Chapter 9 - The Clash of Blades
On the table,
near its middle, was an imposing candelero in which half a score of candles
burned brightly. señor Zorro sprang toward it now, and with one sweep of his
hand dashed it to the floor, extinguishing all the candles in an instant and
plunging the room into darkness.
He evaded the
wild rush of Don Carlos, springing across the room so lightly that his soft
boots made not the slightest noise to give news of his whereabouts. For an
instant the Señorita Lolita felt a man's arm around her waist, gently squeezing
it, felt a man's breath on her cheek, and heard a man's whisper in her ear:
"Until
later, señorita."
Don Carlos was
bellowing like a bull to direct the soldiers to the scene; and already some of
them were pounding at the front door. Señor Zorro rushed from the room and into
the one adjoining, which happened to be the kitchen. The native servants fled
before him as if he had been a ghost, and he quickly extinguished all the
candles that burned there.
Then he ran to
the door that opened into the patio and raised his voice and gave a call that
was half moan and half shriek, a peculiar call, the like of which none at the
Pulido hacienda had heard before.
As the soldiers
rushed in at the front door, and as Don Carlos called for a brand with which to
light the candles again, the sound of galloping hoofs was heard from the rear
of the patio. Some powerful horse was getting under way there, the soldiers
guessed immediately.
The sound of
hoofs died away in the distance, but the soldiers had noted the direction in
which the horse was traveling.
"The fiend
escapes!" Sergeant Gonzales shrieked, he being in charge of the squad.
"To horse and after him! I give the man who overtakes him one third of all
the reward!"
The big sergeant
rushed from the house, the men at his heels, and they tumbled into their
saddles and rode furiously through the darkness, following the sound of the
beating hoofs.
"Lights!
Lights!" Don Carlos was shrieking inside the house.
A servant came
with a brand, and the candles were lighted again. Don Carlos stood in the
middle of the room, shaking his fists in impotent rage. Señorita Lolita
crouched in a corner, her eyes wide with fear. Doña Catalina, fully recovered
now from her fainting-spell, came from her own room to ascertain the cause of
the commotion.
"The rascal
got away!" Don Carlos said. "It is to be hoped that the soldiers
capture him."
"At least he
is clever and brave," Señorita Lolita said.
"I grant him
that, but he is a highwayman and a thief!" Don Carlos roared. "Why
should he torment me by visiting my house?"
Señorita Lolita
thought she knew, but she would be the last one to explain to her parents.
There was a faint blush on her face yet because of the arm that had squeezed
her and the words that had been whispered in her ear.
Don Carlos threw
the front door open wide and stood in it, listening. To his ears came the sound
of galloping hoofs once more.
"My
sword!" he cried to a servant. "Someone comes—it may be the rascal
returning! It is but one rider, by the saints!"
The galloping
stopped; a man made his way across the veranda and hurried through the door
into the room.
"Thank the
good saints!" Don Carlos gasped.
It was not the
highwayman returned; it was Captain Ramon, comandante of the presidio at Reina
de Los Angeles.
"Where are
my men?" the captain cried.
"Gone,
señor! Gone after that pig of a highwayman!" Don Carlos informed him.
"He
escaped?"
"He did,
with your men surrounding the house. He dashed the candles to the floor, ran
through the kitchen—"
"The men
took after him?"
"They are upon
his heels, señor."
"Ha! It is
to be hoped that they catch this pretty bird. He is a thorn in the side of the
soldiery. We do not catch him, and because we do not the governor sends
sarcastic letters by his courier. This Señor Zorro is a clever gentleman, but
he will be captured yet!"
And then Captain
Ramon walked farther into the room and perceived the ladies and swept off his
cap and bowed before them.
"You must
pardon my bold entrance," he said. "When an officer is on duty—"
"The pardon
is granted freely," said Dona Catalina. "You have met my
daughter?"
"I have not
had the honor."
The Doña
presented them, and Lolita retreated to her corner again and observed the
soldier. He was not ill to look at—tall and straight and in a brilliant
uniform, and with sword dangling at his side. As for the captain, he never had
set eyes upon Señorita Lolita before, for he had been at the post at Reina de
Los Angeles but a month, having been transferred there from Santa Barbara.
But now that he
had looked at her once he looked a second time and a third. There was a sudden
light in his eyes that pleased Doña Catalina. If Lolita could not look with
favor upon Don Diego Vega, perhaps she would look with favor upon this Captain
Ramón, and to have her wedded to an officer would mean that the Pulido family
would have some protection.
"I could not
find my men now in the darkness," the captain said, "and so, if it is
not presuming too much, I shall remain here and await their return."
"By all
means," Don Carlos said. "Be seated, señor, and I'll have a servant
fetch wine."
"This Señor
Zorro has about had his run," the captain said, after the wine had been
tasted and found excellent. "Now and then a man of his sort pops up and
endures for a little day, but he never lasts long. In the end he meets the
fate."
