第7章

Paulwasnotsorrywhenthetimecametotakeleaveofhisfriend；

butonceagainintheclearmoonlightandfresh，balmyairoftheAllee，heforgottheunpleasantnessoftheinterview。HefoundhimselfthinkingonlyofhisridewithYerba。Well!hehadtoldherthathelovedher。Sheknewitnow，andalthoughshehadforbiddenhimtospeakfurther，shehadnotwhollyrejectedit。Itmustbehermorbidconsciousnessofthemysteryofherbirththatwithheldareturnofheraffections，——somehalf-knowledge，perhaps，thatshewouldnotdivulge，yetthatkeptherundulysensitiveofacceptinghislove。Hewassatisfiedtherewasnoentanglement；

herheartwasvirgin。HeevendaredtohopethatshehadALWAYS

caredforhim。ItwasforHIMtoremoveallobstacles——toprevailuponhertoleavethisplaceandreturntoAmericawithhimasherhusband，theguardianofhergoodname，andthecustodianofhersecret。AttimesthestrainsofadreamyGermanwaltz，playedinthedistance，broughtbacktohimthebriefmomentthathisarmhadencircledherwaistbythecrumblingwall，andhispulsesgrewlanguid，onlytoleapfirmerthenextmomentwithmoredesperateresolve。Hewouldwinher，comewhatmay!Hecouldneverhavebeeninearnestbefore:heloathedandhatedhimselfforhispreviouspassiveacquiescencetoherfate。Hehadbeenaweaktoolofthecolonel\'sfromthefirst:hewasevennowhandicappedbyapreposterouspromisehehadgivenhim!Yes，shewasrighttohesitate——toquestionhisabilitytomakeherhappy!Hehadfoundherhere，surroundedbystupidityandcupidity——togiveitnoothername——sopatentthatshewasthecommongossip，andhadofferednothingbutaboyishdeclaration!Ashestrodeintothehotelthatnightitwaswellthathedidnotmeettheunfortunatecolonelonthestaircase!

Itwasverylate，althoughtherewasstillvisiblealightinYerba\'ssalon，shiningonherbalcony，whichextendedbeforeandincludedhisownwindow。Fromtimetotimehecouldhearthemurmurofvoices。

Itwastoolatetoavailhimselfoftheinvitationtojointhem，evenifhisframeofmindhadpermittedit。Hewastoonervousandexcitedtogotobed，and，withoutlightinghiscandle，heopenedtheFrenchwindowthatgaveuponthebalcony，drewachairintherecessbehindthecurtain，andgazeduponthenight。Itwasveryquiet；themoonwashigh，thesquarewassleepinginatranceofcheckeredshadows，likeagiganticchessboard，withblackforeshortenedtreesforpawns。Theclickofacavalrysabre，thesoundofafootfallonthepavementofthedistantKonigsstrasse，weredistinctlyaudible；afar-offrailwaywhistlewasstartlinginitsabruptness。Inthemidstofthiscalmtheopeningofthedoorofthesalon，withthesuddenupliftingofvoicesinthehall，toldPaulthatYerba\'sguestswereleaving。HeheardDonaAnna\'sarchaccents——archeventoColonelPendleton\'smonotonousbaritone!——Milly\'shigh，rapidutterances，thesuavefalsettoofDonCaesar，andHERvoice，hethoughtatriflewearied，——thesoundofretiringfootsteps，andallwasstillagain。

Sostillthattherhythmicbeatofthedistantwaltzreturnedtohim，withadistinctivenessthathecouldidlyfollow。HethoughtofRosarioandtherose-breathoftheopenwindowswithastrangelonging，andrememberedthehalf-stifledsweetnessofherhappyvoicerisingwithitfromtheveranda。Whyhadheeverletitpassfromhimthenandwaftitsfragranceelsewhere?Why——Whatwasthat?

Theslightturningofalatch!ThecreakingoftheFrenchwindowofthesalon，andsomebodyhadslippedsoftlyhalfoutonthebalcony。Hisheartstoppedbeating。Fromhispositionintherecessofhisownwindow，withhisbacktothepartitionofthesalon，hecouldseenothing。Yethedidnotdaretomove。ForwiththequickenedsensesofaloverhefeltthediffusedandperfumedauraofHERpresence，ofHERgarments，ofHERflesh，flowinuponhimthroughtheopenwindow，andpossesshiswholebreathlessbeing!ItwasSHE!Likehim，perhaps，longingtoenjoytheperfectnight——likehim，perhaps，thinkingof——

