."

"Yet you turned to your East for it to buy you Louisiana, through a
conspiracy with that arch-liar the Corsican!"

"No conspiracy, senorita! It is well known that Napoleon bought
Louisiana from Spain for the sole purpose of extending his empire to the
New World. It was the fear of losing New Orleans to England that induced
him to sell the Territory to us--that alone."

"Yet he had given his pledge to my country not to sell!"

"Let your people look to it that he does not sell Spain itself."

"Ah, my poor country!" she murmured, and her head sank forward.

"I had gathered that your uncle was among those who seek to free Mexico
from Spanish rule," I said.

"Those whose misrule rests so heavily upon my people in New Spain have
little more regard for the welfare of my people in the mother country."

Again there was silence between us, this time until the close of the
bishop's sermon. As the prelate left the stand, the Irishwoman turned
about with an expectant look.

"Enough of this mockery!" said the senorita.

I stepped down at the word, and had the pleasure of receiving her hand
the second time. She made no objection to my escorting her from the hall
and to the outer door. In the portico she stopped for the Irishwoman to
come up on her other hand.

"You have my thanks, senor," she said.

I was not prepared to receive my dismissal so soon.

"With your kind permission, senorita, I will see you to your door," I
ventured, astonished at my own audacity.

Whatever her own feeling, she turned without so much as a lift of her
black eyebrows, and signed the woman to drop behind again. We descended
the marble steps together, and passed down a side street. She walked as
she spoke, flowingly, her step the perfect poetry of motion as her voice
was the poetry of sound. Her mere presence at my side should have been
enough to content me. But my thoughts returned to the dismal news of her
intended departure.

"You go within the week?" I questioned.

"Without regret," she replied.

I passed over the thrust. "You have been nowhere. It must have been
dull."

"Less so than may be thought. I have spent much of my time in the
company of Mrs. Merry."

"Lord have mercy upon us!" I mocked. "If you have been imbibing the
opinions of the Lady of the British Legation--!"

"I have heard some sharp truths regarding the ridiculousness of your
republican regime."

"And could tell of as many, from your own observation, regard