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clear again. That will be good news for Doña Constancia and
Dolores; I shall go and see them this afternoon."
"Who is this Don Alfonso? He has been to me the best physician and
the most grumpy host that ever a man had."
"If I tell you his surname you will know at once who he is, then we
need talk no more of him, and I will read to you. His name is
Miranda."
"Miranda!" said Marcelino meditatively; "Miranda! Is he any relation
to the General, Don Francisco?"
"His brother."
"And what has he done that my father should think him his enemy?"
"Have you never heard? It happened before I went to Europe!"
"What happened?"
"I see you have never heard of him before. Strange! Then I suppose
I must tell you. You have heard of the expeditions of Miranda for the
liberation of Venezuela?"
"Oh yes; you and I have often spoken of them."
"Unluckily for Don Alfonso, who was in England at the time of his
second attempt in 1798, he just then determined to return to
Venezuela. He had lost his wife, who was an Englishwoman. I
suppose that made him leave England. He had never mixed in
politics, and knew nothing of his brother's schemes, but when he
landed at Carracas he was thrown into prison, and only liberated on
condition of leaving the country at once. He came here. Your father
had him arrested again, and kept him in prison for more than a year.
Your grandfather and Don Fausto Velasquez interfered to get him
out, and the affair nearly ended in a complete rupture between your
father and the rest of the family. It is generally believed that Don
Alfonso revenged himself on Don Roderigo by sending secret
information against him to Spain. Whether that is true I do not
know, but soon after that your father fell into disgrace, and the two
have been deadly enemies ever since. I wonder you never heard of
this."
"I remember that before I went to Cordova there was a great
quarrel between my father and my grandfather. I have seen my
mother cry about it for an hour together, but I never knew what it
was about. It must have been this affair, I suppose," answered
Marcelino musingly. "How strange of my father! He is very liberal in
his ideas, but he cannot see that we in our country have just the
same rights that Spaniards have in Spain."
Then Marcelino lay back wearily on his pillows, and a shade of
sadness passed over his face.
"I have let you talk too much," said Evaña; "and I should not have
told you of this yet but that I thought you had heard before of Don
Alfonso Miranda. Let me read to you; I have brought you another
paper."
So saying, Evaña drew another paper from the breast-pocket of his
coat, and began reading it aloud to his sick friend, every now and
then pausing to make comments and to add observations of his
own. Marcelino listened dreamily with his eyes half closed, and a
smile playing over his lips for some time, till his eyes closed
altogether, and Evaña looking at him saw that he was asleep.
For two hours Evaña sat in silence at the bedside of his friend,
listening to his low, regular breathing, looking at him now and then
and marking the ravages which sickness and pain had made upon
his young face. As he looked an expression of pain came into his
own face, he thought of the numbers of his own countrymen in the
bloom of their youth, or in the pride of their manhood, who would
be struck down even as his own friend here before the dream of his
life could be accomplished, before the dominion of Spain could be
cast off, and a republic of Argentines take its place among the
nations of the world. Of his own life he recked nothing, he had
calculated the probable cost of a struggle with Spain, the price of
liberty would be counted down in the lives of men, and that his own
life would be one of them he thought likely enough, for did not he
seek his own place in the very van of the great movement. But that
the friends of his youth, who would follow him in the blind
generosity of their hearts, fighting for a liberty of which they could
not know the value, should fall, that thought was painful to him, and
fall they would, that he knew right well.
So passed two hours; again the door opened, and a girl entered,
bearing a tray with a basin of broth and some thin slices of bread on
a plate.
"Here is your broth," said Evaña, as Marcelino awoke at the sound of
the opening door; "let us see if you will leave less of it than you did
yesterday."
"I don't intend to leave any of it to-day," replied Marcelino. "But first,
Carlos, tell me, that daughter of Don Alfonso's you spoke of, what is
she like?"
"I have never seen her," replied Evaña.
"I was at the Pajonales last summer, I must have met her there."
"She has been there for the last four years."
"There was a little girl there they called the Inglesita, I never
thought of asking her name; she could not be more than fourteen or
fifteen years old. She had a snub nose, and the most beautiful large
grey eyes I ever saw."
"That would be her; you appear to remember her very well," said
Evaña smiling; "but she must be more than fifteen, those English
always look younger than their real age. Her name is Magdalen."
"Magdalen! Malena, I think I heard them call her so."
"That's she, without doubt. So the best thing you can do is to get
strong enough to move into the sala, and then the owner of those
grey eyes will amuse you better than I can."
"You don't admire grey eyes, you admire black ones, like my
mother's or Eliza Puyrredon's; but I can tell you gray eyes are the
most beautiful of all, if a sympathetic heart shines through them."
"You have studied them?"
"I have seen one pair which I shall never forget."
"And I also," said Evaña to himself; but he added aloud, "never mind
about eyes just now, you can dream of them after you have taken
your broth."
When Evaña covering him carefully up, left the room, Marcelino lay
back on his pillows, thinking dreamily of those gray eyes that
Evaña's talk had brought back to his recollection. He had never
spoken a dozen words to the Inglesita, but she had listened
attentively to what he had said to others; he had looked at her, had
seen his own ideas reflected in her eyes, and those eyes had
haunted him ever since.
Next morning at his usual hour Don Carlos Evaña was again at the
Quinta de Don Alfonso. Marcelino's eyes brightened as he took his
seat beside him after making enquiries about his progress.