"Soyouar-rangetogetridofme——ha!likthees?Totur-rnmeofffromyourheelslikeadogwhohavefollowyou——butwithoutaword——

withouta——a——thanks——withouta\'ope!Ah!——wehaveser-rvedyou——

meandmysister；wearetheor-rangedry——nowwecango!Liketheoldshoe，wearetobeflungaway!Good!ButIamhereagain——yousee。Ishallspeak，andyoushallhear-r。"

DonCaesar\'svoice——alonewithher!Paulgrippedhischairandsatupright。

"Stop!Staywhereyouare!Howdaredyoureturnhere?"ItwasYerba\'svoice，onthebalcony，lowanddistinct。

"Shutthewindow!Ishallspeakwithyouwhatyouwillnottheworldtohear。"

"IprefertokeepwhereIam，sinceyouhavecreptintothisroomlikeathief!"

"Athief!Good!"HebrokeoutinSpanish，and，asifnolongerfearfulofbeingoverheard，hadevidentlydrawnnearertothewindow。"Athief。Ha!muybueno——butitisnotI，youunderstand——

I，CaesarBriones，whoamthethief!No!Itisthatswaggeringespadachin——thatfanfarronofaColonelPendleton——thatpatternofanofficial，Mr。Hathaway——thatmostbeautifulheiressoftheCalifornias，MissARGUELLO——thatarethieves!Yes——ofaNAME——MissArguello——ofaNAME!ThenameofArguello!"

Paulrosetohisfeet。

"Ah，so!Youstart——youturnpale——youflashyoureyes，senora，butyouthinkyouhavedeceivedmealltheseyears。YouthinkI

didnotseeyourgameatRosario——yes，evenwhenthatfoolishCastromuchachafirstputthatideainyourhead。Whofurnishedyouthefactsyouwanted?I——MotherofGod!SUCHFACTS!——I，whoknewtheArguellopedigree——I，whoknowitwasasimpossibleforyoutobeadaughterofthemas——what?letmethink——as——asitisimpossibleforyoutobethewifeofthatbaronwhomyouwoulddeceivewiththerest!Ah，yes；itwasahighflightforyou，Mees——Mees——DonaFulana——anoblegameforyoutobringdown!"

Whydidshenotspeak?Whatwasshedoing?Ifshehadbututteredasinglewordofprotest，ofangrydismissal，Paulwouldhaveflowntoherside。Itcouldnotbetheparalysisofpersonalfear:thebalconywaswide；shecouldeasilypasstotheend；shecouldevenseehisopenwindow。

"WhydidIdothis?BecauseIlovedyou，senora——andyouknewit!

Ah!youcanturnyourfaceawaynow；youcanpretendtomisunderstandme，asyoudidamomentago；youcanpartfrommenowlikeamereacquaintance——butitwasnotalwaysso!No，itwasYOU

whobroughtmehere；youreyesthatsmiledintomine——anddrovehomethecolonel\'srequestthatIandmysistershouldaccompanyyou。God!Iwasweakthen!Yousmile，senora；youthinkyouhavesucceeded——youandyourpompouscolonelandyourclevergovernor!

Youthinkyouhavecompromisedme，andperjuredME，becauseofthis。Youarewrong!YouthinkIdarenotspeaktothispuppetofabaron，andthatIhavenoproofs。Youarewrong!"

"Andevenifyoucanproducethem，whatcareI?"saidYerbaunexpectedly，yetinavoicesofreefromexcitementandpassionthatthewearinesswhichPaulhadatfirstnoticedseemedtobetheonlydominanttone。"SupposeyouprovethatIamnotanArguello。

Good!youhaveyettoshowthataconnectionwithanyofyourracewouldbeanythingbutadisgrace。"

"Ah!youdefyme，littleone!Caramba!Listen，then!Youdonotknowall!WhenyouthoughtIwasonlyhelpingyoutofabricateyourclaimtotheArguellos\'name，IwasfindingoutWHOYOUREALLY

WERE!Ah!Itwasnotsodifficultasyoufondlyhope，senora。Wewerenotallbrutesandfoolsintheearlydays，thoughwestoodasidetoletyourpeopleruntheirvulgarcourse。Itwasyourhiredbully——yourrespectedguardian——thisdogofanespadachin，wholetoutahintofthesecret——withaprickofhisblade——andascandal。Oneofmypeonwomenwasaservantattheconventwhenyouwereachild，andrecognizedthewomanwhoputyouthereandcametoseeyouasafriend。SheoverheardtheMotherSuperiorsayitwasyourmother，andsawanecklacethatwasleftforyoutowear。Ah!youbegintobelieve!WhenIhadputthisandthattogetherIfoundthatPepitacouldnotidentifyyouwiththechildthatshehadseen。Butyou，senora，youYOURSELFsuppliedthemissingproof!Yes!yousupplieditwiththeNECKLACEthatyouworethateveningatRosario，whenyouwishedtodohonortothisyoungHathaway——theguardianwhohadalwaysthrownyouoff!Ah!——

