nothing--Tell him he may come--he may come; tell him he may come--I shall
be most happy to see him--I shall be so glad to see him! I shall--oh, I
shall--be--I shall be--oh yes, glad to see him!"

Katie was struggling with intense feeling. Her feelings carried her away
completely. Lopez saw this plainly, and felt, as he had felt in Ashby's
case, partly triumphant exultation, partly the bitterest jealousy. But he
had a careful guard over every exhibition of his own feelings. And yet,
in the midst of his exultation, his jealousy, and his efforts at
self-control, he marvelled greatly at the intensity of feeling displayed
by this girl whom he had believed to be so immovable. And for whom?--for
an acquaintance of three days' standing.

"Oh, but you see," said he, "there is something else to prevent,
unfortunately."

"Something else!" repeated Katie, in a low, trembling voice: "and
_unfortunately_! did you say _unfortunately_?"

"I said _unfortunately_," said Lopez. "You see--I forgot to mention it
before, as I did not know that you were acquainted with him--but this
Rivers has been arrested as a spy."

This was, of course, untrue; but Lopez was merely trying an experiment on
Katie.

The experiment was fearfully successful.

In an instant all that Lopez had said at their last interview about the
fate of spies rushed to her mind. Ashby's fate she had regarded with mild
pity, but the fate of Rivers seemed to crush her down into the dust.

She clutched the arm of Lopez convulsively with both her hands; she
raised up her face--white with horror; she gasped for breath.

"Oh, senor! oh, senor!" she cried, "what is it that you mean? A spy!
Harry a spy, and arrested! Oh, you cannot mean it! Say that you do not
mean it! Oh, say it--say it!"

She could say no more. Her grasp loosened. She fell back, and, burying
her face in her hands, burst into a passion of tears. Sobs convulsed that
slender frame. Lopez sat with a bitter smile regarding her.

"You seem to value the life of this Rivers," said he at length, after a
long silence.

Katie lifted her face, and regarded him with eyes all red and swollen.

"His life!" she exclaimed, with a shudder--"his life! Ah, that is it! And
I see in your face that there is--no--hope. Oh, Harry! oh, Harry, Harry!"

Her voice died away in a low shudder. Lopez himself was moved. He had not
been in the least prepared for such an utter break-down as this. Ah! now
he saw that Katie could love