"That is
true," said Don Carlos. "The fellow was boasting to us tonight of his
accomplishments."
"I was
comandante at Santa Barbara when he made his famous visit there," the
captain explained. "I was visiting at one of the houses at the time else
there might have been a different story. And tonight, when the alarm came, I
was not at the presidio, but at the residence of a friend. That is why I did
not ride out with the soldiers. As soon as I was notified I came. It appears
that this Señor Zorro has some knowledge of my whereabouts and is careful that
I am not in a position to clash with him. I hope one day to do so."
"You think
you could conquer him, señor?" Dona Catalina asked.
"Undoubtedly!
I understand he really is an ordinary hand with a blade. He made a fool of my
sergeant, but that is a different proposition—and I believe he held a pistol in
one hand while he fenced, too. I should make short work of the fellow."
There was a
closet in one corner of the room, and now its door was opened a crack.
"The fellow
should die the death," Captain Ramon went on to say. "He is brutal in
his dealings with men. He kills wantonly, I have heard. They say he caused a
reign of terror in the north, in the vicinity of San Francisco de Asis. He slew
men regardless, insulted women—"
The closet door
was hurled open—and Señor Zorro stepped into the room.
"I shall
take you to task for that statement, señor, since it is a falsehood!" the
highwayman cried.
Don Carlos
whirled around and gasped his surprise. Doña Catalina felt suddenly weak in the
knees and collapsed on a chair. Señorita Lolita felt some pride in the man's
statement, and a great deal of fear for him.
"I—I thought
you had escaped," Don Carlos gasped.
"Ha! It was
but a trick. My horse escaped—but I did not."
"Then there
shall be no escape for you now!" Captain Ramón cried, drawing his blade.
"Back,
señor!" Zorro cried, exhibiting a pistol suddenly. "I shall fight you
gladly, but the fight must be fair. Don Carlos, gather your wife and daughter
beneath your arms and retire to the corner while I cross blades with this
teller of falsehoods. I do not intend to have a warning given out that I still
am here!"
"I
thought—you escaped!" Don Carlos gasped again, seemingly unable to think
of anything else, and doing as Señor Zorro commanded.
"A
trick!" the highwayman repeated, laughing. "It is a noble horse I
have. Perhaps you heard a peculiar cry from my lips? My beast is trained to act
at that cry. He gallops away wildly, making considerable noise, and the
soldiers follow him. And when he has gone some distance he turns aside and
stops, and after the pursuit has passed he returns to await my bidding. No
doubt he is behind the patio now. I shall punish this captain and then mount
and ride away."
"With a
pistol in your hand!" Ramon cried.
"I put the
pistol upon the table—so. There it remains if Don Carlos stays in the corner
with the ladies. Now, captain!"
Señor Zorro
extended his blade, and with a glad cry Captain Ramón crossed it with his own.
Captain Ramón had some reputation as a master of fence, and Señor Zorro
evidently knew it, for he was cautious at first, leaving no opening, on defense
rather than attack.
The captain
pressed him back, his blade flashing like streaks of lightning in a troubled
sky. Now Señor Zorro was almost against the wall near the kitchen door, and in
the captain's eyes the light of triumph already was beginning to burn. He
fenced rapidly, giving the highwayman no rest, standing his ground and keeping
his antagonist against the wall.
And then Señor
Zorro chuckled. For now he had solved the other's manner of combat, and knew
that all would be well. The captain gave ground a little as the defense turned
into an attack that puzzled him. Señor Zorro began laughing lightly.
"'Twere a
shame to kill you," he said. "You are an excellent officer, I have
heard, and the army needs a few such. But you have spoken falsehood regarding
me, and so must pay a price. Presently I shall run you through, but in such
manner that your life will not emerge when I withdraw my blade."
"Boaster!"
the captain snarled.
"As to that
we shall see presently. Ha! I almost had you there, my captain. You are more
clever than your big sergeant, but not half clever enough. Where do you prefer
to be touched—the left side or the right?"
"If you are
so certain run me through the right shoulder," the captain said.
"Guard it
well, my captain, for I shall do as you say. Ha!"
The captain
circled, trying to get the light of the candles in the highwayman's eyes, but
Señor Zorro was too clever for that. He caused the captain to circle back,
forced him to retreat, fought him to a corner.
"Now, my
captain!" he cried.
And so he ran him
through the right shoulder, as the captain had said, and twisted the blade a
bit as he brought it out. He had struck a little low, and Captain Ramón dropped
to the floor, a sudden weakness upon him.
Señor Zorro
stepped back and sheathed his blade.
"I ask the
pardon of the ladies for this scene," he said. "And I assure you that
this time I am, indeed, going away. You will find that the captain is not badly
injured, Don Carlos. He may return to his presidio within the day."
