If they had
been enraptured by the beauty of Blanch and Bessie and loud in their
praises of their jewels and exquisite gowns, they were crushed by
Chiquita's appearance, clad as she was in white and gold, a dress they
had never seen before, and adorned with jewels, the magnificence of
which they had not dreamed.

At last the mystery of the golden _pesos_ was solved--the jewels of
course! A great weight slipped from the souls of the Spanish women as
they gazed in envy and amazement upon the person they hated most in all
the world.

Happy, blissful ignorance--thrice blessed by the gods were they! Those
golden _pesos_ would not have purchased a single strand in her bracelet,
while as to the necklace, its value would have purchased the entire
_Posada_ and many broad acres besides. Don Felipe and the Americans had
seen such jewels before in the world of fashion, but how came Chiquita
by them? Who was she? Blanch and Bessie began asking themselves. That
she had timed her entrance well, all admitted; though in reality she had
thought nothing about it--chance had favored her, that was all.
Interesting though the subject under discussion had become, there was
little time left the company for further speculation before Juan Ramon,
the major-domo, announced supper.

The musicians struck up a lively Spanish air. The night was mild and
soft, the stars and moon glittered overhead, the wine flowed and the
sounds of laughter and gay, merry voices echoed throughout the _patio_.
The company sat long at the tables, tempted by innumerable dainties, and
encouraged and soothed by the wine, the night and soft strains of music.
Not even in the old days had the _Posada_ witnessed a gayer scene.
Indeed, for the time being, they had returned like a far-off echo of
those times when Dona Fernandez reigned supreme in her beauty and men
admired and flattered and paid homage to her. Little wonder she sighed
in the midst of the gayety and alternately flushed and paled as her
thoughts traveled back over the years.

Don Felipe was in an exultant mood. That morning his horse had stumbled
and later, while dressing for the evening, a bat flitted in and out of
his room through the open window. The fact that these two signs of ill
omen did not affect a mind ordinarily subject to the influence of
superstition, showed the state of his confidence. He drank freely of the
wine and laughed and talked incessantly. What an opportunity to spring
the trap he had