strings besides his own, Everybody contents himself with
criticising his way of spending money, but is ready to follow his
way of making it."

The dinner was more formal, and when the mistress of the house,
massive in black silk, velvet and gold embroidery, moved like a
pageant to the head of her table, where she remained like a
sacerdotal effigy, not even the presence of the practical Scotchman
at her side could remove the prevailing sense of restraint. For a
while the conversation of the relatives might have been brought
with them in their antique vehicles of fifty years ago, so faded,
so worn, and so springless it was. General Pico related the
festivities at Monterey, on the occasion of the visit of Sir George
Simpson early in the present century, of which he was an
eyewitness, with great precision of detail. Don Juan Estudillo was
comparatively frivolous, with anecdotes of Louis Philippe, whom he
had seen in Paris. Far-seeing Pedro Guitierrez was gloomily
impressed with a Mongolian invasion of California by the Chinese,
in which the prevailing religion would be supplanted by heathen
temples, and polygamy engrafted on the Constitution. Everybody
agreed however, that the vital question of the hour was the
settlement of land titles--Americans who claimed under preemption
and the native holders of Spanish grants were equally of the
opinion.

In the midst of this the musical voice of Maruja was heard saying,
"What is a tramp?"

Raymond, on her right, was ready but not conclusive.