He removed his
sombrero and bowed low before them, while Don Carlos sputtered and failed to
think of anything to say that would be mean and cutting enough. His eyes, for a
moment, met those of the Señorita Lolita, and he was glad to find that in hers
there was no repugnance.
"Buenos
noches," he said and laughed again. And then he dashed through the kitchen
and into the patio, and found the horse awaiting him there as he had said it
would be, and was quick to mount and ride away.
Chapter 10 - A Hint at Jealousy
Within the space
of half an hour Captain Ramón's wounded shoulder had been cleansed of blood and
bandaged, and the captain was sitting at one end of the table, sipping wine and
looking very white in the face and tired.
Doña Catalina and
Señorita Lolita had shown much sympathy, though the latter could scarcely
refrain from smiling when she remembered the captain's boast regarding what he
purposed doing to the highwayman, and compared it to what had happened. Don
Carlos was outdoing himself to make the captain feel at home since it was well
to seek influence with the army, and already had urged upon the officer that he
remain at the hacienda a few days until his wound had healed.
Having looked
into the eyes of the Señorita Lolita, the captain had answered that he would be
glad to remain at least for a day and, despite his wound, was attempting polite
and witty conversation, yet failing miserably.
Once more there
could be heard the drumming of a horse's hoofs, and Don Carlos sent a servant
to the door to open it so that the light would shine out, for they supposed
that it was one of the soldiers returning.
The horseman came
nearer and presently stopped before the house, and the servant hurried out to
care for the beast.
There passed a
moment during which those inside the house heard nothing at all, and then there
were steps on the veranda, and Don Diego Vega hurried through the door.
"Ha!"
he cried, as if in relief. "I am rejoiced that you all are alive and
well!"
"Don
Diego!" the master of the house exclaimed. "You have ridden out from
the pueblo a second time in one day?"
"No doubt I
shall be ill because of it," Don Diego said. "Already I am feeling
stiff, and my back aches. Yet I felt that I must come. There was an alarm in
the pueblo, and it was noised abroad that this Señor Zorro, the highwayman, had
paid a visit to the hacienda. I saw the soldiers ride furiously in this
direction, and fear came into my heart. You understand, Don Carlos, I
feel—sure."
"I
understand, caballero," Don Carlos replied, beaming upon him and glancing
once at Señorita Lolita.
"I—er—felt
it my duty to make the journey. And now I find that it has been made for
nought—you all are alive and well. How does it happen?"
Lolita sniffed,
but Don Carlos was quick to make reply.
"The fellow
was here, but he made his escape after running Captain Ramón through the
shoulder."
"Ha!"
Don Diego said, collapsing into a chair. "So you have felt his steel, eh,
captain? That should feed your desire for vengeance. Your soldiers are after
the rogue?"
"They
are," the captain replied shortly, for he did not like to have it said
that he had been defeated in combat. "And they will continue to be after
him until he is captured. I have a big sergeant, Gonzales—I think he is a
friend of yours, Don Diego—who is eager to make the arrest and earn the
governor's reward. I shall instruct him, when he returns, to take his squad and
pursue this highwayman until he has been dealt with properly."
"Let me
express the hope that the soldiers will be successful, señor. The rogue has
annoyed Don Carlos and the ladies—and Don Carlos is my friend. I would have all
men know it."
Don Carlos
beamed, and Dona Catalina smiled bewitchingly, but the Señorita Lolita fought
to keep her pretty upper lip from curling with scorn.
"A mug of
your refreshing wine, Don Carlos," Don Diego Vega continued. "I am
fatigued. Twice today have I ridden here from Reina de Los Angeles, and it is
about all a man can endure."
"'Tis not
much of a journey—four miles," said the captain.
"Possibly
not for a rough soldier," Don Diego replied, "but it is for a
caballero."
"May not a
soldier be a caballero?" Ramon asked, nettled somewhat at the other's
words.
"It has
happened before now, but we come across it rarely," Don Diego said. He
glanced at Lolita as he spoke, intending that she should take notice of his
words, for he had seen the manner in which the captain glanced at her, and
jealousy was beginning to burn in his heart.
"Do you mean
to insinuate, señor, that I am not of good blood?" Captain Ramon asked.
"I cannot
reply as to that, señor, having seen none of it. No doubt this Señor Zorro
could tell me. He saw the color of it, I understand."
"By the
saints!" Captain Ramon cried. "You would taunt me?"
"Never be
taunted by the truth," Don Diego observed. "He ran you through the
shoulder, eh? 'Tis a mere-scratch, I doubt not. Should you not be at the
presidio instructing your soldiers?"
"I await
their return here," the captain replied. "Also, it is a fatiguing
journey from here to the presidio, according to your own ideas, señor."
"But a
soldier is inured to hardship, señor."
"True, there
are many pests he must encounter," the captain said, glancing at Don Diego
with meaning.
