't stay," continued Katie, after another pause; "I'm going to
+leave; and I'll walk back to the railway all alone."
+
+"I think that would be a capital idea!" said Harry, in a tone of great
+animation.
+
+At this Katie burst into tears.
+
+Harry was now quite distracted. He caught her in his arms and kissed her
+over and over again.
+
+"You don't understand," said he. "I mean it would be a good idea to go;
+but, of course, you shall not go alone."
+
+"Yes, I will go alone," said Katie, "all alone. You don't care for me, now
+that you've got your Sydney. You don't care for me a bit!"
+
+"Care for you!" cried Harry; "you're the only one, Katie, in all the world
+that I do care for."
+
+Katie struggled away from his encircling arms.
+
+"No," said she, "you're not speaking the truth. You'll leave me, and say
+those same words to your Sydney."
+
+"Bother Sydney!" cried Harry, in unfeigned vexation.
+
+At this Katie, whose head had been for a moment averted, now turned her
+tearful eyes on him, and Harry once more took her in his arms.
+
+"But do you, after all," said she--"do you, after all, care for me just a
+little bit, Harry?"
+
+"Care for you?" cried Harry, with headlong impetuosity. "I swear, Katie,
+that I love you better than all the world. I will give up everything for
+you. Will you do as much for me?"
+
+"Why--why--how can I help it?" said Katie.
+
+At this reply Harry kissed her again.
+
+"You--you--offered your life for me," said Katie, in tearful agitation,
+"and didn't I almost give my life for you, you dear old boy? You don't
+know all yet. You don't know that it was for your sake only, and to save
+you from death, that I consented to sacrifice myself to that awful man."
+
+Katie now told Harry the whole story, and the effect of this narration was
+only to intensify the ardent love of this volatile youth. While he had
+been face to face with Talbot, he had undergone a severe struggle from
+conflicting emotions and impulses. But, now Katie was before him, Talbot
+was present no longer; and Katie was so sweet, so tender, so trustful,
+and, above all, she had such a story to tell, that he could not resist.
+Talbot's claims on him became less and less perceptible in those new ones
+which Katie presented; and so the consequence was that he yielded up
+everything--his honor, his loyalty, and his duty.
+
+"Katie," said he, as he pressed her in his arms, "I love you alone--I'll
+give up all for you. Let us fly from this place; let us fly. Let us not
+wait here where these other people are."
+
+"Fly?" said Katie; "where?"
+
+"Yes, fly!"
+
+"But how can we get out? Shall we go out boldly through the gate?"
+
+Suddenly some one came between them, and a voice chimed into the
+conversation.
+
+"Yes," said the voice, "fly! That's the ticket. There's a devil here--a
+she-devil. I'll show you the way out. If you want to get off without Ashby
+seeing you, I'll show you how; I know the way. It's a secret passage.
+That's how I escaped the last time; and I'll take you to it when it gets
+dark."
+
+It was Russell who had thus interposed. Harry and Katie showed no
+resentment whatever at his intrusion, but caught at his suggestion.
+Russell alluded with clumsy and rather vulgar playfulness to their tender
+relations, and offered, as guardian, to give Katie away the moment they
+should find a parson.
+
+Meanwhile Dolores had gone out into the court-yard, followed by Ashby.
+There they stopped, and looked at one another in silence.
+
+"Who's that fellow?" said Ashby at last.
+
+Dolores explained that he was a friend of hers who had been of great help
+in Cuba. She did not tell how tender their relations had been.
+
+"H'm!" said Ashby. "Never heard of him before. You seemed very intimate."
+
+"He saved my life," said Dolores.
+
+"Saved your life?"
+
+Dolores sighed.
+
+Then more of her story escaped her. At last the whole truth came out.
+
+"What!" said Ashby; "and so you were engaged. In fact, the fellow is an
+old lover."
+
+Dolores said nothing, but looked at Ashby with mournful inquiry, as though
+appealing to him to know what she ought to do.
+
+"How did he get here?" asked Ashby, calmly.
+
+"He has been seeking for me all these years, and traced me here, and was
+captured."
+
+"H'm! that's devotion," said Ashby. "And who's his friend--the girl that
+was disguised as priest?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"So she's a girl," said Ashby; "and so that's the reason she wouldn't
+marry Lopez and Katie. A most infernally pretty girl. Who is she, did you
+say?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Didn't your--your friend tell you?"
+
+"No."
+
+It may be supposed that Ashby should have known Brooke's feelings toward
+this "priest" by his devotion to her in saving her life. But it was not
+so. Brooke's desperate act in flinging himself before Lopez seemed to
+Ashby merely an accident consequent upon his struggle with his captors.
+Besides, the attack of Dolores and her six Carlists had followed so
+closely upon this, that all had become confused together.
+
+While Ashby had been asking these few questions, Dolores remained looking
+at him with that same mournful inquiry. Ashby noticed it, for he looked at
+her several times, though each time he looked away elsewhere. He was
+turning over all this in his mind.
+
+At length he looked at her once more, and took her hands in his.
+
+"Dolores," said be, "I have made up my mind."
+
+"What?" said she, in a faint voice, looking up at him in awful suspense.
+
+"I will not give you up! That's decided. You must dismiss the idea from
+your mind."
+
+In an instant the shadow of anxiety fled from the face of Dolores,
+followed by a flash of joy like a sunbeam. She said not a word, but Ashby
+saw that rush of happiness, and all his own nature responded.
+
+"You must come with me," said he. "That fellow may look out for himself."
+
+"But--but--" said Dolores. She paused.
+
+"What?"
+
+"We--we--are--engaged."
+
+"Pooh!" said Ashby. "That's an old story."
+
+"But--but--"
+
+"Well?" said Ashby, impatiently, as she paused.
+
+"He--he--saved my life once."
+
+"He be hanged!" said Ashby. "I'll save your life fifty times. You mustn't
+think of that man again. Do you hear, Dolores?"
+
+"Yes," said Dolores, meekly; "but I only want to satisfy my conscience,
+and find out my duty."
+
+"Conscience? Duty? Ah!" repeated Ashby. "Well, then, I'll tell you what to
+think of--think of me! Here was I, engaged to that English maiden. You
+have won my love. You have made me indifferent to her. You have made my
+love grow stronger and stronger every moment, until now I'm ready to give
+up everything for you. Your duty, therefore, is to be true to me, as I
+will be true to you."
+
+Dolores looked up again with her face in a rapture of gladness, and Ashby
+pressed her hands more closely in his. Then they walked away to inspect
+the fortifications.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LVI.
+
+
+IN WHICH THERE IS A TERRIBLE CALAMITY.
+
+
+Russell's advent among the embarrassed lovers can easily be explained.
+Seated at the gate in the uniform of a general, with gorgeous array of
+blue and gold, with a sword in his manly hand, and armed warriors around
+him, his martial soul had gradually lost its terrors, and his mind was at
+leisure to think of other things.
+
+First among these other things was that precious package which he had
+concealed. Now was the time for him to look them up and regain possession.
+None but friends were now in the castle. Those bonds were now safer in his
+own possession than anywhere else, and never could he hope for a better
+chance than this. As for Rita, she must have fled, he thought, with the
+other fugitives, and with her had fled his worst fear.
+
+With such thoughts as these, the martial Russell sheathed his warlike
+sword and walked back again toward the castle. Here he entered the hall
+where the others were talking, and, passing through, entered the
+well-remembered room where he had been confined. He looked all around. He
+was alone. He walked to the chimney. He looked up. Through the broad
+opening at the top he saw the sky. In the gloom of the shaft he saw also
+that opening in which he had placed the precious parcel.
+
+All seemed as it had been, and he felt convinced that his papers were
+safe. Further examination, however, was, just now, not advisable. He would
+have to light a torch, and some of his friends might come in just as he
+was going up or coming down. So he concluded to defer his search until
+they had gone out of the way a little, until which time the package would
+be quite safe. In the mean time he thought he would go back and hear what
+they were all talking about.
+
+Coming back again, he saw them all going in different directions, and, as
+a matter of course, he followed those who were nearest and dearest,
+namely, Katie and Harry. He stood and listened with a benignant smile to
+their loving words. He gazed complacently upon their outrageous and
+unbounded spooning. He had no objection now to any one whom Katie might
+choose. To Ashby he felt repugnance on account of former quarrels, but to
+Harry none whatever. Even to Ashby he would have yielded, for prejudices
+die out quickly in a Castle of Spain. And so, as we have seen, the good
+Russell interrupted the happy lovers in a paternal way, and did the "heavy
+father" to perfection--with outstretched hands, moistened eyes, and "Bless
+you, bless you, my children!"
