In a Hollow of the Hills

his fancy. That the confederate of a gang of robbers should be admitted to the austere recesses of the convent, with a celerity that bespoke familiarity, was incredible. He again glanced

tared emptily. No! Unless she were an illusion herself

He turned away with a feeling of relief. The incongruity of her retreat assumed a more favorable aspect to his hopes. He looked at the hallowed walls and the slumbering peacefulness of the gnarled old trees that hid the convent, and a gentle reminiscence of his youth stole over him. It was not the first time that he had gazed wistfully upon that chaste refuge where, perhaps, the bright eyes that he had foll

But what was this, then? He HAD thought of bringing out some of his relations from the States, and placing a niece in the convent. That was good and wise. Ah, yes. For education in this new country, one must turn to the church. And he would see the Lady Superior? Ah! that was but the twist of one's finger and the lifting of a latch to a grave superintendent and a gray head like that.

ed female companion. Notably this was the case of the Senor Rivers,-did Don Preble ever know him?-a great capitalist in the Sierras, whose sweet young sister, a naive, ingenuous creature, was the pride of the convent. Of course, it was better that it was so. Discipline and seclusion had to be maintained. The young girl should look upon this as her home. The rules for visitors were necessarily severe. It was rare indeed-except in a case of urgency, such as happened last night-that even a lady, unless the parent of a scholar, was admitted to the hospitality of the convent. And this lady was only the friend of that same sister of the American capitalist, although she was the one who had brought her there. No, she was not a relation. Perhaps Don Preble had heard of a Mrs. Barker,-the friend of Rivers of the Sierras. It was a queer combination of names.

ear," said the Lady Superior gently. "We will have a glass of wine in the lodge waiting-room." She led the way from the reception room to the outer door, but stopped at the sound of approaching footsteps and rustling muslin along the gr

re overlooked by authority, and had bumped against each other with affected gravity. Somewhat ashamed of his useless deception, and the guileles

of a face that might not only have thrilled him in its beauty, its freshness, but in some vague suggestiveness. Yet it was not that which set his pulses beating; it was the look of joyous recognition set in the parted lips and sparkling eyes, the

ung ladies are all so rude, Don Preble," she said dryly; "though our dear child has still some of the mountain freedom. And this is the Senor Rivers's siste

ely heard his companion's voice, and answered mechanically, seeing only before him the vision of the girl's bewitching face, in its still more bewitching consciousness of his presence. With all that he now knew, or thought he knew, came a strange delicacy of asking further questions, a vague fear of compromising HER, a quick impatience of his present deception; even his whole quest of her seemed now to be a profanation, for which he must ask her forgiveness. He longed to

n that eventful night; but it was HER profile that he had seen at the window. The mysterious brother Rivers might have been one of the robbers,-perhaps the one who accompanied Mrs. Barker to San Jose. But it was plain that the young girl had no complicity with the actions of the gang, whatever might have been her companion's confederation. In the prescience of a true lover, he knew that she must have been deceived and kept in utter ignorance of it. There was no look of it in her lovely, guileless eyes; her very impulsiveness and ingenuousness would have long since betrayed the secret. Was it lef

ow with a thrill that it must have been from HER. How did she convey it there? She would not have intrusted it to Mrs. Barker. The idea struck him now as distastefully as it seemed improbable. Perhaps she had been here herself with her companion-the convent sometimes made that concession to a relative or well-known friend. He recalled the fact that he had seen Mrs. Barker enter the hotel alone, after

d time. I want to hear it again. I will

hing was easier than conveying a letter in that way. He remembered with a shock of disillusion and disgust that it was a common device of silly but innocent assignation. Was he to be the ridiculous accomplice of a schoolgirl's extravaga

ensed and disillusionized at her unexpected audacity, he was unusually stirred with the conviction that she was wronging herself, and that more than ever she demanded his help and his consideration. Still she must not come. But how was he to prevent her? It wanted but

