smile flitted away from Morgana's lips, and her expression became
almost sorrowful.

"You are like a trusting animal!" she said--"An animal all innocent of
guns and steel-traps! You poor girl! I should like you to come with me
out of these mountain solitudes into the world! What is your name?"

"Manella."

"Manella--what?"

"Manella Soriso"--the girl answered--"I am Spanish by both
parents,--they are dead now. I was born at Monterey."

Morgana began to hum softly--

"Under the walls of Monterey
At dawn the bugles began to play
Come forth to thy death
Victor Galbraith."

She broke off,--then said--

"You have not seen many men?"

"Oh, yes, I have!" and Manella tossed her head airily--"Men all more or
less alike--greedy for dollars, fond of smoke and cinema women,--I do
not care for them. Some have asked me to marry, but I would rather hang
myself than be wife to one of them!"

Morgana slid off the edge of her bed and stood upright, her white silk
nightgown falling symmetrically round her small figure. With a
dexterous movement she loosened the knot into which she had twisted her
hair for the night, and it fell in a sinuous coil like a golden snake
from head to knee. Manella stepped back in amazement.

"Oh!" she cried--"How beautiful! I have quite as much in quantity, but
it is black and heavy--ugly!--no good. And he,--that man who lives in
the hut on the hill--says there is nothing he hates so much as a woman
with golden hair! How can he hate such a lovely thing!"

Morgana shrugged her shoulders.

"Each one to his taste!" she said, airily--"Some like black hair--some
red--some gold--some nut-brown. But does it matter at all what men
think or care for? To me it is perfectly indifferent! And you are quite
right to prefer hanging to marriage--I do, myself!"

Fascinated by her wonderful elfin look as she stood like a white iris
in its silken sheath, her small body's outline showing dimly through
the folds of her garment, Manella drew nearer, somewhat timidly.

"Ah, but I do not mean that I prefer hanging to real, true marriage!"
she said--"When one loves, it is different! In love I would rather hang
than not give myself to the man I love--give myself in all I am, and
all I have! And YOU--you who look so pretty and wonderful--almost like
a fairy!--do YOU not feel like that too?"

Morgana laughed--a little laugh sweet and cold as rain tinkling on
glass.

"No, indeed!" she answered--"I