+
+The subject of flight was already before them, and this was for Russell
+the most acceptable possible. He felt that he could give valuable
+information, since he himself had been a fugitive. Every step of the way
+was well remembered by him. In a few minutes he had made them acquainted
+with the story of his former escape, and the adventurous Harry at once
+decided that this would be the very way by which he could carry off Katie
+and himself from their embarrassing surroundings. For various reasons he
+wished to go away in a quiet, unobtrusive manner, without ostentation or
+vain display, and in no other way could he do it so effectually as in
+this.
+
+Harry at once decided that his best course would be to spend the hours of
+closing day in making himself acquainted with this passage. He did not
+feel inclined to be altogether dependent upon Russell. Circumstances might
+arise which might make it desirable to fly without him. That good man
+might become suddenly unwell, or there might be an attack by the enemy, or
+other things might occur, under any of which circumstances Harry would
+have to rely upon himself alone.
+
+Russell had no objections; in fact, he himself preferred going over the
+way once more. About this there was no difficulty. There were very few in
+the castle, and these had no idea of watching each other; in fact, each
+party seemed only too anxious to keep out of the other's way.
+
+Katie now retired to that room which she had last occupied, and Harry went
+off with Russell. The daylight befriended them so that they were able to
+find their way along the lower passages, until at length they came to the
+opening under the arch of the ruined bridge. Here they both went down one
+side of the chasm and up the other until they both reached the tower.
+Harry was delighted with this discovery, and felt fully capable of
+traversing the path himself even in the darkest night; while Russell,
+though a little out of breath, was quite willing to bear the fatigue in
+return for the additional knowledge he had gained.
+
+On regaining the castle, Harry went to tell Katie the result, and to
+prepare her for their coming flight.
+
+Russell now had leisure to attend to the great work of securing the hidden
+treasure. He decided that he ought to do this in perfect secrecy, so that
+none of his friends should know where he was going, or even suspect it.
+
+First of all, he followed Harry to the upper story, where he took an
+affectionate leave of him. Then he prowled about until he discovered
+Ashby, who was with Dolores in a remote part of the court-yard. The six
+Carlists were still at the gate. The other two inmates of the castle,
+namely, Brooke and Talbot, were in the room in which the recent stormy
+events had taken place. They had been attending to the wounds of the
+prisoners, and were still so engaged that they did not look up as Russell
+entered. He said nothing, but hastily retreated and went into the opposite
+room--the very one in which he wae to conduct his operations. But he was
+too cautious to begin just yet; so he waited, and at length had the
+satisfaction of seeing these two go down-stairs and out of the castle.
+
+And now at last the time had come. There was no eye to behold him, and no
+one to suspect.
+
+An old torch was in the fireplace. This he picked up, and then, going back
+to the door, looked all around stealthily and warily. All was still.
+
+Thereupon he returned. His manly heart was throbbing fast--violently, even
+painfully. The sense of loneliness was oppressive. Had his purpose been
+less important, he would certainly have turned and fled. But too much was
+at stake. Before him there arose the vision of that vast treasure--thirty
+thousand pounds--and its attraction was irresistible. He must go forward;
+and now was the time to win, or never.
+
+He stood for a moment gathering up his courage.
+
+What if Rita should be concealed somewhere up there!
+
+Such was the awful thought that suddenly occurred to him and made him
+quail.
+
+The idea suggested itself of going back to Harry and getting his aid. But
+no, that would never do. He would let it be supposed that these bonds had
+been taken from him. If he were to tell his secret to Harry, all would be
+lost. No; he must go, and alone.
+
+Once more he went to the door and listened. All was still.
+
+He now nerved himself up for a supreme effort. If he were to delay any
+longer, some of them would be sure to return. Now or never.
+
+He struck a match against the stone floor. It kindled.
+
+In another moment the torch was blazing brightly; and, holding this in one
+hand, Russell used his other hand to clamber up the projecting stones.
+
+Up he went, higher and higher.
+
+And now he reached the opening, and his knee was resting upon it, and he
+was just about to raise the torch so as to peer in.
+
+At that instant there was a sudden rush, and a spring, that sent a thrill
+of sharp agony to his heart. A pair of strong arms were flung about him.
+The torch fell, and the smoke blinded his eyes. He felt himself dragged
+forward helplessly into the gloomy hole, while a fierce whisper hissed
+into his despairing ears words that made him almost die out of sheer
+fright--
+
+"Hah! base traidor, I haffa you! I haffa you! You salla not scappar from
+Rita again!"
+
+At this Russell gave a wild, long, piercing yell, and fainted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LVII.
+
+
+IN WHICH BROOKE AND TALBOT PREPARE TO BID EACH OTHER AN ETERNAL FAREWELL.
+
+
+On turning away from that eventful meeting with old friends, both Brooke
+and Talbot felt very greatly depressed, and neither could say a word. This
+feeling was experienced by both to an equal degree; and neither of them
+could see any possible way out of this new difficulty that could commend
+itself to an honorable mind.
+
+The conversation with Harry had quite overwhelmed Talbot. He had been so
+eager to explain, and the explanations had shown such fidelity on his
+part, he had seemed so true, and his vindication had been so complete,
+that she had not one word to say. For the fact remained plain before her
+mind that the cause of his failing to receive her at Barcelona was his
+very eagerness to meet her which had sent him flying in all haste to
+England. If he had ever been in fault, the fault was one which had arisen
+from excess of love. To a generous mind like Talbot's this was a most
+distressing thought.
+
+Still, there was another thought which was worse, and that was
+this--namely, that Harry could no longer satisfy her. Whether she had ever
+really loved him or not she did not now stop to inquire, nor was such an
+inquiry worth making. It was only too evident now that Harry had declined
+to nothingness, and less than nothingness, in her heart, and that in the
+course of the tragical events of the last few days Brooke had grown to be
+more than all the world to her.
+
+The feelings and thoughts of Brooke were of the same description. It had
+seemed to him that Dolores had been faithful; and as he had all along felt
+firmly convinced of her passionate love for himself and unalterable
+fidelity, it never entered into his head now to suspect any change in her.
+At the same time, he felt that, whether he had ever loved her formerly or
+not, he certainly had no feeling of love for her now; for Talbot had
+utterly effaced that former image, and all the world would now be as
+nothing to him without Talbot.
+
+For some time they devoted themselves to the wounded men, and then, having
+finished this task, they retreated to the farthest end of the room. Here
+there was a rude bench, upon which they seated themselves, and remained
+thus for a long time in utter silence.
+
+"You saw my meeting with--with that--young lady," said Brooke, at last.
+"Did you understand who it was? It was--Dolores."
+
+"I know," said Talbot, with a heavy sigh. "And did you observe my meeting
+with that gentleman? Did you understand that?"
+
+"What!" cried Brooke, in amazement at the suggestion which was conveyed by
+Talbot's words. He had not had leisure to notice or think of any one
+except Dolores.
+
+"It was Mr. Rivers," said Talbot.
+
+"The devil!" cried Brooke, with a groan.
+
+At this Talbot very properly said nothing.
+
+"Well," said Brooke, after a long pause, "I didn't know that things could
+possibly be more infernally embarrassing or more confoundedly complicated
+than they were; but this is certainly a little beyond what I dreamed of.
+And--and--"
+
+He turned with a despairing look and took Talbot's hand.
+
+"What, Brooke?"
+
+"Am--am I--to--to--congratulate you--and all that?" he stammered.
+
+"What!" said Talbot, reproachfully.
+
+Brooke was silent.
+
+"Oh, Brooke," said Talbot, "what are we to do?"
+
+"Give it up," said Brooke, in a dismal voice.
+
+"This," continued Talbot, "is worse than when we were prisoners, and dying
+by turns for one another."
+
+"I wish," said Brooke, "that I had died when I wanted to."
+
+"And must we now give one another up?" sighed Talbot.
+
+"Don't see what else we can do," said Brooke. "We've got to keep our
+confounded promises."
+
+"Which promises, Brooke?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Brooke!"
+
+"What?"
+
+"What ought I to do?"
+
+"I don't know."
+
+"Ought I to keep my promise?"
+
+"Which promise?"
+
+"Why, my promise to--to Mr. Rivers."
+
+"D--n Mr. Rivers!" growled Brooke, turning away.
+
+"That," said Talbot, mildly, "is not an answer to my question."
+
+"But how do I know?" said Brooke, in a voice like a wailing child.
+
+"But how can I? how can I?" cried Talbot. "And when _you_ are here--_you_,
+Brooke, who know all my heart! Can I give you up? I cannot! You may give
+me up, if you like."
+
+"Why don't you say, if I _can_?" said Brooke.
+
+"Oh--any way," said Talbot, wearily.
+
+There was another silence.
