vours to offer you."

"Don Francisco de Lara!" exclaims Carmen, at length breaking silence,
and speaking in a tone of piteous expostulation; "and you, Don Faustino
Calderon, why have you committed this crime? What injury have we ever
done you?"

"Come! not so fast, fair Carmen! Crime's a harsh word, and we've not
committed any as yet--nothing to speak of."

"No crime! _Santissima_! My father--my poor father!"

"Don't be uneasy about him. He's safe enough."

"Safe! Dead! Drowned! _Dios de mi alma_!"

"No, no. That's all nonsense," protests the fiend, adding falsehood to
his sin of deeper dye. "Don Gregorio is not where you say. Instead of
being at the sea's bottom, he is sailing upon its surface; and is likely
to be, for Heaven knows how long. But let's drop that subject of the
past, which seems unpleasant to you, and talk of the present--of
ourselves. You ask what injury you've ever done us? Faustino Calderon
may answer for himself to the fair Inez. To you, Dona Carmen, I shall
make reply--But we may as well confer privately."

At this he lays hold of her wrist, and leads her aside; Calderon
conducting Inez in the opposite direction.

When the whole length of the cavern is between the two pairs, De Lara
resumes speech:

"Yes, Dona Carmen; you _have_ done me an injury--a double wrong I may
call it."

"How, sir?" she asks, withdrawing her hand from his, with a disdainful
gesture. "How?" he retorts. "Why, in making me love you--by leading me
to believe my love returned."

"You speak falsely; I never did so."

"You did, Dona Carmen; you did. It is you who speak false, denying it.
That is the first wrong I have to reproach you with. The second is in
casting me off, as soon as you supposed you'd done with me. Not so, as
you see now. We're together again--never more to part till I've had
satisfaction for all. I once hinted--I now tell you plainly, you've
made a mistake in trifling with Francisco de Lara."

"I never trifled with you, senor. _Dios mio_! What means this? Man--
if you be a man--have mercy! Oh! what would you--what would you?"

"Nothing to call for such distracted behaviour on your part. On the
contrary, I've brought you here--for I'll not deny that it's I who have
done it--to grant you favours, instead of asking them. Ay, or even
satisfying resentments. What I intend towards you, I hope you will
appreciate. To shorten explanations--for which we've neither
opportunity