"You term me
a pest, señor?"
"Did I say
as much?"
This was perilous
ground, and Don Carlos had no mind to let an officer of the army and Don Diego
Vega have trouble in his hacienda, for fear he would get into greater
difficulties.
"More wine,
señores!" he exclaimed in a loud voice, and stepping between their chairs
in utter disregard of proper breeding. "Drink, my captain, for your wound
has made you weak. And you, Don Diego, after your wild ride—"
"I doubt its
wildness," Captain Ramon observed.
Don Diego
accepted the proffered wine mug and turned his back upon the captain. He
glanced across at Señorita Lolita and smiled. He got up deliberately and picked
up his chair and carried it across the room to set it down beside her.
"And did the
rogue frighten you, señorita?" he asked.
"Suppose he
did, señor? Would you avenge the matter? Would you put blade at your side and
ride abroad until you found him, and then punish him as he deserves?"
"By the
saints, were it necessary, I might do as much. But I am able to employ a raft
of strong fellows who would like nothing better than to run down the rogue. Why
should I risk my own neck?"
"Oh!"
she exclaimed, exasperated.
"Let us not
talk further of this bloodthirsty Señor Zorro," he begged. "There are
other things fit for conversation. Have you been thinking, señorita, on the
object of my visit earlier in the day?"
Señorita Lolita
thought of it now. She remembered again what the marriage would mean to her
parents and their fortunes, and she recalled the highwayman, too, and
remembered his dash and spirit, and wished that Don Diego could be such a man.
And she could not say the word that would make her the betrothed of Don Diego
Vega.
"I—I have
scarcely had time to think of it, caballero," she replied.
"I trust you
will make up your mind soon," he said.
"You are so
eager?"
"My father
was at me again this afternoon. He insists that I should take a wife as soon as
possible. It is rather a nuisance, of course, but a man must please his
father."
Lolita bit her
lips because of her quick anger. Was ever girl so courted before? she wondered.
"I shall
make up my mind as soon as possible, señor," she said finally.
"Does this Captain
Ramón remain long at the hacienda?"
A little hope
came into Lolita's breast. Could it be. possible that Don Diego Vega was
jealous? If that were true, possibly there might be stuff in the man after all.
Perhaps he would awaken, and love and passion come to him, and he would be as
other young men.
"My father
has asked him to remain until he is able to travel to the presidio," she
replied.
"He is able
to travel now. A mere scratch."
"You will
not return tonight?" she asked.
"It probably
will make me ill, but I must return. There are certain things that must engage
my interest early in the morning. Business is such a nuisance."
"Perhaps my
father will offer to send you in the carriage."
"Ha! It were
kindness if he does. A man may doze a bit in a carriage."
"But, if
this highwayman should stop you?"
"I need not
fear, señorita. Have I not wealth? Could I not purchase my release?"
"You would
pay ransom rather than fight him, señor?"
"I have lots
of money, but only one life, señorita. Would I be a wise man to risk having my
blood let out?"
"It would be
the manly part, would it not?" she asked.
"Any male
can be manly at times, but it takes a clever man to be sagacious," he
said.
Don Diego laughed
lightly, as if it cost him an effort, and bent forward to speak in lower tones.
On the other side
of the room, Don Carlos was doing his best to make Captain Ramón comfortable,
and was glad that he and Don Diego remained apart for the time being.
"Don
Carlos," the captain said, "I come from a good family, and the
governor is friendly toward me, as no doubt you have heard. I am but
twenty-three years of age, else I would hold a higher office. But my future is
assured."
"I am
rejoiced to learn it, señor."
"I never set
eyes upon your daughter until this evening, but she has captivated me, señor.
Never have I seen such grace and beauty, such flashing eyes! I ask your
permission, señor, to pay my addresses to the señorita."
Chapter 11 - Three Suitors
Here was a fix.
Don Carlos had no wish to anger Don Diego Vega or a man who stood high in the
governor's regard. And how was he to evade it? If Lolita could not force her
heart to accept Don Diego, perhaps she could learn to love Captain Ramón. After
Don Diego, he was the best potential son-in-law in the vicinity.
"Your
answer, señor?" the captain was asking.
"I trust you
will not misunderstand me, señor," Don Carlos said, in lower tones.
"I must make a simple explanation."
"Proceed,
señor."
"But this
morning Don Diego Vega asked me the same question."
"Ha!"
"You know
his blood and his family, señor. Could I refuse him? Of rights I could not. But
I may tell you this—the señorita weds no man unless it is her wish. So Don
Diego has my permission to pay his addresses, but if he fails to touch her
heart—"
"Then I may
try?" the captain asked.
"You have my
permission, señor. Of course, Don Diego has great wealth, but you have a
dashing way with you, and Don Diego—that is—he is rather—"
"I
understand perfectly, señor," the captain said, laughing. "He is not
exactly a brave and dashing caballero. Unless' your daughter prefers wealth to
a genuine man—"
"My daughter
will follow the dictates of her heart, señor!"
