art
beat quick with hope. At length, then, he should rescue and revenge his
Rita. He was within twenty yards of the Carlist, when the latter drew a
pistol and fired at him. His horse received the ball in his breast,
staggered forward, carried on by the impetus he had acquired, and fell,
with his rider partly under him. Before Herrera could extricate himself,
the sound of hoofs was heard, and another horseman galloped down the
lane. Again Baltasar rode at the ditch, but his steed, discouraged and
cowed by his violent treatment, made no effort to cross it. With a
fierce execration, Baltasar threw the woman violently to the ground, and
driving the point of his sword an inch or more into his horse's crupper,
the animal, relieved of part of his load, and maddened by the cruel and
unusual stimulus, cleared the ditch. As he did so, Herrera having
regained his feet, hurried to the unfortunate creature of whom Baltasar
had so brutally disencumbered himself. She lay upon her side, quite
motionless and the veil that wrapped her head was wet with blood.

"Rita!" exclaimed Luis; "Rita!"

Raising her on his arm, he drew the covering from her face. The features
disclosed were entirely unknown to him.

Just then Velasquez came up at speed, and, flying across the ditch,
continued the pursuit.

The person whom Herrera supported in his arms was of middle age, and had
the remains of great beauty, although her countenance was emaciated, and
as pale as the white nun's robe in which she was clad. In falling she
had received severe injury; her temple had struck against a sharp angle
of the granite of which the path was chiefly composed, and blood flowed
in abundance from a deep wound. Her eyes were closed, and her features
wore a suffering expression. Amidst the various and opposite emotions
that agitated Herrera when he found that it was not Rita whom he had
rescued, the dominant impulse was to return immediately to the convent,
there to seek his mistress. Nevertheless common humanity forbade his
abandoning the nun, at least till her senses returned, or till he could
leave her in proper care, and moreover he hoped to obtain from her some
information concerning Rita. Raising her in his arms, he carried her to
the bank of the little stream, laid her gently upon the grass, and,
fetching water in the hollow of his hands, sprinkled it upon her face.
It revived her, she opened her eyes, and by a convulsive movement
assumed a sitting posture, bu