ning,
with a glad cry, saw Alessandro standing there, looking on, with an
expression which, even in her own terror and indignation, gave her a
sense of dread, it was so icily defiant. He had his hand on his gun.
"What is all this?" he repeated. He knew very well.

"It's that Temecula man," said one of the men, in a low tone, to
Merrill. "If I'd known 't was his house, I wouldn't have let you come
here. You're up the wrong tree, sure!"

Merrill dropped the meat he was dragging over the floor, and turned to
confront Alessandro's eyes. His countenance fell. Even he saw that
he had made a mistake. He began to speak. Alessandro interrupted him.
Alessandro could speak forcibly in Spanish. Pointing to his pony, which
stood at the door with a package on its back, the remainder of the meat
rolled in the hide, he said: "There is the remainder of the beef.
I killed the creature this morning, in the canon. I will take Senor
Merrill to the place, if he wishes it. Senor Merrill's steer was killed
down in the willows yonder, yesterday."

"That's so!" cried the men, gathering around him. "How did you know? Who
did it?"

Alessandro made no reply. He was looking at Ramona. She had flung her
shawl over her head, as the other woman had done, and the two were
cowering in the corner, their faces turned away. Ramona dared not look
on; she felt sure Alessandro would kill some one. But this was not the
type of outrage that roused Alessandro to dangerous wrath. He even felt
a certain enjoyment in the discomfiture of the self-constituted posse
of searchers for stolen goods. To all their questions in regard to the
stolen steer, he maintained silence. He would not open his lips. At
last, angry, ashamed, with a volley of coarse oaths at him for his
obstinacy, they rode away. Alessandro went to Ramona's side. She was
trembling. Her hands were like ice.

"Let us go to the mountain to-night!" she gasped. "Take me where I need
never see a white face again!"

A melancholy joy gleamed in Alessandro's eyes. Ramona, at last, felt as
he did.

"I would not dare to leave Majella there alone, while there is no
house," he said; "and I must go and come many times, before all the
things can be carried."

"It will be less danger there than here, Alessandro," said Ramona,
bursting into violent weeping as she recalled the insolent leer with
which the man Jake had looked at her. "Oh! I cannot stay here!"

"It will not be many days, my Majel. I will borrow