fe; but where? Certainly not here in
Colina or she would have heard of it, and he had been in the mountains
two years without leaving them. Surely he, too, must have known
unhappiness in love. At intervals during the day she built up various
hypotheses explaining the circumstances of his grief, and she also let
her imagination dwell upon the woman, picturing her appearance and
wondering about her disposition.

That evening at supper she arranged with Hugh that she was to accept the
standing invitation of the camp, and that she would dance for them the
following Thursday evening, and with an entire return of enthusiasm
talked music and different steps to him until Jose and Mrs. Thomas,
rendered more expeditious even than usual by their interest in the
topic, had cleared away all traces of the meal and moved the table back
against the wall. Then Hugh began to play.

"Wait a minute," Pearl cried to him, "until I get my dancing slippers
and my _manton de Manila_." She vanished through the doorway leading to
her room and reappeared presently, a fan in her hand and a gorgeous
fringed, silken shawl thrown about her; it was white and embroidered in
flowers of all colors. "Ready," she called over her shoulder to Hugh.

Then she also began, but not at once to dance; instead, she executed a
series of postures; almost without apparent transition she melted from
one pose to another of plastic grace, her body the mere, boneless,
obedient servant of her directing will.

These she followed with some wonderfully rapid exercises. Sometimes she
stood perfectly still and one saw only the marvelous play of her body
muscles, plainly visible, as no corsets had ever fettered her unmatched
lines. Again, holding the body motionless, she moved only the arms, now
with a slow and alluring rhythm, and again with incredible rapidity,
showing to the full the flexibility and liquidity of the wrist movements
for which she was later to be so famous. Then holding the body and arms
quite still she danced only with her legs, and then arms, legs, body
married in a faultless rhythm, she whirled like a cyclone about the
room.

Her father and Jose sat and smoked and watched her every movement with
keen, critical eyes. Were they not Spaniards who had danced all through
their childhood and youth, as naturally as they breathed? About
Gallito's mouth played the bleak smile which in him betokened content,
while Jose could barely wait for her to finish her preli