younowsuspectwhy，perhaps!Itwasyourmother\'snecklacethatyouwore，andyousaidso!ThatnightIsentthegoodPepitatoidentifyit；towatchthroughthewindowfromthegardenwhenyouwerewearingit；tomakeitsureastheCreed。Isenthertoyourroomlatethatnightwhenyouhadchangedyourdress，thatshemightexamineitamongyourjewels。Andshedidandwillswear——

lookyou!——SWEARthatitistheonegivenyouasachildbythewomanattheconvent，whowasyourmother!Andwhowasthatwoman——

eh?WhowasthemotheroftheArguellodelaYerbaBuena?——whothisnobleancestress?"

"Excuseme——butperhapsyouarenotawarethatyouareraisingyourvoiceinalady\'sdrawing-room，andthatalthoughyouarespeakingalanguagenoonehereunderstands，youaredisturbingthehotel。"

ItwasPaul，quiet，paleinthemoonlight，erectonthebalconybeforethewindow。AsYerba，withastart，retreatedquicklyintotheroom，DonCaesarsteppedforwardangrilyandsuspiciouslytowardsthewindow。Hehadhishandreachedforwardtowardsthehandleasiftoclosetheswingingsashagainsttheintruder，wheninaninstanthewasseizedbyPaul，tightlylockedinadesperategrip，andwhirledoutonthebalcony。Beforehecouldgainbreathtoutteracry，HathawayhadpassedhisrightarmaroundtheMexican\'sthroat，effectivelystoppinghisutterance，and，withasupremeeffortofstrength，draggedhimalongthewall，fallingwithhimintotheopenwindowofhisownroom。Ashedidso，tohisinexpressiblereliefheheardthesashclosedandtheboltdrawnofthesalonwindow，andregainedhisfeet，collected，quiet，andtriumphant。

"Iamsorry，"hesaid，coollydustinghisclothes，"tohavebeenobligedtochangethesceneofthisdiscussionsoroughly，butyouwillobservethatyoucanspeakmorefreelyHERE，andthatanyaltercationWEmayhaveinthisroomwillbelesslikelytoattractcomment。"

"Assassin!"saidDonCaesarchokingly，ashestruggledtohisfeet。

"Thankyou。Relieveyourfeelingsasmuchasyoulikehere；infact，ifyouwouldspeakalittlelouderyouwouldobligeme。Theguestsarebeginningtobeawake，"continuedPaul，withawickedsmile，indicatingthenoiseofanopeningdoorandfootstepsinthepassage，"andarenowabletolocatewithoutdifficultythesceneofthedisturbance。"

Brionesapparentlyunderstoodhismeaningandthesuccessofhisstratagem。"YouthinkyouhavesavedHERfromdisgrace，"hesaid，withalividsmile，inalowertoneandadesperateattempttoimitatePaul\'scoolness。"Forthepresent——ah——yees!perhapsinthishotelandthisevening。Butyouhavenotstopmymouthfor——

a——to-morrow——andthewholeworld，Mr。Hathaway。"

"Well，"saidPaul，lookingathimcritically，"Idon\'tknowaboutthat。Ofcourse，there\'stheequalchancethatyoumaykillme——

butthat\'saquestionforto-morrow，too。"

TheMexicancastaquickglanceatthedoorandwindow。Paul，asifcarelessly，changedthekeyoftheformerfromonepockettotheother，andsteppedbeforethewindow。

"Sothisisaplottomurderme!Haveacare!YouarenotinyourownbrigandCalifornia!"

"Ifyouthinkso，alarmthehouse。Theywillfindusquarreling，andyouwillonlyprecipitatemattersbyreceivingtheinsultthatwillmakeyoufight——beforethem。"

"Iamr-ready，sir，whenandwhereyouwill，"saidBriones，withaswaggeringairbutashifting，furtiveeye。"Open——a——thedoor。"

"Pardonme。WewillleavethisroomTOGETHERinanhourforthestation。Wewillboardthenightexpressthatwilltakeusinthreehoursbeyondthefrontier，wherewecaneachfindafriend。"

"Butmyaffairshere——mysister——Imustseeher。"

"Youshallwriteanotetoheratthattable，sayingthatimportantbusiness——adispatch——hascalledyouaway，andwewillleaveitwiththeportertobedeliveredINTHEMORNING。Or——Idonotrestrictyou——youcansaywhatyoulike，providedshedon\'tgetituntilwehaveleft。"

"Andyoumakeofmeaprisoner，sir?"