Don Carlos said
proudly.
"Then the
affair is between Don Diego Vega and myself?"
"So long as
you use discretion, señor. I would have nothing happen that would cause enmity
between the Vega family and mine."
"Your
interests shall be protected, Don Carlos," Captain Ramón declared.
As Don Diego
talked, the Señorita Lolita observed her father and Captain Ramon, and guessed
what was being said. It pleased her, of course, that a dashing officer should
enter the lists for her hand, and yet she had felt no thrill when first she
looked into his eyes.
Señor Zorro, now,
had thrilled her to the tips of her tiny toes, and merely because he had talked
to her, and touched the palm of her hand with his lips. If Don Diego Vega were
only more like the highwayman! If some man appeared who combined Vega's wealth
with the rogue's spirit and dash and courage!
There was a sudden
tumult outside, and into the room strode the soldiers, Sergeant Gonzales at
their head. They -saluted their captain, and the big sergeant looked with
wonder at his wounded shoulder.
"The rogue
escaped us," Gonzales reported. "We followed him for a distance of
three miles or so as he made his way into the hills, where we came upon
him."
"Well?"
Ramon questioned.
"He has
allies."
"What is
this?"
"Fully ten
men were waiting for him there, my captain. They set upon us before we were
aware of their presence. We fought them well, and three of them we wounded, but
they made their escape and took their comrades with them. We had not been
expecting a band, of course, and so rode into their ambush."
"Then we
have to contend with a band of them!" Captain Ramon said. "Sergeant,
you will select a score of men in the morning, and have command over them. You
will take the trail of this Señor Zorro, and you will not stop until he is
either captured or slain. I will add a quarter's wages to the reward of his excellency,
the governor, if you are successful."
"Ha! It is
what I have wished!" Sergeant Gonzales cried. "Now we shall run this
coyote to earth in short order! I shall show you the color of his blood—"
"'Twould be
no more than right, since he has seen the color of the captain's," Don
Diego put in.
"What is
this, Don Diego, my friend? Captain, you have crossed blades with the
rogue?"
"I
have," the captain assented. "You but followed a tricky horse, my
sergeant. The fellow was here, in a closet, and came out after I had entered.
So it must have been some other man you met with his companions up in the
hills. This señor Zorro treated me much as he treated you in the tavern—had a
pistol handy in case I should prove too expert with the blade."
Captain and
sergeant looked at each other squarely, each wondering how much the other had
been lying; while Don Diego chuckled faintly and tried to press the Señorita
Lolita's hand and failed.
"This thing
can be settled only in blood!" Gonzales declared. "I shall pursue the
rascal until he is run to earth. I have permission to select my men?"
"You may
take any at the presidio," the captain said.
"Sergeant
Gonzales, I should like to go with you," Don Diego said suddenly.
"By the
saints! It would kill you, caballero. Day and night in the saddle, uphill and
downhill, through dust and heat, and with a chance at fighting."
"Well,
perhaps it were best for me to remain in the pueblo," Don Diego admitted.
"But he has annoyed this family, of which I am a true friend. At least you
will keep me informed? You will tell me how he escapes if he dodges you? I at
least may know that you are on his trail, and where you are riding, so I may be
with you in spirit?"
"Certainly,
caballero—certainly," Sergeant Gonzales replied. "I shall give you
the chance of looking upon the rogue's dead face. I swear it!"
"'Tis a
terrible oath, my sergeant. Suppose it should come to pass—"
"I mean if I
slay the rascal, caballero. My captain, do you return this night to the
presidio?"
"Yes,"
Ramon replied. "Despite my wound, I can ride a horse."
He glanced toward
Don Diego as he spoke, and there was almost a sneer upon his lips.
"What
magnificent grit!" Don Diego said. "I, too, shall return to Reina de
Los Angeles, if Don Carlos will be as good as to have his carriage around. I
can tie my horse to the rear of it. To ride horseback the distance again this
day would be the death of me."
Gonzales laughed
and led the way from the house. Captain Ramón paid his respects to the ladies,
glowered at Don Diego, and followed. The caballero faced Señorita Lolita again
as her parents escorted the captain to the door.
"You will
think of the matter?" he asked. "My father will be at me again within
a few days, and I shall escape censure if I am able to tell him that it is all
settled. If you decide to wed me, have your father send me word by a servant.
Then I shall put my house in order against the wedding day."
"I shall
think of it," the girl said.
"We could be
married at the mission of San Gabriel, only we should have to make the
confounded journey there. Fray Felipe, of the mission, has been my friend from
the days of my boyhood, and I would have him say the words, unless you prefer
otherwise. He could come to Reina de Los Angeles and read the ceremony in the
little church on the plaza there."
"I shall
think of it," the girl said again.