+
+"Marry _him_!" cried Talbot, at last, breaking the silence with vehement
+abruptness. "I cannot! I cannot! It would be wicked. I should desecrate
+the holy sacrament. I could not utter that vow before the holy altar.
+Never! Yet I can't stay here where _he_ is. He will be wishing to see me.
+He will be coming soon--he may be coming now. I will not see him. I will
+_not_ speak with him again. I will write to him. I will leave this place,
+and at once."
+
+"Leave this place!" repeated Brooke. "Where can you go?"
+
+"Why, I'll go home," said Talbot, firmly.
+
+"Home?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"How can you? You don't know the way."
+
+"I know one place where I can go--to that tower--that sweet tower; it is
+not far away; it must be easy to get there. I will go there--there,
+Brooke, where I first became acquainted with you; and then--"
+
+Here Talbot paused, and turned away her head.
+
+"But you can't live there," said Brooke, in a harsh voice.
+
+"I can find my way back to the road," said Talbot, in a tremulous
+tone--"to the road where I first met you, Brooke; and then--why, then I
+shall be no worse off than when you found me and assisted me."
+
+"It's all nonsense," said Brooke; "you can't go alone."
+
+"Yes, I can."
+
+"You'll be taken prisoner."
+
+"I don't care."
+
+"Or, if not, you'll die of starvation."
+
+"Very well," said Talbot, in a calm voice, and looking at Brooke out of
+serene eyes, with a face from which all traces of emotion had
+departed--"very well; I have already showed that I am not afraid of death;
+and death by starvation is not more terrible than death by bullets."
+
+Brooke looked at her for a moment in silence, and then said,
+
+"You are not in earnest?"
+
+"I am in earnest," said Talbot, looking at him fixedly, and speaking in a
+resolute tone--"I am in earnest, and I mean to go this very night."
+
+Brooke looked away, drew a long breath, and subsided into silence.
+
+"How can you find the way?" he asked at length, in a gruff voice, and
+without looking up.
+
+"I don't know," said Talbot; "I can try again, as I tried before."
+
+Brooke looked up hastily, then looked away, and finally said,
+
+"I think, Talbot, you might ask me to show you the way."
+
+At this Talbot's face flushed, and all her expression was suddenly changed
+from one of dull dejection to animation and delight.
+
+"Will you?" she asked, breathlessly.
+
+"Oh yes," said Brooke, "that isn't much to do. Oh yes, I can easily show
+you the way to the tower. After all, it is as safe there as here; and if
+you are determined to go, why, we can start, you know--at any time, you
+know."
+
+"But will you--can you--will you, really?" said Talbot, who seemed quite
+overwhelmed at this unexpected offer. "Then you have your human weakness,
+after all, have you, Brooke? You will not sacrifice me to a punctilio,
+will you? you will not let your poor Talbot go away all alone?"
+
+
+[Illustration: "They Retreated To A Rude Bench, Upon Which They Seated
+Themselves."]
+
+"No," said Brooke, softly, "I will not let my Talbot go away all alone."
+
+Talbot cast a swift glance at him, as if to read his soul. Brooke's eye
+met hers, but only for an instant. Then he looked away. Again there was
+quick and active within him that old vigilant feeling that kept him on
+guard against being surprised and overpowered by passion. Within his heart
+there had already been a fierce struggle between love and honor. Love had
+once conquered, and that completely; but the appearance of Dolores had
+roused his conscience, and made him once more aware of the bond that lay
+in his plighted word. Could he again break that word? Could he sacrifice
+his honor for good almost in the very presence of her whom he supposed to
+be his loving and faithful Dolores? Could he do such a deed as this, and
+sully his soul even for Talbot? Yet, on the other hand, how could he bring
+himself to give her up? Give her up--the "lad Talbot," whom he loved as he
+had never loved any other human being! How could he? And thus love drew
+him impetuously in one direction, while duty sternly and imperiously drove
+him back; and so there went on in the breast of this newspaper
+correspondent a struggle the like of which does not often come within the
+experience of gentlemen of the press.
+
+"You will see me as far as the tower?" said Talbot, pathetically.
+
+"Yes," murmured Brooke.
+
+"And there," continued Talbot, in the same tone, "we can say to one
+another our last farewells."
+
+Brooke said nothing. The struggle still raged within him, and was as far
+from a decisive end as ever. The prospect of parting with Talbot filled
+him with a sense of horrible desolation, and the one idea now in his mind
+was that of accompanying her wherever she might go. He did not look far
+into the future. His plans were bounded by that tower to which Talbot was
+going. This much he might do without any hesitation. It seemed to him no
+more than Talbot's due. She only wanted to go as far as that. She wished
+to be out of the reach of Rivers. She didn't know the way there. He could
+certainly help her thus far; in fact, it would be impossible for him not
+to do that much. If Dolores herself were present, he thought, she could
+not object; in fact, she could do nothing else but approve.
+
+Silence now followed, which lasted for some time, and at length Talbot
+said, with a heavy sigh,
+
+"How strange it is, and how sad! isn't it, Brooke?"
+
+"What?" said Brooke.
+
+"To bid good-bye."
+
+Brooke was silent.
+
+"To bid good-bye," repeated Talbot, "and never meet again!"
+
+Brooke drew a long breath, looked at Talbot, and then looked away.
+
+"Shall we, Brooke?" asked Talbot.
+
+"Shall we what?" said Brooke, harshly.
+
+"Shall we ever meet again?"
+
+"How do I know?" said Brooke, snappishly.
+
+"And yet you gave your life for me," said Talbot, pensively.
+
+"I didn't," said Brooke. "It was you that gave your life for me."
+
+"The offer was made," said Talbot, mournfully, "but it wasn't accepted. I
+wish now that the offer had been accepted."
+
+Brooke raised his head and looked at her with his pale, haggard face,
+whereon was still the impression of that great agony through which he had
+so lately passed. He looked at her with all his unspeakable love in his
+earnest, yearning gaze.
+
+"Do you really wish that, Talbot?"
+
+"I do," said she, sadly.
+
+"Oh, my darling!" cried Brooke--"my own love, and my only love! What shall
+I do? Help me to decide."
+
+He caught her in his arms and held her pressed convulsively to his heart,
+while Talbot laid her head on his shoulder and wept.
+
+At length they rose to go.
+
+Brooke was conscious of a sense of profound relief as he went out of the
+castle and away from Dolores.
+
+On reaching the gate, Brooke explained to the guard that he and the lady
+were going out for a little walk.
+
+The guard suggested that there might be danger.
+
+Brooke said that he was not going far away, and that he would be back. In
+this he was not deceiving them, for he himself thought that he would be
+coming back again. He had a vague idea of keeping Talbot in the tower, and
+conveying her food, etc., from the castle, as he had done once before.
+
+He now passed through the gates, accompanied by Talbot. The course which
+he took was the same that he had taken on the occasion of his first visit
+to the Carlists in his disguise of priest. After walking for some distance
+they descended into the chasm, and at length reached the bottom. By this
+time it was dusk, and twilight was coming on rapidly.
+
+They then began the ascent, and reached the tower without any difficulty.
+
+Here they paused to take breath.
+
+But no sooner had they stood still than they were aware of a noise
+without. It was a noise rather distant, yet well defined, and sounded as
+if a multitude were approaching the place.
+
+"Some one's coming," said Talbot.
+
+"Yes," said Brooke; "we must go back."
+
+They hurried back. But as they stood at the opening they heard something
+which once more startled them.
+
+There were voices and footsteps down the chasm, as of some one coming up
+the pathway.
+
+"We are pursued!" said Brooke.
+
+"We are captured!" said Talbot; and then she added, as she took Brooke's
+hands in hers, "But oh, Brooke, how I should love to be captured, if you
+are only captured with me!"
+
+Brooke said nothing, but a thrill of joy passed through him at the
+thought.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LVIII.
+
+
+IN WHICH SOME OLD FRIENDS REAPPEAR.
+
+
+Dolores and Ashby had experienced none ofthat inner conflict that had
+disturbed the souls of Brooke and Talbot, for Ashby had been prompt in
+decision, and had taken all responsibility from Dolores. She meekly
+acquiesced in his decision, was all the happier for it, and prepared with
+the briskness of a bird to carry out their purpose of flight. She led
+Ashby down by the same way through which she had formerly conducted "His
+Majesty," starting from that lower room in which Ashby had been confined.
+Had she gone from one of the upper rooms, they might, perhaps, have
+encountered the lurking Rita, and thus have rescued the unhappy Russell
+from his vengeful captor and from his coming woe. But such was not to be
+their lot. It was from the lower room that they started; and on they went,
+to the no small amazement of Ashby, through all those intricate ways,
+until at length they emerged from the interior, and found themselves in
+the chasm. Here the moon was shining, as it had been during all the
+eventful days in which all these wonderful and authentic adventures had
+been taking place, and gave them ample light by which to find the path.
