ws
and found the spot silent, vacant, as when she had last sat there,
hopeless, broken-hearted, she experienced a revulsion of disappointment.
"Not here!" she cried; "not here!" and a swift fear shook her. "Am I
mad? Is it this way, perhaps, people lose their senses, when they are as
I have been!"

But the young, strong blood was running swift in her veins. No! this
was no madness; rather a newly discovered power; a fulness of sense; a
revelation. Alessandro was near.

Swiftly she walked down the river road. The farther she went, the keener
grew her expectation, her sense of Alessandro's nearness. In her present
mood she would have walked on and on, even to Temecula itself, sure that
she was at each step drawing nearer to Alessandro.

As she approached the second willow copse, which lay perhaps a quarter
of a mile west of the first, she saw the figure of a man, standing,
leaning against one of the trees. She halted. It could not be
Alessandro. He would not have paused for a moment so near the house
where he was to find her. She was afraid to go on. It was late to meet
a stranger in this lonely spot. The figure was strangely still; so still
that, as she peered through the dusk, she half fancied it might be an
optical illusion. She advanced a few steps, hesitatingly, then stopped.
As she did so, the man advanced a few steps, then stopped. As he came
out from the shadows of the trees, she saw that he was of Alessandro's
height. She quickened her steps, then suddenly stopped again. What did
this mean? It could not be Alessandro. Ramona wrung her hands in agony
of suspense. An almost unconquerable instinct urged her forward; but
terror held her back. After standing irresolute for some minutes, she
turned to walk back to the house, saying, "I must not run the risk of
its being a stranger. If it is Alessandro, he will come."

But her feet seemed to refuse to move in the opposite direction. Slower
and slower she walked for a few paces, then turned again. The man had
returned to his former place, and stood as at first, leaning against the
tree.

"It may be a messenger from him," she said; "a messenger who has been
told not to come to the house until after dark."

Her mind was made up. She quickened her pace to a run. A few moments
more brought her so near that she could see distinctly. It was--yes, it
was Alessandro. He did not see her. His face was turned partially away,
his head resting against the tree; he must be ill.