"No；avisitor，DonCaesar——avisitorwhoseconversationissointerestingthatIamforcedtodetainhimtohearmore。YoucanpassthetimepleasantlybyfinishingthestoryIwasobligedtointerruptamomentago。DoyouknowthismotherofMissYerba，ofwhomyouspoke?"

"That\'sm——myaffair。"

"Thatmeansyoudon\'tknowher。Ifyoudid，you\'dhavehadherwithincall。And，assheistheonlypersonwhoisabletosaythatMissYerbaisNOTanArguello，youhavebeenveryremiss。"

"Ah，bah!Iamnotoneofyour——a——lawyers。"

"No；oryouwouldknowthat，withnobetterevidencethanyouhave，youmightbesuedforslander。"

"Ah!WhydoesnotMissYerbasue，then?"

"Becausesheprobablyexpectsthatsomebodywillshootyou。"

"AsYOUforinstance?"

"Perhaps。"

"AndifyoudoNOT——eh?——youhavenotstopmymouth，butyourown。

AndifyouDO，youhelphertomarrytheBaron，yourrival。Youarenotwise，friendHathaway。"

"MayIremindyouthatyouhavenotyetwrittentoyoursister，andyoumayprefertodoitcarefullyanddeliberately?"

DonCaesararosewithavindictiveglanceatPaul，andpulledachairbeforethetable，asthelatterplacedpen，ink，andpaperbeforehim。"Takeyourtime，"headded，foldinghisarmsandwalkingtowardsthewindow。"Saywhatyoulike，anddon\'tletmypresencerestrainyou。"

TheMexicanbegantowritefuriously，thenspasmodically，thenslowlyandreluctantly。"Iwar-r-nyou，Ishallexposeall，"hesaidsuddenly。

"Asyouplease。"

"AndshallsaythatifIdisappear，youaremymurderer——youunderstand——myMURDERER!"

"Don\'tconsultmeonaquestionofepithets，butgoon。"

DonCaesarrecommencedhiswritingwithamalignsmile。Therewasasuddensharprapatthedoor。

DonCaesarleapedtohisfeet，graspedhispapers，andrushedtothedoor；butPaulwasbeforehim。"Whoisthere?"hedemanded。

"Pendleton。"

Atthesoundofthecolonel\'svoiceDonCaesarfellback。Paulopenedthedoor，admittedthetallfigureofthecolonel，andwasabouttoturnthekeyagain。ButPendletonliftedhishandingrimdeprecation。

"Thatwilldo，Mr。Hathaway。Iknowall。ButIwishtospeakwithBrioneselsewhere，alone。"

"Excuseme，ColonelPendleton，"saidPaulfirmly，"butIhavethepriorclaim。Wordshavepassedbetweenthisgentlemanandmyselfwhichwearenowonourwaytothestationandthefrontiertosettle。Ifyouarewillingtoaccompanyus，Ishallgiveyoueveryopportunitytoconversewithhimalone，andarrangewhateverbusinessyoumayhavewithhim，provideditdoesnotinterferewithmine。"

"Mybusiness，"saidPendleton，"isofapersonalnature，thatwillnotinterferewithanyclaimofyoursthatMr。Brionesmaychoosetoadmit，butisofaprivatequalitythatmustbetransactedbetweenusnow。"Hisfacewaspale，andhisvoice，althoughsteadyandself-controlled，hadthatsamestrangesuggestionofsuddenageinitwhichPaulhadbeforenoticed。WhetherDonCaesardetectedit，orwhetherhehadsomeotherinstinctiveappreciationofgreatersecurity，Paulcouldnottell。Heseemedtorecoverhisswaggeragain，ashesaid，——

"IshallhearwhatColonelPendletonhastosayfirst。ButIshallholdmyselfinreadinesstomeetyouafterwards——youshallnotfear，sir!"

Paulremainedlookingfromtheonetotheotherwithoutspeaking。

ItwasDonCaesarwhoreturnedhisglanceboldlyanddefiantly，ColonelPendletonwho，withthinwhitefingerspullinghismoustache，evadedit。ThenPaulunlockedthedoor，andsaidslowly，"InfiveminutesIleavethishouseforthestation。I

shallwaitthereuntilthetrainarrives。Ifthisgentlemandoesnotjoinme，Ishallbebetterabletounderstandallthisandtakemeasuresaccordingly。"

"AndItelltoyou，MeesterHathaway，sir，"saidDonCaesar，strikinganattitudeinthedoorway，"youshalldoasIplease——

Caramba!——andshallbeg"——

"Holdyourtongue，sir——or，bytheEternal!"——burstoutPendletonsuddenly，bringingdownhisthinhandontheMexican\'sshoulder。

