Part 5 (1/2)

He had already remarked that she was a creature of violent extremes, tempered, but not improved, by a thin polish of subtlety. She was now about to give an ill.u.s.tration of the pa.s.sion of jealousy. But it was not her jealousy that Freeman minded: it was the prospect of Miriam's scorn when she should surmise that he had given Grace cause to be jealous.

Miriam was not the sort of character to enter into a compet.i.tion with any other woman about a lover. He would lose her before he had a chance to try to win her.

But fortune proved rather more favorable than Freeman expected, or, perhaps, than he deserved. Grace's attack was too impetuous. She stopped just inside the threshold, and said, in an imperious tone, ”Come here, Mr. Freeman: I wish to speak to you.”

”Thank you,” he replied, resolving at once to widen the breach to the utmost extent possible, ”I am otherwise engaged.”

”Upon my word,” observed the professor, with a chuckle, ”you're no diplomatist, Harvey! What are you two about here? Investigating antiquities?”

”The remains of ancient Mexico are more interesting than some of her recent products,” returned Freeman, who wished to quarrel with somebody, and had promptly decided that Senor Don Miguel de Mendoza was the most available person. He bowed to the latter as he spoke.

”You--a--spoken to me?” said the senor, stepping forward with a polite grimace. ”I no to quite comprehend----”

”Pray don't exert yourself to converse with me out of your own language, senor,” interrupted Freeman, in Spanish. ”I was just remarking that the Spaniards seem to have degenerated greatly since they colonized Mexico.”

”Senor!” exclaimed Don Miguel, stiffening and staring.

”Of course,” added Freeman, smiling benevolently upon him, ”I judge only from such specimens of the modern Mexican as I happen to meet with.”

Don Miguel's sallow countenance turned greenish white. But, before he could make a reply, Meschines, who scented mischief in the air, and divined that the gentler s.e.x must somehow be at the bottom of it, struck in.

”You may consider yourself lucky, Harvey, in making the acquaintance of a gentleman like Senor de Mendoza, who exemplifies the undimmed virtues of Cortez and Torquemada. For my part, I brought him here in the hope that he might be able to throw some light on the mystery of this embroidered garment, which I see you've been examining. What do you say, Don Miguel? Have these designs any significance beyond mere ornament?

Anything in the nature of hieroglyphics?”

The senor was obliged to examine, and to enter into a discussion, though, of course, his ignorance of the subject in dispute was as the depths of that abyss which has no bottom. Miriam, who was not fond of Don Miguel, but who felt constrained to exceptional courtesy in view of Freeman's unwarrantable attack upon him, stood beside him and the Professor; and Freeman and Grace were thus left to fight it out with each other.

But Grace had drawn her own conclusions from what had pa.s.sed. Freeman had insulted Don Miguel. Wherefore? Obviously, it could only be because he thought that she was flirting with him. In other words, Freeman was jealous; and to be jealous is to love. Now, Grace was so const.i.tuted that, though she did not like to play second fiddle herself, yet she had no objection to monopolizing all the members of the male species who might happen, at a given moment, to be in sight.

She had, consequently, already forgiven Freeman for his apparent unfaithfulness to her, by reason of his manifest jealousy of Don Miguel.

As a matter of fact, he was not jealous, and he was unfaithful; but fate had decreed that there should be, for the moment, a game of cross-purposes; and the decrees of fate are incorrigible.

”I had no idea you were so savage,” she said, softly.

”I'm not savage,” replied Freeman. ”I am bored.”

”Well, I don't know as I can blame you,” said Grace, still more softly: she fancied he was referring to Miriam. ”I don't much like Spanish mixtures myself.”

”One has to take what one can get,” said Freeman, referring to Don Miguel.

”But it's all right now,” rejoined she, meaning that Freeman and herself were reconciled after their quarrel.

”If you are satisfied, I am,” observed Freeman, too indifferent to care what she meant.

”Only, you mustn't take that poor young man too seriously,” she went on: ”these Mexicans are absurdly demonstrative, but they don't mean anything.”

”He won't, if he values his skin,” said Freeman, meaning that if Don Miguel attempted to interfere between himself and Miriam he would wring his neck.

”He won't, I promise you,” said Grace, sparkling with pleasure.

”I don't quite see how you can help it,” returned Freeman.