Paolina!"

A female in night-dress, with a young, but rather deep voice, opened the
shutter from within, and put out her head.

"Federigo!"--she said, tremblingly; and there followed then a rapid
interchange of questions and answers in Spanish which Salve did not
understand. He gathered merely that she was surprised to see a stranger
with him, and that he calmed her apprehensions with the word "amigo,"
followed by a short explanation.

She opened the door, and fell impulsively on Federigo's neck, kissing
him on both cheeks, and sobbing. After the custom of the place, then,
she offered her cheek to Salve, and was a little surprised when he
seemed not to understand her meaning, and nodded merely, as he said,
half in English, half in Spanish, "good evening, senorita." It seemed to
remind her, however, that in her eagerness she had forgotten her
mantilla, and she left them hastily.

She came back to them again in the sitting-room almost immediately with
bread, wine, fruit, and lights upon a tray; and stationed herself then
in a sympathetic attitude with her arm on her brother's shoulder, while
he, with lively gestures, recounted his adventures. Federigo's story
seemed to be reflected from her face as from a living mirror. At one
point her face became pale with passion; her black eyes flashed, and she
made a sudden movement with her clenched hand in the air, as if she were
giving some one a stab with a dagger. She threw her head back then with
a triumphant, scornful laugh that showed her dazzling white teeth; and
Salve inferred that her brother must have killed some person or other in
Monte Video, probably in self-preservation, and that he was afraid the
police here, in Rio, should have had information of it.

He sat and gazed at her. She was a lithe, supple-looking woman, at once
graceful and fully developed; a dark beauty of the style peculiar to the
South, with wonderful animation in her face, and dark flashing eyes. At
the same time the play of her features was not pleasing, Salve thought.
It reminded him too much of her brother--it was not feminine; and he was
further repelled by the way in which she repeatedly allowed her eyes to
rest upon him. He didn't know why, but Elizabeth's deep, true northern
face came so vividly before him then, that he felt he could have drawn
it to the life.

The not very flattering expression which this comparison had caused his
face unconsciously to assume as he looked at her, was ca