"Perhaps I
may come out again to see you within a few days, if I survive this night.
Buenos noches, señorita. I suppose I should—er—kiss your hand?"
"You need
not take the trouble," Señorita Lolita replied, "It might fatigue
you."
"Ah—th ank you. You are thoughtful, I
see. I am fortunate if I get me a thoughtful wife."
Don Diego
sauntered to the door. Señorita Lolita rushed into her own room and beat at her
breasts with her hands, and tore at her hair a bit, too angry, too enraged to
weep. Kiss her hand, indeed! Señor Zorro had not suggested it—he had done it.
Señor Zorro had dared death to visit her. Señor Zorro had laughed as he fought,
and then had escaped by a trick! Ah, if Don Diego Vega were half the man this
highwayman appeared!
She heard the
soldiers gallop away, and after a little time she heard Don Diego Vega depart
in her father's carriage. And then she went out into the great room again to
her parents.
"My father,
it is impossible that I wed with Don Diego Vega,* she said.
"What has
caused your decision, my daughter?"
"I scarcely
can tell, except that he is not the sort of man I wish for my husband. He is
lifeless; existence with him would be a continual torment."
"Captain
Ramon also has asked permission to pay you his addresses," Dona Catalina
said.
"And he is
almost as bad. I do not like the look in his eyes," the girl replied.
"You are too
particular," Don Carlos told her. "If the persecution continues
another year we shall be beggars. Here is the best catch in the country seeking
you, and you would refuse him. And you do not like a high army officer because
you do not fancy the look in his eyes. Think on it, girl! An alliance with Don
Diego Vega is much to be desired. Perhaps when you know him better, you will
like him more. And the man may awaken. I thought I saw a flash of it this
night, deemed him jealous because of the presence of the captain here. If you
can arouse his jealousy—"
Señorita Lolita
burst into tears, but soon the tempest of weeping passed, and she dried her
eyes.
"I—I shall
do my best to like him," she said. "But I cannot bring myself to say,
yet, that I will be his wife."
She hurried into
her room again, and called for the native woman who attended her. Soon the
house was in darkness, and the grounds about it, save for the fires down by the
adobe huts, where the natives told one another grim tales of the night's
events, each trying to make his falsehood the greatest. A gentle snore came
from the apartment of Don Carlos Pulido and his wife.
But the Señorita
Lolita did not slumber. She had her head propped on one hand, and she was
looking through a window at the fires in the distance, and her mind was full of
thoughts of Señor Zorro.
She remembered
the grace of his bow, the music of his deep voice, the touch of his lips upon
her palm.
"I would he
were not a rogue." She sighed. "How a woman could love such a
man!"
Chapter 12 - A Visit
Shortly after
daybreak the following morning there was considerable tumult in the plaza at
Reina de Los Angeles. Sergeant Pedro Gonzales was there with a score of
troopers, almost all that were stationed at the local presidio, and they were
preparing for the chase of Señor Zorro.
The big
sergeant's voice roared out above the din as men adjusted saddles and looked to
bridles and inspected then-water bottles and small supplies of provisions. For
Sergeant Gonzales had ordered that his force travel light, and live off the
country as much as possible. He had taken the commands of his captain
seriously—he was going after Señor Zorro and did not propose to return until he
had him—or had died in an effort to effect a capture.
"I shall
nail the fellow's pelt to the presidio door, my friend," he told the fat
landlord. "Then I shall collect the governors reward and pay the score I
owe you."
"I pray the
saints it may be true," the landlord said.
"What, fool?
That I pay you? Do you fear to lose a few small coins?"
"I meant
that I pray you may be successful in capturing the man," the landlord
said, telling the falsehood glibly.
Captain Ramón was
not up to see the start, having a small fever because of his wound, but the
people of the pueblo crowded around Sergeant Gonzales and his men, asking a
multitude of questions, and the sergeant found himself the center of interest.
"This Curse
of Capistrano soon shall cease to exist!" he boasted loudly. "Pedro
Gonzales is on his trail. Ha! When I stand face to face with the fellow—"
The front door of
Don Diego Vega's house opened at that juncture, and Don Diego himself appeared,
at which the townsmen wondered a bit, since it was so early in the morning.
Sergeant Gonzales dropped a bundle he was handling, put his hands upon his
hips, and looked at his friend with sudden interest.
"You have
not been to bed," he charged.
"But I
have!" Don Diego declared.
"And are up
again so soon? Here is some devilish mystery that needs an explanation."
"You made
noise enough to awaken the dead," Don Diego said.
"It could
not be helped, caballero, since we are acting under orders."
"Were it not
possible to make your preparations at the presidio instead of here in the
plaza, or did you think not enough persons would see your importance
there?"