"Never mind about me," he said, "I am twice as strong to-day; but
tell me your news, I am sure it is good from your face."
"Good and bad, both; but I don't know whether we need think the
bad bad."
"Then the bad first. What is it?"
"Your grandfather has resigned his seat in the Cabildo."
"But this is bad, he was the only Creole those Spaniards thought
worthy to sit with them."
"No, it is good. The best thing for us is that there be a broad line
drawn between Spaniards and the sons of the soil. The broader this
line is the easier will it be for us to tell friends from enemies when
the day comes."
"And he resigned of his own will?"
"Yes, but not till he saw that to remain was to expose himself to
expulsion."
"To expulsion! after all that he did for the defence of the city! If it
had not been for him Liniers would never have been able to rescue
the city from Beresford. And after that, who has done as much as he
for the equipment of the militia?"
"No one," answered Evaña smiling. "Why you are strong enough to
be quite indignant."
"Indignant! I should think I am."
"They only tolerated him so long as he was useful to them," replied
Evaña. "I think he has done very well to resign."
"What became of Asneiros when my men were disbanded?"
"Liniers has given him a captain's commission, but I don't know if he
has joined any regiment yet."
"He is a smart soldier, but he is all a Spaniard. Do you know, if there
were many Spaniards among us like him we could never have the
country to ourselves, they would beat us if we came to fighting."
"There are many Spaniards as good as he," replied Evaña; "but not
for that have I any fear. The Spanish system keeps the good men
down, that is the weakness of Spain, and that is also the reason why
we must free ourselves from Spain. We have many good men
amongst us, but nothing can they do so long as Spain and the
Spanish system rule over us."
"True. I shall see Asneiros some day, and shall keep my eye on him."
"Well, you have my bad news, now for the good ones. Your friend
Gordon has come back with Don Fausto, and is coming with me to
see you this afternoon."
"Viva! Yes, that is good."
"You can talk to him as much as you like about the grey-eyed
Magdalen. She talks English as well as I do, and Gordon and she are
great friends."
"And Gordon, poor fellow, will be a prisoner yet for no one knows
how long."
"He does not seem to fret about it. Very few prisoners find such kind
gaolers; I am sure I do not pity him."
"What made him go to Don Fausto's estancia?"
"He had to go somewhere, for if he had been seen by any English
officer he would have been claimed, so Don Fausto took him with
him when he went back."
"Then was Don Fausto in the city on the 5th July?"
"Did I never tell you? He came in with a party of peons all armed to
the teeth, as soon as he heard that the English had landed. He got
into town on the night of the 4th, and without resting a moment set
to work to turn his house into a fortification; a lot of the Patricios
went to help him, and there they stood all day waiting for some
Englishmen to come and be shot, and not one went anywhere near
them."
"I should have thought that was exactly where the English would
have tried to go in. Don Juan Martin Puyrredon went by that street
on the 12th August, with Don Isidro Lorea to help him."
"They did try, but poor Don Isidro stopped them."
"Don Isidro! what about him? Now your voice changed when you
spoke of him," said Marcelino, raising himself on his elbow and
looking earnestly at Evaña.
"It was a slip," said Evaña sadly. "I did not intend to have told you
yet, but you must know some day. He was killed, fighting like a hero
at the head of his men. Could you wish for a better death yourself—
fighting for his country in defence of his own home?"
"And Doña Dalmacia! what a blow for her! How does she bear it?"
"I have not seen her since. He completely beat the English and
captured a gun. Don't ask me any more about it; when you are well
and strong again we will go all round the city together, and I will tell
you all I know of the attack and the defence. But I have something
else to tell you now. Your Uncle Gregorio is missing."
"I thought you said he went to the quinta after the fight at the Pasa
Chico."
"He did, but the next day he went outside, and has never been back.
We expected to hear of him from Don Fausto, but no one knows
where he has gone."
"Oh, that is nothing! he is always disappearing like that, but he
always turns up again. The old game, I suppose, some pair of
shining black eyes."
"But it is strange now when all the comandantes are in the city, and
he is in command of a regiment."
"Ah, Carlos, you don't understand those things; politics are
everything to you, and if you see a pair of bright eyes you don't
even notice what colour they are. When my uncle Gregorio sees a
pair which smile on him he forgets everything. He always was that
way, so they tell me."
"And then, after looking at himself in those eyes for a month or so,
he gets tired of them, and goes away, and never thinks of them any
more," said Evaña. "Frankly, I cannot understand a man like that,
yet I believe there are such men."
"Of them there are many, but you are not one of them, Carlos,
therefore you cannot understand my uncle. If you ever love it will be
for all your life; you are a tyrant to every one else, but you would be
a slave to a woman you loved."
"Therefore I had better never love," replied Evaña; "man was not
made to be slave to any, but to be lord over the whole earth."
"But not lord over his own heart, Carlos, that is in no man's power.
Proud as you are, your time will come."
"Let me read you some more of the 'Estrella del Sur,'" said Evaña
hastily.
"I have it safe under my pillow, no one has seen it," replied
Marcelino. "Ah! Carlos, if the English had only made war upon the
Spaniards with these newspapers instead of with cannon-balls, then
we could have received them as friends."
"Be it then our work to teach the lesson they have failed to teach,"
replied Evaña.
