de Mendoza was the most
available person. He bowed to the latter as he spoke.

"You--a--spoken to me?" said the senor, stepping forward with a polite
grimace. "I no to quite comprehend----"

"Pray don't exert yourself to converse with me out of your own language,
senor," interrupted Freeman, in Spanish. "I was just remarking that the
Spaniards seem to have degenerated greatly since they colonized Mexico."

"Senor!" exclaimed Don Miguel, stiffening and staring.

"Of course," added Freeman, smiling benevolently upon him, "I judge only
from such specimens of the modern Mexican as I happen to meet with."

Don Miguel's sallow countenance turned greenish white. But, before he
could make a reply, Meschines, who scented mischief in the air, and
divined that the gentler sex must somehow be at the bottom of it, struck
in.

"You may consider yourself lucky, Harvey, in making the acquaintance of
a gentleman like Senor de Mendoza, who exemplifies the undimmed virtues
of Cortez and Torquemada. For my part, I brought him here in the
hope that he might be able to throw some light on the mystery of this
embroidered garment, which I see you've been examining. What do you say,
Don Miguel? Have these designs any significance beyond mere ornament?
Anything in the nature of hieroglyphics?"

The senor was obliged to examine, and to enter into a discussion,
though, of course, his ignorance of the subject in dispute was as the
depths of that abyss which has no bottom. Miriam, who was not fond of
Don Miguel, but who felt constrained to exceptional courtesy in view
of Freeman's unwarrantable attack upon him, stood beside him and the
Professor; and Freeman and Grace were thus left to fight it out with
each other.

But Grace had drawn her own conclusions from what had passed. Freeman
had insulted Don Miguel. Wherefore? Obviously, it could only be because
he thought that she was flirting with him. In other words, Freeman was
jealous; and to be jealous is to love. Now, Grace was so constituted
that, though she did not like to play second fiddle herself, yet she
had no objection to monopolizing all the members of the male species who
might happen, at a given moment, to be in sight.

She had, consequently, already forgiven Freeman for his apparent
unfaithfulness to her, by reason of his manifest jealousy of Don Miguel.
As a matter of fact, he was not jealous, and he was unfaithful; but
fate had decreed that there should be, for the moment, a