"Now, by
the—"
"Do not say
it!" Don Diego commanded. "As a matter of fact, I am up early because
I must make a confounded trip to my hacienda, a journey of some ten miles, to
inspect the flocks and herds. Never become a wealthy man, Sergeant Gonzales,
for wealth asks too much of a man."
"Something
tells me that never shall I suffer on that account," said the sergeant,
laughing. "Yon go with escort, my friend?"
"A couple of
natives, that is all."
"If you
should meet up with this Señor Zorro, he probably would hold you for a pretty
ransom."
"Is he
supposed to be between this place and my hacienda?" Don Diego asked.
"A native
arrived a short time ago with word that he had been seen on the road running to
Pala and San Luis Rey. We ride in that direction. And since your hacienda is
the other way, no doubt you will not meet the rascal now."
"I feel
somewhat relieved to hear you say it. So you ride toward Pala, my
sergeant?"
"We do. We
shall try to pick up his trail as soon as possible, and once we have it we
shall run this fox down. Meanwhile, we also shall attempt to find his den. We
start at once."
"I shall
await news eagerly," Don Diego said. "Good fortune go with you!"
Gonzales and his
men mounted, and the sergeant shouted an order, and they galloped across the
plaza, raising great clouds of dust, and took the highway toward Pala and San
Luis Rey.
Don Diego looked
after them until nothing could be seen but a tiny dust cloud in the distance,
then called for his own horse. He, too, mounted and rode away toward San
Gabriel, and two native servants rode mules and followed a short distance
behind.
But before he
departed, Don Diego wrote a message and sent it by native courier to the Pulido
hacienda. It was addressed to Don Carlos, and read:
The soldiers are starting this morning to pursue
this Señor Zorro, and it has been reported that the highwayman has a band of
rogues under his command and may offer battle. There is no telling, my friend,
what may happen. I dislike having one in whom I am interested subjected to
danger, meaning your daughter particularly, but also the Doña Catalina and
yourself. Moreover, this bandit saw your daughter last evening, and certainly
must have appreciated her beauty, and he may seek to see her again.
I beg of you to
come at once to my house in Reina de Los Angeles, and make it as your home
until matters are settled. I am leaving this morning for my hacienda, but have
left orders with my servants that you are to give what commands you will. I
shall hope to see you when I return, which will be in two or three days.
Diego.
Don Carlos read
that epistle aloud to his wife and daughter, and then looked up to see how they
took it. He scoffed at the danger himself, being an old war horse, but did not
wish to put his womenfolk in jeopardy.
"What think
you?" he asked.
"It has been
some time since we have visited the pueblo," Doña Catalina said. "I
have some friends left among the ladies there. I think it will be an excellent
thing to do."
"It
certainly will not injure our fortunes to have it become known we are house
guests of Don Diego Vega," Don Carlos said. "What does our daughter
think?"
It was a
concession to ask her, and Lolita realized that she was granted this unusual
favor because of Don Diego's wooing. She hesitated some time before answering.
"I believe
it will be all right," she said. "I should like to visit the pueblo,
for we see scarcely anybody here at the hacienda. But people may talk
concerning Don Diego and myself."
"Nonsense!"
Don Carlos exploded. "Could there be anything more natural than that we
should visit the Vegas, since our blood is almost as good as theirs and better
than that of others?"
"But it is
Don Diego's house, and not that of his father. Still—he will not be there for
two or three days, he says, and we can return when he comes."
"Then it is
settled," Don Carlos declared. "I shall see my superintendent and
give him instructions."
He hurried into
the patio and rang the big bell for the superintendent, being well pleased. For
when the Señorita Lolita saw the rich furnishings in the house of Don Diego
Vega, she might the more readily accept Don Diego as a husband, he thought.
When she saw the silks and satins, the elegant tapestries, the furniture inlaid
with gold and studded with precious stones, when she realized that she could be
mistress of this and much more besides—Don Carlos flattered himself that he
knew the feminine heart.
Soon after the
siesta hour, a carreta was brought before the door, drawn by mules and driven
by a native. Dona Catalina and Lolita got into it, and Don Carlos bestrode his
best horse and rode at its side. And so they went down the trail to the
highway, and down the highway toward Reina de Los Angeles.
They passed folk
who marveled to see the Pulido family thus going abroad, for it was well known
that they had met with ill fortune and scarcely went anywhere now. It was even
whispered that the ladies did not keep up with the fashions, and that the
servants were poorly fed, but remained at the hacienda because their master was
so kind.
But Doña Catalina
and her daughter held their heads proudly, as did Don Carlos, and they greeted
the people they knew, and so continued along the highway.
Presently they
made a turning and could see the pueblo in the distance—the plaza and the
church with its high cross on one side of it and the inn and storehouses and a
few residences of the more pretentious sort, like Don Diego's, and the
scattered huts of natives and poor folk.
