fact (plump men never have) that, as seen from behind, his round person
appeared to be projected forward into space as he walked with something
of an overweight in front, and his little legs and feet to have been set
on rather too far back to balance this weight properly, so that there
seemed to be always some slight danger of an overthrow.

"Oh no," answered Garda; "I have promised to take Mr. Winthrop over the
entire place, and we have still the orange walk, the rose garden, the
edge of the swamp, the wild cattle, and the crane."

"I doubt whether Mr. Wintup will find much to amuse him in the wild
cattle," remarked Manuel, laughing.

It was certainly a slight offence: Manuel had never been north, and did
not know the name; in addition, owing to the mixture of races, much
liberty of pronunciation was allowed in Gracias, Manuel himself seldom
hearing his own name in proper form, the Spanish names of Florida, like
the Huguenot names of South Carolina, having undergone more than one
metamorphosis on New World shores. Winthrop walked on without replying,
he seemed not to have heard the remark.

"You do want to see the wild cattle, don't you, Mr. Winthrop?" said
Garda. "They're beautiful--in glimpses."

"If--ah--somebody should ride one of them--in glimpses--it might be
entertaining," answered Winthrop. "Perhaps one of these young gentlemen
would favor us?"

Garda's laugh pealed forth; Manuel looked angry, Torres watched the
scene, but prudently gave no smile to what he did not understand. Even
the Doctor joined in Garda's laugh.

"What in the world are you thinking of?" he said to Winthrop.
"Bull-fighting? I am afraid we shall not be able to gratify you in that
way just now."

At this moment, round a bend in the road, appeared the small figure of
Mrs. Thorne; she was advancing towards them, accompanied by a gentleman
in clerical attire.

"Here is mamma, with Mr. Moore," said Garda. She left the others, and
went across to Winthrop. "The whole four," she murmured; "my four
persons about here."

"So I supposed," Winthrop answered, in the same tone.

The two parties now met, and it was decided that the wild cattle and the
swamp should be postponed for the present, and that they would all go
together to the rose-garden, where, at this hour, Carlos Mateo was
generally to be found disporting himself. Garda explained that he was
disporting himself with the roses--he was very fond of roses, he was
often observed gazin