 CHAPTER II
THE EPISODE OF THE FAIR MAURICIA
A fortnight passed, Marcelino gained strength rapidly, Don Alfonso
pronounced him well enough to bear removal, and very readily
acquiesced in the desire of Don Roderigo that he should pass his
convalescence under another roof. A covered litter, carried by slaves
and escorted by Don Carlos Evaña and Lieutenant Gordon, made its
appearance at the quinta one fine morning in September. That night
Marcelino slept under his father's roof and his pillow was smoothed
for him by his mother's hand. The change did him good, a few days
more and he was able to spend the afternoons on a sofa in his
mother's sala.
Little by little he learnt all the particulars of the struggle of the 5th
and 6th July. The sad fate of Doña Dalmacia Navarro caused him
deep sorrow, but on the whole he was surprised to learn the small
extent of the loss suffered by his fellow-citizens, and his heart
swelled with pride as anecdote after anecdote of their bravery and of
their tender care for the victims of the fight, were poured into his
willing ear.
One afternoon as his sister Dolores, aided by his two friends Don
Carlos Evaña and Lieutenant Gordon, were doing their best to amuse
him, Don Roderigo Ponce de Leon hurriedly entered the room and
requested Don Carlos Evaña to favour him with his company for a
few minutes.
"What is there?" asked Marcelino, as the door closed. "My father
looked very grave."
"I came in just as he did," said Gordon. "There was a gaucho waiting
for him, who seemed very impatient to see him. They went into Don
Roderigo's private room together."
"Will it be some news of my uncle Gregorio, I know grandpapa is
very anxious about him?" said Dolores.
News about this uncle Gregorio it most certainly was, and news
which caused great disquietude to Don Roderigo. While raising his
regiment in the preceding summer, Don Gregorio Lopez the younger
had made the acquaintance of Don Francisco Viana, the father of
Venceslao Viana, and had passed much of his spare time at his
estancia, receiving from him much assistance in his recruiting
operations. Don Francisco had several daughters, all good-looking, in
spite of the dark blood which they inherited from their mother. One
of them named Mauricia appeared to the Colonel of cavalry the
handsomest woman he had ever seen in his life. He at once fell
deeply in love with her, and felt that life without her to share it with
him would be a burden to him greater than he could bear. This
sensation was no novelty to the Señor Colonel Don Gregorio Lopez,
it was commonly reported of him in Buenos Aires that he
experienced it at least once every six months, nevertheless he
pursued this new love with all the ardour of a first affection and
prospered in his suit.
The day of the repulse of General Whitelock he made his appearance
at the estancia of Don Francisco, all the men were absent, during
the night he disappeared, and Mauricia went with him. Great was
the sorrow of the family, who knew of his love and had encouraged
it. Don Francisco had seen in the marriage of his daughter with the
Colonel a means of reconciliation with his own family, a matter which
he had much at heart. Search was made in every direction for the
runaway couple, but for long there was no tidings of them, till
Venceslao returned from Buenos Aires, who, being better acquainted
than the rest with the Colonel's habits, before many days had traced
them to the Guardia Ranchos.
So much Don Roderigo told to Don Carlos Evaña as they stood in an
ante-room together, then he added—
"This man insists upon the Colonel marrying his sister at once, but
this the Colonel refuses to do, and he has come in to ask my
intervention in the matter. Now as you know, Don Gregorio is very
jealous of my meddling in the affairs of his family, and I don't see
that I should be justified in doing so in this instance. But this
Mauricia is the niece of my mother-in-law, therefore the honour of
the family is involved in this matter. You have great influence with
Don Gregorio, much more than I have, and I think it would be best
for you to break the matter to him. It will be very painful to him, he
has so carefully avoided all connection with Don Francisco Viana,
that I believe he would rather see his eldest son dead than married
to one of his daughters."
Evaña did not answer immediately, but stood with his eyes fixed on
the ground, pulling nervously at his moustache with one of his long,
white hands.
"You had better see the man yourself," continued Don Roderigo,
opening a side door. "You will find him in here, and while you speak
to him I will go and consult Constancia."
Evaña entered the room of which Roderigo had opened the door,
and saw before him a handsome dark-featured man, in the ordinary
rough dress of a paisano, seated on a chair twirling his hat round
between his fingers. The man looked up at him as he closed the
door behind him, then dropping his hat he started to his feet,
exclaiming—
"My deliverer! my preserver! at last I have met you. Always when I
have been in this city since, I have looked for you. Thanks be to God
that I again see you."
"Who are you?" replied Evaña, looking at him in surprise. "I have
never that I know of done you any service, or even seen you
before."
"Already have you forgotten the massacre at Perdriel, where you
dragged me out from among the dead, and saved me when they
were coming to finish us?"
"You are the man that I helped from under a dead horse! I think I
remember your face now."
"Yes, I am that man whose life you saved. I am Venceslao Viana."
"You never told me your name, but I am glad that I was able to
assist you. Alas! the most of those lying there were beyond all
assistance."
"Two minutes more and I should have been like the rest, beyond all
assistance, for I knew nothing of their speech, and you spoke for
me. You saved my life."
"Hum!" answered Evaña, looking steadily at the eager eyes of the
man before him.
"Yes, Señor, I owe you my life," said Venceslao, somewhat abashed
by the cold, searching gaze of Evaña. "I owe you my life, and, as I
told you then, my services, everything that I have is at your
disposal, send me where you will and I will go, tell me anything I
may do for you and I will do it."