Hestoppedassuddenly。"Gentlemen，thisischildish。Go，sir!"

toDonCaesar，pointingwithagauntwhitefingerintothedarkenedhall。"Iwillfollowyou。Mr。Hathaway，asanolderman，andonewhohasseenagooddealoffoolishaltercation，Iregret，sir，deeplyregret，tobeawitnesstothisbelligerentqualityinalaw-makerandapublicman；andImustdeprecate，sir——deprecate，yourdemandonthatgentlemanforwhat，inthefollyofyouth，youarepleasedtocallpersonalsatisfaction。"

Ashemovedwithdignityoutoftheroom，Paulremainedblanklystaringafterhim。Wasitalladream?——orwasthisColonelPendletontheduelist?Hadtheoldmangonecrazy，orwashemerelyactingtoveilsomewildpurpose?HissuddenarrivalshowedthatYerbamusthavesentforhimandtoldhimofDonCaesar\'sthreats；wouldhebewildenoughtoattempttostranglethemaninsomeremoteroomorinthedarknessofthepassage?Hesteppedsoftlyintothehall:hecouldstillhearthedoubletreadofthetwomen:theyhadreachedthestaircase——theywereDESCENDING!Heheardthedrowsyaccentsofthenightporterandtheswingingofthedoor——theywereinthestreet!

Wherevertheyweregoing，orforwhatpurpose，HEmustbeatthestation，ashehadwarnedthemhewouldbe。Hehastilythrewafewthingsintohisvalise，andpreparedtofollowthem。Whenhewentdownstairsheinformedtheporterthatowingtoanurgentcallofbusinessheshouldtrytocatchthethroughexpressatthreeo\'clock，buttheymustretainhisroomandluggageuntiltheyheardfromhim。HerememberedDonCaesar\'sletter。Hadeitherofthegentlemen，hisfriendswhohadjustgoneout，leftaletterormessage?No，Excellency；thegentlemenweretalkingearnestly——hebelieved，intheSouthAmericanlanguage——andhadnotspokentohim。

PerhapsitwasthisthatremindedPaul，ashecrossedthesquareagain，thathehadmadenopreparationforanypossiblefatalissuetohimselfinthisadventure。SHEwouldknowit，however，andwhyhehadundertakenit。Hetriedtothinkthatperhapssomeinterestinhimselfhadpromptedhertosendthecoloneltohim。Yet，mingledwiththiswasanoddsenseofacertainridiculousnessinhisposition:therewastheabsurdityofhisprospectiveantagonistbeingevennowinconfidentialconsultationwithhisownfriendandally，whosefunctionshehadusurped，andinwhoseinterestshewasabouttoriskhislife。Andashewalkedawaythroughthesilentstreets，theconvictionmorethanoncewasforceduponhimthathewasgoingtoanappointmentthatwouldnotbekept。

Hereachedthestationsometenminutesbeforethetrainwasdue。

Twoorthreehalf-drowsy，wrapped-uppassengerswerealreadyontheplatform；butneitherDonCaesarnorColonelPendletonwasamongthem。Heexploredthewaiting-roomsandeventhehalf-litbuffet，butwithnobettersuccess。TellingtheBahnhofInspectorthathispassagewasonlycontingentuponthearrivalofoneortwocompanions，anddescribingthemminutelytopreventmistakes，hebegangloomilytopacebeforetheticket-office。Fiveminutespassed——thenumberofpassengersdidnotincrease；tenminutes；adistantshriek——thehoarseinquiryoftheinspector——hadtheHerr\'scompanionsyetgekommt?thesuddenglareofaCyclopeaneyeinthedarkness，theonglidingofthelong-jointedandgleamingspottedserpent，thetrain——ahurriedglancearoundtheplatform，oneortwogutturalorders，theslammingofdoors，theremountingofblackuniformedfigureslikecaryatidesalongthemarchepieds，apuffofvapor，andthetrainhadcomeandgonewithoutthem。

Yethewouldgivehisadversaryfifteenminutesmoretoallowforaccidentordelay，orthepossiblearrivalofthecolonelwithanexplanation，andrecommencedhisgloomypacing，astheBahnhofsankbackintohalf-litrepose。Attheendoffiveminutestherewasanothershriek。Paulturnedquicklytotheinspector。Ah，then，therewasanothertrain?No；itwasonlytheupexpressforBasle，goingtheotherwayandstoppingattheNordStation，halfamileaway。Itwouldnotstophere，buttheHerrwouldseeitpassinafewmomentsatfullspeed。