+Their way lay along the lower part of the chasm, where the brook was
+foaming and bubbling and dashing on its way. Before long they reached the
+place where the path ascended toward the tower. Up this they proceeded.
+
+As they went up they heard voices. Thus far they had been talking with one
+another quite merrily and carelessly, but these sounds at once arrested
+them. They stopped for a moment and listened in deep anxiety.
+
+The sound of the voices seemed to draw nearer, and to come up from some
+point in the pathway behind them, as though others were advancing in the
+same direction.
+
+"We are pursued," said Dolores.
+
+"Who would pursue us?" said Ashby.
+
+"Mr. Brooke," said Dolores, in a tone of alarm. "It must be Mr. Brooke. He
+has been looking for me. He has seen us, and is pursuing us."
+
+Ashby muttered a curse.
+
+"Confound him!" said he. "Let him keep his distance! We must hurry on
+faster."
+
+They hurried on.
+
+In a few moments they had reached the tower. Inside that tower were Brooke
+and Talbot, who had reached it some time before, and now heard the sounds
+made by these new-comers, though the darkness of the interior prevented
+them from seeing who they were. On entering, Dolores drew Ashby carefully
+on one side. Brooke and Talbot waited in breathless suspense.
+
+But now other sounds startled the occupants of the tower--the sounds as of
+an advancing crowd. Dolores clung in terror to Ashby, and drew him still
+farther on one side.
+
+They were caught--that was plain. They could neither advance nor retreat;
+for now already they heard new-comers at the opening through which they
+had just passed. They shrank back still farther, and Dolores clung more
+closely to Ashby.
+
+These new-comers, however, were not very formidable. They were merely
+Harry and Katie.
+
+Harry had waited for some time in expectation of being joined by Russell.
+To his surprise, that worthy person did not put in an appearance. He could
+not account for this, and finally concluded that Russell must have gone
+ahead, so as to take his time about it and save himself by daylight. In
+this belief Harry resolved to delay no longer, and, congratulating himself
+that he knew the way so well, he started off with Katie.
+
+He went with all the caution in the world, first reconnoitring to see that
+no one was within view, and then, on reaching the side door which gave
+entrance to the cellars, he cautioned Katie to keep silence. In this way
+they went on silently enough until they emerged from the opening. Then
+they began to descend the chasm, and here Harry felt safe. On their way
+down and up they talked and laughed quite freely, and these were the
+voices which had startled their predecessors.
+
+At length they reached the tower and clambered in. The moment they found
+themselves inside they were startled by those noises which had already
+terrified the others, and which had now drawn much nearer.
+
+Katie gave a low cry of terror, and stood trembling in every limb.
+
+Harry was quite bewildered at this sudden and unexpected shock. For a
+moment he thought of flight; but that was impossible, for Katie, in her
+terror, was almost fainting, and he had to support her while she clung
+breathlessly to him. And so they stood, unable to move.
+
+The noises were now just outside--voices, cries, songs, and wild
+laughter--all the indications of a lawless crowd.
+
+Suddenly some one burst inside.
+
+"Ha!" he cried, in Spanish, "here it is, but it's all dark. Bring lights,
+some one. We must wait here till the others come round to the front; but
+there's no reason why we shouldn't have lights. We can't be seen from the
+castle: the walls here are too thick to be transparent. It's just the
+place for a little supper."
+
+A number of others now came forward and entered. The fugitives stood
+clinging to one another as before, expecting the worst, and awaiting with
+intense anxiety the moment when lights would be introduced.
+
+There was now the flash of sudden flames--some of them were striking
+matches. The flames leaped forth, and soon half a dozen torches were
+kindled, and then, blazing and smoking, they were held aloft, throwing a
+bright light upon the whole interior; while those who held them looked
+around without any other purpose, just then, than to find some convenient
+place where they might place them, so as to save themselves the trouble of
+holding them.
+
+In that one instant the whole scene stood revealed.
+
+There stood Brooke, with Talbot clinging to him; there Harry, with his
+arms round Katie; and there Ashby, supporting Dolores. And as Ashby and
+Harry stared at these noisy new-comers, they saw the familiar face of no
+less a person than "His Majesty."
+
+At this sight they were filled with amazement and consternation. Yet their
+amazement, great though it may have been, was not greater than that of
+"His Majesty." For an instant he stood like one transfixed, and then
+exclaimed, in that peculiar English which he spoke,
+
+"Howly Moses! but this bates the worruld!" and then stood staring at each
+of them.
+
+At this exclamation Katie started. She recognized the voice at once; and,
+strange to say, all her terror fled. From that man she felt as if there
+was nothing to fear. She looked up, and showed her sweet face all smiles,
+with all its anxiety and all its terror vanished. Dolores also heard the
+English words, and looked up in surprise, recognizing at the first glance
+that familiar face. Harry and Ashby made the same discovery.
+
+But there were other discoveries to be made. Their eyes, as the lights
+shone around, took in the whole scene; and it was with the deepest dismay
+and confusion that, on looking around, each one caught sight of his, or
+her, old lover; and, what was more, the feeling of each one was, that the
+other had come in pursuit, to claim that vow which each was breaking.
+
+Harry saw Talbot, and felt sure that she had come after him to demand a
+new explanation, and to reproach him for this new perfidy. She had
+suffered, he felt, wrongs that were intolerable at his hands, and his
+heart sank within him at this new meeting. He seemed to himself base
+beyond all expression, and no words could be found with which he might
+excuse himself.
+
+Brooke saw Dolores, and his only thought was that she had suspected him,
+had watched him, had tracked him, and had now come to overwhelm him with
+dishonor; and he felt that he must be dumb before her.
+
+Ashby saw Katie, and thought that she had surely come in pursuit of him;
+that perhaps his suspicions had been unfounded; that she loved him; that
+she had only been trifling with Harry, and had come to tear him from
+Dolores.
+
+Talbot saw Harry with guilty terror. She had fled from him, and
+intentionally. He had pursued; he had come to claim her hand--her promised
+hand!
+
+Dolores saw Brooke with the same feelings. She knew him as the chivalrous
+American who had saved her life, and that of her mother, in their direst
+need; who had won her heart and the promise of her hand. She had broken
+her word--she had fled. What now? With what eyes could she look at him?
+With what words could she speak to him?
+
+Katie's face had lightened up with joy at the sight of "His Majesty," but
+the moment afterward it clouded over with fear and apprehension at the
+sight of Ashby. "'Tis conscience doth make cowards of us all," and
+conscience told her that she had treated Ashby very, very badly, and that
+he had followed her to make her keep her plighted word. And so she only
+clung to Harry more closely than ever.
+
+And so, in fact, did the other couples. They all clung to one another more
+closely than ever. There was a moment of embarrassment--intense, awful,
+tremendous.
+
+The deep silence was broken by the voice of "His Majesty."
+
+"Hersilf!" he cried, with his eyes fixed on Katie--"hersilf! begorra, it's
+hersilf! Shure an' it is! an' oh, but it's mesilf that's the lucky man
+this day! An' shure, an' may I dhrop dead if I iver saw sich a mayting as
+this! Shure, ye've forgotten all about my offer av the crown av Spain, an'
+the sceptre, an' the throne. Begorra, ye've given up all that same for
+that bit av a boy that's a howldin' av ye. An' shure, we're all together
+again, so we are. Here's welcome to yez all--Messrs. Rivers, an' Ashby,
+an' the ladies, one an' all! Niver fear, I'll take good care av yez this
+toime! Only, what's become av Lord Russell? Begorra, it's mesilf that 'ud
+loike to have another look at that same!"
+
+Talking in this way, with frequent pauses, "His Majesty" succeeded in
+expressing his feelings, which had at first seemed quite too strong for
+utterance.
+
+Meanwhile, the soldiers who had been inspecting the interior had found
+convenient places for fixing the torches, which now flared up, throwing a
+bright light around, and filling the tower with smoke.
+
+During all this time the prisoners had been agitated by various feelings.
+Harry and Ashby saw in "His Majesty" a remorseless brigand, whose only
+idea was plunder, and who would now hold them to ransom as before. They
+despaired of escape. This new capture seemed far worse than the former
+one, yet each one thought less of himself than of that dear one whom he
+had tried to save. Thus Harry clung to Katie, and Ashby clung to Dolores,
+more closely than ever. Brooke and Talbot, on the contrary, had less fear,
+yet they had anxiety. Brooke recognized in "His Majesty" the unscrupulous
+Carlist whom he had visited, and was somewhat uneasy about a recognition;
+while Talbot, seeing his uneasiness, felt something like fear herself.
