presence, soon
came to have a warm feeling towards him herself; moreover, she greatly
liked his quiet reticence. There was hardly a surer road to the Senora's
favor, for man or woman, than to be chary of speech and reserved
in demeanor. She had an instinct of kinship to all that was silent,
self-contained, mysterious, in human nature. The more she observed
Alessandro, the more she trusted and approved him. Luckily for Juan Can,
he did not know how matters were working in his mistress's mind. If he
had, he would have been in a fever of apprehension, and would have got
at swords' points with Alessandro immediately. On the contrary, all
unaware of the real situation of affairs, and never quite sure that the
Mexican he dreaded might not any day hear of his misfortune, and appear,
asking for the place, he took every opportunity to praise Alessandro to
the Senora. She never visited his bedside that he had not something to
say in favor of the lad, as he called him.

"Truly, Senora," he said again and again, "I do marvel where the lad
got so much knowledge, at his age. He is like an old hand at the sheep
business. He knows more than any shepherd I have,--a deal more; and it
is not only of sheep. He has had experience, too, in the handling of
cattle. Juan Jose has been beholden to him more than once, already, for
a remedy of which he knew not. And such modesty, withal. I knew not that
there were such Indians; surely there cannot be many such."

"No, I fancy not," the Senora would reply, absently. "His father is a
man of intelligence, and has trained his son well."

"There is nothing he is not ready to do," continued Alessandro's
eulogist. "He is as handy with tools as if he had been 'prenticed to a
carpenter. He has made me a new splint for my leg, which was a relief
like salve to a wound, so much easier was it than before. He is a good
lad,--a good lad."

None of these sayings of Juan's were thrown away on the Senora. More and
more closely she watched Alessandro; and the very thing which Juan
had feared, and which he had thought to avert by having Alessandro his
temporary substitute, was slowly coming to pass. The idea was working
in the Senora's mind, that she might do a worse thing than engage this
young, strong, active, willing man to remain permanently in her employ.
The possibility of an Indian's being so born and placed that he would
hesitate about becoming permanently a servant even to the Senora Moreno,
did not occu