vable that she would give to your Antonia a
book that she ought not to read?"

The Senora took it in her hands and turned the leaves very much as a
child might turn those of a book in an unknown tongue, in which there
were no illustrations nor anything that looked the least interesting.
It was a pretty volume of moderate size, bound in purple morocco, and
fastened with gilt clasps.

"I see the word GOD in it very often, Fray Ignatius. Perhaps, indeed, it
is not bad."

"It is a heretic Bible, I am sure. Could anything be more sinful, more
disrespectful to God, more dangerous for a young girl?" and as he said
the words he took it from the Senora's listless hands, glanced at the
obnoxious title-page, and then, stepping hastily to the hearth, flung
the book upon the burning logs.

With a cry of horror, pain, amazement, all blended, Antonia sprang
towards the fire, but Fray Ignatius stood with outstretched arms, before
it.

"Stand back!" he cried. "To save your soul from eternal fires, I burn
the book that has misled you!"

"Oh, my Bible! Oh, my Bible! Oh, mother! mother!" and sobbing and crying
out in her fear and anger, she fled down stairs and called the peon
Ortiz.

"Do you know where to find the Senor Doctor? If you do, Ortiz, take the
swiftest horse and bring him here."

The man looked with anger into the girl's troubled face. For a moment
he was something unlike himself. "I can find him; I will bring him in
fifteen minutes. Corpus Christi it is here he should be."

The saddled horse in the stable was mounted as he muttered one
adjuration and oath after another, and Antonia sat down at the window
to watch for the result of her message. Fortunately, Rachela had been so
interested in the proceedings, and so determined to know all about
them, that she seized the opportunity of the outcry to fly to "her
poor Senora," and thus was ignorant of the most unusual step taken by
Antonia.

Indeed, no one was aware of it but herself and Ortiz; and the servants
in the kitchen looked with a curious interest at the doctor riding into
the stable yard as if his life depended upon his speed. Perhaps it did.
All of them stopped their work to speculate upon the circumstance.

They saw him fling himself from the saddle they saw Antonia run to meet
him; they heard her voice full of distress--they knew it was the voice
of complaint. They were aware it was answered by a stamp on the flagged
hall of the doctor's iron-heeled boot-