"Perhaps some day I may need your services," replied Evaña; "then I
will apply to you freely, and shall count upon you."
"God grant that it be soon," said Venceslao, as a flush of pleasure
brightened his face.
Evaña started, Venceslao had echoed his own thoughts in his ready
words. Again he looked searchingly into the bright eyes of the
paisano, but he could read nothing more there than the gratitude
which prompted a simple nature to acknowledge and repay as he
best could a signal service, there was no ulterior thought.
"Sit down," said Evaña, taking a chair to himself. "Some other day
we will talk of that. I have come to speak with you on a matter in
which perhaps I may be able to help you better than Don Roderigo.
Tell me all about this affair between your sister and Colonel Lopez."
Half an hour they sat talking together, during which time Evaña
learnt all about the family and connections of Don Francisco Viana,
and much about Colonel Lopez of which he had no idea, for though
he had necessarily seen much of the latter he had never been
intimate with him. Now he learnt that Don Gregorio Lopez the
younger had very considerable influence over all the estancieros in
the southern parts of the province, and was looked up to by all the
stout yeomanry as their natural chief.
"Then you all knew of the Colonel's love for your sister?" said Evaña.
"Yes, all of us, it was no secret. The Colonel was always at our
house when his duties permitted him; he came and went just as he
pleased. We are very simple people, and for our friends our door is
always open. We thought him our friend, and never dreamed of
dishonour."
"But you thought he was going to marry her, had nothing ever been
said about it?"
"Said, no, but it was a thing understood. We are not rich as he is,
but we have land and cattle of our own, we are people of family, and
are not gauchos. My sister Mauricia is very beautiful, and it is not
strange that he should love her. Besides, there is already some
relationship between us, his father married as his second wife my
father's sister."
"Yes, I know all about that, but your father has been for many years
estranged from the rest of his family."
"What matters that? we are still of the same family. That he should
bring dishonour upon his own relations is what we never thought the
Colonel capable of doing, we esteemed him very highly."
"Then you seek the intervention of his own family to prevent this
dishonour?"
"Just so; he will not see us, not even me, and before proceeding to
extremities we would wish to try every means."
"Before proceeding to extremities! what do you mean by that?"
"Pues! that you know well enough, it is sufficient that I mention it."
"You would force him to marry her? But how?"
"If he does not marry her there are no longer any terms between
us," said Venceslao, rising excitedly from his seat. "We are a decent
family as is any other family; I am the eldest son of my father, upon
me devolves this duty to avenge the honour of my family, and I have
sworn upon the Holy Cross that my duty I will do, although ten die
and I among them."
"Be calm, man, and sit down, fresh misfortunes cannot cancel the
one you lament. Sit down and talk rationally, I wish to be your
friend."
"Among gaucho-folk this sort of thing is little thought of," said
Venceslao, still standing and gesticulating with his hands, "but
among the people of family it is different. The family gives dignity
and privileges to a man, but it also imposes upon him duties. I am
nothing more than a simple paisano, but I am an honest man, and
the honour of my family is dearer to me than my own life, as dear to
me as that of any of the grandees of the city is to him. It appears
that the Señor Coronel thinks little of the honour of his father's
family, to me it remains to teach him that being people of family all
are equal."
Evaña's eyes glistened; that all honest men were equal, and that
rank and wealth were but as tinsel adornments, was one of the
leading articles of his political creed. That many of his own standing
agreed with him, he knew, but he did not know that such ideas
would find any favour among the rough, unlettered denizens of the
Pampa. In thought he peered through the mists of the unknown
future, and he saw a time when the aid and friendship of such a
man as Venceslao Viana might be of great service to him; rising from
his seat he went up to him and laid his hand upon his shoulder.
"There is justice in all you say, my friend," said he, "and to me you
may speak safely, but it is not well to speak your thoughts aloud in
every ear. Be calm, there is no need for us yet to discuss this
between us. I wish to be your friend, and I wish also to be a friend
to Colonel Lopez, I desire that he and you may be friends together
and not enemies. Trust me, he shall marry your sister."
"Ah! Señor, if you can manage that you will lift a great weight from
my heart, and will do me a greater service than when you saved me
from the English. Before this I greatly liked the Colonel Lopez, as a
chief I never wish to find one whom I would follow with greater
pleasure. This has been a great tribulation to all of us. Oh! Señor,
save us if you can, the service you will do us is infinite." So saying,
Venceslao reseated himself on his chair and bowing his face on his
hands burst into tears, sobbing till his shoulders shook with the
violence of his grief.
Evaña took two or three turns up and down the room, then coming
back to Venceslao he again laid his hand on his shoulder.
"I am going to see Don Gregorio, the father of the Colonel, he is the
only one who has any power over his son, stay here with Don
Roderigo till I see you again"; so saying, Evaña turned from him and
left the room.
In another room he found Don Roderigo and Doña Constancia, the
latter held a handkerchief in her hand and had evidently been
weeping.
"You have heard what he says?" asked Don Roderigo.
"He has told me everything," replied Evaña, "and I am going to see
Don Gregorio."
"I will go with you," said Don Roderigo.
"No, no," said Doña Constancia; "let Don Carlos go alone. It is right
that my father should know of this, but I do not wish that you
should have any dispute with him. Such an idea! If you mention it to
him he will never speak to you again."
