Maruja

an usual caprice and willfulness, retired early to her chamber. Here she beguiled Enriquita, a younger sister, to share her solitu

s off thy beauty like nothing else." "When thou knowest men better," responded Maruja, in a deep voice, "thou wilt care less for what they say, and despise what they do. Besides, I wore it to-day-and-I hate it." "But what fan wilt thou keep thyself? The one of sandal-wood thou hadst to-day?" continued Enriquita, timidly eying the pretty things upon the table. "None," responded Maruja, didactically, "but the simplest, which I shall buy myself. Truly, it is time to set one's self against th

oss the passage, dashed into the bedroom of the youngest Miss Wilson, haled that sentimental brunette from her night toilet, dragged her into her own chamber, and, enwrapping her in a huge

to find Faquita standing by her be

acious alacrity, "for news! Terrible news! The American, D

ted Maruja, thoughtful

n only knows. But he is found dead-this Dr. West-his foot in the broken stirrup, his hand holding a piece o

t to my mother?" repeated Maruja

uld tell her," stammered Faq

ould dare to break upon the morning devotions of the lady mother with open-mouthed

idle badinage of a pleasure-seeking existence was suspended; stupid people with facts came to the fore; practical people with inquiring minds became int

s very violent, and the Doctor did not seem able to control him. The accident probably happened half an hour later, as he was picked up about three miles from here, and from appearances must have been dragged, with his foot in the stirrup, fully half a mile before the

ould say. It didna look even respectable, I remember, when we met him the other day, careering over the country for all the world like one of those crazy Mexicans. And yet he seemed

" said Raymond. "You can't always tell i

must be considerable property

n't look like so prudent and practical a man as

some day," repeat

oss of the MAN, and how to replace HIM, is much more to us than the disposal of his property. Now, Doctor West

an?" asked Buch

friend Mr. Stanton sent a messenger with a despatch to the nearest telegraphic offi

who composed the group, and who had been listening attentively. "An

'll be nothing doing here to-day. As Dr. West was a near neighbor of the

aker. "I trust it will not withdraw from us the society of Miss Saltonst

coloring slightly with the recollection of the morning in the summer-house, yet willing, in his hopel

dlike in the expression of her likes and dislikes," said Raymond,

e to the grand passions of these gentlemen. Confess, you frightened them horribly

loss of that brain affects the county. The Stock Exchange market in San Francisco will indicate that today in the shares of the San Antonio and Soquel Railroad and the West Mills and Manufacturing Co. It is a matter that may affect even our friends here. Whatever West's social standing w

ted in the information that Maruja was closeted with her mother. The penetralia of the casa was only accessible to the family; yet, as he wandered uneasily about, he could not help passing once or twice before the quaint

heart beat thickly; the incense of this sacred inner life, with its faint suggestion of dead rose-leaves, filled him with a voluptuous languor; his breath was lost, as if a soft kiss had tak

e of the tiled floor; there was a low ottoman or couch, covered with a mantle of dark violet velvet, like a pall; there were two quaintly carved stiff chairs; a reli

owy flounces partly veiling the funereal velvet below. Her oval face was pale and melancholy, her eyes moist as if with recent tears; an expression as of troubled passion lurke

"but don't look at me so. I have had a bad night, and now this calamity"-s

ice. "But YOU are in trouble; YOU are suffering. I ha

told me this morning. To be frank with you, it now appears that Dr. West was her most intimate busin

with boyish openness of relief.

oy, broke on her lips. "And is that not enough? What would you? No-sit where you are!

m your mother's slave if she will but let me serve at your side. Only

were only confidence, Pereo, our mayordomo, would have dragged himself from his sick-bed this morning to do my mother's biddi

covered it with kisses.

to do?" he as

him ALONE-more than that, you must not let any one who may be there think you are making any but a social call. If he

ll, with a slight touch of

t. "I have told you Dr. West was my mother's business adviser. She looked upon him as more-as a friend. Do you know what a dangerous thing it is for a woman who has lost one protector to begin to rely upon another? Well, my mother is not yet old. Dr. West appreciated her-Dr. West did not depreciate himself-two things that go far with

ruja-you who warned me agains

are you mad enough not to see that this very act wo

my suit, Maruja," he

r cheeks. After a moment's pause, she added, in a gentler and half-reproachful voice, "Do you thi

sh, I know-for I love you. But you have not told me yet how I could

what she might not write, in confidence. But you understand, they are not letters to be made public nor to pass into any hands but hers. They are not to be left to be bandied about by his Americ

icer, quietly. "This letter, then,

ns call Aladdin, was a friend of Dr. West; they were associated in business,

may," said Ca

he young man bent over it respec

of the gentleman, this simple possession of knighthood not laid on by perfunctory steel, but springing from within-all this, I grieve to say, was partly unintelligible to Maruja, and not entirely satisfactory. Since he had entered the room they seemed to have changed their situations; he was no longer the pleading lover that

ich indicates a lover; and it was with a return of his professional coolness and precision that he rode out of the patio as if on parade. Erect, observant, and self-possessed, he felt himself "on duty," and, putting spurs to his horse, cantered along the high-road, finding an inexpr

dge of equitation and the technique of accoutrements exploded the idea that the saddle could have slipped here, the saddle-blanket fallen and the horse have run nearly a mile hampered by the saddle hanging under him. Consequently, the saddle, blanket, and unfortunate rider must have been precipitated together, and at the same moment, on or near this very spot. Captain Carroll was not a detective; he had no theory to establish, no motive to discover, only as an officer, he would have simply rejected any excuse offered on those terms by one of his troopers to account for a similar accident. He troubled himself with no further deduction. Without dismounting, he gave a closer attention to the marks of struggling hoofs near