Itcamepresently，withaprolongeddespairingshriek，outofthedarkness；aflash，arushandroarathisside，aplungeintothedarknessagainwiththesamedespairingcry；aflutterofsomethingwhitefromoneofthewindows，likealoosenedcurtain，thatatlastseemedtodetachitself，and，afterawildattempttofollow，suddenlysoaredaloft，whirledoverandover，dropped，anddriftedslowly，slantwise，totheground。

Theinspectorhadseenit，randowntheline，andpickeditup。

ThenhereturnedwithittoPaulwithalookofsympathizingconcern。Itwasalady\'shandkerchief，evidentlysomesignalwavedtothewell-bornHerr，whowastheonlypassengerontheplatform。

So，possibly，itmightbefromhisfriends，whobysomestupidmischancehadgonetothewrongstation，and——GottimHimmel!——itwashideouslystupid，yetpossible，gotonthewrongtrain!

TheHerr，alittlepale，butcomposed，thoughtitWASpossible。

No；hewouldnottelegraphtothenextstation——notyet——hewouldinquire。

Hewalkedquicklyaway，reachingthehotelbreathlessly，yetinaspacethatseemedalltoobriefforhisdisconnectedthought。

Thereweresignsofanimationinthehall，andanemptycarriagewasjustreenteringthecourtyard。Thehall-portermethimwithdemonstrativeconcernandapology。Ah!ifhehadonlyunderstoodhisExcellencybetter，hecouldhavesavedhimallthistrouble。

EvidentlyhisExcellencywasgoingwiththeArguelloparty，whohadorderedacarriage，doubtless，forthesameimportantjourney，anhourbefore，yethadleftonlyafewmomentsafterhisExcellency，andhisExcellency，itwouldappear，hadgonetothewrongstation。

Paulpushedhurriedlypastthemanandascendedtohisroom。Bothwindowswereopen，andinthefaintmoonlighthecouldseethatsomethingwhitewaspinnedtohispillow。Withnervousfingersherelithiscandles，andfounditwasanoteinYerba\'shandwriting。

Asheopenedit，atinysprayofthevinethathadgrownonthecrumblingwallfellathisfeet。Hepickeditup，pressedittohislips，andread，withdimeyes，asfollows:——

"YouknownowwhyIspoketoyouasIdidto-day，andwhytheotherhalfofthisprecioussprayistheonlymemoryIcaretocarrywithmeoutofthiscrumblingruinofallmyhopes。Youwereright，Paul:mytakingyouthereWASANOMEN——nottoyou，whocanneverbeanythingbutproud，beloved，andtrue——buttoMEofalltheshameandmisery。Thankyouforallyouhavedone——forallyouwoulddo，myfriend，anddon\'tthinkmeungrateful，onlybecauseIamunworthyofit。Trytoforgiveme，butdon\'tforgetme，evenifyoumusthateme。Perhaps，ifyouknewall——youmightstilllovealittlethepoorgirltowhomyouhavealreadygiventheonlynameshecanevertakefromyou——YERBABUENA!

CHAPTERVII。

Itwasalreadyautumn，andinthecityofNewYorkanearlySundaymorningbreezewassweepinguptheleavesthathadfallenfromtheregularlyplantedailantustreesbeforethebrown-stonefrontageofarowofmonotonouslyalikefive-storiedhousesononeoftheprincipalavenues。ThePastoroftheThirdPresbyterianChurch，thatuplifteditsdoubletowersonthecorner，stoppedbeforeoneofthesedwellings，ranupthedozenbroadsteps，andrangthebell。Hewaspresentlyadmitttedtothesombrerichnessofahallanddrawing-roomwithhigh-backedfurnitureofdarkcarvedwoods，likecathedralstalls，and，hatinhand，somewhatimpatientlyawaitedthearrivalofhishostessandparishioner。Thedooropenedtoatall，white-hairedwomaninlustrelessblacksilk。Shewasregularandresoluteinfeatures，offinebutunbendingpresence，and，thoughsomewhatpastmiddleage，showednosignsofeithertheweaknessormellownessofyears。

"IamsorrytodisturbyourSabbathmorningmeditations，SisterArgalls，norwouldIifitwerenotinthelineofChristianduty；

butSisterRobbinsisunabletodaytomakeherusualSabbathhospitalvisit，andIthoughtifyouwereexcusedfromtheForeignMissionaryclassandBibleinstructionatthreeyoumightundertakeherfunctions。Iknow，mydearoldfriend，"hecontinued，withblanddeprecationofherhard-seteyes，"howdistastefulthispromiscuousminglingwiththeroughandungodlyhasalwaysbeentoyou，andhowreluctantyouaretobeplacedinthepositionofbeingliabletohearcoarse，vulgar，orirreverentspeech。I

think，too，inourlongandpleasantpastoralrelations，youhavealwaysfoundmemindfulofit。IadmitIhavesometimesregrettedthatyourlatehusbandhadnotmoregenerallyfamiliarizedyouwiththewaysoftheworld。Butsoitis——weallhaveourweaknesses。

