hem should come along
to-morrow!"

"They won't come to-morrow!" said Marm Prudence, significantly.

"No? you have assurance of that? and why may they not come to-morrow?"

"Because they've come to-day, most likely!"

Rita started, and turned back toward the speakers.

"The Gringos? to-day?" she cried.

Marm Prudence nodded. "That was why I brought you here, dear," she said;
"most of the reason, that is. We got word they was most likely comin',
quite a passel of 'em; and we judged it was well, Don Noonsey and me,
that they shouldn't see you. I thought mebbe," she added, with a sly
glance at the basket, "that if I brought a little something extry, we
might get an invitation to take a bite of luncheon, but we don't seem
to."

"Oh! but who could have supposed that I was to have _all_ the good
things in the world?" cried Delmonte, merrily. "This is really too good
to be true. Help me, Donna Prudencia, while I set out the feast! Why,
this is the great day of the whole campaign."

The two unpacked the basket, with many jests and much laughter; they
were evidently old friends. Meantime Rita stood by, uncertain of her own
mood. To miss an experience, possibly terrible, certainly thrilling; to
have lost an opportunity of declaring herself a daughter of Cuba,
possibly of shooting a Spaniard for herself, and to have been deceived,
tricked like a child; this brought her slender brows together,
ominously, and made her eyes glitter in a way that Manuela would have
known well. On the other hand--here was a romantic spot, a young
soldier, apparently craven, but certainly wounded, and very
good-looking; and here was luncheon, and she was desperately hungry. On
the whole--

The tragedy queen disappeared, and it was a cheerful though very
dignified young person who responded gracefully to Delmonte's petition
that she would do him the favour to be seated at his humble board.

CHAPTER X.

MANUELA'S OPPORTUNITY.

That was a pleasant little meal, under the great plane-tree in the
cup-shaped dell. Marm Prudence had kept, through all her years of
foreign residence, her New England touch in cookery, and Senor Delmonte
declared that it was worth a whole campaign twice over to taste her
doughnuts. They drank "_Cuba Libre_" in raspberry vinegar that had come
all the way from Vermont, and Rita was obliged to confess that Senor
Delmonte was a charming host, and that she was enjoying herself
extremely.

It was late in the afte