Part 34 (1/2)
The girl drew back in horror If the tale reached home, the shock would break herShe had heard of no Aave her no time to recover
”Then I ht froether at Rio Frio after dark; you find shelter in my house”
Evelyn started, for this orse
”Your house!” she exclaily ”
The jealous hatred of the coarse but handsorew hot with huarded her as a favored rival It was unendurable; but in spite of her anger she was getting calht that Gomez could not be moved by passion He was a sensual brute, and her beauty had perhaps caught his roving eye, but it was soht
”It was a clever plot; one that only a mind like yours could conceive,”
she said with quiet scorn
”The i is that it succeeded But may I ask why you object to me? I am a man of influence--in reality, the second in power The country is disturbed and discontented; before long I may be first”
”Your hopes would probably couessed the smile
She saw that she had touched hilance at the door, as if to make sure that nobody had heard his boast As he did so, Evelyn thought she heard a faint ht beTo distract his attention, she flung another jibe at hih you think I am in your power, I will never est it Even if you were not repulsive in person and character, you are not a white man”
The blood rushed to his face and his eyes flashed
”You are rash, senorita, in trying to provoke me, but you may take a wiser course before I have finished with you It pains me deeply to be compelled to remind you that you are in ive you one more chance to marry me _of your own free will_ And now I leave you to think it over”
Before Evelyn could one She fell limply into a chair and dropped her head into her hands She must think, _think_; but the strain had been unbearable and the reaction threatened to overwhelm her
CHAPTER XXIII
THE INTERCEPTED NOTE
When she was able to think calmly, Evelyn found herself confronted by familiar troubles She was not a prisoner and yet she could not run away, because she had no money and could not understand the barbarous Castilian spoken ans, for help, for it was generally believed that she had eloped with Gomez His friends would, no doubt, send her back to him His enemies would treat her with rude contempt Sooner than be forced to marry him, she would steal away and starve; but she had a conviction that things would not come to the worst It would suit Gomez best to break down her resistance by ether inexperienced, and during the past week her mental powers had suddenly developed; besides, she was supported by a deep-rooted national pride It was a privilege to be an American, or, as her countryht not be quite free froation One ht and never subner
It was, however, obvious that she ht of Grahame He would come if she sent for him, and she kne that he would be welcome if he came as her lover He was a white man; it was an unspeakable relief to dwell upon his fine, athletic sy, brown face with its starossness of her persecutor She had thought of him often, and had indeed found it hard not to do so oftener, but the turning-point had co aside ambition, she opened her heart to the love that had been waiting This was not because she was in danger, although danger had hastened the crisis
For a tiot Gomez, and listened vacantly to the patter of feet in the hot streets while she sat quietly in a corner of the shaded roo to her apart that she needed help She could not find an envelope and dare not ask for one, so she folded the note and wrote across it the address Grahaiven her Then she stole from the house
No one interfered with her as she went up a street that led to the outskirts of the tohere she was less likely to be watched The unsealed note could not be posted, because it would no doubt be given to Goe for its conveyance by hand It would be better if the person were a revolutionary, but she iined that the President's enemies would not make themselves conspicuous Some risk lish