"That is good, good, good!" exclaimed Madre Moreno. "How didst thou,
Ysidria, come to find our friend Carlos de Soto and he to take thee
home?" and the Madre began to laugh boisterously. "Stay to sup with us
Carlos," she said, when she had enough recovered from her fit of
laughter to speak, "or perhaps thou art afraid of the old witch."

In as few words as possible the accident was explained to Madre Moreno,
and I again lifted her niece and placed her on a lounge in the house.
"The Madre can bring you out all right, if anyone can," I said as I left
the room, "I will take the liberty of inquiring for you in the morning."

As I walked down the path to the gate, I spoke aloud, "What beautiful,
beautiful eyes!"

"Yes, that they are, Master Carlos!" said a voice seemingly beside me. I
turned, the voice sounded like that of the Madre, but no one was to be
seen, however, the large black cat which had followed me, put up her
back to be stroked and purred and rubbed against my leg. As I closed the
gate the same voice sounded again but more faintly. "Beautiful eyes hath
Ysidria; beautiful eyes!"




IV.


When I returned home, Catalina had a hot supper ready, and I sat down,
forgetting, for the moment, the events of the day, in the odour of the