+
+Yet, in the midst of all this, they all alike made one discovery. It was
+this: each one saw that his or her old love had become strangely
+indifferent.
+
+Harry saw that Talbot was clinging to that strange man whom he had never
+seen before, but who now, as he thought, seemed uncommonly sweet on her.
+
+Brooke saw that Dolores was clinging for support to another strange man.
+She had evidently no thought for him.
+
+Ashby saw at once that Katie thought of no one but Harry Rivers.
+
+Talbot saw that Harry was devoted to that lady whom he was so assiduously
+supporting and consoling. She was utterly amazed at the discovery, yet
+inexpressibly glad.
+
+Dolores, in her delight, saw that Brooke took no notice of herself, but
+devoted himself to the lady with him, and in such a fervent manner that
+she understood it all without being told.
+
+Katie also saw that Ashby had forgotten all about her, and thought of
+nothing but Dolores.
+
+And at this discovery, which flashed almost simultaneously upon them, each
+one felt the most inexpressible joy. At the same time the whole truth came
+upon them. Each one, instead of pursuing the other, had been trying to
+fly. Each lover had found a new and more congenial friend, and with this
+dear friend had left the castle. Each one felt equally guilty, yet equally
+glad; but then as to guilt, there was Brooke, who didn't feel guilty at
+all--oh, bless you, no!--he had only come with Talbot _as far as the
+tower_!
+
+In the midst of all this, Harry and Ashby and Brooke were amazed at the
+Irish brogue of the Carlist chief, who had formerly spoken to them in
+Spanish.
+
+And now, while they were thus wondering, who should come in but a certain
+female in a very peculiar dress; for this female wore what looked like a
+military cloak, and she wore, also, an officer's "kepi," which was perched
+upon the top of her chignon; which female took a glance around, and then
+exclaimed,
+
+"Well, goodness gracious me! I never! Did I ever! No, never!"
+
+"Auntie!" screamed Katie, and with this she rushed toward the aforesaid
+female, who was no other than Mrs. Russell. She flung her arms around that
+lady, and almost smothered her with kisses.
+
+"Dear child," said Mrs. Russell, "how impetuous you are! but it's
+natural--it's touching--it's grateful--we deserve it, dear. We came to
+seek and to save. Bless you, my child, and may you be happy! "His Majesty"
+has a tender heart, and often talks of you. We also cherish for you a fond
+ affection, child; but in future try to be a little less boisterous, and
+respect the majesty of Spain."
+
+At this reception Katie was quite bewildered. It was only by a strong
+effort that she could comprehend it. She then recalled that old nonsense
+with which she had amused herself when she had suggested that Mrs. Russell
+should marry "His Majesty;" but now a great terror seized her: was it
+possible that Mrs. Russell had done such a thing?
+
+"Oh, Auntie!" she said; "oh, Auntie! you haven't--you haven't--done--done
+it?"
+
+"Done it!" said Mrs. Russell, who seemed at once to understand her; "no,
+child--not yet; but as soon as the affairs of State will allow, "His
+Majesty" says that the ceremony shall be performed; after which comes the
+coronation, you know,
+and then, dear, I shall be Queen, and you may be princess, and may marry
+the proudest of all the Spanish chivalry."
+
+At this Katie was so terrified that she did not know what to say. The only
+thought she had was that "Auntie" had gone raving mad. She knew that Mr.
+Russell was alive and well, for she had seen him only a short time before.
+The old joke about marrying "His Majesty" had been almost forgotten by
+her; and to find "Auntie" now as full as ever of that nonsensical piece of
+ambition was inexpressibly shocking to her. Yet she did not know what to
+say. To disabuse her seemed impossible. She did not dare to tell her that
+Mr. Russell was alive; it might be dangerous. "Auntie" had so set her mind
+upon this insane project that any attempt to thwart her would certainly
+draw down vengeance upon the head of the one who should dare to attempt
+it. That one certainly was not Katie. She liked, as far as possible, to
+have things move on smoothly around her; and so the only thought she now
+had was to chime in with "Auntie's" fancy; to humor her, as one would
+humor an insane person, and to hope that something might turn up in time
+to prevent anything "dreadful."
+
+In this state of mind Katie went on talking with "Auntie." But "Auntie"
+was hard to humor; she was altogether too grand and lofty for little
+Katie. In fancy she already wore a crown, and talked of the throne, the
+sceptre, and the majesty of Spain as though they had always been her
+private property.
+
+"I've been two or three days," said she, "with 'His Majesty.' He has been
+most kind. His royal will is that I should wear this hat. Do you think it
+is becoming? Under other circumstances I should be talked about, I know;
+but where the welfare of Spain is concerned, I don't care for public
+opinion. When I am seated on the throne all will be explained."
+
+At such a torrent as this poor Katie could only take refuge in silence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LIX.
+
+
+HOW A SURPRISE-PARTY IS VERY MUCH SURPRISED.
+
+
+During these remarks "His Majesty" had been fumbling, with a thoughtful
+expression, in his coat-pocket, as though trying to extricate something,
+the bulk of which prevented it from being drawn forth without some
+difficulty; and as he tugged and fumbled he began to speak.
+
+"I came here," said he, "on a surprise-party, an' begorra I niver was so
+surprised in my loife, so I wasn't. An' be the same token, as it's a long
+march we've had, an' as we've got to wait here an hour or so, an' as we're
+on the ave av an attack an' may niver live to see another day, shure
+there's ivery raison in loife"--and with this he fumbled still more
+vigorously in his pocket--"why"--he gave a thrust and a pull--"why we
+should all wet our whistles"--he gave a series of violent twists--"wid a
+dhrop av somethin' warrum;" and with this he succeeded in getting the
+object of his attempts extricated from his pocket, and proudly displayed
+before the eyes of the company a black junk-bottle.
+
+The others looked at this with some surprise, but no other feeling. The
+whole proceeding seemed to them to show an ill-timed levity; and if it was
+serious, it certainly seemed very bad taste. But "His Royal Majesty" was
+in a very gracious mood, and continued to run on in his most gay and
+affable strain. He wandered round among the company and offered the bottle
+to each in turn. When they all refused he seemed both surprised and hurt.
+
+"Shure it's whiskey, so it is," he said, as though that would remove all
+objections; but this information did not produce any effect.
+
+"Perhaps it's a tumbler ye'll be wantin'," said he. "Well, well, we're
+sorry we haven't got one; but if ye'll take a taste out av the bottle
+ye'll foind it moighty convaynient."
+
+Here the monarch paused, and, raising the bottle to his own royal lips,
+took a long draught. As he swallowed the liquid his eyes closed and his
+face assumed an expression of rapture. He then offered it to all once
+more, and mourned over them because they refused.
+
+"Oh, but it's the divoine dhrink!" said he. Then he grew merrier, and
+began to sing:
+
+
+  "Oh, Shakspeare, Homer, an' all the poets
+    Have sung for ages the praise av woine;
+  But if they iver had tasted whiskey,
+    They'd have called it the only dhrink divoine.
+
+  "Oh, wud ye have a receipt for toddy?
+    Av whiskey ye take a quart, I think;
+  Thin out av a pint av bilin' wather
+    Ivery dhrop ye add will spile the dhrink!"
+
+
+Ashby had been talking with Dolores for some time. He now came forward,
+Dolores hanging on his arm.
+
+"Sir," said he to "His Majesty," "I suppose we must again consider
+ourselves your prisoners?"
+
+"Divvle a doubt av it," said "His Majesty," with a wink at Dolores.
+
+"The other time," said Ashby, "you named a ransom, and said that on the
+payment of that sum you would allow us our liberty. Will you now name a
+sum again--some sum that I can pay? I engage to have it in less than a
+week, provided that you send this lady in safety to Vittoria. She can
+procure the money for me, and until then I shall remain your prisoner."
+
+"Well, that's fair," said "His Majesty."
+
+"Will you do it?"
+
+"Begorra, I will."
+
+"Will you name the sum?"
+
+"I'll think about it."
+
+At this Ashby went back with Dolores to his former position, and they
+resumed their conversation. But Harry had heard every word, and he now
+came up, with Katie clinging to him.
+
+"Sir," said he, "will you allow me to procure my ransom in the same way?
+Will you allow this lady to go in company with the other, so as to procure
+the amount needed for my deliverance?"
+
+"But I won't go," said Katie, hurriedly.
+
+"What!" said Harry. "Oh, think--it's for my sake, my life."
+
+"But I can't," said Katie. "I know I shall never see you again. Besides,
+what could I do alone?"
+
+"You can go with this other lady, or with your aunt."
+
+"Oh, she can't go with me," said Auntie. "Nothing would induce me to leave
+His Majesty. The royal cause is just now in a critical condition, and we
+need all our resources."
