man, with his wife and children, in a large
corner room opening on the inner court of the Mission quadrangle. The
room was dark and damp as a cellar; a fire smouldered in the enormous
fireplace; a few skins and rags were piled near the hearth, and on these
lay the woman, evidently ill. The sunken tile floor was icy cold to the
feet; the wind swept in at a dozen broken places in the corridor side
of the wall; there was not an article of furniture. "Heavens!" thought
Felipe, as he entered, "a priest of our Church take rent for such a hole
as this!"

There was no light in the place, except the little which came from the
fire. "I am sorry I have no candle, Senor," said the man, as he came
forward. "My wife is sick, and we are very poor."

"No matter," said Felipe, his hand already at his purse. "I only want to
ask you a few questions. You are from Temecula, they tell me."

"Yes, Senor," the man replied in a dogged tone,--no man of Temecula
could yet hear the word without a pang,--"I was of Temecula."

"I want to find one Alessandro Assis who lived there. You knew him, I
suppose," said Felipe, eagerly.

At this moment a brand broke in the smouldering fire, and for one second
a bright blaze shot up; only for a second, then all was dark again. But
the swift blaze had fallen on Felipe's face, and with a start which
he could not control, but which Felipe did not see, the Indian had
recognized him. "Ha, ha!" he thought to himself. "Senor Felipe Moreno,
you come to the wrong house asking for news of Alessandro Assis!"

It was Antonio,--Antonio, who had been at the Moreno sheep-shearing;
Antonio, who knew even more than Carmena had known, for he knew what a
marvel and miracle it seemed that the beautiful Senorita from the Moreno
house should have loved Alessandro, and wedded him; and he knew that on
the night she went away with him, Alessandro had lured out of the corral
a beautiful horse for her to ride. Alessandro had told him all about
it,--Baba, fiery, splendid Baba, black as night, with a white star in
his forehead. Saints! but it was a bold thing to do, to steal such a
horse as that, with a star for a mark; and no wonder that even now,
though near three years afterwards, Senor Felipe was in search of him.
Of course it could be only the horse he wanted. Ha! much help might he
get from Antonio!

"Yes, Senor, I knew him," he replied.

"Do you know where he is now?"

"No, Senor."

"Do you know where he went, from Teme