Oh, God, that make me
mad! She say, 'Oh, Lady, you with your sorrow and your love--you know
me very well. Bad girl, too unfortunate, too miserable--your daughter
all the sama, and your lover. Give me a great 'eart, Lady, that I may
tell all the truth--all--all--all! If 'e thoughta well of me,' she
say, crying like one o'clock, 'let 'im know me better. No good 'e
think me fine woman--no good he kissa me'"--the delicacy with which Gil
Perez treated this part of the history, which Manvers had never told
him, was a beautiful thing--"'I wanta tell 'im all my 'istory. Then he
say, Pah, what a beast! and serva me right.' Sir, then she bow righta
down to the grounda, she did, and covered 'er 'ead. I say, 'Manuela, I
love you with alla my soul--but you do well, my 'eart.' And then she
turn on me and tell me to go quick."

"So you are in love with her, Gil?" Manvers asked him. Gil admitted it.

"I love 'er the minute I see 'er at the _corrida_. My 'earta go alla
water--but I know 'er. I say to myself, "That is la Manuela of my
master Don Osmondo. You be careful, Gil Perez.'"

Manvers said, "Look here, Gil, I'm ashamed of myself. I kissed her,
you know."

"Yessir," said Gil, and touched his forehead like a groom.

"If I had known that you--but I had no idea of it until this moment. I
can only say----"

"Master," said Gil, "saya nothing at all. I love Manuela lika
mad--that quite true; but she thinka me dirt on the pavement."

"Then she's very wrong," Manvers said.

"No, sir," said Gil, "thata true. All beautiful girls lika that. I
understanda too much. But look 'ere--if she belong to me, that all the
same, because I belong to you. You do what you like with 'er. I say,
That all the same to me!"

"Gil Perez," said Manvers, "you're a gentleman, and I'm very much
ashamed of myself. But we must do what we can for Manuela. I shall
give evidence, of course. I think I can make the judge understand."

Gil was inordinately grateful, but could not conceal his nervousness.
"I think the Juez, 'e too much friend with Don Luis. I think 'e know
what to do all the time before. Manuela have too mucha trouble. Alla
same she ver' fine girl, most beautiful, most unhappy. That do 'er
good if she cry."

"I don't think she'll cry," Manvers said, and Gil Perez snorted.

"She cry! By God she never! She Espanish girl, too mucha proud, too
mucha dicksure what she do with Don Bartolome. She know she serve 'im
righ