colored. She had decided not to say it.

"Tell me, Ramona," persisted Felipe. "You were going to say something
about Alessandro's staying; I know you were."

Ramona did not answer. For the first time in her life she found herself
embarrassed before Felipe.

"Don't you like Alessandro?" said Felipe.

"Oh, yes!" replied Ramona, with instant eagerness. "It was not that at
all. I like him very much;" But then she stopped.

"Well, what is it, then? Have you heard anything on the place about his
staying?"

"Oh, no, no; not a word!" said Ramona. "Everybody understands that he is
here only till Juan Can gets well. But you said you did not believe you
could offer him money enough to tempt him to stay."

"Well," said Felipe, inquiringly, "I do not. Do you?"

"I think he would like to stay," said Ramona, hesitatingly. "That was
what I was going to say."

"What makes you think so?" asked Felipe.

"I don't know," Ramona said, still more hesitatingly. Now that she had
said it, she was sorry. Felipe looked curiously at her. Hesitancy like
this, doubts, uncertainty as to her impressions, were not characteristic
of Ramona. A flitting something which was far from being suspicion
or jealousy, and yet was of kin to them both, went through Felipe's
mind,--went through so swiftly that he was scarce conscious of it; if
he had been, he would have scorned himself. Jealous of an Indian
sheep-shearers Impossible! Nevertheless, the flitting something left a
trace, and prevented Felipe from forgetting the trivial incident; and
after this, it was certain that Felipe would observe Ramona more closely
than he had done; would weigh her words and actions; and if she should
seem by a shade altered in either, would watch still more closely.
Meshes were closing around Ramona. Three watchers of her every look and
act,--Alessandro in pure love, Margarita in jealous hate, Felipe in love
and perplexity. Only the Senora observed her not. If she had,
matters might have turned out very differently, for the Senora was
clear-sighted, rarely mistaken in her reading of people's motives, never
long deceived; but her observing and discriminating powers were not in
focus, so far as Ramona was concerned. The girl was curiously outside of
the Senora's real life. Shelter, food, clothes, all external needs, in
so far as her means allowed, the Senora would, without fail, provide for
the child her sister had left in her hands as a trust; but a personal
relation wi