against the wall, regarding him as
usual with much admiration. One thing more he must know.

"Go you without," he said with a gesture towards the two women and the
priest. "I will speak with this lady alone."

They all moved to the door, and after a moment of hesitation Tula was
about to follow when he stopped her.

"You stay, girl. The Dona Jocasta may want a maid, but take yourself
over there."

So Tula slipped silently back into the niche of the window seat where
the shadows were deepest, and Rotil moved towards the center table
dragging a chair. On the other side of the table was the couch on
which Jocasta sat, white and startled at the dismissal of the woman
and priest.

"Be composed," he said gentling his tone as one would to soothe a
child. "There are some things to be said between us here, and too many
ears are of no advantage."

She did not reply; only inclined her head slightly and drew herself
upright against the wall, gathering the lace _rebosa_ across her bosom
where Valencia had unfastened her garments and forgotten them in her
fear.

"First is the matter of my debt to you. Do you know in your own mind
how great that is?"

"I--count it as nothing, senor," she murmured.

"That is because you do not know the great need, and have not made
count of the cases of rifles and ammunition."

"It is true, I never looked at them. Juan Gonsalvo in dying blamed
Jose Perez for the shot. It was fired by another hand,--but God alone
knows! So Juan sent for me, and Jose never knew. The secret of Soledad
was given to me then, but I never thought to use it, until----"

She ceased, shuddering, and he knew she was thinking of the
blood-stained priest whirled into her presence. Fallen though the
state of the priesthood might be in Mexico, there were yet women of
Jocasta's training to whom an assault on the clergy was little less
than a mortal sin. He knew that, and smiled grimly at the remembrance
of her own priestly father who had refused her in honest marriage to a
man of her mother's class, and was busily engaged haggling over the
gift price of her with Jose Perez when death caught him. The
bewildered girl was swept to the estate of Perez without either
marriage or gift, unless one choose to consider as gift the shelter
and food given to a younger sister and brother.

All this went through his mind as she shrank and sighed because he had
tossed a priest from his way with as slight regard as he would the
poore