"Constancia says that it is absolutely impossible to think of such a
thing as a marriage between them," said Don Roderigo.
"The idea is folly," said Doña Constancia. "That Gregorio should
amuse himself with a gauchita, to that we are accustomed, but
Roderigo says that they insist upon him marrying her!"
"I fear me, Señora," said Evaña, "that is the only course left open to
him. This Mauricia is no gauchita, she is a cousin of your own,
Señora."
"Cousin! we recognise no such relationship," replied Doña
Constancia haughtily. "What are you going to tell my father, Don
Carlos?"
"I am going to tell him the simple facts, he will decide for himself
whether he will interfere at all in the matter."
"But you will be careful not to mention to him that these Vianas
insist upon him marrying the girl?"
"I shall tell him that also, Señora, and shall do my best to prevail
upon him to consent to it."
"Don Carlos!" exclaimed Doña Constancia, clasping her hands and
looking at him in astonishment.
"I see nothing so extravagant in the idea, Señora. For years you
have all been wishing that Don Gregorio would marry, he is old
enough to know what sort of a wife will suit him best."
"Pues! do what you think best, but my father, I know, will never give
his consent, and we can never receive her."
"That may never be necessary," said Don Roderigo. "Don Gregorio
will live on his estancia, it is the life for which he is most fitted."
Evaña went and saw Don Gregorio, for more than two hours they
talked together.
"My son could seek a wife in the first families. Of those Vianas of
Chascomus I wish no one to speak to me, for me they are as though
they did not exist," said Don Gregorio, as he walked up and down
the dining-room in his anger.
But Evaña would speak of the Vianas, and of their existence Don
Gregorio was most painfully aware.
"I know what you mean, Carlos," said Don Gregorio; "though you
will not say it plainly to me. You mean that Don Francisco Viana is
my equal, that therefore his daughter is the equal of my son, and
that he does not degrade himself by marrying such a woman. I deny
your premises, and therefore the whole of your argument falls to the
ground. By birth Don Francisco is my equal, in everything else he is
my inferior; he has himself married a woman not only inferior to him
in birth but in race also. His daughter is not the equal of my son,
and there is less disgrace in her in their present connection than
would come to my son by their marriage."
"In their own way they are a most respectable family, from all I can
hear," replied Evaña; "and they feel keenly the disgrace which has
come upon them."
"Bah! what matters it, that family! Bring that man here to see me,
Carlos, I will speak to him myself."
It was nightfall before Don Carlos Evaña returned to the house of
Don Gregorio Lopez, accompanied by Venceslao Viana. They were
shown into a small room in the first patio and were soon joined by
Don Gregorio. Don Gregorio looked hard at the roughly dressed but
handsome man who stood before him; the dark blood he had
inherited from his mother was plainly seen in his skin and in his hair,
but his features were of almost classical beauty, and in his face there
was a look of intelligence and of fearless honesty of purpose which
won upon the old gentleman in spite of his prejudices. Venceslao on
his part also carefully scrutinised the appearance of Don Gregorio,
and recognised him at once.
"It is the same," said he to himself, bethinking him of the letter he
had carried from Liniers to the Cabildo on the morning of the 3rd
July. "It is the same, I knew that in some way he was a relation of
mine, they all of them seem to be people of 'Categoria,' but not for
that shall I yield one inch. The higher the family, the deeper is the
stain of dishonour."
"Thanks for having taken the trouble to come and visit me, take a
seat," said Don Gregorio, without however offering to shake hands
with him. "My son has behaved very badly to your sister, and to all
of you; apparently you have shown him much kindness, and he has
requited you most infamously. I am glad you have come to see me,
for I have great influence over my son, and will use my utmost
endeavour to induce him to make you every possible reparation. I
shall write to him, that on pain of my severest displeasure he return
your sister at once to her father's house, that is the first thing he
must do, then we will see what further——"
"No, Señor, excuse me," interrupted Venceslao, "that is not the first
thing. The first thing he has to do is to make her his wife, after that,
if he cares for her no longer, the door of her father's house will be
open to her, not before."
"Do me the favour to listen to me. You must be aware that an
alliance——"
"Excuse me, Señor Don Gregorio. By the side of a great Señor as
you are, my father is but a poor man, but we are an honest family,
and of good name. Our honour is as dear to us as your own is to
you, and we will not permit a stain to be cast upon our good name
by any one with impunity."
"You permit yourself to talk folly, my friend," said Don Gregorio,
striving to preserve his calmness. "I asked you here that we might
speak together in a friendly manner, and I can excuse much to you
as you have reason for indignation."
"Reason!" said Venceslao excitedly. "You do not know my father. He
is a venerable old man, older than you are I think. Your son has
brought shame and sorrow upon his head, and would you that I, his
eldest son, shall talk of reason! I have well loved your son, and have
followed him as my chief, and I wish to save him from the
consequences of his own act, or I had no need to have come here."
"What is that you say?" said Don Gregorio, frowning angrily.
"I think it is useless to speak any more," said Evaña, "I see that it
can have no good result; I will go to the Guardia Ranchos, and will
see Colonel Lopez myself."
Venceslao looked at him gratefully, and rose from his seat to go.
"Not yet," said Don Gregorio, stepping rapidly between him and the
door. "You have used words which require explanation, you do not
leave this room till I know of your intentions."
