e roots; then packing the earth and
patting with all my might; darting back to the kitchen again to ladle
out the steaming stuff into jars and strenuously to screw on their
covers.

But for all my wearing of myself out, through the steam of the cooking
pots, between the leaves of the rose-bushes, the pursuing idea would
lift its head. The picture of the Spanish Woman as she stood in the
witness room, the golden glimmer of her hair, her wonderful white waxy
face, and the way her eyes had sparkled at me through her lashes,
returned to my memory, powerful as the odor of her flower. I compared
her with that flower--luxurious and perfect looking, as if she had
grown in a hothouse; and with that strange overwhelming characteristic
which drew, in spite of all disliking. It was useless to cry, "I do
not like you and I will not believe in you." There were two things I
had to acknowledge--her will, and her power of seduction. Hadn't I
felt the light of it as she had stood looking at me?

Finally, when wearied out, I lay in bed that night, the idea I had been
fleeing overtook me; and I gave up and looked it in the face. "Well,
yes, and suppose he does love her? Should that surprise me so much?
How should he help it? She is so beautiful!"

Still that admission had been forced out of me in a moment of weakness,
between my pillow and the dark; and I was determined it should not get
hold of me with its swarm of attendant tormenting thoughts. I was
resolved to go into court, thinking of nothing but just that small
measure of evidence which was mine to give; and to come away again,
turning my back upon the whole matter, and taking up again the round of
my daily employments.

This heroic resolution was knocked on the head the next morning by
father's announcing that I was not summoned for the opening of the
court,--and he added parenthetically Lord knew when!--but might be
called for any time that afternoon, so I was to hold myself in
readiness. This left me in a miserable state of uncertainty, which was
not improved by seeing my name in the _Alta_, as witness, just above an
exhortation to the people of San Francisco to see that justice was
done, even if the law failed in its work.

The best course seemed to be the immolation of myself in the long
neglected house work. A vigorous sweeping of my room, the preparation
of an elaborate luncheon salad, and the total rearrangement of the
parlor furniture might help to get rid