her face I couldn't forget. She had no friends here, no money.
She knew Rojas was trailing her. This talk I had with her was
at the railroad station, where all was bustle and confusion. No
one noticed us, so I thought. I advised her to remove the disguise
of a nun before she left the waiting-room. And I got a boy to
guide her. But he fetched her to his house. I had promised to come
in the evening to talk over the situation with her.

"I found her, Dick, and when I saw her--I went stark, staring, raving
mad over her. She is the most beautiful, wonderful girl I ever saw.
Her name is Mercedes Castaneda, and she belongs to one of the old
wealthy Spanish families. She has lived abroad and in Havana. She
speaks French as well as English. She is--but I must be brief.

"Dick, think, think! With Mercedes also it was love at first sight.
My plan is to marry her and get her farther to the interior, away
from the border. It may not be easy. She's watched. So am I.
It was impossible to see her without the women of this house knowing.
At first, perhaps, they had only curiosity--an itch to gossip. But
the last two days there has been a change. Since last night there's
some powerful influence at work. Oh, these Mexicans are subtle,
mysterious! After all, they are Spaniards. They work in secret,
in the dark. They are dominated first by religion, then by gold,
then by passion for a woman. Rojas must have got word to his
friends here; yesterday his gang of cutthroat rebels arrived, and
to-day he came. When I learned that, I took my chance and left
camp. I hunted up a priest. He promised to come here. It's time
he's due. But I'm afraid he'll be stopped."

"Thorne, why don't you take the girl and get married without waiting,