+
+"Then you can go with the Spanish senorita," said Harry.
+
+"But I'm afraid," said Katie.
+
+"Afraid!" said Harry. "Why, there will be no danger. You will be sent with
+a guard."
+
+"Oh, it's not that--it's not that," said Katie; "it's because I'm afraid I
+shall never see you again. And it's cruel--very, very cruel in you!"
+
+At this "His Majesty" wiped his eyes. Then he raised his bottle and took
+another long pull. Then he heaved a sigh.
+
+"Arrah, ye rogue," said he to Harry, "ye've deludhered that poor gyerrul
+intoirely. She's yours out-an'-out--no doubt av that; an' sure but it's
+dead bate an' heart-broke intoirely I'd be, so I would, if it wasn't for
+the widdy here, that's a frind in time av nade, an' has a heart that's
+worth its weight in goold sovereigns."
+
+"His Majesty" now took another long, long pull at the black bottle.
+
+"If it wasn't that I had that other noble heart til fall back on," said
+he, as he wiped his royal eyes with the back of his royal hand, "I'd be
+fairly broken-hearted, so I would. But I'll be loike Tim in the song:
+
+
+  "'Oh, a widdy she lived in Limerick town,
+      Not far from Shannon water,
+    An' Tim kept company wid her,
+      A coortin' av Biddy, her daughter.
+    But Micky M'Graw cut in between,
+      And run away wid Biddy.
+  "Begorra!" says Tim, "the daughter's gone,
+      So, faix, I'll take the widdy!"
+        The widdy!
+        Not Biddy!
+   The fond and faithful widdy!
+                  Whooroor!'"
+
+
+Singing this, the jovial monarch caught Mrs. Russell's hand in his, and
+proceeded to dance in a manner which was far more boisterous than
+dignified. Mrs. Russell, always fond and indulgent, lent herself to the
+royal whim, and danced much more vigorously than could have been expected
+from a person of her years. Katie clapped her hands in childish glee. The
+Carlists all applauded. The others looked puzzled. "His Majesty" finally
+concluded his little dance, after which Mrs. Russell clung to him in a
+languishing attitude, and looked like a caricature of each of those other
+younger ladies who were all clinging so fondly to their respective lovers.
+The sight of Mrs. Russell in that languishing attitude came home to the
+hearts and consciences of the younger ladies, who all relinquished their
+lovers' arms, and insisted on standing by themselves.
+
+Brooke had listened thoughtfully to all that had thus far been said. The
+Carlist chief was a puzzle to him, but he saw that there was talk of
+holding to ransom, which to him had an ugly sound.
+
+"Sir," said he, "are we to be kept prisoners in this tower?"
+
+"This tower, is it?" said "His Majesty." "Begorra, I hope not. There's
+another tower a dale betther nor this. It's mesilf that 'ud be the proud
+man til let yez all go, an' yez 'ud all be prouder, I'll go bail; but in
+that case, shure to glory, I'd be a loser; but I hope to find yez
+comfortable quarthers in a foine stone house not a thousand moiles from
+this. Ye'll all be as comfortable as ould Dinny M'Divitt in the song:
+
+
+  "'In a beautiful palace av stone
+      Resoided ould Diuny M'Divitt;
+    He wore a most beautiful ring
+      That were filed round his wrist wid a rivet.
+   'Twas the judge, shure, that sintinced him there,
+      An' there all the boys wint til view him,
+    For the jury considhered him dull
+      At discernin' twixt "mayum" and "chuum."
+    So fill up for the toast an' I'll give it:
+      Here's a health to bowld Dinny M'Divitt!'"
+
+
+At this the monarch raised the bottle to his mouth and took another long,
+long pull.
+
+From this Brooke gathered that they were to be taken to the castle. He
+asked "His Majesty" if this were so.
+
+"Begorra, ye've hit it," said "His Majesty.
+
+"Is there anything to prevent our being taken there at once?" asked
+Brooke.
+
+"Bedad, there's iverything in loife. Shure, I've come on a surprise-party
+til capture the castle."
+
+It occurred to Brooke that this was a curious way to surprise a castle--by
+kindling torches, dancing, and singing songs; but he made no remark upon
+that. He saw that the chief supposed the castle to be defended, and so he
+hastened to undeceive him.
+
+"His Majesty" listened in amazement to Brooke's story.
+
+"Begorra," said he, "here's another surprise! Didn't I say we were a
+surprised party? Shure, an' ye've all showed pluck, ivery man jack av yez,
+includin' the ladies. An' that same 'll have to be considhered in our
+thraitmint wid yez about the ransom. Shure, I'll deduct five per cint., so
+I will. Nobody shall say we're not magnanimous. But bein' as there's
+nobody there, shure, the best thing for us to do is to go over at onct and
+raysume possission."
+
+With these words the monarch retired to give orders to his men, and in a
+short time the whole band, together with their prisoners, had passed over
+and had taken possession.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LX.
+
+
+IN WHICH THE KING COMES TO CLAIM HIS OWN.
+
+
+The party of prisoners was conducted by "His Majesty" to that upper room
+which had formerly been occupied by the ladies. Mrs. Russell clung to the
+royal person as fondly as ever. It was a critical hour in the destinies of
+Spain.
+
+"Where's Rita," cried "His Majesty," "that cook of cooks? It's starvin' we
+are. I haven't seen her anywheres. I'll go an' hunt her up."
+
+With these words he hurried out, followed by Mrs. Russell. They descended
+the stairs, and their footsteps died away in the distance. No one was now
+with the prisoners except the wounded Republicans.
+
+"Let us fly!" said Harry, in a quick, sharp whisper.
+
+He hurried Katie to the chimney, and, clambering up, drew her after him.
+The others followed at once. Dolores came next to Harry.
+
+"I know a secret way out," said she. "I will show the way. Let me go
+ahead. I know it in the dark."
+
+"Do you?" said Harry. "Oh, then go ahead."
+
+Upon this Dolores took the lead along with Ashby; Harry and Katie came
+next, while Brooke and Talbot brought up the rear, these last being full
+of wonder at this unexpected revelation of the passage-way.
+
+By this time each member of the party had gained a full and complete
+comprehension as well as appreciation of the present state of things, both
+with reference to the old lover, and also the new one. Embarrassment had
+now passed away, and all were full of hope, joy, and enthusiasm.
+
+Suddenly a hollow groan sounded through the darkness.
+
+"Who's there?" cried Ashby, in Spanish.
+
+"Help! help!" said a faint voice, in English.
+
+"An Englishman!" cried Ashby, speaking in English. "Who are you?"
+
+"Oh, help! help! I'm a prisoner. A fiend has me in her power! Once I was
+named Russell, but now--oh! oh! my name is Rita!"
+
+Full of wonder, Ashby felt his way forward, and found a man on the floor.
+His legs and arms were tied. He was almost speechless, partly from terror
+and partly from joy. In a few words he told his story, which need not be
+repeated here.
+
+Rita had bound him, and had only left him a short time before at the
+sudden noise of their approach. It was not until afterward that they
+understood the whole story, for just then they were in too great a hurry
+to ask questions. A pull from Ashby's brandy-flask partly restored
+Russell's strength, but more was accomplished by his joy at this
+unexpected deliverance. Terror also came to his aid and lent him strength,
+and he was now more anxious than any of them to fly from this awful
+prison-house.
+
+Dolores now led the way as before, and they all followed down long steps
+and crooked passage-ways until at last they reached the outlet. Here they
+found themselves in the chasm. A hasty consultation ended in the
+decision not to go to the tower for fear lest Carlists might be there.
+They concluded, therefore, to go along the chasm for some distance, and
+then ascend to the open country above, and after this to go forward as far
+as possible that same night.
+
+They traversed the chasm in this way, and at length reached the top, where
+they found themselves to be about a mile away from the castle. Here the
+ground sloped gently, descending into a broad valley, to which they
+decided to go. In this direction they therefore proceeded as carefully as
+possible, and had gone about two miles in safety when suddenly they became
+aware of a great noise, like the quick trot of numerous horses. It was
+advancing so rapidly that they had no time to take measures for escape,
+and before they could consult together a troop of horsemen came over a
+rising ground in front and galloped straight toward them.
+
+A wild look all around showed them the hopelessness of their situation.
+The country was open. There was not a house or a fence or a tree or a bush
+that might afford a hiding-place. Flight was useless. They could do
+nothing now but trust to the faint hope that they might be deemed unworthy
+of attention. But soon this hope proved vain. They were seen--they were
+surrounded--they were again prisoners.
+
+They soon learned that this new band consisted of Carlists; that they were
+on the way to the castle to join the King, who had gone on before.
+
+The King!
