asure is mine, senor," replied Don Pedro, with a punctilious
note in his politeness that told me he was not altogether pleased at
Walker's self-invitation.

It occurred to me that the Governor-General might have as much or more
reason to spy upon him as upon myself. If the don was in the thick of a
revolutionary conspiracy, as might well be, he was vastly more dangerous
to the Government than myself. The thought filled me with sudden dread
for the safety of my lady's kinsman. But on the heels of this fright
came the reassurance that, after all, Walker's interest might well be
accounted for by the presence of a certain senorita in the home of Don
Pedro. We had taken for granted that he was an informer. Yet his present
course was quite as reasonably explained by his desire to see Senorita
Vallois.

Leaving Pike to his own devices, we left the house and walked leisurely
around the edge of the plaza. This brought us past a number of the
city's largest merchandise establishments, to which groups of
_reboza_-veiled senoras and senoritas were beginning to saunter for the
evening's shopping. Now and again a bright, coquettish eye peeped out at
us from among the folds of a close-drawn headwrap. But I was not curious
to look twice at any of these over-rotund brunettes. To me there was
only one lady in all the world, and now I was going to see her, to hear
her exquisite voice, after almost a year of separation.

A few minutes, which to my impatience seemed hours, brought us to the
door of Don Pedro. I should say, to the wicket in the great iron gate of
the archway. At sight of us the porter within sprang to free the bolt.
But before we could enter there sounded a clatter of hoofs in the
nearest side street, and Malgares came galloping into view. Don Pedro
paused for him to ride up, and a moment later they were exchanging that
curious salute of handshake and cheek-to-cheek embrace. Malgares then
explained that his wife was at the house of Don Pedro, and that he had
just secured relief from his duties to follow her.

As we entered, a groom ran forward to take charge of Malgares's horse,
while the don conducted us up the stairway in the nearest corner of his
beautiful garden-court. A short turn along the gallery brought us to the
entrance of a large _sala_. By now I was so wrought up that I found it
necessary to pause beside the open doorway to regain my composure, the
result of which was that all the others passed in before me.