"If the honour of your family is nothing to you, to my father it is
more precious than life, and I, his son, know how to avenge any
affront to the family."
"My family!" said Don Gregorio.
"I am of your family, and so is my sister Mauricia; the stain is upon
you as well as upon us. I have come to appeal to you, as the head
of the family; it appears that the honour of the family is to you of
small value, I am a man of another stamp, and will know how to
take my measures. I will know what measures to take."
"Talk no more in that way, Venceslao," said Evaña; "you forget the
respect you owe to an old man."
"It is not alone in respect that he is wanting," said Don Gregorio; "he
has used words which require explanation, and I require an explicit
explanation before he leaves this room."
"I have spoken clearly enough, and seek to hide nothing," said
Venceslao.
"You have spoken of consequences to my son," said Don Gregorio.
"I have spoken; I know my duty, and shall do it."
"You apprehend danger?" said Evaña to Don Gregorio, taking him
aside. "Dismiss all fear of that. Those who talk much never do
anything. Leave it all to me; as I told you, I will go to-morrow to the
Guardia Ranchos, and will see Gregorio myself, we shall arrange the
matter, but if you interfere with this man it will occasion a scandal.
You might write to Gregorio, and I will carry the letter for you."
"No, I will not write, I am too angry to write now, but tell my son
that he must submit to any demand they may make upon him, and
that I will not see him again until he has completely severed all
connection between himself and this family."
"I will tell him what you say, word for word," said Evaña.

Two days after this, Don Carlos Evaña and Colonel Don Gregorio
Lopez sat talking together in the plainly-furnished sala of a house in
the frontier town of Ranchos, which is situated about ten leagues to
the north-east of the Guardia Chascomus. For more than an hour
they had talked together, and it was now near sundown. The Colonel
sat leaning back in an arm-chair, with his legs stretched out before
him, his hat, loosely set on, completely concealed his forehead, his
eyes being just visible under the wide flap. He was smoking, and
was apparently more intent upon watching the white rings of smoke,
which he now and then succeeded in puffing into the air, than upon
the conversation of the Senor Evaña. Everything in his demeanour
and attitude denoted careless ease, yet now and then there was a
hurried, anxious glance in his eye, which showed that the ease was
more apparent than real. Don Carlos Evaña was not at all at his
ease, and made no attempt to appear so. He had laid aside his cloak
and hat, and walked up and down the room, nervously rolling a cigar
between his fingers.
"All that you say to me is in vain, Carlos," said Don Gregorio.
"Mauricia is a pearl among women, the more I know of her the more
precious she is to me."
"Then marry her, and make her yours for life," replied Evaña.
"And break for ever with my father! no!"
"I gave you your father's message, word for word, as he gave it to
me; he insists upon your severing all connection with that family, as
I told you."
"With the family with pleasure; I have done that most decisively
already by robbing a daughter from them," replied the colonel, with
a hollow laugh.
"And never did you do anything more contrary to your own
interests."
"Why do you so insist upon my interests? Granted that I do lose my
influence with the paisanage, and that I cease to be comandante,
what matters that to you?"
"To me! what can it matter to me? But to you it matters more than
you think. The day is not far distant when the comandantes will have
the destinies of our country in their hands."
"Ah! always at that old idea of yours—America for the Americans. It
seems to me that we fought the English for Spain and not for
America. I raised a regiment and worked like a slave for months,
because it was my father's wish that I should do so. How have they
rewarded my father?"
As Don Gregorio said this all his carelessness disappeared, he thrust
his hat back from his forehead, and stamping angrily with one foot
on the tiled floor he fiercely repeated his question, "How have they
rewarded my father?"
"They despise him, and kick him out from amongst them as though
he were a dog," replied Evaña.
"Pues! why then should I be comandante, to drill troops and run
upon the fire, if need be, for them?"
"You speak well. But answer me one question. How many Spaniards
are there in your regiment?"
"None. What do I want with Spaniards?"
"In the Partido of Chascomus, how many Spaniards are there who
have houses and land?"
"Perhaps fifty."
"Then if you have all the paisanos at your back you need fear
nothing from the Cabildo if you happened to quarrel with them?"
"In my own partido I am king, and fear no one."
"Answer me yet another question. Who was it that drove Beresford
from the Plaza Mayor, and so insured his destruction on the 12th
August?"
"Juan Martin Puyrredon and my nephew."
"Another question. What troops drove back the English columns on
the 5th July?"
"The Patricios. I am not a school-boy that you should ask me
questions that every one knows."
"Well, I will ask you no more. But look you here; you are an
American, and are king, as you say, in your own partido. Don Juan
Martin Puyrredon, Don Martin Rodriguez, and all the other
comandantes are just as powerful in their districts as you are in
yours; the strength of Buenos Aires is in the native militia, who obey
Don Cornelio Saavedra, everywhere the strength is in the hands of
Americans; where the strength is, there the power will go. They
have turned Don Gregorio out of the Cabildo, the Spaniards are to
have all the power to themselves. Think you this can last? No, I tell
you your father must go back to that Cabildo. You must keep up
your regiment, and when the day comes your strength and influence
will put him there."
"It may be," replied Don Gregorio, again leaning back lazily in his
chair; "but for the present we have other things to think of. You did
not come here to tell me that."
"No, but if you marry Mauricia you secure your power and influence.