+
+
+[Illustration: "The Jovial Monarch Caught Mrs. Russell's Hand In His, And
+Proceeded To Dance."]
+
+
+Katie knew who that was. Harry was puzzled, as he always had been, about
+"His Majesty." Dolores also was mystified, since she had never believed
+that "His Majesty" was what he pretended to be. Ashby, also, had not
+believed it, and now was more puzzled than any of them. Brooke and Talbot,
+however, were strangers to the pretensions of that singular being who
+called himself King, and therefore hoped that this would turn out for the
+best. As for Russell, he was in despair, for to him "His Majesty" was more
+dreaded than any other human being, with the single and terrible exception
+of Rita. And now he felt himself dragged back to meet him--worse, to meet
+Rita. Despair took full possession of him. All his strength left him, and
+one of the troopers had to give up his horse to the world-worn captive.
+
+It was with such feelings as these that the party reached the castle, and
+were led up-stairs into the presence of the King.
+
+The first glance which they gave around showed them that there had been a
+slight mistake somewhere.
+
+Down below, the court-yard and the lower hall were full of men. Here there
+were twenty or thirty, all in the uniform of officers; all men of
+distinguished air and good-breeding; all gentlemen, and far different from
+the ragged gang whom they had last encountered here.
+
+In the centre of this company stood a man who at once attracted to himself
+the eyes of the party of prisoners. He was of medium size, with heavy
+black mustache and dark, penetrating eyes. He had the air of one who had
+always been accustomed to the respectful obedience of others; an air of
+command which rested well upon his bold and resolute face. It was the face
+of one who lived in the consciousness that he was the centre and strength
+and hope of a gallant party; of one who believed himself to hold a divine
+commission to regenerate a fallen country; of one who knew that he alone
+in all the world held up aloft at the head of an army the proud banner of
+Conservatism; of one who, for this mission, had given up ease and luxury
+and self-indulgence; had entered upon a life of danger, hardship, and
+ceaseless toil, and every day lived in the very presence of Death; in
+short, they saw before them the idol of the Spanish Legitimists--the
+high-souled, the chivalrous Don Carlos.
+
+The quick, penetrating glance which he threw upon the party soon faded
+away into a pleasant smile.
+
+"Welcome, ladies!" said he; "welcome, gentlemen! Some one spoke of a party
+of prisoners; I had no hope of such good fortune as to meet with guests.
+But you must have met with some misfortune, in which case let me help
+you."
+
+He spoke in Spanish, of course--a language which is usually spoken in
+Spain; and a very pretty language it is, too, and one which I should
+advise all my readers to learn; for they would find it uncommonly useful
+in case they should ever find themselves in a castle in Spain.
+
+It was Harry who replied. He told the whole story as far as it was known
+to himself, dwelling especially upon the character and actions of that
+strange being who had played the role of monarch. Harry's light and
+playful nature threw a tinge of comicality around the whole story, which
+was highly appreciated by all his hearers. And so it was that a smile
+began to go round, until at length it deepened and developed into
+laughter, and so went on deepening and broadening and intensifying, until
+at last the laughter grew, if not Homeric, at least loud enough and long
+enough for a castle in Spain.
+
+"It's the Irishman!" cried Don Carlos--"it's the Irish guerilla! It's
+O'Toole! The villain! he shall hang for this!"
+
+Harry was too good-natured to feel revengeful, and was just beginning to
+beg for O'Toole's life, when suddenly there arose behind them the sound of
+hurried footsteps, followed by wild cries. All turned, and a strange
+figure met their eyes.
+
+It was a woman. She wore a military cloak and an officer's kepi. She
+looked wildly around.
+
+"Where is he? Where is my own one?" she cried--"'His Majesty?' Where is
+the hope of Spain?"
+
+Russell saw her.
+
+He threw out wide his manly arms--he opened his mouth:
+"Jew--li--a-r-r-r-r-r-r!"
+
+With a long, loud cry he shouted this name, and rushed toward her.
+
+Mrs. Russell saw him coming--her lost, lamented lord! the one whom she had
+mourned as dead! Was this his ghost? or was he indeed alive? In any case,
+the shock was awful for a woman of delicate nerves; and Mrs. Russell
+prided herself on being a woman of very delicate nerves.
+
+So she did what a woman of delicate nerves ought to do--she gave a loud,
+long, piercing shriek, and fainted dead away in her fond husband's arms.
+
+Don Carlos gave a grin, and then pulled at his mustache.
+
+"Another victim," said he to the laughing company. "Oh yes; O'Toole shall
+certainly swing for this. Discipline must and shall be maintained. Send
+out and catch the fellow. Have him up here at once."
+
+They sent out and they hunted everywhere, but nowhere could they discover
+any traces of the brilliant, the festive, the imaginative, the mimetic,
+the ingenious O'Toole. He was never seen again.
+
+Some say that in the dead of night two figures might have been seen slowly
+wending their way up the path toward the tower; that the one looked like
+O'Toole and the other looked like Rita. It may have been so; many things
+are possible in this evil world; and if so, we must suppose that these two
+gradually faded away among the mists of cloud-land that always surround a
+castle in Spain.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER LXI.
+
+
+IN WHICH THERE IS AN END OF MY STORY.
+
+
+The illustrious host received his guests with large and lavish
+hospitality. The best that could be afforded by a bounteous commissariat
+was placed before them. The table was laid, the banquet was spread, and
+all the company sat down together.
+
+At the head of the table was Don Carlos.
+
+On his right was Talbot, with Brooke beside her.
+
+On his left was Katie, with Harry beside her.
+
+Next to Harry was Dolores, with Ashby beside her.
+
+Next to Brooke was a priest in somewhat martial attire, whom Don Carlos
+introduced to them as--The Cure of Santa Cruz!
+
+He was a broad-shouldered, middle-aged man, with strongly marked features,
+eagle eye, and bold and resolute face. This was the very man whom Brooke
+had once personated; but Brooke was just now silent about that particular
+matter, nor did he care to mention to any of his Spanish friends the fact
+that he was an American, and a newspaper correspondent. In spite of the
+passports and credentials with which his wallet was stuffed and with which
+his pockets bristled, he had not been recognized by any one present; a
+fact that seems to show that those papers had been obtained from some of
+the inferior officers of Don Carlos, or perhaps from some other
+correspondent who had fallen in the practice of his professional duties.
+
+The Cure of Santa Cruz said grace, and the banquet began.
+
+Don Carlos was a man of joyous soul and large, exuberant spirit, with a
+generous, romantic, and heroic nature. He also knew how to lay aside, on
+occasion, all the cares of his position; so now he was no longer the
+commander of a gallant army, the banner-bearer of a great cause, the
+claimant of a throne. On the contrary, he was the simple gentleman among
+other gentlemen--_primus inter pares_--the hospitable host, chiefly intent
+upon performing the pleasing duties of that office.
+
+He had also showed such an amiable interest in the adventures of his
+guests that they had frankly told him all that was of any interest. Harry
+had a more confiding disposition than the others, and after the ladies had
+retired he disclosed more and more of their affairs, until at last their
+gallant host had obtained a very clear idea of the sentimental side of the
+story.
+
+"Gentlemen," said Don Carlos at length, "to-morrow we shall resume our
+march, and I shall be happy to do for you all in my power. I shall be
+sorry to part with you, yet glad to restore you to your liberty. A company
+will take you to the nearest railway station, from which you can proceed
+to your respective destinations. But before you go allow me to offer you a
+suggestion which I am sure you will not take amiss.
+
+"You, gentlemen, are looking forward to the time when these lovely and
+amiable ladies shall sustain the closest possible relation toward you. You
+will pardon me, I trust, if I hint just now that their position is a very
+embarrassing one, travelling as they are without proper chaperonage. In
+Spanish eyes that is a calamity. Now, the suggestion that I was about to
+make is this, namely, that you should free these ladies from this
+embarrassment by persuading them to accept you now as their legal
+protectors. Surely nothing can be more desirable on all sides. No place
+can be more fitting than this; no hour more convenient; no scene more
+romantic. As for the priest, here sits my reverend friend the Cure of
+Santa Cruz--a warrior-priest, an eccentric character, yet a brave and
+noble soul; and he, let me assure you, can tie the knot so tight that it
+could not be made tighter even by the Holy Father himself, assisted by the
+Patriarch of Constantinople and the Archbishop of Canterbury."
+
+This suggestion came as sudden as thunder from a clear sky; yet after the
+first shock it was considered by all present, and especially by those most
+concerned, as--first, ingenious; then, happy; then, most excellent; and,
+finally, glorious. When this unparalleled and matchless royal speech was
+ended the whole company burst forth into rapturous applause.
+
+Ashby and Harry, in wild excitement, forgot everything but their old
+friendship and their latest love. They grasped one another's hands with
+all their olden fervor.