Ifnotonething，another。AndasEnvyandUncharitablenesssometimesfindtheirwayinevenChristianhearts，Ishouldlikeyoutoundertakethisofficeforthesakeofexample。Therearesome，dearSisterArgalls，whothinkthattherichwidowwhoismostliberalintheendowmentofthegoodsthatProvidencehasintrustedtoherhandsclaimsthereforetobeexemptfromlaborintheChristianvineyard。Letusteachthemhowunjusttheyare。"

"Iamwilling，"saidthelady，withadry，determinedair。"I

supposethesepatientsarenotprofessedlybadcharacters?"

"Bynomeans。Afew，perhaps；butthemajorityareunfortunates——

dependenteitheruponpubliccharityorsomesmallprovisionmadebytheirfriends。"

"Verywell。"

"AndyouunderstandthatthoughtheyhavetheprivilegeofrejectingyourChristianministrations，dearSisterArgalls，youarefreetojudgewhenyoumaybepatientorimportunatewiththem?"

"Iunderstand。"

ThePastorwasnotanunkindlyman，and，asheglancedattheuncompromisinglookinMrs。Argalls\'seyes，feltforamomentsomeinconsistencybetweenhishumaneinstinctsandhisChristianduty。

"Someofthemmayrequire，andbebenefitedby，asternmonitress，andSisterRobbins，Ifear，wasweak，"hesaidconsolinglytohimself，ashedescendedthestepsagain。

Atthreeo\'clockMrs。Argalls，withareticuleandafewtracts，wasatthedoorofSt。John\'sHospital。AsshedisplayedhertestimonialsandannouncedthatshehadtakenMrs。Robbins\'splace，theofficialsreceivedherrespectfully，andgavesomeinstructionstotheattendants，which，however，didnotstopsomeindividualcomments。

"Isay，Jim，itdoesn\'tseemthesquarethingtoletthatgrimoldgirllooseamongthempoorconvalescents。"

"Well，Idon\'tknow:theysayshe\'srichandgivesaloto\'moneyaway，butifshetacklesthatswearingoldKentuckianinNo。3，she\'llhaveherhandsfull。"

However，thecriticismwasscarcelyfair，forMrs。Argalls，althoughmovingrigidlyalongfrombedtobedoftheward，equippedwithacertainformulaofphrases，neverthelessdroppedfromtimetotimesomepracticalcommon-sensequestionsthatshowedanalmostmasculineintuitionofthepatients\'needsandrequirements。Nordidshebetrayanyofthatover-sensitiveshrinkingfromcoarsenesswhichthegoodPastorhadfeared，albeitshewasquicktocorrectitsexhibition。Thelanguidmenlistenedtoherwithhalf-

aggressive，half-amusedinterest，andsomeofthesatisfactionoftakingabitterbutwholesometonic。Itwasnotuntilshereachedthebedatthefartherendofthewardthatsheseemedtomeetwithanycheck。

Itwasoccupiedbyahaggardman，withalongwhitemoustacheandfeaturesthatseemedwastedbyinwardstruggleandfever。Atthefirstsoundofhervoiceheturnedquicklytowardsher，liftedhimselfonhiselbow，andgazedfixedlyinherface。

"KateHoward——bytheEternal!"hesaid，inalowvoice。

Despiteherrigidself-possessionthewomanstarted，glancedhurriedlyaround，anddrewnearertohim。

"Pendleton!"shesaid，inanequallysuppressedvoice，"What，inGod\'sname，areyoudoinghere?"

"Dying，Ireckon——soonerorlater，"hesaidgrimly，"that\'swhattheydohere。"

"But——what，"shewentonhurriedly，stillglancingoverhershoulderasifshesuspectedsometrick——"whathasbroughtyoutothis?"