If you do not, your help will never be of any service to your father."
"Tales, my friend, why should I marry her? She is better off here
with me now than she ever was before, or was ever likely to be."
"You think so, but I doubt it. She must love you very dearly, or she
would not have run away from her home with you. She would be
proud to be your wife, now she is to you as your horse or your dog,
you can turn her away when you are tired of her. She has sacrificed
everything for you, but she has no claim upon you."
"She has more than a claim, she has power over me. She knows that
I can refuse her nothing; this house, everything that I have is hers,
she has only to ask, and she knows it."
"Has she ever asked you for anything?"
"Never. She is with me because she loves me, and I love her."
"Has she ever asked to see her father, or any of her family?"
"Never. I never speak to her about them, and I never wish her to
see them again."
"Yet she was much attached to them all. Do you think she has
forgotten them?"
As Don Gregorio did not answer this question, Evaña continued:
"Men cut themselves off from their families and form homes for
themselves, but women never forget the homes of their childhood. It
may be a light thing to you to quarrel with your father, but it will be
a sore trial to Mauricia to lose hers, you have blasted her life for
her."
"Folly, man! Here she has a house of her own, a better one than she
ever lived in before, servants to wait upon her, and nothing to do but
amuse herself."
"Nothing to do!" answered Evaña. "Idleness either in man or woman
is destructive of happiness. If she has nothing to do she will soon be
miserable; she has been accustomed always to have plenty of work
on her hands. If she were your wife she would feel that this house
was hers, and would soon find plenty of work in ruling it for you. As
the head of your household her work would be happiness to her; as
your wife she would feel herself a queen among her sisters."
"Since when have you learned to know so much of women, Carlos?"
replied Don Gregorio, laughing. "Formerly you cared for nothing but
books."
Evaña turned impatiently away from him and did not answer,
whereupon Don Gregorio arose from his chair, saying:
"I will go and speak with Mauricia, for her happiness I am ready to
make any sacrifice."
Evaña relighted his cigar and threw himself full-length upon a sofa;
the cigar was long smoked out ere Don Gregorio returned.
For several days past Mauricia had been less cheerful than she was
wont to be. Don Gregorio had noticed this once or twice when he
had come upon her unawares; he had found her in tears, which she
had striven to hide from him. When he left Evaña he found her
sitting alone with some embroidery work before her, but her fingers
were idle, traces of recent tears were on her cheeks, yet as he sat
down beside her she cast her sad thoughts to the winds, and turned
to greet him with a loving smile.
"Has your friend gone?" she asked.
"No, not yet. We have been talking of your father, and of the rest of
your family; he says——"
But as Don Gregorio spoke of her father, all the sad thoughts in
which she had been indulging rushed back to her mind, her colour
faded from her face, and she clasped her hands together, twining
her fingers one over the other, and bowing her head upon her
bosom. About her father and her family she could not speak, and, as
Don Gregorio spoke to her of them slightingly, her heart for the first
time rose in rebellion against him.
"They all loved me," said she sharply, in a tone which Don Gregorio
had never heard from her before, "and I have brought sorrow and
shame upon them; what matters it that they are poor?" As she said
this she hid her face in her hands, and the tears trickled through her
fingers.
Don Gregorio did all that he could to soothe her, speaking loving
words to her, leaning over her and caressing her; but to all that he
said she spoke not one word in return, still hiding her face from him,
still struggling in her own way against the remorse which lay heavy
on her heart.
"They want me to marry thee," said he, drawing slightly away from
her.
At this her hands dropped from her face, she turned and looked full
upon him, a wild gleam of joy and hope in her eyes.
"Will they forgive me?" she asked eagerly.
"To my wife they have nothing to forgive," replied Don Gregorio
haughtily. "If it is that thou lovest them better than me, leave me,
go to them, and ask them to forgive thee."
"No, no!" replied Mauricia, again dropping her face on to her hands,
"with thee, wherever thou art!"
"Thou seekest me not then to marry thee?"
"Do not be angry with me, only love me, and let me always be with
thee." So saying, Mauricia rose from her seat, and threw herself on
her knees beside him, laying both her hands upon one arm and
leaning upon him.
Don Gregorio put his arm round her and bent over her, asking her
again:
"Willest thou that we marry?"
But Mauricia still clung to him answering him nothing. Then he took
her in his arms and raised her to her feet, and said in a low whisper:
"Venceslao is near here, I go to send him to thy father to ask his
permission for thee to become my wife."
With a low cry of joy she threw her arms round his neck, kissing him
frantically.
It was a Sunday forenoon, three weeks after this, that Don Carlos
Evaña accompanied by Venceslao Viana, rode up to the estancia of
Don Francisco Viana. Many horses were tethered about, and dogs
rushed out barking fiercely at them, but no one came to bid them
welcome.
"They are at service," said Venceslao, as he tied Evaña's horse for
him to the palenque; "would you like to see? It is a thing you will not
see on other estancias."
"With pleasure; I am curious to see it."
"It is well worth seeing," said Venceslao, smiling. "There is no Padre
Cura can say Mass like my father does."
He then led the way into a large room where the whole household
was collected, sitting or kneeling on the ground in rows, the women
having small carpets under them, and some of the men had coarse
rugs or sheepskins. Don Francisco himself, a venerable-looking old
man with white hair, which hung down to his shoulders, and a long
white beard, stood behind a small table at one end of the room,
reading from a large book which lay open on it before him—the
service of the day. His eye flashed a cordial greeting to Evaña as he
entered, he paused for one moment to bow a mute salutation, and
then calmly resumed his reading.
