ut as Vivillo made a lunge which all
but caught Fuentes, a door in the barrier flashed open, flashed shut, and
a girl stood in the ring.

It was Pilar in her white dress and lace mantilla. She had left her seat,
gone down alone to the entrance of the _tendido_, had waited her chance,
and slipped into the arena. But she could hide no longer. At sight of the
girl's figure, white against the dark red barrier, a wild, warning shout
went up. Two or three of Fuentes' _cuadrillo_ ran towards her, but with a
passionate gesture she motioned them off, holding out her arms to the
royal box.

"Pardon, pardon for Vivillo, the brave bull!" she cried. And I knew now
that this was what she had meant from the first. If Vivillo were brave, if
he won the respect of the King and the crowd by supreme strength and
courage, she had hoped to save him as other bulls had been saved from time
to time, since, in earliest days, Spain had followed Roman customs. I had
read of those pardoned bulls and heard of them from my father--one hero,
may be, in ten years. For this she had come; for this she had sat watching
Vivillo's blood flow, waiting until he had proved himself so brave that
thirteen thousand voices might join hers in asking the bull's life of the
King-President.

At sound of his name, cried in those dear, familiar tones as if calling
him from across the valley of death, Vivillo raised his head, turned his
back for the first time upon the enemy, and bounded towards the girl.
Horrified, the audience shrieked at her, at him, waving their hands,
throwing hats into the ring in front of the bull as if to distract him
from a helpless victim. But they need not have feared. His sides heaving
under their mantle of blood, Vivillo's rush subsided to a trot, as in the
home-pasture far away. Half-blinded with fury as he had been a moment ago,
the kind young face and voice loved by him since he was a calf at his
mother's side brought Vivillo back to himself. Hope must have quickened in
his heart as he heard that call, which in old days had meant choice food
and sweet caresses. It was the call of life, and he answered it with
gratitude.

[It was the call of life, and he answered it with gratitude.]

IT WAS THE CALL OF LIFE, AND HE ANSWERED IT WITH GRATITUDE

How the men yelled, and the women laughed and cried as the great bull laid
his armed head against the pale girl's arm! How they clapped when he ate
something which she held to hi