s yet who was
the victim, her soul was harrowed up with the most fearful
apprehensions, the reality of which would dash the cup of happiness from
her lips, and embitter her future existence. This petrifying, this
heart-rending suspense was happily but of short continuance. Theodora
herself, with breathless anxiety, was the first to bring a torch, that
might perhaps illume the pale ghastly features of him on whom she had
centered all her felicity. The moment was awful, when the torch throwing
a broad glare around the _Zaguan_, discovered Gomez Arias, tranquil and
erect, in all the assurance of perfect safety. A faint scream escaped
from the bosom of his mistress, for all the feelings which horrifying
suspense had held imprisoned there, now sought relief in a tumult of
sighs and tears. Her emotion, however, was scarcely noticed by her
father, too much occupied at the time in ascertaining which was the
fallen cavalier.

"Don Rodrigo is then the victim," sorrowfully exclaimed the old
cavalier, casting his eyes around; for at this moment he spied a human
body, lying in a dark corner of the _Zaguan_.

"It moves--it moves!" cried Martha, crossing herself.

"Then he is yet alive," returned Don Manuel; "let us hasten to succour
the unfortunate young man; look to his wounds!"

"Aye," responded the duenna; "let us rather attend to his soul, and
behave like true charitable Christians; run, Cacho, run, and call Fray
Bernardo, or Fray Benito--no matter whom--any friar will do at such a
moment."

Monteblanco and all his attendants hurried to the spot in their
eagerness to render assistance to the fallen Don Rodrigo, when, lo! the
body with a sudden spring bounds on its legs, and to the astonished eyes
of every one discovers the person of Roque.

"What's this? Where is Don Rodrigo?" interrogated Monteblanco.

"Why," answered Roque, very unconcernedly; "some fifty leagues from
hence, I should imagine, by his hurry to get away."

"Then he is not dead?"

"Not that I know of."

"Whence came that groan?"

"_De este humilde pecador._"[18]

"_Jesus Maria_," ejaculated the duenna; "how dare this _judio_[19] throw
a noble family into consternation?"

"Now, Senora duenna," quoth the valet, "I rather think I have been
instrumental in preventing the noble family from being thrown into that
consternation."

"Roque," interposed here Gomez Arias, "thou art not wounded I perceive."

"No, thank God!" replied Roque.

"Then thou art