Evaña took a seat on a chair which stood near the door, looking with
curiosity upon a scene such as he had never before witnessed, and
many a furtive glance was cast upon him by the worshippers, more
especially from the front row, where Mauricia knelt with her mother
and her sisters. Don Gregorio was not present, and Venceslao
whispered to Evaña that he had ridden into the Guardia that
morning, and would be back before sundown. As the service ended
all knelt down, bowing their heads, and Don Francisco, raising his
hands, pronounced the benediction; then as the others rose to their
feet he made his way through them, and came up to Evaña with
tears in his eyes and both hands stretched out in welcome.
"May God all-powerful and the most Holy Virgin have you ever in
their keeping, and return to you tenfold the benefits you have
worked for us. You have saved a whole family from misery, and have
brought joy and contentment back to our household."
A feeling of shame came over Evaña as he stammered out some
incoherent words in answer, then he said:
"I had no idea you had so large a family. Are all these yours?"
"All," replied the old man, looking proudly round him; "all are mine,
sons, daughters, and relatives of my wife. I have no stranger in my
household, we are but one family."
Then taking Evaña by the hand he introduced him to his wife and
daughters, who kissed his hands, and the mother, a stout, well-
featured woman, with dark complexion and coarse black hair,
thanked him and blessed him with many fervent words for having
restored her daughter to her when she wept over her as lost.
"Boys," said Don Francisco, turning to the male members of his
family, "you see this Señor, we owe to him a benefit which we can
never repay; through fire and through water our lives and all that we
have are at his service if the day ever comes that he need them."
Then he added in a low voice to Evaña:
"Don Gregorio has told me that the day may come when you may
need a few stout horsemen at your back. Look round, you will see
stout men among my household. All are yours when you call for
them."
Evaña remained three days at the estancia of Don Francisco, days
which were held as fête days by the family and their neighbours,
and passed in all manner of rural sports and games. On the Tuesday
there was a grand ostrich hunt, in which over 200 horsemen took a
part. Many were the feats of horsemanship performed, and the
choicest trophies were laid at the feet of Don Carlos Evaña, though
the hunt was nominally to celebrate the wedding of the Señor
Coronel Don Gregorio Lopez and the fair Mauricia, daughter of Don
Francisco Viana.
 CHAPTER III
WATCH AND WAIT
When Don Carlos Evaña left the estancia of Don Francisco Viana,
Colonel Lopez accompanied him for about a league on his way. As he
drew rein to turn back, he stretched out his hand to Evaña, saying:
"May God keep you, my friend. If you had not come to see me I
should never have married her, and now I know it is the best thing I
ever did in my life. Do what you can for me to make my peace with
my father. I have written to him announcing my marriage, but have
no answer from him. If he will receive me I will go in and visit him at
once, but of course Mauricia will remain on the estancia."
In consequence of this Evaña went in by way of the Casa-teja,
having an idea that he might find Don Gregorio there. In this he was
not disappointed, but he was much disappointed at the reception he
met with. Don Gregorio told him plainly that he believed his son to
be the victim of a conspiracy, to which he, Evaña, had lent himself
for some unknown purposes of his own, so that the interview
between them was highly unpleasant to both of them, and Evaña
gave a sigh of relief as he swung himself once more into his saddle,
and galloped off for the Quinta de Ponce.
Here also he met with disappointment. He had always been a great
favourite with Doña Constancia, but now she received him very
coldly.
"And you tell me that it is actually true, Carlos?" she said. "You stood
by and did nothing to prevent it, and gave your countenance to it by
being present? I always looked upon you as one of ourselves,
Carlos."
"I have no dearer wish in life than that you should continue to do so,
Doña Constancia," replied Evaña. "In what I have done I have acted
as I considered that the interests of the Colonel himself demanded.
Had I considered my own interests I should have refused to have
anything to do in the affair either one way or another. Your father
seems disposed to excuse the Colonel and to lay the whole blame
upon me. I am content that he should do so if by so doing he learns
to forgive his son. But if you blame me I shall feel that I have
incurred a very heavy and most unmerited misfortune."
"You are always generous, Carlos," said Doña Constancia, "and I
should be sorry to blame you more than you deserve. Your
intentions may have been quite right, but you have at any rate
shown great want of judgment, and we did not expect that from
you. That my brother should commit such great folly is no matter of
surprise to any of us, but to papa it has been a very severe blow,
and I cannot help feeling angry with you for the share you have had
in causing him this sorrow."

If Evaña felt sore at the reception Doña Constancia gave him, he

was amply compensated by the cordial greeting of her daughter
Dolores, who on this subject held very different ideas from either her
mother or grandfather, and declared them boldly, fortified as her
own opinion was by the few words which Don Roderigo had said
upon the subject.
She, Marcelino, and Lieutenant Gordon were seated under the front
verandah when Evaña joined them after his short conversation with
Doña Constancia.
"What a time you have been away, more than a month, but you
have been well employed, I think," said Dolores, smiling upon him.
"Marcelino and I have talked it all over together, and we agree that
you have done our uncle a great service, if you had anything to do
with his marriage, as they say you had."
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