conclude that she will follow her mad heart and go with this fellow. But
there we take no account of the unexpected, eh, Lolita!" welcoming the
parrot who waddled out of the open door and came clucking and muttering
across the porch toward the two men.

Flick stirred uneasily. He was in no mood to stand Gallito's
philosophizing, and the Spaniard, seeing it, smiled as he scratched
Lolita's head. "Two people can not be thrown much together and not show
to each other what is in them," he continued. "You know that my daughter
is proud," he lifted his own head haughtily here, "and you know that
above everything her pride lies in the fact that no man can scorn her.
But this that Hanson does not believe."

This roused Flick to a sudden interest, some light came into his heavy
eyes, a dull flush rose on his cheek. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"This: Yesterday morning when that hound sat there and talked to me
there was something I said which made him forget himself in anger, and
he said: 'Me! The Black Pearl smirched by me!'"

"He said that?" Flick's tones had never been more drawlingly soft, but
there was a quality in them, an electric and ominous vibration, which
boded ill for Hanson.

Gallito nodded. "It is in his mind. It is his thought about her. If he
said it to me when he forgot himself he will surely say it to her."

"And you let him say it, Gallito? You let him go away safe after saying
it?" Flick looked at him amazed.