+
+"Hurrah, old fellow!" cried Harry.
+
+"Glorious! isn't it, old boy?" cried Ashby.
+
+"I'll do it; won't you?" cried Harry.
+
+"I will, by Jove!" cried Ashby.
+
+And thus that quarrel was settled.
+
+Brooke said nothing, but his eyes grew moist in his deep joy, and he
+muttered and hummed all to himself the words of some strange old song
+which had no connection with anything at all. For this was his fashion,
+the odd old boy! whenever his feelings were deeply stirred, and he fell
+into that fashion now:
+
+
+  "I never knew real happiness
+   Till I became a Methodess;
+   So come, my love, and jine with me,
+   For here's a parson 'll marry we.
+       Come for'ad and jine,
+       Come for'ad and jine,
+   This night come for'ad and jine.
+                     A-A-A-A-A-men!"
+
+
+During the banquet and the subsequent proceedings the virtuous Russell had
+been silent and distrait. Though restored to the arms of the best of
+wives, still he was not happy. There was yet something wanting. And what
+was that? Need I say that it was the lost package with the precious bonds?
+Ah no, for every one will surely divine the feelings and thoughts of this
+sorrowful man.
+
+And he in his abstraction had been trying to think what could be done; for
+the bonds were lost to him: they were not in the place where he had
+concealed them. What that place really was he now knew only too well. Had
+that fiend Rita found them? Perhaps so--yet perhaps not. On the whole, as
+a last resort, he concluded that it would be best to appeal to Don Carlos.
+His face indicated goodness, and his whole treatment of the party invited
+confidence; there surely he might meet with sympathy, and if the package
+had been found by any of the Carlists it might be restored.
+
+And so, as the uproar subsided, Russell arose, and walking toward Don
+Carlos, suddenly, and to the amazement and amusement of all present, flung
+himself on his knees, crying,
+
+"A boon! a boon, my liege!"
+
+These preposterous words had lingered in his memory from some absurd
+reading of his boyhood.
+
+Don Carlos smiled. "What does he say?" he asked.
+
+Harry came forward to act as interpreter.
+
+Russell now told all. Harry knew in part the fortunes of the bonds after
+they had left Russell's hands; but then they had again been lost, so that
+he could not tell what had finally become of them. Of his own part in
+finding them, and then concealing them again, he thought best to say
+nothing.
+
+Ashby, however, had something to say which was very much to the purpose.
+It seems that Dolores had found the bonds, had kept them, and had finally
+handed them over to Ashby for safe-keeping. He at once concluded that they
+were Katie's, and was waiting for a convenient opportunity to restore
+them. The opportunity had now come. This was his simple story, but as it
+was told to Don Carlos in Spanish, Russell did not understand one word.
+
+"Where are they now?" asked Don Carlos.
+
+"Here," said Ashby, and he produced the package from his coat-pocket.
+
+"Give them to me," said Don Carlos. "I will arrange it all. Do you know,
+gentlemen, this is the happiest moment of my life. I seem like a kind of
+_Deus ex machina_ coming in at the right time at the end of a series of
+adventures to produce universal peace and harmony."
+
+"I hope and trust," said Ashby, "that 'Your Majesty' may be the _Deus ex
+machina_ for all Spain, and interpose at last to produce universal peace
+and harmony here."
+
+"Senor," said Don Carlos, "you talk like a born courtier; yet at the same
+time," he added, in a solemn tone, "what you have just said is the high
+hope and aspiration of my life."
+
+After this creditable little speech Ashby handed over the package, and Don
+Carlos took it. At this sight the lower jaw of the venerable Russell fell
+several inches. This Don Carlos seemed to him not one whit better than the
+other. The bonds were now lost to him forever. That was plain enough. Yet
+he dared not say a word. After all, they were not his, but Katie's. Harry
+knew that, and Ashby also. What could he say? He was dumb, and so he
+crawled back, discomfited and despairing, to his seat.
+
+"Gentlemen," said Don Carlos, "you must use your utmost efforts with the
+ladies. Everything shall be done that can be most fitting to the occasion.
+We shall have music and festivities. It is not often that I have
+adventures like these. Let the old castle renew its youth. Let these walls
+ring to music and song. Don't let the ladies escape you, gentlemen. If
+anything is wanting to your persuasions, tell them--as that rascal
+O'Toole, my double, would say--tell them that it is 'our royal will.'"
+
+Another burst of applause, mingled with laughter, followed, after which
+Harry, Ashby, and Brooke hurried off to see the ladies.
+
+What passed between the different couples on that memorable occasion, what
+objections were made, on the one hand, by shrinking modesty, and what
+arguments and entreaties were put forth, on the other hand, by the ardent
+lovers, need not be narrated here. Whether it was meek compliance with a
+loved one's wish, or dread of Spanish etiquette, or respect for the "royal
+will," or whatever else it may have been, suffice it to say that at last
+the delighted swains won a consent from the blushing maidens; after which
+they rushed forth in wild rapture to spend the remainder of the night in
+prolonged festivities with their gallant host and his festive band of
+cavaliers.
+
+There was one, however, who took no part in all this. Excusing himself
+from the festive board on the plea of ill health, he held aloof, a prey to
+dark and gloomy suspicions. These he communicated to Harry before the
+"evening session" began. It seemed that the much afflicted Russell,
+believing the true Don Carlos to be no better than the false one, held the
+firm conviction that the bonds had been appropriated by him for his own
+purposes, and that their proceeds would be squandered on the extravagant
+schemes of the hopeless Carlist insurrection. But Harry scouted the idea.
+"Keep them? He keep them?" he cried. "Never! Don Carlos is a gentleman."
+
+At this Russell groaned and turned away.
+
+Meanwhile the preparations for the coming event were diligently carried
+on. Before morning the ancient chapel of the hoary castle was decked out
+with evergreens brought from the neighboring forest, and everything was
+made ready for the marriage-feast.
+
+Morning came. All gathered in the chapel, which in its robe of evergreens
+looked like a bower.
+
+The three buglers and one drummer belonging to the troop played in
+magnificent strains the stirring notes of the "Wedding March."
+
+The Cure of Santa Cruz presented an unexceptionable appearance in his
+ecclesiastical robes.
+
+There, too, was the man who claimed to be the rightful King of Spain,
+surrounded by men who represented some of the noblest families of the
+nation--an illustrious company, the like of which none of the principals
+in this ceremony had ever dreamed of as likely to be present at his
+wedding.
+
+The bridegrooms came, looking, it must be confessed, slightly seedy.
+
+Then came the brides, resplendent in their best attire, procured from the
+luggage which had been brought here at the time of their capture by
+O'Toole.
+
+There were no bride'smaids. But Mrs. Russell was present, leaning on the
+arm of her beloved husband, all in tears. And why? Was it from regrets for
+the lost crown of Spain? or was it merely from the tender sentiment which
+is usually called forth on such an occasion? or was it from the thought of
+that one whose fortunes she had followed for many eventful hours with a
+view to such a conclusion as this?
+
+No matter.
+
+Reader, let us draw a veil over the emotions of this afflicted lady.
+
+The marriages went on. The knots were all tied.
+
+Then came the wedding breakfast.
+
+Don Carlos was in his best mood. He jested, he laughed, he paid
+innumerable compliments to the ladies, and finally gave the whole party an
+invitation to visit him on some future day at his royal court in Madrid.
+Which invitation, it may be stated parenthetically, has not yet been
+accepted.
+
+After this little speech Don Carlos handed over to Harry the Spanish
+bonds.
+
+"I understand," said he, "that your lady will soon be of age, but, under
+any circumstances, according to Spanish law the husband is entitled to
+receive all the property of his wife. Take this, therefore, and you will
+thus relieve our aged friend yonder, the venerable Senor Russell, from all
+further responsibility as guardian."
+
+Harry took it, and could not help casting a triumphant glance at Russell,
+but that good man looked away. He afterward told his wife that he had lost
+all faith in Providence, and felt but little desire to live any longer in
+such an evil world. Since the bonds were lost to him it mattered not who
+gained them--whether Bourbon, bandit, or bridegroom.
+
+At length the hour of their departure came. The luggage was heaped up in a
+huge wagon. Another wagon was ready to take the ladies, and horses were
+prepared for the gentlemen. With these a troop of horsemen was sent as a
+guard.
+
+As they passed out through the gates Don Carlos stood and bade them all
+farewell.
+
+So they passed forth on their way to liberty, and home, and happiness; and
+so they moved along, until at length the Castle, with its hoary walls, its
+lofty towers, its weather-beaten turrets and battlements, was lost in the
+distance.
+
+
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Castle in Spain, by James De Mille
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