"YOU!"saidthecolonel，droppingbackexhaustedlyonhispillow。

"Youandyourdaughter。"

"Idon\'tunderstandyou，"shesaidquickly，yetregardinghimwithsternrigidity。"YouknowperfectlywellIhaveNOdaughter。YouknowperfectlywellthatI\'vekeptthewordIgaveyoutenyearsago，andthatIhavebeendeadtoherasshehasbeentome。"

"Iknow，"saidthecolonel，"thatwithinthelastthreemonthsI

havepaidawaymylastcenttokeepthemouthofaninfernalscoundrelshutwhoKNOWSthatyouarehermother，andthreatenstoexposehertoherfriends。IknowthatI\'mdyinghereofanoldwoundthatIgotwhenIshutthemouthofanotherhoundwhowasreadytobarkathertwoyearsafteryoudisappeared。IknowthatbetweenyouandherI\'veletmyoldniggerdieofabrokenheart，becauseIcouldn\'tkeephimtosufferwithme，andIknowthatI\'mhereapauperontheState。Iknowthat，Kate，andwhenIsayitI

don\'tregretit。I\'vekeptmywordtoYOU，and，bytheEternal，yourdaughter\'sworthit!Forifthereeverwasafairandpeerlesscreature——it\'syourchild!"

"Andshe——arichwoman——unlessshesquanderedthefortuneIgaveher——letsyouliehere!"saidthewomangrimly。

"Shedon\'tknowit。"

"SheSHOULDknowit!Haveyouquarreled?"Shewaslookingathimkeenly。

"Shedistrustsme，becauseshehalfsuspectsthesecret，andI

hadn\'tthehearttotellherall。"

"All?Whatdoessheknow?Whatdoesthismanknow?Whathasbeentoldher?"shesaidrapidly。

"Sheonlyknowsthatthenameshehastakenshehasnorightto。"

"Rightto?Why，itwaswrittenontheTrust——YerbaBuena。"

"No，notthat。Shethoughtitwasamistake。ShetookthenameofArguello。"

"What?"saidMrs。Argalls，suddenlygraspingtheinvalid\'swristwithbothhands。"Whatname?"hereyeswerestartledfromtheirrigidcoldness，herlipswerecolorless。

"Arguello!Itwassomefoolishschoolgirlfancywhichthathoundhelpedtofosterinher。Why——what\'sthematter，Kate?"

Thewomandroppedthehelplessman\'swrist，then，withaneffort，recoveredherselfsufficientlytorise，and，withanairofincreaseddecorum，asifthespiritualcharacteroftheirinterviewexcludedworldlyintrusion，adjustedthescreenaroundhisbed，soaspartlytohideherownfaceandPendleton\'s。Then，droppingintothechairbesidehim，shesaid，inheroldvoice，fromwhichtheburdenoftenlongyearsseemedtohavebeenlifted，——

"Harry，what\'sthatyou\'replayingonme?"

"Idon\'tunderstandyou，"saidPendletonamazedly。

"Doyoumeantosayyoudon\'tknowit，anddidn\'ttellheryourself?"shesaidcurtly。

"What?Tellherwhat?"herepeatedimpatiently。

"ThatArguelloWASherfather!"

"Herfather?"Hetriedtostruggletohiselbowagain，butshelaidherhandmasterfullyuponhisshoulderandforcedhimback。

"Herfather!"herepeatedhurriedly。"JoseArguello!GreatGod!——

areyousure?"

Quietlyandyetmechanicallygatheringthescatteredtractsfromthecoverlet，andputtingthemback，onebyoneinherreticule，shecloseditandherlipswithasnapassheuttered——"Yes。"

Pendletonremainedstaringathersilently，"Yes，"hemuttered，"itmayhavebeensomeinstinctofthechild\'s，orsomediabolicalfancyofBriones\'。But，"hesaidbitterly，"trueornot，shehasnorighttohisname。"

"AndIsaysheHAS。"

Shehadrisentoherfeet，withherarmsfoldedacrossherbreast，inanattitudeofsuchPuritancomposurethatthedistantspectatorsmighthavethoughtshewasdeliveringanexordiumtotheprostrateman。

"ImetJoseArguello，forthesecondtime，inNewOrleans，"shesaidslowly，"eightyearsago。Hewasstillrich，butruinedinhealthbydissipation。Iwastiredofmywayoflife。HeproposedthatIshouldmarryhimtotakecareofhimandlegitimatizeourchild。IwasforcedtotellhimwhatIhaddonewithher，andthattheTrustcouldnotbedisturbeduntilshewasofageandherownmistress。Heassented。Wemarried，buthediedwithinayear。Hedied，leavingwithmehisacknowledgmentofherashischild，andtherighttoclaimherifIchose。"

"And?"——interruptedthecolonelwithsparklingeyes。

"IDON\'TCHOOSE。

"Hearme!"shecontinuedfirmly。"Withhisnameandmyownmistress，andthegirl，asIbelieved，properlyprovidedforandignorantofmyexistence，Isawnonecessityforreopeningthepast。Iresolvedtoleadanewlifeashiswidow。Icamenorth。

InthelittleNewEnglandtownwhereIfirststopped，thecountrypeoplecontractedmynametoMrs。Argalls。Iletitstandso。I