d and patted Capitan on the head. "Will you come with me,
Capitan?" she said; and Capitan leaped up joyfully, giving two or three
short, sharp notes of delight. "Good Capitan, come! They will not
miss him out of so many," she thought, "and it will always seem like
something from home, as long as I have Capitan."

When Alessandro first saw Ramona's figure dimly in the gloom, drawing
slowly nearer, he did not recognize it, and he was full of apprehension
at the sight. What stranger could it be, abroad in these lonely meadows
at this hour of the night? Hastily he led the horses farther back into
the copse, and hid himself behind a tree, to watch. In a few moments
more he thought he recognized Capitan, bounding by the side of this
bent and slow-moving figure. Yet this was surely an Indian woman toiling
along under a heavy load. But what Indian woman would have so superb a
collie as Capitan? Alessandro strained his eyes through the darkness.
Presently he saw the figure halt,--drop part of its burden.

"Alessandro!" came in a sweet, low call.

He bounded like a deer, crying, "My Senorita! my Senorita! Can that be
you? To think that you have brought these heavy loads!"

Ramona laughed. "Do you remember the day you showed me how the Indian
women carried so much on their backs, in these nets? I did not think
then I would use it so soon. But it hurts my forehead, Alessandro. It
isn't the weight, but the strings cut. I couldn't have carried them much
farther!"

"Ah, you had no basket to cover the head," replied Alessandro, as he
threw up the two nets on his shoulders as if they had been feathers. In
doing so, he felt the violin-case.

"Is it the violin?" he cried. "My blessed one, where did you get it?"

"Off the table in Felipe's room," she answered. "I knew you would rather
have it than anything else. I brought very little, Alessandro; it seemed
nothing while I was getting it; but it is very heavy to carry. Will
it be too much for the poor tired horse? You and I can walk. And see,
Alessandro, here is Capitan. He waked up, and I had to bring him, to
keep him still. Can't he go with us?"

Capitan was leaping up, putting his paws on Alessandro's breast,
licking his face, yelping, doing all a dog could do, to show welcome and
affection.

Alessandro laughed aloud. Ramona had not more than two or three times
heard him do this. It frightened her. "Why do you laugh, Alessandro?"
she said.

"To think what I have to show you,