by Mayne Reid
CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
WAITING AND WATCHING.
As a rule, people of melancholy temperament, or with a sorrow at theheart, give way to it within doors in the privacy of their ownapartments. The daughter of Don Ignacio had been more often taught toassuage hers upon the house-top, to which she was accustomed to ascenddaily, staying there for hours alone. For this she had opportunity; herfather, busied with State affairs, spending most of his time--at leastduring the diurnal hours--at Government headquarters in the _Palacio_.
On this day, however, Luisa Valverde mounted up to the azotea withfeelings, and under an impulse, very different from that hithertoactuating her. Her behaviour, too, was different. When she made herway up and took stand inside the mirador, her eyes, instead of wanderingall around, or resting dreamily on the landscape, with no care for itsattractions, were turned in a particular direction, and became fixedupon a single point. This was where the road, running from the city toTacubaya, alongside the aqueduct of Chapultepec, parts from the latter,diverging abruptly to the left. Beyond this point the causeway, carriedon among maguey plants, and Peruvian pepper trees, cannot be seen fromthe highest house-top in the city.
Why on this day, more than any other, did the young lady direct herglance to the bend in the road, there keeping it steadfast? For whatreason was the expression upon her countenance so different from that ofother days? No listless look now; instead, an earnest eager gaze, asthough she expected to see some one whose advent was of the greatestinterest to her. It could only be the coming of some one, as one goingwould have been long since visible by the side of the aqueduct.
And one she did expect to come that way; no grand cavalier on prancingsteed, but a simple pedestrian--in short, her own servant. She had senthim on an errand to Tacubaya, and was now watching for, and awaiting hisreturn. It was the nature of his errand which caused her to look forhim so earnestly.
On no common business had he been despatched, but one of a confidentialcharacter, and requiring tact in its execution. But Jose, a _mestizo_whom she had commissioned, possessed this, besides having herconfidence, and she had no fear of his betraying her. Not that it was alife or death matter; only a question of delicacy. For his errand wasto inquire, whether among the Texan prisoners taken to Tacubaya one wascalled Florence Kearney.
As it was now the third day after their arrival in Mexico, it may bewondered why the young lady had not sought this information before. Theexplanation is easy. Her father owned a country house in the environsof San Augustine, some ten miles from the city; and there staying shehad only the day before heard that the captive train, long looked-for,had at length arrived. Soon as hearing it, she had hastened her returnto town, and was now taking steps to ascertain whether her lover stilllived.
She did not think of making inquiry at the Acordada, though a rumour hadreached her that some of the prisoners were there. But surely not DonFlorencio! If alive, it was not likely he would be thus disgraced: atleast she could not believe it. Little dreamt she of the malice thatwas moving, and in secret, to degrade in her eyes the man who wasuppermost in her thoughts.
And as little suspected she when one of the house domestics came uponthe azotea and handed her a large ornamental envelope, bearing the Statearms, that it was part of the malignant scheme.
Breaking it open she drew out an embossed and gilded card--a ticket. Itcame from the Dictator, inviting Dona Luisa Valverde to be present in agrand procession, which was to take place on the following day;intimating, moreover, that one of the State carriages would be at thedisposal of herself and party.
There were but few ladies in the city of Mexico who would not have beenflattered by such an invitation; all the more from the card bearing thename, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, signed by himself, with the addedphrase "con estima particular."
But little cared she for the flattery. Rather did it cause her afeeling of disgust, with something akin to fear. It was not the firsttime for the ruler of Mexico to pay compliments and thus press hisattentions upon her.
Soon as glanced over, she let the despised thing fall, almost flingingit at her feet; and once more bent her eyes upon the Tacubaya Road,first carrying her glance along the side of the aqueduct to assureherself that her messenger had not in the meanwhile rounded the corner.
He had not, and she continued to watch impatiently; the invitation toride in the State carriage being as much out of her mind as though shehad never received it.
Not many minutes longer before being intruded on. This time, however,by no domestic; instead a lady--like herself, young and beautiful, butbeauty of an altogether different style. Though of pure Spanishdescent, Luisa Valverde was a _guera_; her complexion bright, with hairof sunny hue. Such there are in Mexico, tracing their ancestry to theshores of Biscay's famous bay.
She who now appeared upon the azotea was dark; her skin showing a tingeof golden brown, with a profusion of black hair plaited and coiled as acoronet around her head. A crayon-like shading showed upon her upperlip--which on that of a man would have been termed a moustache--rendering whiter by contrast teeth already of dazzling whiteness; whilefor the same reason, the red upon her cheeks was of the deep tint of adamask rose. The tones of all, however, were in perfect harmony; anddistributed over features of the finest mould produced a face in whichsoft feminine beauty vied with a sort of savage picturesqueness, makingit piquantly attractive.
It was altogether a rare bewitching face; part of its witchery being dueto the _raza Andalusiana_--and beyond that the Moriscan--but as much ofit coming from the ancient blood of Anahuac--possibly from the famedMalinche herself. For the young lady delineated was the CondesAlmonte--descended from one of Conquistadors who had wedded an Aztecprincess--the beautiful Ysabel Almonte whose charms were at the time thetoast of every _cercle_ in Mexico.