第24章

She again shrugged her shoulders."Quien sabe." After a pause she added with infinite gravity: "And before he have reform, it is bad for the menage.I should invite to my house some friend.They arrive, and one say, 'I have not the watch of my pocket,' and another, 'The ring of my finger, he is gone,' and another, 'My earrings, she is loss.' And I am obliged to say, 'They reside now in the pocket of my hoosband; patience! a little while--perhaps to-morrow--he will restore.' No," she continued, with an air of infinite conviction, "it is not good for the menage--the necessity of those explanation.""You told me he was handsome," said Joan, passing her arm carelessly around Dona Rosita's comfortable waist."How did he look?""As an angel! He have long curls to his back.His moustache was as silk, for he have had never a barber to his face.And his eyes--Santa Maria!--so soft and so--so melankoly.When he smile it is like the moonlight.But," she added, rising to her feet and tossing the end of her lace mantilla over her shoulder with a little laugh--"it is finish--Adelante! Dr-rrive on!""I don't want to destroy your belief in the connection of your friend with the road agents," said Demorest grimly, "but if he belongs to their band it is in an inferior capacity.Most of them are known to the authorities, and I have heard it even said that their leader or organizer is a very unromantic speculator in San Francisco."But this suggestion was received coldly by the ladies, who superciliously turned their backs upon it and the suggester.Joan dropped her voice to a lower tone and turned to Dona Rosita."And you have never seen him since?""Never."

"I should--at least, I wouldn't have let it end in THAT way," said Joan in a positive whisper.

"Eh?" said Dona Rosita, laughing."So eet is YOU, Juanita, that have the romance--eh? Ah, bueno! 'you have the house--so I gif to you the lover also.' I place him at your disposition." She made a mock gesture of elaborate and complete abnegation."But," she added in Joan's ear, with a quick glance at Demorest, "do not let our hoosband eat him.Even now he have the look to strangle ME.

Make to him a little lof, quickly, when I shall walk in the garden." She turned away with a pretty wave of her fan to Demorest, and calling out, "I go to make an assignation with my memory," laughed again, and lazily passed into the shadow.An ominous silence on the veranda followed, broken finally by Mrs.

Demorest.

"I don't think it was necessary for you to show your dislike to Dona Rosita quite so plainly," she said, coldly, slightly accenting the Puritan stiffness, which any conjugal tete-a-tete lately revived in her manner.

"I show dislike of Dona Rosita?" stammered Demorest, in surprise.

"Come, Joan," he added, with a forgiving smile, "you don't mean to imply that I dislike her because I couldn't get up a thrilling interest in an old story I've heard from every gossip in the pueblo since I can remember.""It's not an old story to HER," said Joan, dryly, "and even if it were, you might reflect that all people are not as anxious to forget the past as you are."Demorest drew back to let the shaft glance by."The story is old enough, at least for her to have had a dozen flirtations, as you know, since then," he returned gently, "and I don't think she herself seriously believes in it.But let that pass.I am sorry Ioffended her.I had no idea of doing so.As a rule, I think she is not so easily offended.But I shall apologize to her." He stopped and approached nearer his wife in a half-timid, half-tentative affection."As to my forgetfulness of the past, Joan, even if it were true, I have had little cause to forget it lately.

Your friend, Corwin--"

"I must insist upon your not calling him MY friend, Richard,"interrupted Joan, sharply, "considering that it was through YOURindiscretion in coming to us for the buggy that night, that he suspected--"She stopped suddenly, for at that moment a startled little shriek, quickly subdued, rang through the garden.Demorest ran hurriedly down the steps in the direction of the outcry.Joan followed more cautiously.At the first turning of the path Dona Rosita almost fell into his arms.She was breathless and trembling, but broke into a hysterical laugh.

"I have such a fear come to me--I cry out! I think I have seen a man; but it was nothing--nothing! I am a fool.It is no one here.""But where did you see anything?" said Joan, coming up.

Rosita flew to her side."Where? Oh, here!--everywhere! Ah, I am a fool!" She was laughing now, albeit there were tears glistening on her lashes when she laid her head on Joan's shoulder.

"It was some fancy--some resemblance you saw in that queer cactus,"said Demorest, gently."It is quite natural, I was myself deceived the other night.But I'll look around to satisfy you.Take Dona Rosita back to the veranda, Joan.But don't be alarmed, dear--it was only an illusion."He turned away.When his figure was lost in the entwining foliage, Dona Rosita seized Joan's shoulder and dragged her face down to a level with her own.

"It was something!" she whispered quickly.

"Who?"

"It was--HIM!"

"Nonsense," groaned Joan, nevertheless casting a hurried glance around her.

"Have no fear," said Dona Rosita quickly, "he is gone--I saw him pass away--so! But it was HE--Huanson.I recognize him.I forget him never.""Are you sure?"

"Have I the eyes? the memory? Madre de Dios! Am I a lunatico too?

Look! He have stood there--so."

"Then you think he knew you were here?"

"Quien sabe?"

"And that he came here to see you?"

Dona Rosita caught her again by the shoulders, and with her lips to Joan's ear, said with the intensest and most deliberate of emphasis:

"NO!"

"What in Heaven's name brought him here then?""You!"

"Are you crazy?"

"You! you! YOU!" repeated Dona Rosita, with crescendo energy."Ihave come upon him here; where he stood and look at the veranda, absorrrb of YOU.You move--he fly.""Hush!"

"Ah, yes! I have said I give him to you.And he came, Bueno,"murmured Dona Rosita, with a half-resigned, half-superstitious gesture.

"WILL you be quiet!"

It was the sound of Demorest's feet on the gravel path, returning from his fruitless search.He had seen nothing.It must have been Dona Rosita's fancy.

"She was just saying she thought she had been mistaken," said Joan, quietly."Let us go in--it is rather chilly here, and I begin to feel creepy too."Nevertheless, as they entered the house again, and the light of the hall lantern fell upon her face, Demorest thought he had never but once before seen her look so nervously and animatedly beautiful.