The carreta
stopped before Don Diego's door, and servants rushed out to make the guests
welcome, spreading a carpet from the carreta to the doorway, that the ladies
would not have to step in the dust. Don Carlos led the way into the house,
after ordering that the horse and mules be cared for and the carreta put away,
and there they rested for a time, and the servants brought out wine and food.
They went through
the rich house then, and even the eyes of Doña Catalina, who had seen many rich
houses, widened at what she saw here in Don Diego's home.
"To think
that our daughter can be mistress of all this when she speaks the word!"
she gasped.
Señorita Lolita
said nothing, but she began thinking that perhaps it would not be so bad after
all to become the wife of Don Diego. She was fighting a mental battle, was
Señorita Lolita. On the one side was wealth and position, and the safety and
good fortune of her parents—and a lifeless man for husband; and on the other
side was the romance and ideal love she craved. Until the last hope was gone
she could not give the latter up.
Don Carlos left
the house and crossed the plaza to the inn, where he met several gentlemen of
age, and renewed acquaintance with them, albeit he noticed that none was
enthusiastic in his greeting. They feared, he supposed, to appear openly
friendly to him, Since he was in the bad graces of the governor.
"You are in
the pueblo on business?" one asked.
"Not so,
señor," Don Carlos replied, and gladly, since here was a chance to set
himself right in part. "This Señor Zorro is abroad, and the soldiers after
him."
"We are aware of that."
"There may
be a battle, or a series of raids, since it is whispered that now Señor Zorro
has a band of cutthroats with him, and my hacienda is off by itself and would
be at the mercy of the thief."
"Ah! And so
you bring your family to the pueblo until the matter is at an end?"
"I had not
thought of doing so, but this morning Don Diego Vega sent out to me a request
that I bring my family here and make use of his house for the time being. Don
Diego has gone to his hacienda, but will return within a short time."
The eyes of those
who heard opened a bit at that, but Don Carlos pretended not to notice, and
went on sipping his wine.
"Don Diego
was out to visit me yesterday morning," he continued. "We renewed old
times. And my hacienda had a visit from this Señor Zorro last night, as doubtless
you have heard, and Don Diego, learning of it, galloped out again, fearing we
had met with disaster."
"Twice in
one day!" gasped one of those who heard.
"I have said
it, señor." '
"You—that
is—your daughter is very beautiful, is she not, Don Carlos Pulido? And
seventeen, is she not—about?"
"Eighteen,
señor. She is called beautiful, I believe," Don Carlos admitted.
Those around him
glanced at one another. They had the solution now. Don Diego Vega was seeking
to wed Señorita Lolita Pulido. That meant that Pulido's fortunes would soon be
at the flood again, and that he might feel called upon to remember his friends
and look askance at those who had not stood by him.
So now, they
crowded forward, alert to do him honor, and asked concerning crops and the
increase of his herds and flocks, and whether the bees were doing as well as
usual, and did he think the olives were excellent this year.
Don Carlos
appeared to take it all as a matter of course. He accepted the wine they
bought, and purchased himself, and the fat landlord darted about doing their
bidding and trying to compute the day's profits in his head, which was a
hopeless task for him.
When Don Carlos
left the inn at dusk, several of them followed him to the door, and two of the
more influential walked with him across the plaza to the door of Don Diego's
house. One of these begged that Don Carlos and his wife visit his house that
evening for music and talk, and Don Carlos graciously accepted the invitation.
Doña Catalina had
been watching from a window, and her face was beaming when she met her husband
at the door.
"Everything
goes well," he said. "They have met me with open arms. And I have
accepted an invitation to visit tonight."
"But Lolita?" Dona Catalina protested.
"She must remain here, of course. Will it
not be all right? There are half a hundred servants about. And I have accepted
the invitation, my dear."
Such a chance to
win favor again could not be disregarded, of course, and so Lolita was made
acquainted with the arrangement. She was to remain in the great living-room,
reading a volume of verse she had found there, and if she grew sleepy she was
to retire to a certain chamber. The servants would guard her, and the
despensero would look after her wishes personally.
Don Carlos and
his wife went to make their evening visit, being lighted across the plaza by
half a dozen natives who held torches in their hands, for the night was without
a moon, and rain was threatening again.
Señorita Lolita
curled up on a couch, the volume of verse in her lap, and began to read. Each
verse treated of love, romance, passion. She marveled that Don Diego would read
such, being so lifeless himself, but the volume showed that it had been much
handled. She sprang from the couch to look at other books on a bench not far
away. And her amazement increased.
Volume after
volume of poets who sang of love; volumes that had to do with horsemanship;
books that had been written at the dictation of masters of fence; tales of
great generals and warriors were there.
Surely these
volumes were not for a man of Don Diego's blood, she told herself. And then she
thought that perhaps he reveled in them, though not in the manner of life they
preached. Don Diego was something of a puzzle, she told herself for the
hundredth time; and she went back and began reading the poetry again.
Then Captain
Ramón hammered at the front door.