him. The reflection of his grave, abstracted face against a shop window, or the announcement of the workings of his own mine on a bulletin board, in its incongruity with his present occupation, gave him an hysterical impulse to laugh. The shadows were already gathering, when he saw a slender, graceful figure disappear in the confectioner's shop on the block below. In his elaborate precautions, he had overlooked that common trysting spot. He hurried thither, and entered. The object of his search was not there, and he was compelled to make a shamefaced, awkward survey of the tables in an inner refreshment saloon to satisfy himself. Any one of the pretty girls seated there might have been the one who had just entered, but none was the one he sought. He hurried into the

tance," he said, eyeing Key somewhat curiously. "She would not wait in the public parlor, as sh

empt. One of the governing sisterhood was here to arraign him for it, or at least prevent an open scandal. Yet he was resolved; and seizing th

o her knees, on the hideous, white-winged coif that, with the coarse but dense white veil, was itself a renunciation of all human vanity. It was a figure he remembered well as a boy, and even in his excitement and half resentment

y follow it, the coif, veil, rosary, and crucifix were swep

with silky tendrils of hair from the hasty withdrawal of her coif, or the blue eyes that sparkled with frank delight beneath them. Key thought h

any moment!" Nevertheless, he caught the two little hands that had been extended to him, and h

eeps two hours after the Angelus; and I got out without anybody knowing me, in her clothes. I see what it is," she said, suddenly be

mility-"for nothing. Had I dreamed that you cared to see me, I would have arranged it easily without this indiscretion, which might make others misjudge you. Ev

und you. That was the first time. Then the second time I heard you, was here in the hall. I was alone in the other room, for Mrs. Barker had gone out. I did not know you were here, but I knew your voice. And the third time was before the convent gate, and then I knew you knew me. And after that I didn't think of anything but coming to yo

from any blame,-blame you do not understand even now. There is still time. I will go back to th

eemed to have extinguished all the joyous youthfulness of her spirit, and moved with the deliberateness of renunciation to

your arm-Sisters don't take it." When they had reached the st

spirit, the passion he had felt a moment before, had gone out of him, as if

d you live i

s some one with whom he had quarreled, and he didn't want to meet him with me. So we got o

e. Again he felt that he would as soon have doubted

ther-did you

me, for it kept him away from the settlements for weeks. I think it had something to do with cattle, for he was always having a new horse. I was all alone before that, too; I had no

ed him with pain and doubt. In his awk

-here even, when you were out with your school

dy else. I never would have gone out in this way but for you," she said hurriedly. After a pause she added

he said, with affected gayety. "There were

u reproved them for throwing a lighted match in the

said Ke

usband were both away. What you said seemed to forewarn me, and I told her. So w

y laughingly, "and I picked them up the next day, wh

y, and hers were too large for me, and dropped off." She stopped, and with a fa

e got no reply when we shouted. W

stranger, or even being seen by any one wh

?" persi

e woods. Why, they had stopped the coach only a few weeks before, a

to lift his eyes to the decorous little figure hastening by his side. Alternately touched by mistrust

ou were really a sister or a priest, you know-a sort of confidence to you-to your dress. I HAVE seen you, or THOUGHT I saw you before. It was that which brought me here, that

said the young girl quickly.

it was my only clue to you. I mean," he added

" she retorted, with the faintest touch of asperity in her childlike voice. "But," she added,

ll awkwardly, "it was only that I rea

ess, he had come to no nearer understanding of the beautiful girl beside him, and his future appeared as vague as before; and, above all, he was conscious of an inferiority of

u here?" resumed the voice beneath the coif. "You

esperately. "But," he added in a lower v

ttle closer

ghtly away; "they may see you from the gate. And you must not go with me

to take her hand. "Let me walk past the ga

id gravely, evading his hand. "You

all. He again held out his hand. Her l

ght, Mis

s to his in the moonlight. "You must not say THAT-it isn't the truth. I c

why?" said K

nt me to use my name and his here, and I promised. My name is 'Riggs'-there! I

Miss Riggs,"

her," she said so

night,

stere, formless garments, seemed to him to even stoop and bend forward in the hum

opped before the gate. There was no sound from within; there